I learned last week when a family member died how important it is to educate yourself on this subject. It was a relatively sudden death and that family member h

I learned last week when a family member died how important it is to educate yourself on this subject. It was a relatively sudden death and that family member had only verbally told someone how he wanted to be buried but was somewhat vague about even that. The night he died the undertaker asked us to sign for having him embalmed. The next day, when the subject of having him cremated came up at the funeral home someone asked, “But didn’t we have him embalmed?” Had we chosen cremation we would have wasted nearly $900 in embalming. Even then, I question whether it was a necessary expense given it’s not legally required in this jurisdiction. Ultimately we went with the more expensive option of casket burial because we truly felt that’s what this family member wanted. But I do find it interesting that the night he died, the undertaker all but forced us to sign for embalming. I wonder how often that one act pushes families towards a more expensive option? In our case, the total cost was $10,000 with one of the cheapest caskets they offered and that doesn’t include plot or grave marker.