Funerals are difficult, but homes offer advice

OTHELLO — The death of a loved one is the toughest experience in most people’s lives, and it is often made more difficult by the task of final arrangements.

According to John Lackie, funeral director at Stevens Funeral Chapel, only 10-15 percent of funerals are arranged by an individual. In most cases, families make the arrangements.

According to Lackie, about 30 percent of the people who seek his services are backed by insurance. Of those who don’t have a policy, only about 50 percent are able to accomplish all of their desires.

“Typically one person will step forward with input from the others,” Lackie said. “Usually it’s a spouse with children. I very seldom sit in that room with one person.”

Stevens Funeral Chapel has been in business for 52 years. Lackie has been the manager for 10. His wife Claire is the administrative assistant.

A second company, Carver Family Funeral Home, also provides services in Othello. It had an office in Othello until January, but now operates solely out of Moses Lake. It is co-owned by Scott Carver, a licensed funeral director, and his wife Nicole.

The biggest difference between the two companies is overhead. The Stevens operation has its own chapel and a showroom for caskets. Carver has neither of these.

Lackie says his company offers a traditional full service funeral “with everything under one roof.” Except in cases in which the family chooses a specific church.

“We offer a full-service funeral too, just not in one place,” Scott Carver said.

According to Lackie, there is professional competitiveness between the funeral homes. Both companies are cognizant of the trauma the survivors suffer and strive to get families through the experience emotionally as well as financially.

“Making the arrangements is an extremely emotional drain,” Lackie said. “Many times they’ve been up over night. In the case of a car accident, there is a shock factor.”

Lackie believes people can ease the burden by educating themselves about funerals before someone dies. He said most funeral directors are “good guys” and welcome people with questions.

“There is no obligation when you walk in that door,” he said.

In one respect — the burial — the hands of both services are tied. Those costs are under the control of private cemeteries or municipalities.

A grave in Othello costs $700. The opening and closing of the grave costs another $625. A concrete grave liner is required in Othello, and it costs $300. And liner placement costs $250.

Grave costs are affected by market forces, Lackie noted. A grave in Connell costs $250 and a grave in Seattle costs $1,500.

“Bellevue is way up there,” he said.

A full-service funeral costs between $4,800-$10,000.

“We have a policy that no one is turned away because of ability to pay,” Lackie said. “We’ll find a way to do the service.”

A low-end cremation service costs between $1,000-$1,100.

“In the state of Washington, there are three ways you can dispose of a body — donation (to science), burial or cremation,” Carver said.

There are ways to keep costs down without going to cremation, Lackie noted. Families can handle some of the tasks. They can deliver the body to the funeral home, choose not to embalm and can also buy caskets independently of the service.

“Walmart and Costco sell caskets,” Lackie said. “You can go online and find them.”

Embalming is not required by law, Lackie said. He noted there is some degree of decomposition before burial. However, bodies that are not embalmed but are refrigerated will remain in good condition for up to a week.

According to Carver, some Hispanic families choose old-style traditional funerals. The body is kept at the home of the deceased until the day of the burial. The wake and viewing are done there.

“We can do things to the body so they can have the body at home,” Carver said.

For families that are in a tough financial position, a quite inexpensive option is cremation. The only added cost could be burial of the ashes.

“In Washington you don’t have to bury the ashes,” Carver said. “You can scatter them or keep them in your home or decide what to do later.”

No matter the options people choose, the experience is difficult, Lackie said. Most people lighten the emotional load by allowing the funeral home to do the majority of the work.