Forever. Perpetuity. Eternity. Choosing a cemetery is a significant decision, one ideally made well in advance of need. But few of us consider how to choose a cemetery until we’re faced with the death of a loved one. There are several important factors to weigh when deciding on a final resting place:

What environment do I want for my great-grandchildren when they’re hearing my story?
Cemeteries are truly for the living. Consider a place that’s welcoming, uplifting, accessible and beautiful for your family to visit for generations to come.

Will the cemetery need to accommodate other family members?
Often families choose to establish an area in which members eventually will be buried near each other. When thinking about how to choose a cemetery, evaluate the potential for your family to be together if they decide that is important.

How will the space be maintained?
When you choose a cemetery, ask about plans for care of the grounds. You want to feel confident that the environment you’re selecting will be the same or better for decades to come.

Choosing a cemetery is a very personal decision; you likely have other criteria that are important to your family. Regardless of which funeral home you work with, the cemetery you select is completely up to you. It’s helpful to visit several cemeteries and explore your options.

We created the Seven Stones concept because we wanted to offer a new kind of option for burial and cremation gardens. Seven Stones Chatfield is Denver’s newest and most diverse destination in which to honor and celebrate life. The extraordinary vibrancy of our location, the beauty of our grounds, our unique memorials and our friendly staff truly set us apart.

We’ve designed Seven Stones to be in harmony with nature, forever changing with the seasons. We’ve created a botanical garden filled with indigenous plantings to produce a tranquil and distinctive place for loved ones to rest and reflect. Hills, trees, water features and art abound, and the grounds are graced by opportunities to walk or sit. There are many special places to honor and celebrate life at Seven Stones, unique tribute opportunities that are found nowhere else.

If you’d like to learn more about how to choose a cemetery, we invite you to visit Seven Stones and meet with one of our friendly team. We’re sincerely invested in helping; even if you decide that Seven Stones isn’t right for you, we’re happy to provide guidance. But we believe that, as it has for many, the Seven Stones difference will likely capture your heart and spirit.

YOU CHOOSE THE WAY YOU’LL BE REMEMBERED

If you had the chance to plan your funeral, what would you want? Would you choose cremation or burial? Would you choose green burial? What kind of memorial would you want? What would you want your epitaph to be? The best thing about preplanning your funeral is that everything will be just as you want it. Not as someone else decides.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FROM RISING COSTS

Like most things, cemetery costs tend to rise every year. That means that every aspect of memorializing today will probably cost less than the same tribute years from now. So if you plan your funeral now, you’ll save yourself and your family money later. Plus, by preplanning you can be assured that your family won’t make unnecessary purchases while still dealing with the grief of your passing.

LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOUR FINAL WISHES

Preplanning takes the guesswork out of planning your tribute. When you preplan your cemetery arrangements, everyone benefits. You know that your wishes will be carried out, and your loved ones know exactly how to honor you. At Seven Stones, we even encourage you to involve your family in designing your memorial. Many families design family estates, their own “family cemetery,” within Seven Stones that becomes a heritage for generations of family.

Seven Stones can help you with all your preplanning needs. We’ll even help you understand the different choices in cemeteries that are available to you. We’ll help you choose the right funeral home for your arrangements, and we’ll walk you through and help you with every step of the process.

Call us today at 303.717.7117 to schedule a time to get together and talk through your needs.

End-of-life planning can be overwhelming. There are more than 70 details to attend to in the first 48 hours after a death. It’s a huge responsibility for loved ones amid the whirlwind of grief. Fortunately, you can take care of many of these items ahead of time. When you pre-plan for a funeral or burial, you can make things easier for your loved ones, and you can ensure that the details of your funeral and burial are exactly as you would like them to be.

Funeral services and memorials can be intensely personal and incredibly diverse, reflecting your life and personality. Outside of the traditions called for in your religious beliefs, there are few right or wrong answers—it’s up to you! As you think about the details of your funeral and burial, here are some items to consider: 

• Do you want to be buried or cremated? 
• If you’d like to be cremated, would you like your ashes to be put in a mausoleum or buried?
• If you’d like to be cremated, would you like a traditional urn or a biodegradable urn?
• If you’d like to be buried, would you like a casket burial, a green burial or a mausoleum?
• What kind of memorial would you like?
• Which cemetery do you prefer? 
• Is there a particular location within a cemetery that you desire, or family whom you want to be near?
• Where would you like to hold your funeral service?
• Would you like to have the casket or urn present at your funeral service?
• Would you like to have a viewing or wake? If so, where would you like it to be held, and what should the tone be—somber? Uplifting? Formal? Casual?
• Would you like to have a reception after the ceremonies? If so, what does that look like?
• Would you like to have a graveside service?
• Would you like pallbearers at your funeral service? If so, who would you choose?
• Would you like certain music and readings at your funeral service? If so, which songs and readings would you choose?
• Are there personal items that you’d like to have at your funeral service?
• Which photos would you like to have displayed at your funeral service? And which photo would you like to use for the announcement?
• Are there special flowers that you’d prefer at your service?
• Will the family need transportation between the funeral home and the cemetery?
• Who would you like to officiate at ceremonies?
• Would you like someone to deliver a eulogy?
• Who should be notified after a death? Prepare a list with contact information.
• Are there organizations or charities that you’d like friends and family to donate to in your honor?
• How would you like your obituary to read?

The National Funeral Directors Association has created a list of ways to personalize a service. And the Federal Trade Commission offers guidance on how to be an informed consumer when planning a funeral and choosing a cemetery. We’ve also prepared a list of paperwork to gather in advance to help your loved ones when meeting with a funeral director. 

A living will is also an important part of end-of-life planning. You can talk to an attorney or find templates online. Within a living will you can spell out your desires regarding medical treatment and advance directives, and you often can make your wishes known for organ and tissue donation as well, saving your family the burden of making that call at the most difficult moment.

There are many other details to consider with regard to end-of-life planning. While this list is not comprehensive, and not all may be relevant, it’s worth thinking about:

• Who you would like to be executor of your estate
• Who you would like to represent your living will
• Guardianship for children or for adults who need ongoing care
• A collection of passwords, keys and security codes for alarms, safes, lock boxes, social media, bank accounts, subscription services and the like
• Special wishes for collectibles, rare automobiles, jewelry and the like
• A budget within which you’d like your family to work for the funeral and burial or cremation

At Seven Stones, we can walk you through the process and help you with all of these decisions—even if you decide we’re not the right cemetery for you. So please don’t hesitate to give us a call!

303.717.7117
Seven Stones Chatfield
9635 North Rampart Range Road
Littleton, CO 80125
info@DiscoverSevenStones.com

Download Preplanning Checklist