Page 33 - v1-DonohueGuide-WorkingFile-TA
P. 33
Death certificates Wills
A Certified Death Certificate is Everyone knows they should have
necessary before anything can be a will, but the vast majority – about
done. A death certificate can be 70% of us – do not. Writing a will is
obtained through a Funeral Director. easy and inexpensive, and once you
It is a good idea to obtain multiple are done you can rest easy knowing
copies of a death certificate as most your hard earned money and property
agencies require a certified certificate will be distributed according to your
and not a photocopy. wishes. As well, if you have children,
you can leave instructions on who will
Did you know... That if you own a be left in charge of them if you pass,
plot in a privately held cemetery, leaving that decision out of the courts
you do not have to use their
Funeral Home? hands. Making a will is easy, you just
You may use the funeral home of need to be at least 18 years of age
your choice regardless of where your and must be of sound mind when the
cemetery plot is located. Often private will is written. To make a will legal it
cemeteries are part of a corporate must:
entity and many own their own funeral
homes. The service advisor will want • Expressly state that it is your will
to refer or take you to their funeral • Be computer generated.
home if arrangements for the funeral • Be signed and dated
are not in place. Often the cost of a • Be signed by 2-3 witnesses, these
funeral may be considerably higher witnesses must be people who don’t
than that of a family owned funeral stand to inherit anything in the will.
provider.
Page 33