Pre-arranging a funeral is one of the more thoughtful decisions an individual can make for his or her survivors. It ensures that your funeral preferences and desires will be respected upon your death.

To make informed choices, you should know what you want; how much you can afford to pay; what guarantees are provided on merchandise and services; what happens if you move and want to change funeral homes; the tax consequence of the funding arrangements, if any; and if you are protected against inflation.

Your selections and preferences will determine the cost. You may elect to pre-fund the cost through insurance or a special burial fund. Most funeral directors offer inflation-proof funding vehicles that allow you to arrange exactly the kind of service you desire, at today´s prices, and be assured of adequate funds at the time of need.

For additional information visit our Pre Arrangement Section.

Most funeral directors encourage the public to visit their funeral homes. Getting to know the person you will be dealing with at a very stressful time is very important and ideally should happen before the death of a loved one occurs. After meeting with several funeral directors, you will most likely find one with whom you are comfortable - a person you experience to be patient and understanding, a good listener, an open-minded person you believe and trust, one who offers you choices consistent with your personal needs.

When death occurs out of town and you desire Smith and Walker Funeral Home Inc. to handle the services, it's to your advantage to contact us directly as soon as the death occurs and not engage a separate funeral home out-of-town. A single call to us will enable us to coordinate all the details both in the city where the death occurs and here in Putnam where the services will take place. This can save you and your family time, anxiety and additional expenses.

You'll be able to make your decisions in more familiar surroundings and with people you know. Furthermore, you may want to consider the pre-arrangement of these matters and know exactly what will be happening when that difficult time comes.