What Does Disposition of Last Remains Mean?

Most people plan for big events in their lives. For weddings, a great deal of attention is given to the location, day, time, flowers, cake, photographer, wedding favors, seating chart and much, much more. For a quinceañera, planning details include the court, escort, dresses, shoes, menu and, again, so much more. These decisions are not typically made quickly – it is not uncommon for events like these to take a year or more to properly plan. Aside from wanting the event to be a success, people want their own personalities reflected in every detail.

A funeral, memorial service or celebration of life is the last big event in a person’s life. It is the time when family and friends gather to say goodbye, remember good times and reflect on the legacy the person left behind. If you are the type of person who wants to ensure that your last big event is handled exactly the way you have envisioned it, you may want to draw up a declaration of disposition of last remains document.

Specify Your End-of-Life Details

A declaration of disposition of last remains can contain information about:

• How you want your physical body to be handled after you pass away. You can specify if you want to be buried (including the exact location and the type of casket), cremated (including what is to be done with your ashes) or entombed. People have been buried with material possessions and had their ashes shot off in firework displays!
• What type of ceremony, if any, you want to celebrate your life (including no event at all). If you want a formal funeral with a wake, you can specific which funeral home you prefer. Perhaps you want a more casual event such as a memorial service or celebration of life where attendees are encouraged to wear tie dye clothing and share their personal memories during the ceremony. You can choose to have a very public event or a private event with close family members only.
• Organ or tissue donation information. You can also choose to donate your body to science.

This document can provide general direction for your loved ones to follow or it can contain very specific details about how you want everything to be handled. The more specific you are, the less your loved ones will have to decide. It is really the last chance you have to leave your mark, reminding your loved ones what type of person you were throughout your life.

The Denver estate planning lawyers at The Brown Law Firm, LLC have experience helping people think through their options when filling out a declaration of disposition of remains in Denver. Take advantage of their expertise and guidance by contacting them at (303) 339-3750 or online.