Frequently Asked Questions

After a death, the funeral service is the first step to begin the healing process. Funerals provide family members and friends with a caring and positive atmosphere in which to acknowledge the death of a loved one and to celebrate their life. Attending a funeral service provides many benefits which may include:

• Establishing a social support system for a family
  
• Helping a family understand death is final and a part of life
  
• Reintroducing a family back into the community after their loss of their loved one
  
• Letting families know that expressing pain and sadness over a loss is natural
  
• Reaffirming one's relationship with the person who died
  
• Sharing thoughts and feeling about the deceased
  
• Providing a time to say good-bye and celebrate a life lived
  

This will not be an easy time, but rest assured the Muster Family is here to help guide you and your family through an uncertain process. At some time the majority of people will be faced with the task of making or assisting in the making funeral arrangements. This will not be an easy task, but our family offers these tips for smart planning:

• Be well informed, feel free to ask questions
  
• Choose a funeral home with a respected reputation and a history of service in your area
  
• Be ready to organize details and make decisions
  
• Plan a personalized and meaningful ceremony to celebrate a life lived
  

When there is a death in the family, it is natural to turn to the one in your community who can provide the very best -- the professional advice, service and accountability you and your family deserves. For generations, the Muster Family has been an invaluable resource to families in need. Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators who provide professional advice regarding a subject that is unfamiliar to many. They make the arrangements for the transportation of the deceased, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the deceased.

Many grief specialists believe that viewing assists the healing process by helping the family and friends accept the reality of death. We strongly recommend viewing as part of any funeral service for the family whether traditional burial or cremation is the chosen as method of disposition. The last mental image of a loved one often becomes a permanent reminder of one's life. Viewing helps create a healthier mental image than that of your loved one immediately following death.

No. The Muster Family has always taken pride in focusing our undivided attention toward providing quality funeral services. We feel that trying to cover too many areas related to a funeral service will lessen the service of our family. We will, however, offer suggestions and contact information for local florists, monument companies, and cemetery contacts for our area.

Yes. Muster Funeral Homes provides an online service on its website so that people may make their full arrangements over the Internet. In some cases, people may still need to visit the funeral home to select their funeral merchandise (casket, vault, or urn) and sign some forms in order to finalize their arrangements and ensure funding.

Yes. The majority of families stay with the decisions in a pre-arrangement contract; however, the law goes with the living, so the family can make changes to your pre-arrangements.

Yes. Recording your wishes in a pre-arrangement will help to ensure that your desire of cremation will be carried out. In Kentucky, the law still goes with the living. At your death, the immediate next-of-kin or all equal next-of-kins must also agree and sign the required authorizations in order to complete the cremation process.

The most common reason that a person may choose to pre-pay the funeral expenses is that they receive the piece of mind of knowing their family will not be inconvenienced or burdened with funeral costs at an already difficult time. Secondly, Muster Funeral Homes offers an inflation proof pre-arrangement plan that allows a person to pay in full at today's prices. You will then receive the services and funeral merchandise that was paid for at yesterday's prices at no additional cost to your family. The last benefit is that funds placed in a pre-arrangement contract with Musters may also be designated as irrevocable, thus protecting this asset from any nursing home, hospital, federal and / or state agency.

Yes. Our family's belief in the value of pre-arranging a funeral service is so strong that Muster Funeral Homes will honor the contract from any another funeral home. A pre-arrangement at another funeral home does not lock you into the services at that funeral home. You can contact us at anytime at (270) 273-3124 and we will assist in the transferring of your contract from another funeral home to Musters. You can also present your contract from another funeral home, and Musters will honor the conditions of that contract.

No. The federal government will not pay towards a burial of a United States Citizen. The Social Security Administration will pay up to $255.00 in a one time payment to a surviving spouse. This payment is not guaranteed by the government and is only payable to a surviving spouse. If you think that you are entitled to the Social Security Survivor Death Benefit or additional Social Security Benefits, you can contact the Social Security Administration Office at (800) 772-1213. The Muster Family will notify the Social Security Administration of each death for a family that we serve.

No. The Veterans Administration will provide a honorably discharged veteran a grave marker and a flag for burial. If burial is in a Veterans Administration Cemetery, then the government will cover the cost of the burial space, opening & closing of the grave and the cost of a minimum outer burial container. Hopkinsville, Kentucky is the closest VA cemetery to McLean County. We will assist your family in completing the necessary forms in order to obtain the veterans benefits to which you are entitled.

When death occurs at home, the family and staff of Muster Funeral Homes are available to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please call us at (270) 273-3124.

Notify the nurse or hospital clergy that Muster Funeral Homes is your choice for a funeral service provider. The staff will then contact Musters to inform us of the death. Our family and staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please have the hospital or nursing home to contact Musters at (270) 273-3124.

Yes. When death occurs away from home, Muster Funeral Homes can assist you with out-of-state arrangements and transfer the deceased to a preferred location. Be sure to contact Musters first at (270) 273-3124 before contacting a local funeral home. This will help to save your family hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the preparation and transportation of the remains to one of our locations.

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the deceased, slows the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of someone disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

No. Most states, however, require embalming when death is caused by a reportable contagious disease, when the deceased is to be transported from one state to another by common carrier, or when final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours. The Muster Family does require that a body be embalmed when it will be present for a visitation and/or funeral service with a pubic viewing of the deceased.

No. Cremation is simply the chosen method of disposition of a human body. With more people choosing cremation, it is important to understand the many options for a funeral service. Cremation is only part of the commemorative experience. In fact, cremation can actually increase your options when planning a funeral. Cremation gives people the flexibility for many types of tributes that reflect the life being remembered. This does not mean that aspects of traditional funeral services have to be discarded. Even with cremation, a meaningful memorial that is personalized to reflect the life of the deceased could include:

• A visitation prior to the service
  
• An open or closed casket
  
• Special music
  
• A meaningful video tribute
  
• A ceremony at the funeral chapel or local church
  
• Participation by friends and family
  

Commonly, cremated remains are placed in an urn and buried in a family burial plot. Cremation also gives families the option to scatter the remains. This can be done in a place that was special to the person. When choosing scattering, we strongly suggest that a family bury a portion of the cremated remains so that a marker can be erected. This permanent burial location will help to celebrate a life lived and give survivors a place to visit on special occasions.

Yes. Musters now offers a full line of cremation caskets that allows for the body to be present for a funeral service with cremation to follow. It is actually more common to have a full funeral service when cremation is the chosen method of disposition. The importance of the funeral service is in providing a social gathering to help the bereaved begin the healing process.