Steps for Planning Ahead
We understand how difficult it is to plan funeral services, so our staff is available to help you in any way that we can. Please call us and we will walk you through every step of planning, and we will offer choices to make the services just right for your family. To help you understand the process, here are some of the steps you can choose to do ahead of time:
Funeral Planning
☐ Fill out basic pre-arrangement information sheet. 15-20 minutes, no charge. This provides the basic information we need to write obituaries and fill out the death certificates. It gives us some information about the type of services you want. Click here to download the Pre-Arrangement form
☐ Fill out funeral service information sheet. 10-15 minutes, no charge. This provides information about the funeral / memorial service you would like: who should lead it, type of music, readings, etc. Click here to download the Funeral Service Information Sheet
☐ Itemize funeral goods and services. 30-60 minutes with funeral home staff, usually at the funeral home, no charge. You choose the goods and services you want, and we will create an itemized funeral bill so you can know the anticipated costs. This is an estimate only, but lets you make many of the decisions in advance, and guides us and your family as to your wishes.
☐ Pre-pay your funeral invoice. 15-30 minutes with funeral home staff. After itemizing the services you want (see previous choice), you may pay for the funeral in one lump sum, or in payments, and lock in the prices for your funeral bill. This saves your family from worrying about paying for your funeral.
Memorial Planning
☐ Choose your cemetery marker. 30-60 minutes, cost vary greatly. You may choose the type of stone or gravemarker you want, and lay out the exact design for your stone. You may wish to save the information until after the death, or have the stone cut and delivered.
☐ Plan a memory slideshow. 30-60 minutes, $95. Choose 30-70 photos to be put into a slideshow that can be played at the visitation and/or funeral. You may put sticky notes on back to indicate an order to the photos if you wish, or to label slides. You may choose to narrate the photos in your voice.
☐ Write a letter to your loved ones. No cost, time will vary greatly. You may write a letter to your spouse or children to be read and re-read after your death. It could be read publicly, or just given to those you choose after your death. We will be happy to file it with your pre-arrangement. Please put in sealed envelope with the name of the recipient on the outside.
Mary Jane Zwach Chelsea, Michigan, age 78, passed away Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital. She was born March 1, 1947, in New Ulm, Minnesota, the daughter of Lawrence and Louise Barbara (Guemmer) Scheid.
Marie Duke passed peacefully on the morning of January 29th, 2026, in her beloved Silver Maples Retirement Center in Chelsea, Michigan, surrounded by her six children, Kathryn, Paul, Michele, Lynda, Lorraine, and Rick.
Nancy J. Rosentreter, a dedicated mother, community leader, and diehard Detroit Tigers fan, passed away January 27th, 2026, peacefully after a life defined by hard work and fierce devotion to her family. She was born October 21, 1939, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of Albert & Evelyn Rosentreter. 
Judith Jean “Judy” Corwin of Chelsea, Michigan, age 93, passed away Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at her home in the Pines. She was born September 23, 1932, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of Frank Ludwig and Louise Katherine (Koch) Walters.
Stephen Harold Hinshaw of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Ann Arbor, age 75, passed away Sunday, January 25, 2026, at Chelsea Retirement Community. He was born August 12, 1950, in Winchester, Indiana, the son of Paul & Thelma (Sheppard) Hinshaw.
Ronald (Ron) Lee Griffith, 91 of Dexter, Michigan, passed away on January 15,2026, after a short illness.
Of Whitmore Lake, MI, age 90, passed away Sunday, January 25, 2026 at her home. She was born August 30, 1935, the daughter of Forrest & Eula Bonnette.