Planning Ahead

Want to know more about Funeral Preplanning?

  • Cost
  • Benefits
  • Payment options

Contact Us

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Meet Our Planning Specialists

We are available if you have questions. Please do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Amy Dahlke

Jennifer Howard

Haley Morley

Why preplan now?

While no one wants to think about their own death or planning a funeral, preplanning before the need arises puts you in charge of how you will be remembered, and it ensures that your funeral will be meaningful for your loved ones. It allows you to: 

1. Ease the Stress on Loved Ones

While your family has the best intentions, they don’t know what their personal circumstances will be when the time comes. They may have difficult financial or personal circumstances that could prevent them from fulfilling their promise “to take care of everything.” Preplanning helps prevent any unforeseen issues. 

2. Keep the Peace

When death occurs with no preplanning, it may be unclear which loved one should be responsible for making the final arrangements. At times, several  family members or friends take charge without knowing your wishes. Preplanning your funeral eliminates the potential problems created when loved ones can’t agree. 

3. Choose a Flexible Payment Plan

Payment options include a single payment or monthly payments over one, three, five, or 10 years. Once the original agreement is paid, the payments stop, the funeral plan provides protection until your death, and there is no tax liability upon the death benefit paid.

3. Leave a Kind Gesture

People often say, “I do not want to be a burden to my family.” One way to prevent this feeling is by indicating your wishes in advance. By preplanning and prefunding your arrangements, you can help to relieve emotional and financial obligations to your family. They can proceed with confidence knowing they’re honoring your wishes. Let us help you through the advance planning process. Contact us today to get started at no cost or obligation to you. 

See What Other Families Are Saying About Us

  • Rose (83)

    Preplanning a funeral sounded like a really morbid thing to do, and I was reluctant to even meet with Haley. She instantly put me at ease and walked me through the whole process in no time at all. I couldn’t believe how easy she made it and I’m so glad I did it!! It really has taken a huge weight off my shoulders knowing I’m not leaving this to my kids to deal with. And they’re definitely thankful I have it done!!


    Preplanning a funeral sounded like a really morbid thing to do, and I was reluctant to even meet with Haley. She instantly put me at ease and walked me through the whole process in no time at all. I couldn’t believe how easy she made it and I’m so glad I did it!! It really has taken a huge weight off my shoulders knowing I’m not leaving this to my kids to deal with. And they’re definitely thankful I have it done!!


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  • Jodee (71) and Scott (74)

    My parents had their funerals preplanned and paid for. It was truly the best thing they could have given me. It was such a heavy loss, I don’t think I would have made the right choices at the time, and that would have been hard for me to live with. So I knew I wanted to give my kids the same gift. I would hate for them to have to make all these decisions while grieving. I just want them to focus on each other and being together, not picking out my casket. Haley helped me get everything I wanted in the price range I could afford. She was able to help me and my husband get a plan together in less than a few hours. She even came to our house, which was so helpful!! I tell everyone to go and preplan, it really is such a great thing!

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  • Dale (71) Katrina (68)

    I had no idea that you could plan and pay for your own funeral. My parents left all the decisions to us 4 kids, and boy was it terrible. I wish they would have done this, and once I knew it was something i could do, I met with Haley right away. I didn’t want my kids arguing over my final arrangements the way I fought with my siblings. It’s such a hard time already and it seemed like we couldn’t agree on anything. Not to mention the payment aspect of things.....my parents didn’t leave us much and life had put us all through our highs and lows and none of us had much to put towards their funerals. I didn’t want to do that to my kids and wife. My wife and I met with Haley and had everything done and signed in an hour and a half. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! Absolutely everyone should be doing this!


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  • Bryant (66) and Maty (62) Bergeson

    My wife and I met with Jennifer to go over options for our funeral pre-planning a while back. Jenn was very polite and professional and presented many options for us based on the budget we wanted to spend. She was very thorough in explaining each option and answered all of our questions in a satisfactory manner. We set up an appointment for her to come to our home and go over everything we'd discussed in detail in a manner of a couple of days. We settled for a cremation funeral based on costs and budget and picked out our individual urns. Where I am a career Air Force Veteran, she also had the paperwork and point of contact name and phone  number for us to contact the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Blackfoot for our final resting place. Everything was explained in detail, and we have secured our final cremation and urn burials in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery. We were able to make payment for the total costs with bank withdrawals, making everything worry and hassle free from payments. Jenn was more than helpful in all our arrangements, and we feel confident in the process. We've also made a great friend in Jenn.

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  • Heidi (51) and Kent (61) and Tyler (28) Nelson

    My grandparents had their funerals preplanned and I saw how much that helped my parents when my grandparents passed away. So when my parents were looking into the process, my husband and I decided that it would be a good idea for us to look too. We have an adult disabled son that we wanted to get his done as well. We just felt that it would be so helpful to our other 2 sons so they wouldn't have to worry about what we wanted or how to pay for it. It feels so good knowing that the decisions are made and plans are paid for. The process was so easy, and the best part, the decisions were made without being in the middle of grief. I would recommend pre planning funerals to everyone.

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  • Kimberly Bermensolo

    I couldn’t be any happier with my experience at Wood Funeral home. Amy did a fantastic job of explaining all my options and when I told her what we wanted, she couldn’t have been any sweeter. It was a relief, knowing that we had that in place for our kids . I would recommend Amy at Woods funeral home. Thank you, Amy for making me feel comfortable and knowing that my husband and I went to the right place.


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  • Gary and Loretta Elverud

    For my wife and I preplanning your final arrangements are such a blessing to know that the arrangements made by Amy that helped us feel comfortable about it and such a load off our mind that neither we or our family have to worry about the future God has a plan for us and thankful Wood Funeral Home has a plan in writing for us when it is time to go to our rest until the Lord comes to take us home

    Thank you Amy and Wood Funeral Home for taking such good care of us.


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  • John and Elaine Ohman

    We wanted to take a moment to express our appreciation for the excellent services you have provided. Every question, every concern was addressed promptly and professionally. You are the best!

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  • Stephen Plock

    Working with Amy was easy, I had thinking about it for awhile and now it's taken care of and nobody has to worry about my arrangements and what I might want.

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  • Ellen and Lindley Bailey

    When l lost each of my parents, it eased the burden and stress of the moment that they had already preplanned. It was a gift that we chose to pass on to our children. Amy was a big help, letting us know what the options were and setting up what we wanted. It is a calm relief to have this prearranged and to know we have eased the future burden of our children.



    Thank you Amy for your help.


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  • John Liljenquist

    Pre-planning my funeral with Amy was surprisingly empowering. He gave me a piece of mind, knowing my wishes are documented, sparing my family from difficult decisions during their time of grief. The process was clear and stress-free, and Amy supported me every step of the way. I would highly recommend her, she’s truly an expert in her field!

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Common Questions about Preplanning

  • How does Preneed Funeral insurance work?

    Preneed Funeral insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that only covers your funeral expenses. You attend a preplanning appointment with your funeral home director, where you choose every feature you want included in your funeral service. The funeral home director totals the costs, and that amount is the basis for your Preneed Funeral insurance plan. Upon death, the funds are used to pay for your funeral.  

  • How much does an average funeral cost?

    If you’ve started estate planning and preparing your end-of-life plans, you’ll need to know one key fact: how much an average funeral costs. Among other things, it will help you determine whether you need to purchase insurance to cover your funeral costs. Prices vary significantly by state and by funeral details you choose. To get started, download our free funeral planning guide to list your wishes, and then visit our funeral expenses calculator to compare the costs between burial and cremation and adjust figures to better fit your location.

  • What is cash surrender value of life insurance?

    Cash surrender value is the actual amount of money you will receive if you choose to terminate a permanent life insurance policy before its maturity date or death.


  • Can I buy funeral insurance for someone else?

    Yes, but unless you have authority to act on their behalf (e.g. POA, conservatorship, etc.), the other person will need to participate in advance planning, approve it, and sign the funeral insurance coverage.

  • Can I preplan a funeral if I'm a veteran and want military funeral honors?

    Yes. Whether you’re preplanning your own military funeral or making arrangements for a veteran who has passed, your funeral home director can coordinate the U.S. government benefits that are available to you and your personal wishes.