Official Newsletter For The Stevenson & Sons Funeral Homes

Giving back to our families with useful newsletters each month.

September 2023

Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. Psalms 71:18

Introducing Joe Trainer

Joe Trainer is a Funeral Director at Big Sky Cremations, Retz Funeral Home, and Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home. Feel free to contact Joe regarding arrangements for services in the Helena area.

To complete his higher education, Joe Trainer attended the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, IA. After giving several career choices opportunities to provide challenge and fulfillment, Joe found none of them felt quite right. Joe decided he’d look further into something that had always interested him: mortuary science. First working with Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Des Moines, where he

Joe Trainer

built a foundation in caring for families and their loved ones. In no time at all, Joe knew he had found his niche – his true calling. In 2014 Joe moved to Great Falls, MT in 2014 to begin an internship with Croxford Funeral Home. In 2020 Joe left Croxford’s and moved to Helena and began working for Anderson Stevenson Wilke.

What seems to be second nature for native Montanans, is always a new and exciting adventure for Joe. As a city slicker, now in Big Sky Country, Joe, along with his four-legged friend Tessa, spends his free time camping, hiking, and paddleboarding all across the state. He always welcomes suggestions for his ever-growing to-do list of places to camp, hike, paddle, explore, attempt, and visit, with his most recent weekend adventure being in Eureka, MT. When not outdoors enjoying the beautiful state of Montana, Joe is an avid DIY-er who enjoys tinkering on whatever needs to be fixed, and sometimes, those things that don’t.

Below is a short gallery of photos of Joe, including a couple of Tessa, that we hope will help everyone get to know him a little better.

 

Funeral Planning Aid

We frequently receive questions regarding what the person responsible for making funeral arrangements should expect. Since we’ve received so many requests for this information, we are placing the following article. At the end of the article, there’s a button which allows you to download a complete copy of the article as a PDF. That way, if you wish, you may keep it on your computer for future reference or sharing. If after you read the article, you have any specific questions, please contact the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of your choice.

There will be a lot to do when you are the one chosen to make the decisions regarding the funeral arrangements for a loved one. The number of decisions and the complexity of the decisions will depend on many factors, starting with what your loved one’s final wishes were. And no matter how many or how few, or how complex or how simple, you will be grieving your loss, and that will add to the weight of these necessary tasks.

Two things to note before proceeding are 1) the staffs at all of the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Homes are always available to assist you in any way possible and 2) when your loved one has pre-planned their final arrangements, your burdens in the planning processes are minimal, and the deceased’s final wishes will be precisely obliged. Pre-planning relieves a grieving loved one from having to cope with the countless necessary details, which is why the pre-planning of final arrangements is becoming more and more popular. For details on pre-planning, please contact the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of your choice.

You will not immediately need everything listed below. To ensure that all of your loved one’s final wishes are met, dates and times are workable and all legal aspects are properly attended to, an experienced Stevenson & Sons representative will meet with you on more than one occasion. At times, face-to-face meetings can be avoided, and matters can be fully handled via phone calls.

Getting ready for our first meeting

During this first casual get-together, we’ll discuss things that will, essentially, just prepare us both for our second meeting: we’ll know what we need to have for you to look at or make decisions about, and you’ll have a more comprehensive grasp of everything involved. We believe it is also very important that we get to know each other a little better. You are entrusting us with the final care of your loved one, and while our decades of service and sterling reputation assure you that we will treat your loved one with unwavering dignity and respect, we have found that the first personal meeting cements the highest level of trust and understanding possible.

  • Who will be the primary contact for the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Director to speak with about details?
  • In the event the primary contact is unavailable, who is the second contact.
  • We strongly suggest that you bring a close friend or family member with you to the initial meeting with the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Director. The emotional support is always beneficial, and since so many details will be brought up, taking notes is advised; your companion can usually do this more easily than you will be able to. We recommend a digital tablet or laptop computer, but paper and pen are also just fine.
  • If your loved one made any manner of arrangements, which would include written, specific wishes and cemetery plots selected – and possibly even paid for – be sure to know about these things. Bringing anything that is written will be most helpful.
  • The discussions at this meeting will include quite a few things. Since Stevenson & Sons Funeral Directors treat each final celebration of life individually, specific details that will be discussed cannot be listed. However, some topics of discussion will include: any specific elements that you wish to be part of the funeral? Does your family have specific traditions to observe? Will any religious rites be required at the funeral? A decision should be discussed about what type of funeral, burial, monument, etc. would best pay homage to the life, beliefs, and accomplishments of your loved one.

Three generations of Stevenson & Sons have created unique services for the people in all of the communities we have served for over 50 years, and this is only possible when we have all the important information about the deceased.

Getting ready for our second meeting

At this meeting, we’ll initiate the processes of planning the funeral. We’ll also offer, for your consideration, some options for burial. We’ll need to ask a number of questions to help us ensure that all of your expectations are fulfilled, and that all of the details are attended to perfectly. It will be most helpful for all concerned if you could arrange to bring the following items with you for this meeting:

  • The clothing, including undergarments, that you would like your loved one dressed in for viewings and burial.
  • Eyeglasses and jewelry. We can return these items to you, if you so choose, after the ceremonies.
  • A recent photograph: preferably one that includes a clear view of the face. This will be used for correctly applying cosmetics. While this is most important for females, it is also quite important for males. (This is not necessary if you do not plan a viewing.)
  • Military discharge papers, if your loved one was a veteran.
  • Social Security number.
  • Life insurance policies.
  • The names and the current contact information for six to eight pallbearers. (This may not be necessary, depending on the arrangements you make.)
  • A group of photographs and videos that we can use to create an appropriate digital tribute to your loved one. These can be shared for many generations to come.

If you forget any of the above items for this meeting, please do not worry. We can always make arrangements to get something later, or at our next meeting.

The Death Certificate

We will have already gathered some of the information required for the certificate’s completion by now. To ensure that we have everything needed to fulfill all the necessary requirements, we are providing the list of required information below. This will ensure that you have time to gather the information and have it available when needed:

  • The full name of your loved one
  • The Social Security number of your loved one
  • The date of birth of your loved one
  • The place of birth of your loved one
  • The address of your loved one at the time of death
  • The marital status of your loved one
  • The name of the surviving spouse, if applicable
  • Veteran’s discharge papers, when applicable. (A DD-214 is preferred)
  • The full name of the father of your loved one
  • The full name of the mother of your loved one
  • Your loved one’s mother’s full maiden name
  • The specific place of your loved one’s death
  • The highest completed level of education of your loved one
  • The occupation of your loved one at the time of death. (“Retired,” is a frequent response)

We hope the above information will help you to rapidly get past handling the necessary details of your loved one’s passing. We realize how important it is that you deal with the necessities and become fully involved in the grieving process. And please remember, we are always here to help and support you in any way we can.

SCAM Warning

We are so very sorry that we are compelled to enter the following into our uplifting newsletter, but we believe our obligations to the many communities we serve demand that we post this notice. We have been alerted that scammers are targeting people who have recently experienced the tragedy of a family member’s death. The scammers contact the family member(s) and state that the final funeral payments are due immediately. The scammers claim to work for the funeral home that was mentioned in the mandatory newspaper obituary notifications. They tell the family member(s) that the additional amount must be paid immediately to avoid legal action and/or collection agencies. The amounts vary, with the highest amount known so far being $1,000.00. DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS provided on your computer or smart phone. The scammers will tell you that the link is the fastest and/or easiest ‘fix.’ We are unable to speak for all funeral homes, but none of the Stevenson & Sons family of funeral homes and crematories will handle matters of billing in the discourteous, unprofessional manner mentioned above. If you have any questions about your invoice, please contact us by our published phone number and we will gladly discuss and concerns you may have.

Supporting Others

If you know someone who would benefit from the uplifting messages and support information we provide in these monthly newsletters, they can sign up to receive their own copy here (https://stevensonandsons.com/news/sign-up/). It’s a great way to lend your support to a friend or a family member.

Financial Assistance

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus.

Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020…

If you lost a loved one due to Covid-19, you may qualify for financial assistance for your family’s funeral expenses. Click here to find out more information.

Recently posted on the FEMA Covid-19 Funeral Assistance page: The COVID-19 incident period ended on May 11, 2023. FEMA will continue to provide funeral assistance until Sept. 30, 2025, to those who have lost loved ones due to this pandemic.

Grief Support

Many people do not have the time to locate a proper grief counselor. Others do not live in an area where there are any grief counselors available. And finally, many people are not prepared to pay a professional for grief counseling. Fortunately, the internet provides some solutions for those who wish to seek grief counseling or to interact with groups of people who are also coping with grief. Many such services exist, as do professional counselors who will assist people privately on line, hence eliminating the need for travel. Not all services are the same, nor are all chat rooms/groups. You should research what you are interested in and follow-up on the leads you believe will be most helpful to your personal situation until you locate exactly what works best for you. In your search engine look for terms like “grief chat rooms” “bereavement support groups” “professional grief counseling” or “grief management.” Good research is the path to successfully linking up with what, or who, will work the best for you. Another option would be to start your search at the Mental Health American website. Lots of information, and many places to research groups, centers and more.