As a Veterans Funeral Care provider, Northern Indiana Funeral Care advance planning specialists pride themselves on knowing everything there is to know about veterans death benefits and how to get them. Visit us at Northern Indiana Funeral Care for more information.
Truly an awe inspiring sight – the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Northern Indiana Funeral Care will arrange for and facilitate military honors for any U.S. military veteran. Call us today at 877-382-2756 or visit our website for more information about veterans funeral services.
Jim Rudolph, Founder and President of Veterans Funeral Care, describes the philosophy of Veterans Funeral Care.
Veterans Funeral Care was the first full service funeral home in America built to serve the veteran and military community. Founded in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, we have brown throughout the country by aligning ourselves with some of the country’s finest funeral homes. Many are owned or managed by a veteran or are the children of a veteran. All have undergone extensive training to participate and maintain their affiliation with us. The American Legion, Departments of Indiana, Illinois and South Carolina endorses us.
The staff of these firms are trained and licensed to assist with every detail of making cremation and funeral arrangements. We apply for all Veterans’ benefits available for you. Additionally, they will notify Social Security and apply for life insurance and arrange military honors.
We promote the use of Veterans Cemeteries. We understand that they are a small drive from you. Remember, it is an honor to be buried in a National Cemetery! All honorably discharged Veterans, their spouses and dependent children are entitled to free grave space, cemetery marker and burial vaults at any National Cemetery. They are all owned by the American people for the exclusive use of Veterans. This benefit saves your family up to six thousand dollars.
The most caring thing you can do for your family is to plan in advance. This eliminates any confusion about your wishes. You have provided peace of mind for your family. One call to us when you need us is all that is necessary! If you wish, you may pre-pay your arrangements and the costs are frozen forever.
We hope the enclosed information will answer any questions you have regarding the various cremation or burial options available through Veterans Funeral Care. If you have any questions please call us at 877-382-2756 or visit us online at www.northernindianafuneralcare.com. If you have relocated here, we honor most pre-arranged plans.
There is an urgency to be outstanding in our whole organization. We are focused on providing caring, compassionate service to our client families. As a Veteran, you deserve the very best.
Northern Indiana Funeral Care of Fort Wayne began operations in 2010 and is quickly becoming the leader of providing low cost funeral and cremation services with an emphasis on the veteran population. Bryan Jenisch is the Veterans Funeral Care representative for Northern Indiana Funeral Care and spends long hours ensuring veterans and their families receive all VA benefits related to cemetery, funeral, and cremation needs. The story he relates below is just one reason why Veterans Funeral Care has enjoyed the exclusive endorsement of The American Legion, Department of Indiana, since 2006.
He says “I had an elderly lady call me two weeks after her husband had died. Her kids were over at her house trying to help keep the utilities from being shut off.” This veteran’s widow had seen an ad by Veterans Funeral Care that had been placed in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette some time ago and filed it away for future reference. However, on the day her husband died she couldn’t find the ad so she called another local Fort Wayne funeral home. As she explained it “I had to end up borrowing money from several family members to lay my husband (a WW II vet) to rest because it was so expensive. They didn’t even ask about military honors. There was no rifle salute, taps, or even folding the flag and giving it to me.”
Now she is being told by a representative of a local cemetery in Fort Wayne that she has to buy a $2000 head stone and that her husband is not entitled to one from the VA. Two weeks after her husband died she found the newspaper ad and contacted Mr. Jenisch. He explained to her that she is entitled to receive a memorial through the Veterans Administration as long as his discharge was anything other than dishonorable. She said she was sure her husband had served with distinction so they are currently in the process of filing the necessary paperwork to secure a copy of her husband’s discharge papers (form DD 214). This document will allow her to file a claim with the VA for the marker and also the Presidential Memorial Certificate. She expressed to Mr. Jenisch “I’m relieved but still upset that my husband did not receive military honors. Unfortunately it can’t be done over.” Mr. Jenisch, having served 21 years in the United States Military, stated simply “without question, the way this lady was treated is a disgrace and totally unacceptable.”
Through much experience Veterans Funeral Care finds that only a small number of veterans are fully aware of VA benefits while spouses and other family members are usually in the dark, too. They don’t know what options are available and when the veteran dies they have no idea what to do.
Mr. Jenisch says he continues to hear a lot of myths. “It concerns me that these benefits have never been claimed by a family who’s entitled to them for the simple reason of not knowing they existed. In many cases these benefits total into the thousands of dollars.”
The people who work for Veterans Funeral Care are passionate about making sure veterans AND THEIR FAMILIES are aware of all the benefits available through the VA related to cemetery, funeral, or cremation needs. They focus on not only educating veterans, but more importantly how they can apply or help to apply for these benefits so families don’t fall victim to erroneous or fraudulent information.
It makes you wonder what would motivate those in the funeral and cemetery business to sink to such depths. Greed? Laziness? Ignorance? Most likely it’s a combination of desiring greater profits combined with a lack of commitment to their chosen work. Whatever the reason it’s important when planning for these needs that you know who you’re dealing with. You should ask to meet the owner and spend time figuring out who they are and the standards they uphold. Ask questions like “How long have you been a funeral director in this area?” and “What’s the most important thing you can tell me about how you conduct business?” and “What’s your commitment to veterans?” Make sure the pricing is easy to understand and fully explained because you should never feel confused or unsure when making funeral or cremation arrangements.
Northern Indiana Funeral Care of Fort Wayne is committed to providing inexpensive, not cheap, funeral and cremation services to families in all Northern Indiana. They love serving veterans and consider it an honor when given this sacred trust. The savings are usually 40% or more on the prices of funerals (including caskets) and cremations (including urns) compared to other Fort Wayne funeral homes. As the exclusive provider of Veterans Funeral Care in Northeast Indiana we also actively encourage and promote the use of National and State Veterans Cemeteries. If you would like to learn more about this program please visit their website at www.northernindianafuneralcare.com or email vfccounselor@yahoo.com. If you would like to speak to Bryan Jenisch he can be reached toll-free at 877-382-2756. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Veterans Funeral Care through Northern Indiana Funeral Care serves the following Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Dekalb, Huntington, Lagrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley.
Background: The traditional seal used since the Revolution was redesignated as the Seal of the Department of the Army by the National Security Act of 1947. The Department of the Army seal is authorized by Section 3011, Title 10, United States Code. The date “MDCCLXXVIII” and the designation “War Office” are indicative of the origin of the seal. The date (1778) refers to the year of its adoption. The term “War Office” used during the Revolution, and for many years afterward, was associated with the Headquarters of the Army.
Description: In the center is a Roman cuirass below a vertical unsheathed sword, point up, the pommel resting on the neck opening of the cuirass and a Phrygian cap supported on the sword point, all between, on the right an esponton and, on the left a musket with fixed bayonet crossed in saltire behind the cuirass and passing under the sword guard. To the right of the cuirass and esponton is a flag of unidentified designs with cords and tassels, on a flagstaff with spearhead, above a cannon barrel, the muzzle end slanting upward behind the cuirass, in front of the drum, with two drumsticks and the fly end of the flag draped over the drumhead; below, but partly in front of the cannon barrel, is a pile of three cannon balls. To the left of the cuirass and musket is a national color of the Revolutionary War period, with cords and tassels, on a flagstaff with spearhead, similarly arranged above a mortar on a carriage, the mortar facing inward and in front of the lower portion of the color and obscuring the lower part of it; below the mortar are two bomb shells placed side by side. Centered above the Phrygian cap is a rattlesnake holding in its mouth a scroll inscribed “This We’ll Defend.” Centered below the cuirass are the Roman numerals “MDCCLXXVIII.”
Symbolism: The central element, the Roman cuirass, is a symbol of strength and defense. The sword, esponton (a type of half-pike formerly used by subordinate officers), musket, bayonet, cannon, cannon balls, mortar, and mortar bombs are representative of Army implements. The drum and drumsticks are symbols of public notification of the Army’s purpose and intent to serve the nation and its people. The Phrygian cap (often called the Cap of Liberty) supported on the point of an unsheathed sword and the motto, “This We’ll Defend,” on a scroll held by the rattlesnake is a symbol depicted on some American colonial flags and signifies the Army’s constant readiness to defend and preserve the United States.
Northern Indiana Funeral Care offers military-themed caskets available in all branches of service. Request a brochure here, call us at 877-382-2756 or email vfccounselor@yahoo.com for more information.
Reference: http://www.history.army.mil/reference/Heritage/Emblem.htm
It’s often been said that cemetery property is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. There’s no question that you couldn’t give grave sites to some people. The focus of this blog is to explain some of the differences between a privately operated cemetery and a National Cemetery.
Veterans Funeral Care is a program offered by Northern Indiana Funeral Care which is based in Fort Wayne. One of the major tenants of Veterans Funeral Care is the commitment to actively promote, even encourage, the use of National Cemeteries for qualified veterans. It’s our belief that burial in a national cemetery (or a state veterans’ cemetery) is a privilege, indeed an honor, for those who served our country as a member of the armed forces. I have found the mistaken idea among veterans that this option is for the indigent or veterans who otherwise have little means. This could not be further from the truth.
Marion National Cemetery
Marion National Cemetery is impeccably maintained and the staff rivals any commercial cemetery in the country. Their approach to serving veterans provides a remarkable experience and the grounds of the cemetery are quite beautiful. It has various features that have been erected through the years and provides veterans an appropriate place to be laid to rest. The most important thing to understand, however, is that national cemeteries are maintained for perpetuity as national shrines. All of this is provided at no charge to veterans and their dependents. I’ve personally never been to a commercial cemetery that I thought was any better than a national cemetery. At any rate, veterans on every spectrum of the economic ladder are learning more and more about the benefits, whether choosing cremation or a traditional funeral, of utilizing a national cemetery.
By contrast, many cemeteries are operated by huge, out of state corporate conglomerates. This is true in Fort Wayne where these same companies also operate funeral homes in the same market. The reason that the funeral director won’t tell a veteran about national cemetery benefits is because they want to sell grave spaces, opening and closing (O and C), burial vaults, and markers or monuments. In some cases funeral directors are paid a bonus based on sales to families who are making at need arrangements. In other cases, they just assume that you wouldn’t want to be buried in a national cemetery because it’s not located in Allen County. It also creates more work having to coordinate military honors and travel to Grant County for burial. These funeral homes have no motivation to make sure veterans understand the VA benefits related to funeral, cremation, or burial expenses.
Finally, the cost of burial in a private cemetery is substantial. For a husband and wife, burial sites typically cost between $1,000 to $2,000 with opening and closing costs running between $600 and $1,000. Burial containers or vaults cost between $800 and $2,000 and you can spend whatever you want on a memorial, marker, or monument but with a cheap, flat granite marker plus tax and installation you’ll spend at least $800. If you just take the average of these items you’re at $8,800 and that’s before you ever get to the funeral home! Even if you find a low cost casket and add that to the typical funeral home services charge you’re looking at $20,000 to $25,000 in total cemetery and funeral expenses! Compare this to a national cemetery where THERE IS NO COST AT ALL. THAT’S AN $8,000 to $12,000 BENEFIT FOR A HUSBAND AND WIFE at the cemetery alone! Add to that the fact that our funeral plans typically save veterans 40% or more means thousands more in savings.
I’m continually surprised at the number of veterans in Northeast Indiana who have no idea this benefit is available to them. Our mission is to make sure that ALL veterans in the following counties know and understand this valuable benefit: Adams, Allen, Dekalb, Huntington, Lagrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley.. I encourage veterans who already have burial spaces to let fellow veterans know about this benefit. We’re finding that the consumer is seeking a more simple and straightforward approach to funeral and cremation services. Our desire is to be a leader in providing inexpensive services, all provided with the utmost of respect and concern. We encourage families to get all the facts when they are considering planning ahead for these needs. You’ll find our Veterans Funeral Plans on our website which give a complete description of what we offer. Feel free to request a brochure, email vfccounselor@yahoo.com, or even call 877-382-2756 with questions you may have. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it was informative.
The Marines’ Hymn states that Marines “fight our country’s battles in air, on land and sea…” The Marine Corps emblem contains a spread eagle, a globe showing the Western Hemisphere, and a fouled anchor, depicting battle in air, on land and sea. This design is rooted in early Marine history. The fouled anchor and eagle trace back to ornaments of the early Continental Marines, and the globe traces back to a symbol of the British Royal Marines.
Originally a crested eagle, which is found around the world, was used in the emblem. The eagle and globe signify service all over the world. The first official Marine Corps emblem was approved in 1868. It also included a small ribbon held in the eagle’s beak with the Marine motto “Semper Fidelis.” This ribbon is omitted from uniform ornaments depicting the emblem.
In 1954, President Eisenhower approved the design for the official seal of the United States Marine Corps. The seal depicted the original emblem but with an American Bald Eagle instead of the crested eagle. A year later the emblem contained in the Marine Corps seal became the official Marine Corps emblem, replacing the very similar 1868 version. The American Bald Eagle is specific to North America, adding a more patriotic meaning to the emblem. This emblem is the one currently shown the Marine Corps Flag.
Northern Indiana Funeral Care offers military-themed caskets available in all branches of service. Call us at 877-382-2756 or email vfccounselor@yahoo.com for more information.
Reference: http://www.united-states-flag.com/marine-corps-flag.html
When you make a comparison of Fort Wayne funeral homes you’ll find that most of them deeply care, indeed are passionate, about serving families that trust them to care for their dead. The difference will be found in how these funeral businesses are structured and modeled. When attempting to educate yourself about funeral and cremation options, the best place to begin is understanding how funeral homes operate and their unique approach to providing services. My purpose is to educate and inform the consumer but also to promote the idea of a simple, straightforward approach to funeral service. Northern Indiana Funeral Care is the leader in providing low cost funeral and cremations services in the Northeast part of Indiana and specifically Greater Ft. Wayne so the focus of this article will be to promote the benefit of the value proposition.
Some funeral homes are owned by corporate entities where decisions about pricing and how to operate that were once made by a local family are now made in far-away places. One such entity that has a large footprint in the Fort Wayne area is Service Corporation International (SCI) which is based in Houston, Texas. It’s the largest death-care provider in the world and has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange for years. You would recognize these funeral homes by the brand “Dignity Memorial”. They are characterized by high prices due to the fact that they must produce big profits for their shareholders. It’s not hard to figure out who generates those profits- the families they serve! All of us in the funeral business have to make money or we couldn’t keep our doors open but when large corporations have to support a bloated management structure, lavish facilities, and keep shareholders happy they have no choice but to charge high prices for the services they provide!
Another kind of funeral or cremation provider you’ll find is the locally-owned firm that has facilities in different areas of Fort Wayne and likes to tout the fact that they “give back to the community”. I’m not exactly sure what that means or as a consumer why I would care but again, the cost to maintain this type of business model leaves no choice to the owner but to charge high prices for funerals and cremations. If these funeral homes are large enough, service can be lacking because of the absence of personal attention. Some firms like this will begin to have the feel of a “funeral mill” because of a lack of motivation by employees. Oftentimes this will lead to poor embalming work and preparation (such as makeup) and the deceased doesn’t look near as good as if the owner of the funeral home did the work himself/herself.
Another type of funeral or cremation provider is one that provides options that are low cost but yet provide excellent services. This kind of business keeps overhead low and has different financial goals than large corporations. It doesn’t concern itself with have locations all over northern Indiana or spending millions on new cremation facilities. It’s dedicated to providing unmatched service at a price anyone can afford. Some people might think it’s a cheap option but I don’t believe cheap is the right word. I believe a better description can be found in the past. This type of approach takes funeral service full circle by centering services at the church the way it used to be years ago (and what many families still do today). Cremation memorial services can be held at gazebos in a park, country clubs or other service organizations like the Moose lodge, Elks, etc. Veterans who are interested in maximizing their benefits have the option of having their funeral at the VA hospital chapel, the chapel at Marion National Cemetery, American Legion, VFW, or Am Vets posts or the church. In other words, by having your service someplace other than a lavish funeral facility you just pay for the services of the funeral director, not the overhead and bloated nature of many businesses that rest on laurels and are living in the past.
The bottom line is that most folks are looking for an inexpensive, low cost option when it comes to taking care of this most difficult problem. Northern Indiana Funeral Care of Fort Wayne is dedicated to providing just this kind of option. Without compromising service you can save thousands on funeral and cremation services. You’ll work with local funeral directors who have spent their lives serving families in Northeast Indiana. For Veterans we offer Veterans Funeral Care which is exclusively endorsed by The American Legion, Department of Indiana. Please feel free to request more information about our services by clicking the “Request a Brochure” button on the home page of our website www.northernindianafuneralcare.com or by calling 1-877-382-2756.
