Rebekah Chapman

Caring.com Expert

About

Rebekah Peoples Chapman, CFSP, CPC, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer at a funeral home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She has extensive experience in all phases of funeral service, including funeral arrangements, embalming, burial, and cremation.

Chapman is passionate about serving others and believes that giving clients honest, accurate information empowers them to create tributes and services that are meaningful and appropriate.

A graduate of Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science in Syracuse, New York, Chapman has worked at some of the best-known service-oriented funeral homes in the country. She has earned the Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and Certified Preplanning Consultant designations. She has also published articles in Southern Funeral Director, The Director, and Hospice Newsletter, and she delivers presentations for national and regional associations of funeral directors.

Chapman's tips about planning funerals and anything funeral-related can be found at www.funeral411.com. She also serves as a consultant, offering timely information one-on-one to those who need personal assistance.

Links

Recently Published on Caring.com

  1. Tuesday December 13, 2011

    1. my marrried brother is dying should I be included in the receiving line at the wake?

      Answer - Wondering about funeral etiquette and who should be in the receiving line at the wake is something many people question.

  2. Saturday August 20, 2011

    1. Is it ok to send out an announcement of a death, and invitation to a Celebration of Life sercive by email?

      Answer - This is a good question. It means that although there are time constraints, you still want people to be aware of this important information. There may be those who think this is not the best way, but I think it's okay. Sometimes the timing of services requires that large numbers of people be notified...

  3. Friday July 29, 2011

    1. Should I go to my father's funeral if we didn't have a great relationship?

      Answer - This is not an easy situation. Please accept my condolences. There is quite a history with your father. Hopefully another Caring.com expert such as a grief counselor or other mental health expert will respond to your concerns and also a legal expert who can address your court concerns.

  4. Monday July 25, 2011

    1. How Much Does Cremation Cost?

      Answer - Ronjay, Yes, any firm that offers cremation services will allow you to set up a payment program. If you want to use the services of one that for some reason does not, you can go to almost any bank and set up a "funeral account" for funds that will only be used for your final expenses...

  5. Monday June 20, 2011

    1. What to Wear to a Memorial Service?

      Answer - I've seen people be self-conscious about just coming from work and not wanting to stop by the funeral home in work clothes. Go anyhow! People will appreciate more that you cared enough to come than about what you're wearing.

  6. Wednesday June 08, 2011

    1. How do I write a short, heartfelt speech to honor my father at his memorial service?

      Answer - What a nice way for you to word your question! A heartfelt speech is always the best, and when you speak from your heart, what you say is felt by the listeners.

  7. Saturday June 04, 2011

    1. Is there funeral expense assistance available to a veteran's widow?

      Answer - This is a good question. Many times a spouse of a veteran is eligible for certain benefits during her life. Usually these are in the form of financial assistance with assisted living or nursing home costs.

  8. Friday June 03, 2011

    1. What are good funeral homes when it come to costs?

      Answer - These are good questions that many people ask at some time. Any place that sells caskets has varied prices, whether it’s a funeral home, a wholesale company, an internet company, or a retail store. The least expensive caskets are usually a 20-gauge steel casket without a gasket to help seal it, a wowooden...

  9. Saturday January 22, 2011

    1. How Do I Set a Limit for the Cost of my Cremation in Honolulu, Hi?

      Answer - Most of us think about what we want when we die. Few of us, however, actually do something with those thoughts. Good for you for taking that extra step! In doing a little research about prices in your state for cremation services, it looks like it can easily fit into the amount you’re thinking aboutut...

  10. Friday January 14, 2011

    1. Why do I have to transfer my POA for my mother to be buried?

      Answer - Please accept my condolences to you in the loss of your mother. As far as I know, medical POA and funeral arrangements are not codependent. It should not be a requirement that because you are the medical POA, you are responsible solely for the funeral arrangements. Your sister should be able to make the arrangements...

  11. Thursday January 06, 2011

    1. How do we arrange to move a body from Puerto Rico to New York for burials?

      Answer - Surprisingly, this is easier than you probably think. Call the funeral home in New York that you want to handle the services there and they will take care of all the arrangements.

  12. Sunday December 12, 2010

    1. Shouldn't I have been included in the obituary of my ex-husband?

      Answer - Please accept my condolences. Just because your relationship was as an ex-spouse, it doesn't change that you grieve and feel a sense of loss. That is probably exactly why you feel left out to have not been mentioned in the obituary.

  13. Saturday October 16, 2010

    1. How do I find out who maintains a cemetery?

      Answer - The easiest way to find the caretakers of a cemetery is to call your local funeral homes. They usually have contact information for any cemetery in your area. If they can't help you, please feel free to email me on this site.

  14. Monday October 11, 2010

    1. Can you bury a casket in the ground in the state of Florida?

      Answer - That's an interesting question but I'm not sure exactly what you're asking.

  15. Wednesday October 06, 2010

    1. If family cannot be found, can a friend claim someone's remains?

      Answer - This is a good question but I'm a little unclear about a couple of things. First I'm not sure who the "us" is that you're referring to. Are they and you part of the "old workplace" that you mention? As far as any family members not being known, the state of Pennsylvania laws require that a family member sign legal authorizations for a person to be cremated...

  16. Tuesday August 10, 2010

    1. Does SSI help with funeral expenses?

      Answer - If she's on SSI now, that office already has a record of her and her eligibility for those benefits so they will probably pay some amount for funeral expenses. Call her local SSI office and ask about eligibility criteria and amounts for funeral expenses...

  17. Monday July 26, 2010

    1. Is Medicaid due the money meant for his burial?

      Answer - Check with a local social worker at your Medicaid, Public Assistance or Social Services office. (It's called by different names in different states.) As the previous answer stated, there may be a limit on the cash value of a life insurance policy. In most states, there is not a limit on a prepaid funeral/burial account...

  18. Friday July 16, 2010

    1. Can my ashes be buried in my parents' plot?

      Answer - You ask a good question that many people wonder about. The Pennsylvania cremation burial laws allow each cemetery to set its own guidelines about the burial of ashes. I'm assuming that your parents are buried in a full-size grave that a casket was buried in, and not a cremation grave...

  19. Friday July 09, 2010

    1. Who is ultimately responsible for funeral expenses?

      Answer - Please accept my condolences in the loss of your husband. That issue in itself ranks in studies as one of the hardest life experiences. To have to deal with the issues you mentioned makes it even more difficult.

  20. Tuesday April 20, 2010

    1. What is the standard donation for a minister who performs a memorial service?

      Answer - Thank you for telling me your area. Like most services, the price can be quite different depending where you live. In your area, the current fee ranges between $200 and $250.

  21. Wednesday April 14, 2010

    1. How does one legally move a non-embalmed body?

      Answer - You are to be commended for a couple of things in this issue – first, that you are respecting your beliefs and second, that you want to incorporate them in accordance with the law.

  22. Tuesday March 23, 2010

    1. Can Dad's family keep Mom from being buried beside him?

      Answer - This is a tough issue and I’m sorry your family is going through this on such a sensitive subject. There are a couple of considerations in your question. What is it that your dad’s family is asking your mom to “sign” over? In West Virginia, it may be a deed or a certificate of buri...

  23. Wednesday February 24, 2010

    1. If mom wished to be cremated, can her sons stop it?

      Answer - This is a very sensitive issue. I appreciate your respect for your nanny in not wanting her in the morgue while this is resolved. She was smart to think ahead enough to create a power of attorney. Is it possible that she also spoke to that attorney about her final wishes...

  24. Thursday December 17, 2009

    1. Is it mandatory to have a vault or crate for a burial?

      Answer - You ask a good question about something that probably many people have wondered. Although not a state law, the state allows cemeteries to create their own ordinances and burial requirements regarding a vault or burial container for the casket...

    2. Can I 'bury' my partner as he wishes?

      Answer - That is really a unique request and you and your significant other are to be commended for such open communication. Are his wishes legal? The short answer is no. This non-traditional “burial” sounds very much like a “Viking burial” which has been featured in som...