Five Generations of Dignified Service
Established 1904
Pre-need Insurance
& Burial Trusts
Church & Charitable Organizations
Contact Information
9445 West 31st Street
Brookfield, Illinois 60513
708-485-2000
773-521-3808
Fax 708-485-2002
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I get started making arrangements? I've never done this before and
have no idea what is required.
A: Please call us at 708-485-2000 and make an appointment. We will walk you
through this one step at a time and make it as comforting for you as possible
during this trying time. We can take care of everything for you.
Q: Can you arrange for the luncheon? I have so much to do, I can't do it all.
A: Yes, we can handle this, as well as the other steps for you, to provide you
with the help you need. We have numerous restaurants we recommend. We can even
provide you with the menus when you visit our office.
Q: When my mother passed away you handled her funeral. My wife has just passed
away and I'd like to make the same arrangements that we had for my mother. Can
you do this?
A: Yes, we keep records that include all funeral details back to 1904, so we
can set up everything the same for your wife.
What you need to know when preparing for a funeral
Q. What information should I have when I go to the funeral home to plan a funeral for a loved one?
A. First of all, there are several important items that you should locate and take with you to the
funeral home. These include cemetery papers, if the deceased person owned a funeral plot; discharge papers if the
person was a veteran; family names for newspaper notices; a current photograph; and the social security number of
the deceased person.
In addition, you will need to decide:
- Whether burial or cremation is preferred
- Whether flowers and/or memorial contributions should be suggested
- Type of service
- Where service will be held (at the funeral home, at a church, or elsewhere)
- Name of clergyperson, if needed, to conduct the funeral service
- Whether visitation will be available, and the hours
Click here for a complete checklist of information that you should assemble when a loved one dies.
Q: When my mother passed away, Hitzeman Funeral Home handled her funeral. My wife has just passed away and I would like to make the same arrangements that we had for my mother. Can you do this?
A: Yes, we keep records that include all funeral details back to 1904, so we can set up everything similarly for your wife.
Q. How do I go about making funeral arrangements? I have never done this before.
A. Please call Hitzeman Funeral Home at 708-485-2000. We will make an appointment to meet with you in person and will walk you through the process one step at a time. Our goal is to help you in every way possible during this trying time.
Q. Why would I want to personalize a funeral? It seems to me that all funerals are basically the same.
A. Personalizing a funeral, memorial service, or visitation provides an opportunity to make the occasion as individual as the person being remembered. And the process of personalizing can be comforting to the survivors by giving them the opportunity to share memories and experiences with loved ones.
Q. What are some of the ways that I can personalize a funeral?
A. You can personalize various aspects of the funeral. At the visitation, simple things like favorite photographs and examples of hobbies are often welcomed by family and friends attending a visitation. The mementos help the family focus on happier times and provide an opportunity to share recollections of their loved one. Some other examples of things to personalize the visitation:
- Examples of favorite hobbies or pastimes
- Trophies if the person was involved in athletics
- Memory boards containing photographs of important events in the person's life
- Special items to be enclosed in the casket: notes from grandchildren, photographs of loved ones, prayer books, mementos, rosaries, holy pictures
For the funeral or memorial service, you might want to think about:
- Stories about the loved one or that the loved one like to tell
- Favorite poetry, quotations, or scripture readings
- Favorite music, songs, or hymns
Q. I am a US Navy veteran of the Korean War. What funeral-related benefits can my survivors expect when I die?
A. Any veteran who was honorably discharged from active service is eligible for some funeral benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Veterans may elect to be buried in a national military cemetery, where space is available. If this option is chosen, benefits also include burial for the spouse, opening and closing the grave, a government headstone or marker, the playing of "Taps" during the presentation of the flag to the next of kin, and perpetual care. A Presidential Memorial certificate is also available.
Veterans who are buried in private cemeteries may also qualify for some funeral benefits. These are generally limited to a headstone or marker, a Presidential Memorial certificate, a flag, and the playing of "Taps" during the presentation of the flag to the next of kin. More extensive benefits are available to veterans who were in Veterans' hospitals, or were serving in active duty at the time of death.
Q. Where are national military cemeteries located? Is there one near Chicago?
A. Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois is the nearest national military cemetery in the Chicagoland area. The cemetery was dedicated in 1999 and has approximately 150 acres developed, including 25,000 gravesites and 2,000 lawn crypts for casketed remains, 3,000 columbaria niches and 2,300 garden niches for cremated remains. Information about locations of other national military cemeteries can be found by visiting the Department of Veterans Affairs website at www.cem.va.gov/listcem.htm.
Q. Why should I plan my funeral service ahead of time? It is not the kind of thing I care to think about.
A. By making your funeral arrangements in advance, you can spare your family some of the emotional and financial burdens often associated with making arrangements when a death occurs. At the same time you can assure that your personal preferences are honored. When you plan ahead, you will be able to consider the many options available. You will have the opportunity to make an informed decision about your funeral and cemetery arrangements, and the form of memorial you prefer.
Q. Is it possible to pre-pay for my funeral arrangements?
A. Yes. Todd Hitzeman, Susan Hitzeman, Chuck Hitzeman, and associate Jennifer Bryk are all licensed insurance brokers, enabling them to offer pre-need insurance to those who wish to pre-plan and pre-pay for their funeral arrangements. The Hitzeman Funeral Home can assure individuals that their funeral funds will be available when the time comes, by placing those funds with an insurance policy. Funeral trust funds are audited annually by the State of Illinois. Regardless of the amount of time that elapses between pre-payment and the time of need, the services that are contracted for will be delivered.
Q. Why do I have to yield the right-of-way to funeral processions?
A. As a general rule, Illinois law requires that other vehicles must yield the right of way to a funeral procession. This means that when you see a funeral procession, you should not cut into or through the procession or race past the procession. In addition, you should keep in mind that the lead vehicle in the procession, usually driven by a member of a funeral home, must obey all traffic signals. The cars following the procession should maintain a close distance to the car in front of them and may proceed through a traffic signal.
Q. I will be a driver in a funeral procession. What do I need to know?
A. Many safety precautions are taken to avoid accidents. For extra visibility, Hitzeman Funeral Home provides each car with an orange sticker for the windshield and a flag for the top of the car. Keep both your headlights and hazard lights on. The lead vehicle in the procession must obey all traffic signals. Keep a close distance to the car in front of you and carefully proceed through traffic signals.
Q. What should I consider when selecting a funeral home to handle arrangements for myself or a loved one?
A. According to the International Cemetery and Funeral Association, the most important quality for a funeral home is a reputation for honesty and good will. In fact, a good reputation is the key factor to staying in business. The reputation of the funeral home itself generally reflects quality of service, quality of the facility, and types of services offered. Hitzeman Funeral Home has succeeded for 100 years by maintaining tradition, dignity, and quality of service. Because Hitzeman Funeral Home has been an integral part of the Chicagoland communities for so long, families know that they can count on the Hitzeman family to be there when they need them.
Q. When can I reach someone at Hitzeman Funeral Home? What hours do you keep?
A. Hitzeman Funeral Home is available whenever the time of need occurs. Regardless of the time of day or the day of the week, a member of the staff or the Hitzeman family will personally answer the phone. When a person calls a funeral home, the last thing they can cope with is voicemail or a complicated phone menu. When you call Hitzeman Funeral Home, you reach one of the Hitzemans or an associate. You will not get an answering service.
Cremation: Understanding the options
Q. Is it possible to have some kind of service, even when our loved one has chosen to be cremated?
A. Absolutely. Cremation in no way prevents having the same type of service as would normally precede a burial. Planning some kind of service, whether it is a funeral service, a memorial service, or even an informal gathering of friends, helps the survivors achieve closure about the death of a loved one.
Q. What happens to ashes from a cremation?
A. Families have a wide range of alternatives for the disposition of cremated remains (ashes). Hitzeman Funeral Home can provide a variety of urns. The family may take the cremated remains with them, or Hitzeman Funeral Home can arrange to have the remains buried or placed in a columbarium (a building where niches are provided for cremated remains).
Todd N. Hitzeman ~ President
info@hitzemanfuneral.com
Phone 708-485-2000 Phone 773-521-3808 Fax 708-485-2002
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