Funeral Expenses

[shelleyn]

What is the name of your state? Texas

Another issue has arisen. Step-dad is now saying that her funeral expenses will have to be paid by her estate. She died 3 years ago. He paid for her funeral with a life insurance policy that he had taken out which was only 15,000 her funeral was 14,000. My husband did not make any decisions regarding her funeral. Honestly, we would have tried to do things a little cheaper. We would have used our church which would have been free and so forth instead of the chapel in the funeral home. Not that any of that probably matters. We are a community property state. Let's just say he made 28 thousand while married to her so her estate would be entitled to half. Wouldn't that just cancel out the funeral expenses?

 

[moburkes]

What is the name of your state? Texas

Another issue has arisen. Step-dad is now saying that her funeral expenses will have to be paid by her estate. She died 3 years ago. He paid for her funeral with a life insurance policy that he had taken out which was only 15,000 her funeral was 14,000. My husband did not make any decisions regarding her funeral. Honestly, we would have tried to do things a little cheaper. We would have used our church which would have been free and so forth instead of the chapel in the funeral home. Not that any of that probably matters. We are a community property state. Let's just say he made 28 thousand while married to her so her estate would be entitled to half. Wouldn't that just cancel out the funeral expenses?

Huh?

No. Stepdad is not required to use life insurance proceeds to pay funeral expenses.

 

[FlyingRon]

The estate pays for funeral expenses. So you would have cheaped out on mom's funeral if you knew it was coming out of your inheritance? Shame.

 

[moburkes]

The estate pays for funeral expenses. So you would have cheaped out on mom's funeral if you knew it was coming out of your inheritance? Shame.

Oops!

 

[shelleyn]

NO! What I was saying was for some reason he used the funeral home's chapel that cost 1500 for the service when we could have used our church for free!

 

[moburkes]

NO! What I was saying was for some reason he used the funeral home's chapel that cost 1500 for the service when we could have used our church for free!

But, he had the funeral where he wanted to, apparently. He still isn't responsible for the costs.

 

[aanubis]

What is the name of your state? Texas

Another issue has arisen. Step-dad is now saying that her funeral expenses will have to be paid by her estate. She died 3 years ago. He paid for her funeral with a life insurance policy that he had taken out which was only 15,000 her funeral was 14,000. My husband did not make any decisions regarding her funeral. Honestly, we would have tried to do things a little cheaper. We would have used our church which would have been free and so forth instead of the chapel in the funeral home. Not that any of that probably matters. We are a community property state. Let's just say he made 28 thousand while married to her so her estate would be entitled to half. Wouldn't that just cancel out the funeral expenses?

If the estate hasn't been settled, he can pursue reimbursement from the estate. Your husband had no right to make any decisions regarding a funeral in which the deceased was married. A spouse makes all the decisions as legal next of kin.

I would want to see the funeral home's gpl to show that truly it was $1500 for use of their chapel. Expenses would still be incurred to get her to the church, and, for their staff services.

Remember the mother married the stepfather, it was her decision and that doesn't make him bad. Seems he gave her a decent funeral and you would have done otherwise to make a possible inheritance greater from the way this reads.