Father Serge:
Glory be to Jesus Christ!! Glory be to Him forever and ever!!!
You're absolutely right about not relying on instructions for one's funeral being in one's will. A will is usually not read until after the funeral and final disposition has taken place.
Since I do this for a living--making advanced funeral plans for people for any number of reasons--I applaud your bringing this to the attention of our forum members. In the jurisdiction where I work, one obtains a death certificate AFTER the funeral and with it goes to the county courthouse to be sworn in as executor of a will. Only at that point is the will in effect. I usually tell people that after a death and BEFORE the will is legally in effect, the family is in the same kind of "no man's land" that occurs after a Papal death: every person in the same degree of relationship to the deceased has the right to put in his two cents worth about how the funeral is to be done. It becomes really interesting when those in that position cannot agree and everything stops.
There is even an instrument in this jurisdiction that gives the funeral director the authority to carry out advanced instructions in the event of a dispute among the survivors--which, BTW, has become increasingly common in my experience--if the person executes it in advance.
So in addition to a will, a Power of Attorney for legal matters, a Medical Power of Attorney for health related issues, a living will or healthcare advanced directive, a prudent person plans his final arrangements, sets them down in writing, and makes sure that all those who will be involved--funeral director, attorney, and family members--have copies or know where to find copies.
And you're correct that one cannot will what happens to one's body. The family has a quasi-property right to it and to its disposition.
In Christ,
BOB
