Memorial Requests

Memorial requests are a statement about how you want your last remains to be handled and any other preferences you may have about the memorial service to be held for you. Your memorial requests are not usually legally binding, but they can be very helpful by informing your loved ones and other survivors about your preferences. Stating your memorial requests in your simple will is optional; however, we recommend you include memorial requests unless you already have a different plan for how you will communicate your wishes about your last remains and memorial service to your loved ones.

Required Reading

Disposition of Remains

Common memorial requests include stating whether you prefer that your remains be cremated or buried, and indicating where you want your remains laid to rest or your ashes spread. If you have already paid for your memorial service, cremation, burial plot, casket, tombstone, or the like, it is a good idea to say so in your memorial requests.

Organ Donors

If you want to be an organ donor, your will is not the place to say so. Washington residents can learn more about becoming an organ donor on the website for the Washington State Department of Licensing .

Willed Body Programs

There are medical education and medical research institutions across the United States that depend upon willed bodies for their education and research. If you wish to make a gift of your body to a medical education or medical research institution, you will need to make arrangements directly with the institution during your life. For example, the Willed Body Program  at the University of Washington provides guidance, instructions, and a form for making a gift of your body to their program. If you have made arrangements to donate your body to such an institution, you should say so in your simple will.

Write Your Memorial Requests

Open your copy of the simple will and locate the paragraph entitled Remains. Replace the bracketed word [disposition] with information about how you prefer your last remains to be handled.

Memorial Requests: Remains

For example, if you want your remains to be cremated, say so.

Memorial Requests: Remains Cremated

If you prefer your remains be buried without cremation, write that instead.

Memorial Requests: Remains Buried without Cremation

If you know where you want your remains to be buried, add that statement too.

Memorial Requests: Where to Bury Remains

If you have arranged for your body to be donated to a medical education or medical research institution, include an explanation of that fact.

Memorial Requests: Gift of Body to Medical Institution

If you have already made arrangements for some or all of your memorial expenses, say so.

Memorial Requests: Prepaid Memorial Expenses

If you decide not to include memorial requests in your will, you should adjust the title of Article 3 and remove the numbering before Article 3.1 by erasing the highlighted text shown here:

Memorial Requests: Editing Article 3 When Not Including Memorial Requests

As you can see, the language of your memorial requests will depend a lot on your unique circumstances.

Example Memorial Requests

Below is an example of how the memorial requests will look for a testator who has made a donation of his body to a willed body program and who wishes any of his remains that come back from the program to be cremated, with the ashes spread near his favorite hiking spot.

Once you have finished editing your memorial requests, go back to the list of instructions.
Back to the List