Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home

12/27/2025

When is a good time to purchase life insurance?

Great question - the answer is always now. Rates never go down and insurance only gets costlier as you age.

Sadly, too many wait far too long to purchase their own life insurance and die without it or without having lived long enough for the policy to come in force.

Not everyone realizes most life insurance policies have a two year clause - you have to live and pay premiums for at least two years for the death benefit to be payable.

Regrettably, three times in the past two months we have had people who came in to the funeral home to plan and pay for final arrangement for a loved one, with the intent to use life insurance proceeds to pay the bill, but were shockingly disappointed to find out that in all three cases, the policies were not in force long enough to pay a death benefit. The only financial benefit was the refund of premiums paid.

We see it time and time again - estates delayed for any number of reasons, bills that need to be paid and no family with funds to pay these expenses.

Life insurance is one good answer to preventing these problems. Even if you leave a comfortable estate and no dependents, it is a good idea to have life insurance. Let me cite a few examples.

A woman died just before New Year's Eve. Her nephew had power of attorney - which is no longer valid after death. She had several hundred thousand dollars of assets, including a house. Why did she need live insurance? The funeral bill had to be paid, medical bills had to be paid, utility bills had to be paid and most importantly, the property tax needed to be paid in January. The nephew was so grateful that his aunt had a $20,000 life insurance policy naming him beneficiary, because it allowed him to pay all the bills, without having to take out a loan ( He did not have access to extra funds as he was paying his own property tax at the same time).

Another scenario - a woman died and her daughter had been laid off work just weeks prior to her mother's death. While her mother had assets, they were tied up in probate for several months before the daughter could access funds. Her mother's life insurance not only paid the funeral bill, but provided her with over $10,000 of funds to help sustain herself while she was unemployed and settling the estate.

A very sad situation here - a child stole funds from her father to pay online gambling debts - leaving her father impoverished, but he had a life insurance policy which was used to pay for his burial without becoming a charge to the taxpayers by pursuing payment from social services indigent burial fund.

Not having life insurance to have paid these bills would have incurred tax penalties, utility shutoff, foreclosure, seeking out loans or burying someone as a pauper in a county owned grave.

Insurance can be purchased at very modest prices, even for older people (AARP etc, has great plans). Nobody has ever regretted having it, but far too many regret not having it or having bought it sooner.

There are any number of local insurance agencies and financial institutions that offer life insurance. Make a few phone calls and buy some today.

12/26/2025

Happy Kwanzaa to our friends in the African-American community.

WHAT IS KWANZAA

Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is an African American and pan-African seven day cultural holiday that celebrates family and community.

During the holiday, families celebrate with feasts, music, and dance, and end the holiday with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the seven principles.

HISTORY OF KWANZAA

Professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Maulana Karenga, created Kwanzaa in 1966 in the midst of the Black Freedom Movement, reflecting concerns for cultural grounding in thought and practice.

After the Watts riots in LA, Dr. Karenga looked for ways to strengthen the African-American community. He founded US, a cultural organization, and started to research African “first fruit” (harvest) celebrations.

Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa.

The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” meaning “first fruits” in Swahili. Swahili is considered a pan-African language, and also happens to be the most widely spoken language in Africa. Basing the language of the holiday in Swahili represents unity throughout the African and black communities

12/25/2025

This is a most difficult day for many. We hope you find it in your heart to make the best of the day as you can and try to have a Merry Christmas.

12/22/2025

For those experiencing their first Christmas without someone they love, after losing them to an unexpected death.

12/22/2025

Very true words

This holiday season, your kindness matters more than you know. If you’re supporting someone through a tough holiday season, remember:⁠
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💛 Kindness speaks volumes. Small gestures like a thoughtful message or a warm invite can make a world of difference.⁠
💛 Listen more than you speak. Sometimes, just holding space for their emotions is the greatest comfort.⁠
💛 Be patient and present. Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and your steady presence matters.⁠
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✍️ Words by Good Mourning Grief Podcast who we highly recommend following for validating grief-related posts and stories.⁠
⁠

12/21/2025

As we approach Christmas, our owner is (sadly) reminded of just how many times he has worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Death takes no holiday and neither do we.

While we usually do not offer actual services or ceremonies on Christmas Day, we do make ourselves available to assist as needed when a death does occur.

We take look back on a couple memorable experiences surrounding those deaths - and an exception we made.

The first that comes to mind is a husband when said he would always consider the death of his wife on Christmas Eve a gift that his wife joined Jesus in Heaven for Christmas. This was very touching and comforting and inspirational to us.

Another family lost their mother on the morning of December 24 and urgently plead to have a family gathering at the funeral home on December 25 so that they could have one last Christmas with their mother - they brought in decorations, food and gifts and had a family Christmas together. At the end of the day, as they prepared to leave, they each placed the gifts they had purchased for their mother into her casket and then they went home and returned a few days later for public services.

There are countless other stories we could share, but suffice it to say, witnessing such acts of love and faith are inspiring and help to remind us why we are willing to take time away from our own families to be with yours if the need presents itself.

12/20/2025

Wow - There seem to be so many scandals associated with cremation.

The how and why this happened is beyond any explanation. There is no excuse.

It does remind us though that the most important factor in selecting a funeral home is trust.

Know your funeral director and know that he or she will treat your loved one with respect.

The consequences of a bad choice are horrific.

A former funeral home employee has been arrested for reportedly stealing the skull of a woman who passed away in 2001 before she was cremated.

12/19/2025

We are honored to have been entrusted with the final care of Irene Martyak Dunlop, 96, of Binghamton.

She was a dedicated parishioner at the Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church in Binghamton.

View Irene Martyak Dunlop's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

12/19/2025

Today in history - December19, 1907, the Darr Mine fire and explosion.

At 11:30 a.m., a massive explosion rocked the Darr Mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. near the village of Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania. Just one miner near the surface was able to escape the explosion and fire that took 239 lives. It ranks as the worst coal mining disaster in Pennsylvania history.

The force of the explosion was so great that nearby homes suffered broken windows and wall cracks from the percussion of the explosion.

An inquiry carried out after the disaster determined that the blast was the result of miners carrying open lamps in an area cordoned off the previous day by the fire boss. The mine’s owner, the Pittsburgh Coal Company was not held responsible, but did abandon the use of open lamps after the disaster.

The Darr Mine blast was the third major mine disaster in December 1907 -which would become the deadliest mine fatality month in US history.

An interesting side note - the death toll could have been much worse had it not been for the observance of St. Nicholas Day (Orthodox calendar) and some 200 miners who had taken the day off to observe the feast day of their patron saint.

12/19/2025

Ask the Funeral Director: Tis the season to hear an oft asked question - can we make burials in the winter?

The answer is yes and no -depending on the cemetery and depending on their legal operational status.

A deeper explanation -

First, New York State cemetery law requires state regulated cemeteries to remain open for burial year round.

Many people assume that snow and frost require the cemetery to close for the winter. That is completely untrue!

Since few grave are dug by hand today, the large equipment, such as a backhoe, have little or no difficulty in digging through the frost. There are also special heater elements that can be installed over a grave to melt the frost prior to digging the grave.

There are many reasons to continue burials throughout the entire year - allows for the completion of services, so as not to delay or complicate grief reactions; meets religious customs and traditions and from a very practical point - where would we store all these unburied dead if nobody buried in the winter?

There are a few reasonable loopholes in the law though - a burial can be delayed during a storm, allowing the cemetery time to clear proper access to the gravesite. Additionally, any additional costs for snow removal (plowing, shoveling pathways) can be added to the cost of the routine opening fee. If a family refuses to pay the extra charge, the burial can be put off until a future date.

Also it should be noted - cemeteries not under control of the NYS division of cemeteries ( municipal, religious and private family cemeteries) are exempt from this law.

In instances where safe access cannot be established, or costs are prohibitive, there can be a temporary hold placed on the burial until such time as the burial can be safely made.

If you have any questions about funerals, cremations or related topics, please ask and I will be glad to answer it here.

12/18/2025

Well, we all know that gloriously tacky Christmas themed song "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" and the query posed by the singer about what to do with grandma's Christmas gifts.

Questionable lyrics aside, this can be quite a dilemma for those that lose a loved one around a holiday (or a birthday) where gifts are commonly exchanged.

Simple acts can be a source of comfort and honor the memory of the one you have lost.

I remember one Christmas when a family decided to have a private family wake at the funeral home where I worked. They were devastated by the sudden death of their mother. Christmas was always a family day the entire family spent together and they could not bear not being with her for one last Christmas, so they brought Christmas to the funeral home - they brought in some Christmas music,
decorations and gifts along with the entire family and they spent a few hours opening gifts and sharing memories.

After exchanging gifts, including those their mother had planned to give to them, they presented her with her gifts, which they lovingly placed inside the casket with her. Afterwards they thanked me for my sacrifice in giving up my Christmas to allow them one last one with their mother.

Other times, I know people have given the gifts they would have given to their loved one to seniors in a nursing home or hospital, people without family, homeless individuals or children from financially needy families. The act of charity in the name of their loved one was a source of comfort and as a matter of fact, I know of at least two families who make it an annual tradition, honoring the memory of a loved one lost, but still loved.

Often the gift received from the newly deceased becomes a cherished memento and deeply prized possession.

One of the most poignant thoughts I hear regarding deaths at a holiday relate to Christmas cookies - Eating the last plate of cookies mom made before her death. It was deeply symbolic as the family divided the remaining baked goods among themselves and shared memories of their mother as they had a cup of coffee and the last baked goods she made. Truly a memory that will be long treasured.
These comments just revolve around gifts and what to do with them. The most correct answer will always be - whatever brings you comfort.

For those of you who have actually experienced this situation, what did you do with the gifts?

12/17/2025

Wish we had watched Jeopardy last night.... we would have known the question - What is formaldehyde?

📺🧠 When 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺! knows your name… you know you’re making an impact. Share your answer in the form of a question. 😄

NFDA was featured in a Dec. 16 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺! clue, spotlighting funeral service on a national stage. We love seeing the profession recognized in unexpected places!