BROOKFIELD, WI (WITI/CNN) - A funeral home wants to help people plan their final goodbye by giving them free food.
Free pizza sounds like a great offer, but this invitation became life-changing for Janice and Dale Cassle.
"I was very apprehensive about it," Janice Cassle said.
Married for 40 years and in good health, they never really talked or even considered their funerals until an ad for preplanning funerals, complete with free food, showed up in their mailbox.
"There are a lot of decisions," Dale Cassle said.
"Maybe even 50 percent of our families plan ahead of time," said Mark Krause, president Of Krause Funeral Homes.
He said preplanning works kind of like insurance and is something that doesn't have to be bound to any specific funeral home.
"These funeral products are put into a trust. They are in the name of the person who takes them out," Krause said.
Today's costs range from $6,000 to $12,000. Krause said industry trends forecast that price tag doubling in the next 15 years, which is why he believes this offer is so tempting.
"You buy your funeral today. We guarantee you will get your service and merchandise without any added expense in the future," Krause said.
The Cassles have every detail, right down to the music and their obituaries, all planned out.
"To be ready for it is better than to not be ready for it," Janice Cassle said.
They said the pizza-party concept helped them feel more comfortable talking about death and hopefully also sliced their funeral bills.
"You're all going to die sooner or later, and why not be ready?" Dale Cassle said.
A free pizza event will be held Tuesday at Krause Funeral Homes in Brookfield. Organizers said more than 100 showed up to the event last year.
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