Missouri · funeral and cremation law
Funeral and cremation law in Missouri
Who decides, what has to wait, and what a funeral home must tell you. Every fact links to its statute. Not legal advice.
- Who can authorize a cremation
Missouri recognizes the right of sepulcher - the right to choose and control the burial, cremation, or other final disposition of a dead human body. The statute establishes who counts as next of kin for these purposes and places the qualifying people in a statutory priority order. "Right of sepulcher" sounds old-fashioned, but in practice it is Missouri's statutory way of defining who can make a very modern decision: burial, cremation, or another lawful final disposition.
The estate letter · Missouri
After the funeral: settling the estate, one month at a time
Twelve months of steps with Missouri's own numbers and deadlines. Read the checklist now, or sign up there for one email a month.
Get the estate letter- Month 1The first things to gather
- Month 2Work out what the estate is
- Month 3Get the authority to act
- 9 more months
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Estate checklist for Missouri
After the funeral: what the executor does, month by month, with Missouri's numbers and deadlines.