Florina (Lorena) Burton — Funeral Planning & VA Benefits
✨ Family held an impromptu meeting to plan the homegoing service for the deceased (referred to as Florina/Lorena Burton), draft an obituary, and determine VA burial/survivor benefits because her late husband was a veteran. Immediate next steps: confirm VA eligibility and cemetery burial options, draft and share the obituary in Google Docs, and coordinate local logistics (funeral home, Reverend Mangum for chairs).
Decisions
🤝 Use Google Docs to draft and collaborate on the obituary. 🤝 Proceed to contact the cemetery and VA to confirm spouse burial eligibility and potential burial allowance. 🤝 Contact Reverend Mangum about borrowing folding chairs for the service.
Participants reviewed possible VA benefits tied to the deceased being the surviving spouse of a veteran, focusing on burial allowances, burial in VA or state veterans cemeteries, and non-cash memorial items.
The group discussed whether the VA provides funds for the spouse's burial and the conditions under which a surviving spouse may be buried in a VA National Cemetery or state veterans cemetery. Key points covered eligibility requirements (veteran not dishonorably discharged, service-connected death or other qualifying conditions), the burial allowance reimbursement for those who paid funeral costs, and benefits such as government headstones, flags, and perpetual care in national cemeteries. The meeting concluded that next steps are to contact the cemetery where the husband is buried and to call the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office for definitive eligibility and procedures.
💡 VA burial allowances may reimburse some funeral/burial expenses if veteran met eligibility criteria. 💡 Surviving spouses are generally eligible for burial in VA or state veteran cemeteries with no plot charge in national cemeteries. 💡 Headstones, burial flags, and memorial certificates reduce family costs but are not cash payments. ⚡️ Action required: contact the VA and cemetery to confirm spouse eligibility and required forms.
Attendees collected and clarified biographical facts for the obituary draft and agreed to use Google Docs to write and share the obituary.
The family worked through variant name spellings and life details for the deceased (appearing as Florina/Lorena Elizabeth Burton, maiden name possibly Blatch/Blash), place of birth (Miami, Florida), childhood years in Nassau, Bahamas, parent names (Marjorie Alexander and John), approximate age (94) and date of death (noted as a recent Monday, possibly November 15). They decided to capture a clean biography to be used as the primary source for the obituary, remove irrelevant details, and produce a draft in Google Docs for review and distribution.
🚩 There is confusion about the deceased's exact legal name and maiden name; verification needed. 💡 Place of birth (Miami, Florida) and childhood in Nassau, Bahamas were asserted as key facts. 📍 Group agreed to draft obituary in Google Docs and share via text for edits.
The group assigned short-term tasks: contact the funeral home to help with VA paperwork, reach out to Reverend Mangum for folding chairs, gather phone numbers, and coordinate document sharing and household tasks during planning.
Meeting participants shared phone numbers, discussed copying and texting the obituary draft, arranged for someone to call the VA and the cemetery, and noted household logistics (keys, open door, trash cleanup, and refreshments). They agreed that funeral homes are familiar with VA processes and can assist with paperwork. Reverend Mangum was identified as a contact for borrowing folding chairs. Several informal tasks (clean-up, food) were also delegated among family present.
💡 Funeral home can assist with VA paperwork and filing claims. ⚡️ Reverend Mangum may provide folding chairs; Leonard to text his number to the organizer. ⚡️ Obituary draft needs to be copied/shared by text; someone on-site will send it.
Key Topics
- VA burial and survivor benefits
- Obituary drafting and biographical details
- Immediate logistics & coordination
Action Items
- Call VA cemetery office
Contact the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office to confirm whether the deceased can be buried with/near her veteran husband and to learn required forms and eligibility specifics.
- File burial allowance forms
Prepare and file VA Form 21P-530EZ (or other directed forms) if eligible to request burial allowance reimbursement for funeral costs paid by family.
- Draft obituary in Google Docs
Compose a clean obituary draft using confirmed biographical details and omit non-relevant items; share document with family for review.
- Verify legal name and DOB
Confirm the deceased's full legal name, maiden name, birth date, and exact date/place of death from records or family members before finalizing obituary.
- Contact Reverend for chairs
Text or call Reverend Mangum to request folding chairs for the service and confirm pickup/delivery details.
- Share obituary draft by text
Copy the Google Docs draft or export it and text it to family members for review and edits.
- Save and distribute contact numbers
Ensure phone numbers exchanged during the meeting are saved in contacts and distributed to key family members organizing the service.
Transcript
Tony Cu Anderson (0:09): Oh, shit, motherfucker. Right, Bernadette, I forgot to call you back.
Tony Cu Anderson (0:18): I'm I'm all right. How you doing?
Tony Cu Anderson (0:33): At my house.
Tony Cu Anderson (0:41): I just, because my nieces was gonna cook, and I didn't wanna, you know, have something at the house too. I just was gonna try to spare pickle from doing a lot of work.
Tony Cu Anderson (1:14): Why? Who is?
Tony Cu Anderson (1:36): Let me call you back on that.
Tony Cu Anderson (1:39): Can I call you back?
Tony Cu Anderson (1:43): Okay, I will, but I know, I wanted to know, I was gonna get in touch with Reverend Mangum, because I had talked to him earlier and, um, see if we could use some some folding chairs.
Tony Cu Anderson (2:00): Yeah, yeah. .
Tony Cu Anderson (2:11): Leonard, OK, can you text me his telephone number?
Tony Cu Anderson (2:20): I'm all right, how you doing?
Tony Cu Anderson (2:33): Oh, thank you.
Tony Cu Anderson (3:07): Okay, so this is a… So this is a meeting. With, um, I'm at a Kim Stalling's house, and we're having a impromptu meeting on the passing of her mother, and we're now going over obituaries, and looking, um, you know, um, well, making, you know, next steps. And so what I need out of this, um, out of this, um, these talking sessions is one is, I need to turn music down. As a recording.
Tony Cu Anderson (4:18): always said okay Google.
Tony Cu Anderson (4:22): You don't stare. touching. So weird. Okay. Oh, no. Somebody will help me. Help her. Help my. Okay. All right.
Tony Cu Anderson (4:38): Um..
Tony Cu Anderson (4:41): We will now.
Tony Cu Anderson (4:52): Yes, it was. Dark.
Tony Cu Anderson (5:44): .
Tony Cu Anderson (6:16): Oh, that's nuts, I was gonna say. see.
Tony Cu Anderson (6:41): Do you know if the VA, what kind of benefits the VA has for? Spousal support?
Tony Cu Anderson (6:51): That's something we can, uh, take a look at.
Tony Cu Anderson (6:59): to do, what's a, get into good as board, I don't know. It's a good perplexity, shall we? Her plex for it.
Tony Cu Anderson (7:11): What, um, benefits are paid out to the deceased, uh, no, to spousal benefits for VA for veterans.
Tony Cu Anderson (7:28): Yeah, what benefits are paid out to…
Tony Cu Anderson (7:33): Benefits are paid out. Spells all. Benefits are available.
Tony Cu Anderson (7:40): For funeral service. For veterans.
Tony Cu Anderson (7:50): For, yeah.
Tony Cu Anderson (8:02): All right, looking up spousal benefit available for…
Tony Cu Anderson (8:40): Say that that dies, now the wife, well, VA help pay for hers as well. Well? Looking for VA survivor benefits, eligibility, so she's a survivor. Yes, if the veteran dies, VA can help cover the surviving spouses healthcare in many cases, but it depends on how the veteran, no, that's not a question now, is it?
Tony Cu Anderson (9:05): Main health, we're not asking for health, are we? What is what? No, we're not. Did you put in it for funeral, San Francisco?
Tony Cu Anderson (9:15): Correctional.
Tony Cu Anderson (9:20): I don't like this.
Tony Cu Anderson (9:26): Same question as before.
Tony Cu Anderson (9:35): We're we're picking up from what we left off of um, the correction is um, this is the situation. My great, my grandmother has passed away at the age of 94. We're now making preparations. She… the survivor of a, she was the, uh, she was a surviving beneficiary of a, of her husband who died previously, and, uh, he was in the VA. My question is, now that she is, now we're in the place of celebrating her homegoing. Are there available, like, are there available funds through the VA to help bury her?
Tony Cu Anderson (10:19): near or near her, her late husband or just period. Just period, because. She's gonna be buried out there with him. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I think that's a… Yes, there are, there may be, um, let it… Of course, there may be. 2 different questions. You're really asking 2 things. Are there VA funds to have paid for her burial and funeral, and then can she be buried with or near? We already know she's going there. Okay. We just need help with funeral cost. Okay.
Tony Cu Anderson (10:55): Oh, her side door is open. And what are we talking about? Um, okay. Let's see if we can.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:07): Okay, okay, let's do it. Perplexity.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:15): Oh, I'm not on the internet, that's why.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:21): Here's the question.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:32): Hmm.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:34): That's true.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:37): We're picking up. Okay, that's up.
Tony Cu Anderson (11:47): Yes, yes. There may be VA related benefits that can help with burial costs and with varying your great grandmother near her late husband, but they are mostly tied to his veteran status into using a VA or state veteran cemetery. I'm very sorry for your loss. And I'll break down what's likely available and what to do next. Two different questions. You're really asking two things. Are there VA funds to help pay for her burial and funeral? You need a… Can she be buried with or near her veteran husband, possibly in a V.A. or state veterans cemetery? The VA does offer help in both areas, but the rules are a bit different for each. Burial with or near her husband? If her husband was an eligible veteran, buried, or eligible to be buried in a V.A. National cemetery, or a state veteran cemetery. Spouses can usually be buried in the same plot, or an adjacent one, no cause for the burial space itself. VA National Cemeteries, burial benefits for spouses may include the grave site, opening, and closing of the grave, and perpetual care, and no charge, when they are buried in a VA National Cemetery. State veteran cemeteries, many state veteran cemeteries offer similar burial with the veteran benefits, for spouses, and sometimes small plot fees. Policies vary by state. The easiest first step is to contact the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office through the main… See, we got all of that. Oh, that is taken care of. We should have said monetary. Mm hmm. Into that. V.A. money toward funerals… Oh, it was just… Last burial costs. The VA's main cash help is the burial allowance, often called veterans, burial, death benefits, which is paid because he was the veteran. Key points, who can get it? The person who pays the burial funeral costs. Often the surviving spouse, or an estate representative, may be reimbursed a flat amount if certain conditions about the veteran service and benefit status are met. What it covers, part of the funeral and burial expenses, and sometimes the plot internment cost, if not in a VA National Cemetery. Amounts are set in tables and adjusted over time. Eligibility basics for the veteran, her husband. He must not have been dishonorably discharged, and one of several conditions, e.g., service connected death, receiving VA pension, compensation and death, or death while under VA care. Must be true. These burial allowances are technically…
Tony Cu Anderson (14:14): what's going on? Sorry to see this business.
Tony Cu Anderson (14:18): But if someone can show, they paid his burial costs and meets the time eligibility rules. Benefits specifically for spouses and family. Beyond the veteran's burial allowance. There are separate benefits that help honor and support spouses and family. I can see that. Burial with a veteran, as described. Spouses can be interred in a VA National Cemetery, or state veterans cemetery, with a veteran, with cause for the grave space and care covered. Headstone marker. VA may provide a government furnished headstone or marker for eligible burials, memorial items, flag, certificates, et cetera. Survivor families can often receive a burial flag, and in some cases, a presidential memorial certificate. These are not cash to the family, but do reduce what you need to pay for burial space and certain memorial items. Where to start right now? Given the stress of planning a homegoing, here's a concrete sequence. One, call the cemetery where her husband is buried. Ask, is she eligible to be buried in the same plot, or next to him as the spouse of a veteran? What costs would that be? ?
Tony Cu Anderson (15:19): Two, contact the VA about burial and memorial benefits. Information page and phone numbers to ask specifically about. Burial in that cemetery or VA National Cemetery. Spouse eligibility, any needed forms. They may direct you to VA Form 21p 530 EZ for burial allowance, if there are unclaimed benefits from his burial. Three, work with the funeral home. Many funeral homes are very familiar with VA burial benefits, and can help file the paperwork or contact VA on your behalf. Tell them clearly that her late husband was a veteran, and that she was his surviving spouse. So they know to check all VA related options. Four, check state and local benefits. Okay, so… That was a very long explanation. All right, practical checklist of in timeline for managing estate and funeral expenses after death. Oh, that's good to know, but not useful for that. All right, so where was, I guess we had to put together a…
Tony Cu Anderson (16:20): It's to Google Doc show, that's easiest. Google. Docs, Google Docs, open up the Google Docs. You wanna, um, do the obituary and take care of that part? Sure. Sure. I mean, it's, it's, um, yeah, I mean, I think one thing. Maybe I just need to, uh, call VA. What did you think? Yeah, well, I mean, we have the next steps.
Tony Cu Anderson (16:46): And so we could definitely do that. There is a bone, man. I mean, I mean, I mean, man, the grain is beard. I just do this to truth, people, man. that what it is?
Tony Cu Anderson (16:57): Well, it's working. It's working. Um, All right, so…
Tony Cu Anderson (17:06): So let's 1st start off with…
Tony Cu Anderson (17:12): Uh, so let's, can we do what you have of her? and then what we're gonna do is when, yeah, 5 minutes and then it's gonna capture that and then we're gonna repurpose what you said. Is that, would that work? Have you? Okay. Because it's just basically it. It's like a.
Tony Cu Anderson (17:31): See, some these are two different. I think they're kind of two different ones so you can look at which one. Basically, we need the information about from my grandmother, you know, that's my grandmother's rough sketch of my grandmother's, her mother's obituary. So, like, that, so you like this look and feel, and you like the formula? You know, because I'm just, just for the, you know, for the information.
Tony Cu Anderson (17:59): Got it, got it. Got it, got it.
Tony Cu Anderson (18:02): What's the name of this program? Starts with a C. R, you know?
Tony Cu Anderson (18:12): I don't know.
Tony Cu Anderson (18:25): Is there another one down there? There's some white garbage bags down there.
Tony Cu Anderson (18:29): Look on the side, on the left side.
Tony Cu Anderson (18:43): Scrum, scratch.
Tony Cu Anderson (18:51): Exercise
Tony Cu Anderson (19:00): No, that's that's funny. No, these are just on the floor, so I didn't know if they were dirty. Open that bag, I'll just start putting some of that trash in there.
Tony Cu Anderson (19:12): Oh, you gonna get that?
Tony Cu Anderson (19:15): Fairly.
Tony Cu Anderson (19:18): Step over here.
Tony Cu Anderson (19:20): Get your chair. I'll sit because my back. Get down and get all that. Kyle. Kyle.
Tony Cu Anderson (19:28): Kyle. Sonya can help Malik, you need to concentrate on this.
Tony Cu Anderson (19:44): 802, so I can't do that, maybe we'll send it to you, mom. You said what? I'm just trying to, uh, paste in, like, I need to send, get this and send it, because there's a way for you to, um,
Tony Cu Anderson (20:04): There's a way to long press, if I knew what I was doing, but I don't know. Oh, that's Kim's phone. Yeah, and then it, well, actually, copy the text. Um, it actually copy the text. Well, it's not, ah, it's not Apple, so you're gonna have to. I mean, it's…
Tony Cu Anderson (20:21): still be a way to do it, though.
Tony Cu Anderson (20:26): Any of that? Yeah, let's see.
Tony Cu Anderson (20:32): I guess like share. That works. And so if you could, like, text it to me? Text it, tell me. Mm-hmm.
Tony Cu Anderson (20:53): 313-404. Okay.
Tony Cu Anderson (21:06): 313404, what was it? 8027? Okay, so let's give the 1st thing. Full net. 448027 883-4048027. Okay, so I didn't save your number in my contact. I'm not I'm not wounded. Not at all, mortally wounded.
Tony Cu Anderson (21:42): Okay. Because I got an old number in here for you. Hold on. Yeah, that's I believe I find that to be very true.
Tony Cu Anderson (22:28): Okay, now what am I doing?
Tony Cu Anderson (22:49): No one was.
Tony Cu Anderson (22:58): And I was sent, I sent that one.
Tony Cu Anderson (23:08): You sent it to me.
Tony Cu Anderson (23:23): Hey, side door is open for you. Your key is located in a walk-in closet.
Tony Cu Anderson (23:35): Very nice, very nice.
Tony Cu Anderson (23:47): You watch on the drinks, son? Yeah, in a minute. How are you?
Tony Cu Anderson (23:54): Oh, excuse me. Okay, let's go copy.
Tony Cu Anderson (23:59): copy. Uh, see, senor.
Tony Cu Anderson (24:10): The daughter of the individual found below has just passed away, please extract the details, um, as uh, we will be, um, using this as a primary source document for her obituary. Uh, the deceased now is, uh, what's what's name?
Tony Cu Anderson (24:35): What's the whole name? Sorena Burton. I'm not sure what her main number is. Florina, but…
Tony Cu Anderson (24:46): I want to listen to
Tony Cu Anderson (24:49): Where's the dog? That's the one of garbage, right?
Tony Cu Anderson (24:58): Oh.
Tony Cu Anderson (25:08): Eat this.
Tony Cu Anderson (25:13): No, it's because he was, because it was black music. That's why he hated it. O!
Tony Cu Anderson (25:37): Here are here are the expected details for Lorena Elizabeth Blatch. Ladder, later, if you prefer. Okay.
Tony Cu Anderson (25:51): She was the place of birth is by Florida. For date of birth? No. Provided. Her mother was Marjorie Alexander Butler, nay, something else. Sit my neck. That's it. Siblings, those people's childhood upbringings spent teenage years and Nassau Bahamas.
Tony Cu Anderson (26:12): live with an ant area during… the time later alive had five children? Well, you know, that's my grandmother. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right. So that's this becomes, um, all right, so… Yeah, so again, the person who's the information that I shared was of the deceased mother. So the familial ties are all correct, the details that are highlighting Robbie should be omitted. Police regenerate.
Tony Cu Anderson (26:50): too.
Tony Cu Anderson (26:51): Okay, here's a clean extraction. Only for Farina, Elizabeth Blanche, Letter, Burton.
Tony Cu Anderson (27:00): B-U-R-T-N, with non-relevant details about her mother, O Mitchell. Do we have to put black generic, because she was a burton longer? I think she was a black.
Tony Cu Anderson (27:11): Well, she was, what's her maiden name? Blledge? Yeah, you have to put her maintenance. Is that is that not right? Okay, no, no, no, then that's, that's, uh… From the beginning, this person was born a certain way. I know, but, but, okay, let's see.
Tony Cu Anderson (27:42): See how they got it on here. I wanna never move.
Tony Cu Anderson (27:50): Cause you, you're gonna state when she… Yeah, yeah, bored. It's gonna be, yeah, you're gonna stay when she was born. She was born to Marjorie and John Black. So that's where the black should come in. Mhm, mhm, mhm.
Tony Cu Anderson (28:07): Okay.
Tony Cu Anderson (28:18): Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I want to go to documents.
Tony Cu Anderson (28:36): Um, we are um, what's the 1st round, 1st round. So far, this is this is what we have so far.
Tony Cu Anderson (28:54): All right, so this is what we have so far.
Tony Cu Anderson (28:58): No, this is for Marjorie, Alexander Butler. You don't need that.
Tony Cu Anderson (29:05): Thought grandma was born in Nassau. I'm gonna tell everybody my grandma was born in Nassau, Bahamas. was born in Florida. Florina, Elizabeth Burton born, Florina, Elizabeth Blash in Miami, Florida, passed away peacefully in city state on date. She was the beloved daughter of Marjorie Alexander Burton and John. It's Alexandra.
Tony Cu Anderson (29:33): I should.
Tony Cu Anderson (29:40): Oh, copper. Mm, mm, mm, I should do this. Let's do this notes. You know, Google.
Tony Cu Anderson (29:51): No, no, uh… No AirDrop, no notes. We'll get there. We'll get there. All right, so we'll do this. It's some sandwiches. I understand. All right. So, okay, so she passed away peacefully in Detroit. garage.
Tony Cu Anderson (30:13): All the way to the west side.
Tony Cu Anderson (30:23): Um, what?
Tony Cu Anderson (30:26): On what day? November 15th. I'm sorry, what day did she pass away? Have we what? Two days ago?
Tony Cu Anderson (30:37): Monday. Uh, Monday.
Tony Cu Anderson (30:41): Hmm
Tony Cu Anderson (30:47): I did not. Oh, calendar. Open Calendar. You need a calendar? No, I'm telling the doctor.
Tony Cu Anderson (30:56): Open Calendar.
Tony Cu Anderson (31:13): All right, all right.
Tony Cu Anderson (31:14): Too late. All right.
