You can view, save and delete any story that appears on GazetteNET here for up to 30 days. To add a story, simply click on the icon next to any headline.     FUNERAL & ESTATE PLANNING SPECIAL SECTION  Where there's a will, there's a (clearer) way PAUL GRGUROVIC Steven Samolewicz, a Northampton lawyer who has been in practice for 16 years, says having an estate plan in place can bring peace of mind. - FEATURED ADVERTISERS | SEE ALL - Click to view original size This ad ran in Funeral & Estate Planning 5/17/2007 Click here to browse all ads My last will and testament - it's not a phrase that most people utter with cheer and good heart. In fact, given its inevitable association with death, a lot of people avoid it entirely. But that's almost always a mistake. A good estate plan is less about confronting death than it is about bringing you peace of mind while you're alive. And given how relatively simple and straightforward they can be, it's almost easy to do them. Northampton-based attorney Steven Samolewicz has been in private practice for 16 years. He said that in his experience, many people acknowledge the importance of estate planning but still manage to avoid it. "It's one of those issues that people put off, but it's really quite simple and it can make things more orderly when you die," said Samolewicz. "When people are done with the process, they tend to feel pretty good about it." For most of his clients, Samolewicz crafts a four-part estate plan that includes a will, a power of attorney, a health care proxy and, if they own real estate, a homestead exemption. » read more...    'Anatomical gift': a life-giving bequest An estate is not the only legacy you might leave. Though not everyone can bequeath a beautiful home, a king's ransom in jewels or a bunch of money, your body is a veritable treasure trove as an "anatomical gift.".  Funeral directors give views on keeping up with change In a rapidly moving world, funeral home directors must keep up with shifting attitudes, demographic trends and an explosion in technology. Below, a few local directors give their thoughts.  For mourners, music brings beauty, comfort It's an iconic image: priest and mourners (the first line) walking down the street with jazz musicians (the second line) strutting and playing - the vibrant ritual of the jazz funeral. And though few might expect to be escorted to the graveyard by a New Orleans-style procession, it's a reminder that musical traditions are intimately linked with the religious guidelines and customs of the funeral.  Honors, benefits due veterans at death Eligible veterans of military service are entitled to many VA burial and memorial benefits, including burial in a national cemetery for the veteran and spouse, a variety of military funeral honors, and gravestones and markers.  HCC sees changes in funeral services program holyoke - More women and minorities are choosing death as a career - entering degree programs for funeral director certification.  Trusts: Look for the tax implications No estate plan is complete without a consideration of trusts.  A time for prayer The Rev. Catherine Anraku Hondorp, a Zen Buddhist priest at the Zen Center on Main Street in Northampton, makes an offering in front of an image of the Buddha earlier this month.  Free servicesfor 'fallen heroes' MILFORD, Conn. (AP) - A city funeral home is offering free funerals to Milford municipal employees who die on the job.  Year-old Gazette policy brings gradual changes in obituaries In February 2006, the Gazette changed its long-standing policy of treating each obituary as a news item, with a single, consistent style. We expected a flood of original, home-crafted obits with quirky details about the deceased. We thought many people would prepare their own obituary, with attention to what each would like to have remembered.