‘You can’t do it while you’re dead’: Reverend, author helps people craft end-of-life plans before it’s too late

Death is an inevitable fact of life, yet many people either don’t prepare at all or don’t do enough to prepare so that their loved ones can easily settle their affairs.

The Rev. Jan Kraft, an author and end-of-life educator, regularly teaches classes called “How to Get Your Affairs in Order” through Spokane Community College’s Act 2 program. The program offers classes and workshops in a variety of topics at various locations that are geared for adults ages 50 and up, though anyone older than 18 can sign up. The sessions are typically low cost.

Kraft, who lived in the Chicago area prior to moving to Spokane two years ago, is an independent, interfaith minister.

“A large part of my ministry in later years became funerals,” she said.

As Kraft helped families bid farewell to their loved ones, she began to notice that many made the same mistakes in failing to plan properly for their death. In 2015, she published a book called “Leaving Lightly: Getting Your Affairs in Order So All You Leave Behind is Love.” Soon after, she began teaching classes based on the book, which she continued after moving to Spokane.

Kraft said she wrote the book and began teaching classes because she hoped to help people avoid common mistakes. It was a lesson she learned at the age of 19 when her father died at the age of 45. The family knew for seven years that he was ill, so his death was no surprise. But his death still sent the family into crisis.

“We didn’t do anything to prepare for his death,” she said. “He was the breadwinner, and we were living hand to mouth.”

Death is an unavoidable trauma, Kraft said, but she hopes her advice can help families minimize avoidable trauma.

It’s not enough to have a will or life insurance, Kraft said.

“What a lot of people fail to do is name a beneficiary for their accounts, their bank and savings accounts,” she said.

Without that, it can take courts months or years to determine who should get the money in the accounts. And in some cases, survivors may not even know an account exists, she said.

She recommends that people make a list of all their accounts and passwords, including any password required to open a cell phone.

“We live our lives on our cell phones,” she said. “That’s great, as long as you know what the passwords are.”

People also need to make arrangements for who will care for their pets once they are gone, Kraft said, since too often pets are just taken to a shelter after their owner dies. Kraft said this is one item that is often overlooked and is often a surprise to the people in her classes.

“I’ll tell them the not obvious things and I can see the lightbulb go off,” she said.

All of her students have been seniors, but anyone can learn from her class or book, Kraft said. It’s just that younger people don’t often think about planning for their death.

“At this age, they are motivated because they see the end of their life approaching,” she said. “They don’t know what to do.”

Proper death planning must be done in advance, Kraft said.

“You’ve got to do it while you’re alive, because you can’t do it while you’re dead,” she said.

She said she encourages people not to fear death. “It’s just a beautiful transition from one form to another,” she said. “That’s how I see it.”

Kraft said she enjoys teaching the classes and leading funerals, because she gets to be loving, kind, compassionate and supportive of people.

“This is the way I serve,” she said.

The next weekly sessions, happening in three locations, will be held five times in July. A class at the Sinto Senior Center, 1124 W. Sinto Ave., will be held every Monday in July from 1 to 2:30 p.m. A second class will be held every Tuesday in July from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the South Side Senior Center, 3151 E. 27th Ave. The third class will be every Wednesday in July from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland. The fee ranges from $37 to $41 depending on the session.

A short overview of the course will be offered online via Zoom from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 9 for a fee of $4.

Visit scc.spokane.edu/Become-a-Student/Continuing-Education/ACT-2 to register, or call (509) 533-8500 for more information.