Dear Heloise: Following the death of my husband, our family was writing out thank-you notes and ran into some issues of not being able to read the names that were signed on the cards or in the guest register. We also had problems with not having the sympathizer’s addresses and not being able to cash checks. Here are some suggestions we came up with for your readers when they sign guest books and give cards with memorial donations: — Please print your name and address in the guest book. When you drop a card in the box or send it in the mail, put one of your return address labels on the “blank” or left inside of the card, along with a note of what your memorial contribution was and the group it should be donated to.
— If you write a check, please make it out to the “family of [the name of the deceased].” It is not always easy for the deceased’s immediately family to cash a check if it is written out to another family member.
These suggestions can also be used for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Thank you! — Recent Widow, via email Dear Heloise: I read your column in the weekend edition of the Telegraph in Alton, Illinois. My hint is an addition to the letter about sending postcards. For our daughter’s high school graduation, we had a table with different types of postcards on it. We asked each guest to write her a postcard and addressed the postcards later when we knew her college dorm assignment.
