Robert Groome End-of-Life Expenses

Robert James Groome was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident early in the morning on 11th of July, 2017.
His birthday was coming up in a month- he was taken from us at the young age of 26.  Robert was my little brother and my only sibling, the only son of Richard and Leslie Groome.  Robert also served in the US Army for about 6 years as a radiology technician, some of which he spent in Germany.  He was a great person and a strong Christian man.   He had just gotten a new job as a radiology technician for the VA which he was very excited to start, but never got to.  These are probably the least important things one could say about him, though.  Ever since he could speak he was a kind a generous person, putting others' needs before his own and going out of his way to help others.  He would often buy things for his friends and family, even if he had less money than they did, because he wanted to make them happy and see them smile.  He was always quick with a joke and could make anyone grin and laugh.  Everywhere he went he made friends because he was impossible to not love.  Robert meant the world to so many people and this is a massive loss for all who knew him and loved him and anyone touched by him- nothing will be the same without his kind and funny attitude and genuine soul.  There are definitely not enough people as sweet as he was, and I have never met anyone as special as Robert.  He has left a gap that many are finding impossible to fill.

I don't want anyone to feel pressure to donate- Robert was a very generous soul and would never ask for anything from anyone, even if he was in need.  The reason I am making this account is because he touched so many lives across the country and abroad: although we are having two funeral services for him (one in Washinton State where he lived for so long and where his life ended, and one in Minnesota where he was born and raised and where much of his family and friends still live), many of his friends are unable to attend his services but would like to find ways to contribute or pay respects in other ways.  It is these people that have asked me to create a GoFundMe page for him and them.  Also, I would like for my parents to be able to mourn the loss of their only son without having to worry so much about the financial burden of holding two funerals and all the travel and other expenses that come along with taking care of the death of a loved one.  Robert would have done all of the work and funding himself if he could have, I know he would never want them to have to worry or do all of this; unfortunately his death was so sudden and unexpected that none of us, Robert included, thought this was something we would be dealing with.

The reason I have set our goal at $12k is because this is the approximate cost of his arrangements, which I will lay out below and edit if I discover that my parents paid significantly less or more for each item (although most of the listed items are things I have seen recipts for).  He had some health insurance through his work, but no life insurance or anything that would assist his family in paying for his funeral costs or travel fees to go take care of his belongings.  All donations will go to a savings account that I just opened up for Robert, and when donations slow down I will remove the money and give it to my parents, who paid for all of my brother's arrangements and are also Robert's "NOK/Next of Kin".  Here are the approximate numbers I have gathered thus far:
$7, 000- Embalming, cremation, and burial
$2,500- Last minute round-trip flights for three people (his father, mother and sister/me) from Minnesota to Washinton state
$300- Car rental (one car to transport the family between airport, hotel, funeral home and Robert's place of residence and transport the family back to the airport with all of my brother's belongings.
$350- Hotel (staying for five days to go through the belongings he left behind, make arrangements with the funeral home, view his body and finally organize and hold his WA services)[lowered as friends offered their home for a few nights]
$1200-2000 (unsure and will update later)- Cost for two separate memorial services (rental fees for place to hold the service, print-offs of photos of Robert to use at the service, cost to press his military uniform to display at the service, and likely refreshments to serve for his guests)
These add up to between $11,350- $12, 150- I made the goal on the lower end because Robert was so generous.  I definitely didn't think of all the costs involved, but these are just the ones I saw or could remember.  Again, I have rounded down on some and up on others for ease of expression in hopes it will even out and will edit this later if there are any huge changes. [Edit 1 on 17JUL17 to reflect reduction in lodging/hotel cost. Final numbers for cremation/burial will likely go down and be separated for clarity as the VA may cover a portion of burial cost but I am unsure of the numbers and how that will end up reflected in final costs]
I haven't included any costs for meals for my family, gas costs to drive between all of these places, or anything for the money we would have earned at our jobs had we not left so suddenly because I only want to ask for money related to things that are directly for my brother, it's much to difficult for any of us to really talk about money or feel we are spending too much right now when the loss that hurts us the most is anything but financial.  I know in my opinion, nothing is too good for my brother and I don't mind missing work or even quitting to be there for him and I am sure my parents feel the same.  I will include his funeral info for anyone who would like to attend but missed my posts on FaceBook/texts.

Robert Groome's funeral info thus far:

Washinton info- Saturday 15 July 2017 at 2:00pm at
Heavenly Sent Ministries
288 SW 43rd Street
Renton, Washinton 98055

Minnesota info- Saturday 9 Sep 2017 at 10:00 am (visitation) followed by service at 11:00 am (memorial service), with reception and gathering of family and friends afterwards (around noon) at Lutheran Church of the Master
1200 69th Avenue North
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

All are welcome to attend.

Burial (September 2017):
(Private interment but feel free to visit his grave whenever you like once he has been buried- visit after September week 2, 2017)
Fort Snelling National Cemetery
7601 34th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55450

(Currently this is all we know, updates will come as things get organized)  

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and generous donations in this time of great turmoil.  God bless all of his family and friends, nothing can replace him and nothing can undo the tragedy that has happened.  We will always remember him fondly. 

Rest in Peace, Robert Groome
September 5th, 1990 - July 11th, 2017

Your big sister misses you badly- please never leave me