Texas law provide a priority list of persons who have the right to control the disposition of a decedent’s remains if you do not designate otherwise. These persons include your spouse, followed by an adult child, a parent, an adult sibling, the executor or administrator of the decedent’s estate, and then an heir. However, you may designate someone in writing to dispose of your remains in your will or in a separate document commonly called an “Appointment for Disposition of Remains.” One advantage of using an Appointment for Disposition of Remains is that the agent can immediately begin tending to funeral matters when the need arises.