When Death Occurs

Who do I Contact ?

If your loved one dies inside of a medical or nursing facility like a hospital or nursing home, the medical staff will prepare them to be transferred into our care. The medical staff with contact you to verify if you want to see your loved one at the medical facility, and then will contact us on your behalf when you are ready for us to come to the facility.

If your loved one dies at home, and is under hospice care, contact the hospice staff. The hospice staff will prepare your loved one to be transferred into our care. Once you are ready the hospice staff will contact us.

If the death was unexpected and your loved one dies at home and is not under hospice care.  It is often necessary to have local law enforcement come to the home.  Law enforcement will complete the necessary steps and receive verification if there is an attending physician able to sign the death certificate or if the State Medical Examiners Office will need to be involved. They will contact us to bring your loved one it our care.

Begin To Make Arrangements

Your loved one may have pre-planned services, often this information is on file with the mortuary. We will set an appointment for you to meet with the funeral director and begin discussing options.

If your loved one has not made any previous type of arrangements we can guide you through the process. We will set an appointment for you to meet with the funeral director and begin discussing options.

During this time, if the deceased hasn’t made their final wishes known, the family will need to decide if they will bury or cremate the body, and what type of service should be held. These decisions include the time, date and location of any service; what type of casket or urn your loved one needs; drafting an obituary notice; deciding on pallbearers; and make any decisions about the specifics of the service like who the minister will be, what music will be played and who will speak.

As part of the process to begin making the funeral arrangements, if the deceased was active or retired military, contact the Veterans Administration to determine if they offer any death benefits or service options.

Information Funeral  May Need

Once you have met the funeral director, they will advise you on any information or paperwork they need for the death certificate or to proceed with making final arrangements.

Information Required:

• Full name and address
• Social Security Number
• Marital status
  
• Race/Ethnicity
  
• Date and city of birth
  
• Highest level of education
  
• Father’s name, mother’s maiden name
  
• Name of spouse
  
• Occupation and employer

Documents Funeral Directors May Need

Funeral directors will need important documents to complete any legal paperwork. These documents include:

• Account statements
  
• Beneficiary designations
  
• Life insurance policies
  
• Military Discharge papers (form DD 214)
  



Taking Care Of Personal Property

Following the death of your loved one, there are few things you need to attend to involving the deceased’s personal life. First, secure your loved one’s property. Make sure their home and vehicle are properly secure.

If your loved one has a pet, make the necessary arrangements for the pet to be taken care of by family or friends. Any mail that comes to your loved one should be forwarded to a family member that plans to handle the deceased’s estate. Any mail that piles up at a vacant home only alarms potential intruders that a home is empty.

Make sure to contact the deceased’s boss and inform them of the death. If your loved one had any upcoming appointments, make contact to notify them about the death and to cancel the appointment.