When Death Occurs

No amount of preparation can fully prepare you for the loss of a loved one. When you are in a heightened emotional state, even the most basic decisions can seem staggering. The following is a rough guideline of what needs to be done within the first 24 hours after death.

When death occurs unexpectedly

If the person was not under hospital or hospice care, the police will have to be notified immediately. The police will be dispatched to the scene and will notify the medical examiner. From that point, the medical examiner has control of the body and will determine whether further investigation is necessary. The medical examiner must release the body before a funeral home can do anything. If the person was at home under hospice care, contact the hospice representative if they were not present and they will notify family members what the proper procedures are to follow.

When a death occurs at a hospital/nursing home/hospice facility

The staff of a care facility such as a hospital or a nursing home will notify you and the necessary authorities immediately after a death has occurred. If a funeral home has been provided to the hospital or nursing home, they will be notified at the time of death. If you are present at the hospital when the funeral director arrives, they will ask a few questions about your wishes and set up a time to come into the funeral home to make arrangements. If you are not present, a funeral director will contact you by telephone to discuss these arrangements.

Informing a Funeral Director

Once everything has been cleared with the proper authorities, the next call you place should be to a licensed funeral director. Funeral directors are here to help you obtain a death certificate, transport the body, and in the event pre-planning was not done, select a casket or urn and arrange the funeral or memorial service. The funeral director will also help you notify the employer and insurance company of the deceased to assist with those arrangements. Funeral directors are here to help and advise you and will work very hard to relieve the stress and logistics involved in funeral planning.

Meeting a Funeral Director

You should make an appointment to meet with a funeral director within 24 hours of a death to begin to make final arrangements for your loved one. Deciding on these arrangements may seem like a very daunting task, especially when you are in a heightened emotional state, but our staff has years of experience dealing with these issues, and strives to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Making Arrangements

First the Funeral Director will gather information required for the death certificate. This includes:

Full Name and Address
Marital Status
Race/Ethnicity
Date and City of Birth
Highest Level of Education
Father’s Name, Mother’s Name (including maiden name)
Name of Spouse (if married or widowed)
Occupation and Employer

If no pre-planning has been done, necessary arrangements need to be made for the funeral service. These include:

Scheduling the location, date and time of the visitation and funeral service
Selecting burial or cremation
Choosing funeral products
Arranging a cemetery plot
Preparing an obituary notice
Scheduling transportation arrangements

A funeral director will guide you through all these steps, using your wants, needs and desires as a foundation to create a memorable funeral for your loved one. From here, the funeral services can be personalized. Did your loved one have a favorite sports team? What was their favorite type of music? What activity was your loved one known best for? Recalling fond memories assists with the grieving process and will help honor the life of your loved one.

When Death Occurs