| The passing of a
loved one is a most overwhelming and difficult time. Grief
and sorrow make decision making all the more difficult. Whether
the passing was expected or sudden, the things that must be done
at the time of death does not change.
Below is a checklist
of those items. There are some that can be done ahead of time, especially
the locating and gathering of documents and information.
They are not intended to
be in any specific order but a guideline of the things that must
be done.
If the death occurred
at home and the deceased was not a hospice patient, you must call
your local authorities and/or emergency services. If the death was
sudden, local authorities may require the presence of the coroner
or medical examiner. If the deceased was a hospice patient, call
the hospice agency. They will send a hospice representative to pronounce
the death. They can also assist you in contacting your funeral home
to make arrangements to pick up the deceased.
Contact your Funeral
Director
• Contact your Funeral Director and notify them
of the death. They will make arrangements to pick-up the deceased
and bring them back to the funeral home. Your funeral director will
then contact you to come in to either review existing arrangements
or start new arrangements. This is the first of extremely overwhelming
tasks if starting from scratch. Emotions run paramount, it will
appear that everyone that is with you will have something to say
about the funeral, what type of casket, what type of vault, what
type of ceremony, what to say in the obituary, etc. and your emotions
and those around you could cause you to emotionally over spend.
Although you are not required to pre-pay for funeral arrangements,
it is prudent to pre-plan your funeral arrangements. Keep in mind
that if the deceased did not have an assignable insurance policy
or did not leave funds available for their funeral, this burden
rests on the family. Funeral services must be paid in full at time
of service.
The following are
some considerations and choices while making funeral arrangements:
•
What type of casket
•
What kind of outer burial container
• What
type of service (religious, fraternal or military)
•
Clothing for the deceased
•
Location of Service (church, temple or graveside)
•
Funeral limousine list
•
Who will officiate the service
• What
scriptures or passages will be read
• Eulogy
• Type
of flowers and music
•
Memorial Cards
•
Order Death Certificates
• Vital
Statistics of the deceased (for Death Certificate and Obituary)
• Name,
Address and Phone Number
• Length
of time at current address
• Occupation
and Employer
• Address
of Employer
• Social
Security Number
•
Military ID Number
• Date
of Birth, Place of Birth
• Name
of Father and birthplace
• Name
of Mother, birthplace and maiden name
Contact Your Cemetery
• If
you already have cemetery spaces, your funeral director will most
likely contact the cemetery on your behalf and notify the counselors
on duty of the pending arrangements and create an appointment for
you to go to the cemetery and complete the cemetery arrangements.
The cemetery staff will review your file, verify date and time of
burial, coordinate with the funeral home, verify the location of
cemetery property for burial, and collect any additional fees if
necessary.
If you do not already
have cemetery spaces, you will need to select your cemetery of choice
and begin the process of selecting cemetery property. This is the
second of extremely overwhelming tasks if starting from scratch.
In most cases if you are selecting a cemetery that already has family
interred there, your initial choice is to find a space or spaces
that are near your family. In some cases the cemetery may have available
spaces near your family, in many cases, they will not. Again, your
emotions are running paramount. You want to select the best space,
hopefully near family, and get that space for the best price. When
purchasing cemetery property 'At Need' meaning a death has occurred,
there are no negotiations regarding price or location. And if the
deceased did not have an assignable insurance policy or did not
leave funds available for their burial, this burden rests on the
family. Cemetery property and services must be paid in full before
burial can take place. You will have additional costs such as a
memorial or monument or mark the grave.
The following are
some considerations and choices while making cemetery arrangements:
•
What type of burial (traditional in-ground, mausoleum, cremation
inurnment)
•
Type of memorial with inscription
• Give
cemetery the authority to open and close grave
•
Provide original deed if cemetery property was pre-purchased
•
Provide cemetery with military papers for government issued marker
•
Determine if tent and chairs at service are wanted
•
Who will officiate the service at graveside
• Will
you have friends or family members speak at graveside
• Will
you have a military honor guard present for Taps and folding of
the flag
Contact
and Prepare to Meet Family Members and Close Friends
• You
will want to contact all family members and close friends of the
deceased. Hopefully, you have access to an address book or some
kind of listing. Be prepared to meet them and assist them with accommodations
if from out of town.
Answer Letters, Phone
Calls, Wires and Emails of Condolences
• In addition to answering
incoming condolences, maintain a list of callers, who sent flowers,
letters, sympathy cards and/or made donations on behalf of the deceased.
You will need to send thank you cards to these people and organizations
a short time after the funeral.
Contact the Employer(s)
of the deceased
• If the deceased was still employed, you
will need to contact that employer to notify them of the passing.
They will contact their Human Resources department so the information
can be noted and recorded. And it is also a courtesy to notify the
employer so they do not worry about their employee not making it
in and chances are, the co-workers will want to know about the arrangements
as well.
Contact your selected
Pallbearers
• You will need to contact the designated Pallbearers
regarding the passing and funeral arrangements. In some cases the
deceased may have already expressed their wishes regarding Pallbearers.
Contact all Insurance
Agents
• All insurance agencies must be notified. Auto, Home,
Life, etc. If the deceased did not record their insurance agencies,
policy numbers and contact information, you will need to do some
investigation to determine what they had. Once notified, the insurance
agencies will tell you what documentation they will need such as
the Death Certificate, what type and how many they will need.
Contact any Religious,
Fraternal and/or Civic Organizations the deceased belonged to
•
You will need to think about who will officiate the burial.
Also, was the deceased a veteran, or member of the police force
or fire department. You will want to contact those organizations
especially if you want that organizations Honor Guard at the burial.
If the deceased was a veteran you will want to discuss this with
your Funeral Director, and your Cemetery. You will need to locate
the deceased DD214 or military separation papers in order for the
Funeral Director to order the American Flag, and for the cemetery
to order a military marker.
Contact Local Newspapers
regarding the obituary
• Your Funeral Home can make
the arrangements with your local newspaper regarding the obituary.
If you or your family wants any additional obituaries perhaps
in other locations, you will need to contact those newspapers directly.
Contact the Attorney,
Executor or Executress of the Estate and Accountant
Contact
the Social Security Administration Office
• We are all entitled
to a death benefit from Social Security of $225. This is not automatic
and must be applied for. Also, the Social Security Administration
must be notified of the death to either stop Social Security benefits or
adjust Social Security benefits to the surviving spouse.
Important Documents
to Locate that You Will Need
•
Cemetery Property Deed or Certificate of Ownership
•
Automobile and Recreational Vehicle Titles
• Citizenship
papers if applicable
•
Social Security Card
•
Safety Deposit Box Key and Contents
•
Birth Certificate
•
Marriage Certificate if applicable
• Insurance
Policies, Numbers and Contact Information
• Bank
Account Numbers and Contact Information
• Prior
2 years of Tax Returns
•
Will
•
Military Discharge Papers
• Mortgage
Documents (Deed(s) and Finance Documents)
|
