Funeral Professionals

Choosing someone to help

Once we have discussed the options of meaningful celebrations and choices for disposition with our family, when death occurs, choosing a funeral professional to help make all the arrangements is the next step.

People usually select their funeral professional or funeral home by reputation within the community, personal experiences, religious affiliation, convenience of location or the recommendation of a trusted friend. Even if death occurs away from home, it is a good idea to contact a funeral home in the area where the deceased permanently resided. It will be familiar with the steps necessary to transfer the loved one to his/her place of burial regardless of where the death took place.

Guidance on what is involved when planning a funeral

Your funeral professional will be a valuable resource in outlining your many options. You will then be able to pick and choose what you feel would make a meaningful ceremony, one that would satisfy the needs of you and your family and fulfill the known wishes of your loved one.

Some of the decisions you should expect to make at a funeral home

Considering the wishes of the deceased and your financial means and needs:

• Select a clergyperson and obtain his/her services.
• Select a time and place for visitation or wake and funeral or memorial services.
• With the assistance of the funeral professional, select a casket that will hold your loved one's body. If cremation has been selected and will take place after services, special cremation caskets are available.
• After choosing the method of final disposition, notify the cemetery and arrange for the appropriate grave space to be opened. (If the deceased or family does not own cemetery property, a grave space will need to be selected.)
• Since most cemeteries require outer burial containers, a suitable burial vault will be selected. The minimum container a family may select to fill this requirement is a concrete rough box or grave liner.
• If you wish to have fraternal or veterans' organization of which the deceased was a member take part in services, they should be contacted. Their participation should be coordinated with the clergyperson. The funeral home staff can arrange this for you.
• Prepare an obituary or death notice for local and out-of-town newspapers. The funeral professional will assist you in placing these notices.
• The funeral home often has a selection of vehicles at its disposal. The funeral director can guide you as to which are appropriate for use in relation to the services you have selected.
• You will select clothing for your deceased loved one. If you feel there is nothing appropriate in your loved one's wardrobe or size is a problem, the funeral home usually has a selection of appropriate garments or can give you guidance on where to obtain something suitable.
• Pallbearers will assist in moving the casket from funeral home to church or cemetery. You will be asked to choose these people. The funeral home staff will advise them of their duties. Special friends acting as honorary pallbearers may also be appointed.

There are many legal documents that will be filled out at time of death. The funeral home staff, with information you supply, will assist in completing this task. It will be necessary to have accurate information about the deceased when filing these forms. In addition to the death certificate, veterans, fraternal and union forms, insurance claims, notification of Social Security and other benefits require accurate information which you will supply.