When Death Occurs

Whether a death is unexpected or has been anticipated for some time, it still leaves us feeling sad and overwhelmed. You can never be totally ready for the loss of a loved one, no matter how much planning you do. Even the simplest choices can feel overwhelming when your emotions are running high. A general outline of what should be done within the first 24 hours after death is provided below.

If the person was not under hospice care, the police will have to be notified immediately. The police will be dispatched to the home and place the call to the coroner/medical examiner. From there the coroner/medical examiner will take the body and determine whether further action is necessary. The coroner/medical examiner must release the body before a funeral home can do anything. If the person was 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.

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 the deceased wishes and set up a time to come into the funeral home to make arrangements, however, if you are not present a funeral director will contact you by telephone to discuss these arrangements.

The next phone call you should make should be to an authorized funeral director once everything has been cleared with the relevant authorities. Funeral directors can assist you with getting a death certificate, moving the body, and, if no pre-planning was done, choosing a coffin or urn and setting up the funeral or memorial service. In order to help with those plans, the funeral director will also assist you with notifying the deceased's employer and insurance provider. Our funeral directors are here to assist you, offer advice, and make every effort to make the stressful and complicated process of preparing a funeral as easy as possible.

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

First, the Funeral Director will need the information required to complete 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


The funeral director will also ask for you to bring important documents required to do all the legal paperwork, those documents include:

• Account Statements
• Beneficiary Designations
• Life Insurance Policies
• Real Estate Deeds
• Car and Boat Deeds
• Stock and Bond Certificates
• Pre-Nuptial Agreements
• Post-Nuptial Agreements
• Loans and Leases
• Copies of Bills (Hydro, Cable, Phone etc.)
• Last Will
• Tax Returns


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.