What To Expect Before the Funeral

Whether the loss of a loved one was expected or not, it is never an easy situation to be in. For some people, not only do you now have to mourn the loss of a loved, you also need to make arrangements with the funeral home. To help make the process easier and reduce any anxiety you may be feeling, we have prepared the following information to help you better understand what to expect during the period prior to the funeral service.

The First Call

When it comes time to arrange the funeral service, one of the first calls you should make is with our funeral home. During that call, we will first need to know if your loved one has prearranged their service with us. If this is the case the process is straightforward as your loved one will have already taken care of the majority of the planning process. The funeral director will then begin coordinating with you to have staff come and remove the body and arrange a time for you to visit our funeral home to finalize the arrangements.

If your loved one has not prearranged a service, initial information must be gathered to start organizing the service and completing necessary paperwork. Some of the initial questions we ask include:
  • The deceased’s name, date of birth, and date of death
  • Have they prepared a will that outlines their wishes for caring for their remains?
  • Is the deceased an organ donor?
  • Do you need a legal pronouncement of death?
  • The location to pick up the remains
Once these initial questions have been asked, the funeral director will arrange a time for you to come into our offices and complete the arrangements.

Visiting the Funeral Home

After your initial phone call, you will be invited to visit our funeral home to finalize the details of the service. Upon entering the funeral home you will be greeted with a warm welcome and our deepest condolences. You will then be directed to the funeral director’s office or an arrangement office.

One of the first things we will do during your visit is present you with our general price list. This is done in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission’s funeral rule. After this, you will begin to have a conversation with the funeral director to help us better understand who your loved one was and plan a service to commemorate their life. Conducting this conversation helps us accomplish two things: 
  1. Share accurate biographical details of the deceased to assist the funeral director in completing relevant paperwork.  
  2. Come to an agreement about the plans for the funeral, memorial service, or celebration-of-life.

Planning the Funeral Service

After this initial conversation, we can begin to help you plan a meaningful service to commemorate the life of your loved one. To help make the planning process easier, we kindly ask that you have the following prepared when you come to visit with us:
  • Pre-arrangement papers, if applicable
  • Clothes in which to bury or cremate your loved one
  • Cemetery property information, if applicable
  • A list of preferred charities for memorial donations, if applicable
  • A list of pallbearers, if applicable
  • Desired musical and readings selections
We also encourage you share as many memories and stories about your loved one as you can. Doing so will help us to start thinking creatively about the different ways we can make their service special and tailored to them.

Final Thoughts

We understand that this can be a very emotionally difficult time for you and your family. Please note that you will feel no pressure to rush your consultation and can feel free to stay as long as you need. You’ll be surrounded by caring professionals that will be here to offer support and assistance in any way that we can. If you are still unsure about the arrangement process or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (503) 623-3286 to learn more about what to expect when you come to our funeral home.