Where To Start

Funeral planning can get overwhelming, but you’re not alone. Our staff is here to support you and help you through your grief journey while honoring your loved one. To help you get started, below is some helpful information. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Within Hours

When a loved one dies at home or somewhere that isn’t a healthcare facility, you’ll need to contact emergency personnel before they can be taken into our care. If your loved one was under medical care for a condition that was expected or likely to cause death, please advise emergency personnel, have doctors contact information available. If your loved is on hospice, please call the hospice to report the death. Be sure to tell the emergency personnel or hospice provider the funeral home and phone number you have chosen.

If your loved one dies in a healthcare facility, you MUST provide the contact information for the funeral home, and they will call to make a notification, and they will notify the proper authorities regarding the death.

If you’re unsure of what to do next, don’t hesitate to call 911.

Soon After the Death

You may wish to inform close friends and relatives of your loved one’s passing through phone calls, emails, and your loved one’s obituary with service times. Ask the funeral arranger that you meet with about posting it on our funeral home’s website so extended family and friends can leave messages and condolences to your family. The staff will accept your written obituary for the funeral home website along with a photo if you so choose. This can be a difficult process, so don’t be afraid to ask our trained staff for assistance.

You also should consider your loved one’s funeral wishes along with your family’s spiritual and emotional needs. You can meet with one of our caring arrangement counselors, who can help you understand your options in planning the services that are right for your loved one and your family’s needs. You can start by considering some of the larger choices you need to make, such as:

• Burial or cremation
• Type of casket or urn
• For a burial, the location of their final resting place in grave or mausoleum
• For a cremation, the location of their final resting place through burial or scattering
• Service types, such as a viewing, service, graveside memorial, etc.
• Any religious services, such as clergy or spiritual leaders.

This is just a starting point, so don’t feel like you need to know all the answers right now. We want to make this process as easy and meaningful as possible, so please contact us with any questions or for more information about your funeral service options.

When We Meet

When you meet with one of our caring staff members to begin planning the type of services you want, we’ll give you our general price list and casket price list and provide you with a consumer pamphlet before we discuss any arrangements. Every funeral establishment is required to do so. After we provide this information, we will discuss it with you and answer any questions you have about the services we can provide and their costs. Our arrangers are here to help you choose the services you want and make you comfortable with your choices. We will talk with you about your loved one’s wishes if known, what your family wants and needs may be and what you feel comfortable with spending. We understand that it’s a balance, and we are here to respect and support your decisions completely. Honoring your loved one in the way your family wishes to do so is our goal.

Our staff will use this information to help you create a personalized, meaningful service to celebrate your loved one. You can share your funeral preferences and ideas, stories about your loved one, their passions, and any other insights into your loved one’s life.

This process also may include:

• Preparing and filing the official death certificate
• Drafting an obituary
• Scheduling the funeral services or cremation and events, including the date, time, and location
• Selecting a casket, urn, and any other services or merchandise you may want
• Choosing pallbearers
• Transportation: Some families may wish to have a family car, which is an SUV

We want to make this process as simple and stress-free as possible, so please bring the following information about your loved one:

• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Full legal name and home address
• Social Security number
• Father’s name (if known)
• Mother’s maiden name (if known)
• Highest education
• Occupation
• Veteran’s discharge papers (DD-214), if applicable
• Information about the burial location, if applicable
• Clergy name and phone number, if applicable
• Insurance policy information if used to pay for funeral expenses
• Names and relationships of survivors
• A recent photograph of your loved one and any clothing you want used when dressing them for the service