A Death has Happened: Where to Begin?
When a death occurs, whether expected or unexpected, planning a funeral can be overwhelming. To help you through this difficult time, here is a list of steps that need to be undertaken before funeral arrangements can officially begin.
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A legal pronouncement of death must be made. If a person dies under hospice care, call the hospice care nurse to declare the time of death and help facilitate the transport of the body.
If a person dies at home without hospice care, call 911 immediately and be ready to show the ‘Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR)’ document. Without this document, the paramedics will proceed to conduct emergency procedures, and take the person to an emergency room for the doctor’s declaration.
- Arrange for the transport of the body to your chosen funeral home. If an autopsy is not needed, the body can be picked up by a morgue (by law, a morgue must provide the price by phone) or crematorium.
- Notify the person’s doctor or the county coroner.
- Notify close family and friends (ask their help to inform others).
- Take care of dependent members and pets.
- If the deceased was working, call his or her employer. Request information about death benefits or any pay due. Ask if the deceased had company life insurance.
- If he or she was in the military, or a member of a religious group or important organization, contact that organization. They may provide some assistance regarding burial benefits or conduct a funeral service for the person.
- Take care of the belongings of the deceased. Send their banks a notice of the depositor’s death, answer the phone, take care of the house and check their mail.
- Obtain death certificates (usually provided by the funeral home). Make multiple copies; you will need it for financial institutions, government agencies, and insurers.
- File the death certificate to the corresponding county or municipality in order to attain a testamentary validation.
- If necessary, the executor must open a bank account for the estate of the deceased.
If you need assistance at any given time, please do not hesitate to call us at (281) 447-1382.
Planning a Funeral
Del Pueblo Funeral Home is there with you every step of the way. No matter how difficult this moment may be for you, be comforted that we will guide you through all these steps, taking into consideration your needs to celebrate the life and memories of your loved one.
Step 1: Was there any prepaid burial service?
Search for the person’s documents to find if there was a prepaid burial service. If there was one, contact the mortuary or crematorium to inform of the death and transport of the body.
If there is none, proceed to step no. 2.
Step 2: Select the type of service.
Del Pueblo Funeral Home provides two main types of service: a Burial or a Cremation.
For a Burial, you’ll need:
– casket
– cemetery plot
– ground burial or entombment
– type of Memorial Service
For a Cremation, you’ll need:
– urn
– type of Memorial Service
Learn more about Cremation here.
Step 3: Prepare an obituary notice.
Step 4: Schedule the date and time of visitation.
Step 5: Schedule the transportation, if needed.
Whatever decision you make, we assure you Del Pueblo Funeral Home will be there to assist you in making informed decisions that cater to your needs.
Making the Final Arrangements
Meeting with a funeral director should take place within 24-48 hours of a death. This meeting may be difficult but rest assured with Del Pueblo Funeral Home’s decades of experience, we will do our best to ensure everything will go as smoothly as possible.
To help celebrate your loved one’s life and memories, feel free to bring his or her most beloved items – photos, videos, music, collections, favorite shirt, band or sports team memorabilia. Sharing your fondest memories of your loved ones will help incredibly in personalizing the service and creating a celebration of a life well-lived.
Need more information about making funeral arrangements? Learn more about our services through our FAQs.
Don’t hesitate to send us a message or call us if you need assistance at any given time.
