Immediate, or at-need, funeral arrangements are made at the time of death, usually by surviving loved ones. If you have an immediate need or know that you will soon need funeral and memorial planning services, we are here to help. Contact us now and we can help ease the burden and assist with your planning needs.
It can be a highly emotional and confusing time when a loved one passes. For that reason, we have listed the key steps that should be taken prior to making at-need funeral arrangements to ensure proper care for your loved one.
1. If there is an unexpected death in your home, call 911 immediately. Upon arrival, the medical team will provide specific instruction on the next steps. If your loved one was under hospice care, call the hospice immediately and they will take charge of the situation.
2. As soon as possible, contact close family and friends, the deceased's physician (if a hospice is not involved), and the deceased's lawyer. If the deceased cared for any dependents, make arrangements immediately for their safe care.
3. Look for any written instructions (Letter of Instruction, Final Instructions, Disposition Authorization) for funeral or memorial service arrangements and burial or cremation arrangements. Determine if the deceased named a "Designated Agent" to take care of the arrangements. Also determine if the deceased left any direction on donating organs or tissue upon their death.
4. If you are the Designated Agent (or if there is none and you are taking responsibility), please contact us to schedule an arrangement conference to determine final arrangements. We can help with every step of the process.
When it comes time to start planning the memorialization, there are essential elements of a burial, cremation, and funeral that need to be considered. They include:
In honor of a loved ones, you can donate in their name. Designate the person for whom your gift is directed in your donation information.
Our cemetery requires a vault to be included within a burial plot, to protect the casket and ensure level footing all around the plot.
In honor of a loved ones, you can donate in their name. Designate the person for whom your gift is directed in your donation information.
Most cemeteries will require one of these identifiers, either in the form of a monument such as a headstone that appears above the ground, or a flat marker installed upon the ground. This is where the details of the deceased are inscribed, and images, quotes, etc. can be added for additional costs.
Most cemeteries will require one of these identifiers, either in the form of a monument such as a headstone that appears above the ground, or a flat marker installed upon the ground. This is where the details of the deceased are inscribed, and images, quotes, etc. can be added for additional costs.
If the deceased is to be cremated, an urn will hold their remains. Different materials and levels of ornamentation are available. It is possible to hold a service where the urn is displayed, and to even bury an urn in a casket within a burial plot. If this is to occur, a vault and opening-and-closing cemetery will most likely also be needed. Other options are cremation niches within cemeteries.
Flowers are typically expected at both the memorialization service and the grave site.
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