Funeral Services: How to Prepare for One?

Posted by webteam on June 20th, 2014

Did you have to witness someone passing away in your family? The task of giving him/her an honorable funeral is not an easy job. The tips given below would definitely assist you in taking informed decisions.

1. 1.       Opt for a funeral home

Rates and the kinds of services offered differ even in two funeral homes within a distance of one kilometer. Search in your telephone directories. Call a few funeral homes and compare the funeral service price charts. You do not have to hesitate; they are obliged by the law of the land to give you a price chart. With the home selected, the minister of your choice would make sure that things are done right.

1. 2.       Contact a pastor

The next concern you should address is contacting a pastor. Consult with the minister for a worship service in your home. If the person in question is not that religious, arranging for a humanist minister is the best option. You should ask your friends to bring the photos of the deceased if they have any. This would help you prepare an album and keep near the body to display different stages in the person’s life. Do not forget to give a photo to the director of the funeral home. Take care to ensure that it depicts the deceased in a healthy state. Keep in mind that there may be certain deaths where the director of the funeral home or the embalmer may not be able to restore the condition of the body to a viewable state. You may have to be satisfied with the photo of the deceased in such a situation.

1. 3.       Ask for donations instead of flowers

If you feel that the deceased believed in donating to charities, asking for donations is something you can ponder upon. The money collected can be given to the organization to which he/she used to contribute on a regular basis. You should also consider keeping a guestbook. This would help people sign in with their name and addresses. Remember, you may not be in a position to remember each and every person when bidding farewell to a loved one. Publishing the news in your local newspaper too is highly recommended.

Conclusion

If the death happens outside a hospital or a nursing home, do not forget to inform your local authorities. They would contact a coroner to settle things. This would be of great help if the deceased has some kind of an insurance policy. The police, if informed, would take care of the task of contacting your relatives. But, you should make sure that no one is neglected. And, do not ever even think of ignoring the close friends of the person in question.

You should also determine who would take care of the funeral in advance. If the deceased has property or anything as such, the executor would be the one who has to handle the matter. But, most of the time, the responsibility gets divided among the members of the family. Whatever is the situation, make sure that everything is well taken care of in advance. It’s true that preparing a person for the final journey is a tough job. But, if everything is arranged in advance, it becomes much easier and simple.

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