Funeral Planning Steps Windham ME

Primary Steps in the Funeral Planning Process

In most cases, arranging a funeral involves the following steps and choices:

1. Make the "first calls" to notify the appropriate parties and have the deceased removed from the place of death. Click here for details.
2. Meet with a funeral director to make arrangements for the funeral services, including ceremonies and care of the deceased. Click here for details.
3. Select and purchase the necessary merchandise (e.g., casket, burial vault, urn, etc.) and memorial items (e.g., grave marker, online memorial). Click here for details.
4. Meet with officials of the selected cemetery to purchase interment property (e.g., grave plot, crypt, niche for an urn, etc.). Click here for details.
5. After the funeral, handle all financial, legal, and administrative matters. Click here for details.

Before proceeding, be sure to determine if the deceased set forth specific instructions regarding these steps in a pre-arranged funeral plan.

Make "First Calls"

When someone dies various parties must be immediately notified, including:

• The attending physician, a coroner or medical examiner to officially pronounce the death. If the deceased was in a hospital or other care facility, this is typically arranged by the staff.
• Local law enforcement should be contacted first if the death was not attended or due to unknown circumstances.
• Family members or a legal representative of the deceased. They will need to locate the deceased's pre-arranged funeral plan, if one exists, for direction in how to proceed with funeral arrangements.
• A Funeral Director to transfer the body from the place of death to a funeral home or comparable care facility. Funeral directors are available through funeral homes and other funeral service organizations.

A pre-arranged funeral plan generally specifies the funeral service provider. If one hasn't been pre-selected, it's best to make the "first call" to the funeral home, cremation service or other service provider that will handle all the funeral arrangements. This will avoid an additional transportation charge to subsequently have the deceased moved to another service provider.

You can use the Funeralwise Find a Funeral Provider to locate a funeral home or other service provider.

Back to top of page.

Funeral Arrangements

Planning a funeral involves making a myriad of decisions concerning everything from choosing a final resting place ... to selecting a casket ... to deciding on pallbearers. For assistance in arranging funerals people usually turn to funeral directors. They are professionals who manage some, or all, funeral arrangements.

Funeral directors help you plan the funeral ceremonies and then direct the ceremonies in accordance with your wishes, including coordinating with the cemetery. They also handle the technical services regarding the care, preparation, presentation, and final disposition of the deceased. Funeral directors are ...

Click here to read the rest of the article from Funeralwise.com