Frequent Questions

Funerals fill an important role for those mourning the loss of a loved one. By providing surviving family and friends with an atmosphere of care and support in which to share thoughts and feelings about death, funerals are the first step in the healing process. It is the traditional way to recognize the finality of death. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show their respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grieving process.

You can have a full funeral service even for those choosing cremation. Planning a personalized ceremony or service will help begin the healing process. Overcoming the pain is never easy, but a meaningful funeral or tribute will help.

• Transport the body of the deceased to the funeral home (anytime day or night)
• Notify Social Security
• Prepare and file death certificate
• Secure burial or cremation permit
• Purchase certified copies of death certificates on your behalf to settle legal affairs of the estate (insurance, pension, banking, real estate, automobiles, etc).
• Assist you in filing for life insurance benefits and veteran benefits (if applicable)
• Prepare and submit an obituary to the newspapers of your choice as well as online.
• Attend to any necessary preparation of the deceased (embalming, washing, etc)
• Prepare the body for viewing including dressing and cosmetizing
• Assist you with funeral arrangements and the selection of a casket, urn, burial vault and cemetery plot
• Schedule the opening and closing of the grave with cemetery personnel, if a burial is to be performed as well as provide advice and suggestions for alternatives to burial, such as retaining the cremated remains at home, scattering on land or in water.
• Coordinate with those officiating, leading or participating in any services you request (clergy, celebrants, musicians, fraternal clubs, community organizations)
• Arrange for military honors for veterans
• Schedule services with any social or fraternal organization that may participate in the funeral or memorial service.
• Arrange transportation to the funeral and/or cemetery for the family
• Order funeral sprays and other flower arrangements as the family wishes
• Schedule funeral luncheon or other similar activities.
• Everything and anything associated with carrying out your specific requests.
  

You will contact one of our funeral directors to schedule a conference to discuss the type of services or ceremonies you wish for us to provide. All phone calls are answered 24 hrs each day by a trained staff member who will be ready to attend to all your immediate needs (we never use an answering service or an operator) After you have explained your preferences our staff will carry out all your wishes to the smallest detail. Funeral home staff will also coordinate arrangements with the cemetery and any participants in any events associated with the funeral or memorial.

Bring the following information to complete the State vital statistic requirements:

• Birth Date
• Birthplace
• Father's Name
• Mother's Name
• Social Security Number
• Education
• Marital Status
• Military Discharge (DD-214)

 Speak to the funeral director who will help you decide on the time and place of funeral or memorial service. This can be done at the funeral home or we can schedule a meeting at your home.

Decide on appropriate memorial to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, library, charity or school).

Gather information for us to prepare an obituary. Typically an obituary consists of three basic components: Biographical information (such as age, place of birth, cause of death, occupation, college degrees, memberships held, military service accomplishments, interests, etc) Family information (Survivors, deceased family members and increasingly the names of close friends and beloved pets) Service schedule (time and place of any services).

If you request immediate assistance, yes. If you wish to spend a short time with the deceased to say good-bye before we come to your home, that is perfectly acceptable. If your personal, cultural or religious beliefs and customs dictate a longer period of time, there are no specific laws requiring immediate transport from a private home to the funeral home and we can advise you how to provide for appropriate care for your loved one during the time you keep them at home.

The decision to choose burial or cremation is a very personal decision which should be made based upon consideration of your particular religious and cultural customs and values. There is no right or wrong answer as long as you consider your preferences and balance your decision with the emotional and social needs of those you leave behind.

Cremation need not be any different from a funeral service followed by a burial. Cremation is only a form of disposition. It does not prevent you from arranging for any services or ceremonies (including viewing) before the cremation occurs. 

Viewing is a part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the activity is voluntary.

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

In general, no law requires that any person be embalmed. A funeral home may have a policy that requires embalming for certain types of services such as public viewing or services involving a lengthy delay between death and burial or cremation.

Like all life cycle events, there are necessarily costs associated with providing final services for your loved one. Many costs associated with a funeral have nothing to do directly with the funeral home, such as cemetery fees, clergy fees (or other officiant), musicians, obituary charges, flowers, etc. We arrange for these, but the prices charged are controlled by third party providers.

:Each funeral home is entitled to charge what they feel is appropriate for their services, facilities, vehicles and merchandise, however you make the final decision as to what those selections are. By carefully comparing more than one funeral home and reviewing all your options you ultimately are in control of the final cost of the services selected.

A responsible and caring funeral director will work with you to make certain that the services you request work within the available resources.

It really depends entirely on how you wish to commemorate a life. One of the advantages of cremation is that it provides you with increased flexibility when you make your funeral and cemetery arrangements. You might, for example, choose to have a funeral service before the cremation; a memorial service at the time of cremation or after the cremation with the urn present; or a committal service at the final disposition of cremated remains. Funeral or memorial services can be held in a place of worship, a funeral home or in a crematory chapel.

With cremation, your options are numerous. The cremains can be interred in a cemetery plot, i.e., earth burial, retained by a family member, usually in an urn, scattered on private property, or at a place that was significant to the deceased. (We will explain the various legal options available to you if you choose to scatter the cremated remains). 

Today, there are many different types of memorial options from which to choose. Memorialization is a time-honored tradition that has been practiced for centuries. A memorial serves as a tribute to a life lived and provides a focal point for remembrance, as well as a record for future generations. The type of memorial you choose is a personal decision.

You might choose ground burial of the urn. Cremation niches in columbariums are also available at many cemeteries. They offer the beauty of a mausoleum setting with the benefits of above ground placement of remains. We also offer a complete line of keepsake cremation jewelry for those who wish to retain a small portion of cremated remains.

Yes - but there are many rules and regulations that will dictate where you can lawfully scatter cremated remains. Your funeral director will advise you of these legalities. Additionally, quite often survivors still prefer to have a permanent location in a cemetery for burial, instead of scattering. It is important that you discuss your preferences with your family, especially due to the irreversible nature of scattering.  

Yes — Depending upon the cemetery's policy, you may be able to save a grave space by having the cremains buried on top of the casketed remains of your spouse, or utilize the space provided next to him/her. Many cemeteries allow for multiple cremated remains to be interred in a single grave space.

Uncertainty about income tax issues can add to the stress experienced from the death of a spouse. You should meet with your family attorney and/or tax advisor as soon as possible to review your particular tax and estate circumstances. Bring a detailed list of your questions to the meeting. If you do not have an attorney or tax advisor, call the IRS toll-free at 800-829-1040 for answers to specific tax questions.

• Talk to us about your specific needs. We will always work with you and do our best to find a service arrangement that meets your financial needs and circumstances.
• If income and asset guidelines are met, occasionally the local social services department can provide payment for basic services. Qualifying veterans their spouse and dependents also may qualify for financial assistance Application must be made before any approval is granted. We will assist you with a full explanation of options and the procedure to apply for assistance.
• We do accept payment for Medicaid recipients.