Of course there are several good answers to this question depending upon your current situation. If you are beginning to think about advance planning for yourself or a family member click here. If a family members death appears to be imminent click here. If the death has already occurred click here.

The first thing to consider is what type of service you’re interested in. There are several types of services available, click here to view an informal description of each, for a detailed breakdown and pricing please click here.

Once you’ve determined which option is best for you, it’s then important to start gathering the information needed by the mortuary to process the death certificate as well as particular wishes in regard to the service. You can download our guide here to help organize this information. Please note that if you’ve already chosen New Options to provide the funeral services please contact us to obtain a version of the guide that can be filled out on your computer and sent directly to us. This helps reduce clerical errors and can help expedite the process.

Because death is one of the hardest events we have to face; few make plans for it. We want to let you know that you do have a few hours to discuss services with other family members before you choose a mortuary. Hospitals and Hospice Care nurses often work with families during those first few hours after the death, and they can be a great source of information and help. Even after you’ve chosen a mortuary and they have removed the body, the family still has the right to change to another mortuary. While you will need to pay the first mortuary’s removal fees the families are still in charge of services.

The purpose is to gather family and friends to remember and celebrate the life of the one who has died.

Choosing a funeral provider can be a daunting task, particularly when no pre arrangements have been made.
One good place to start is with those people you already know and trust. Asking a friend who has been through a death, hospice caregivers, or clergy can be quite helpful.

Federal & State laws require mortuaries, to provide costs over the phone to a family. Should you have any problem getting pricing over the phone; you should consider another mortuary.

The process starts with the removal of the body from the place of death by the funeral provider. The family then meets with a staff member from the mortuary to begin to discuss the type of service they would like. Depending on the type of service(s) requested the details required can vary widely. Click here to see a description of the types of services offered. In the days following the service(s) families would receive copies of the death certificates they requested for insurance or other purposes.

Below is a list of the descriptions of each service type. If you would like to see a detailed list of what items are included in each service type and relevant pricing please click here.

Funeral providers fall into three basic categories:
Mortuary only – these assist with the services and provide caskets and other funeral merchandise. Many of these also provide cremation services.
Mortuary and Cemetery – Most cemeteries also have a mortuary on the property. Its important to note that selecting a cemetery does not mean you have to use their mortuary.
Cremation Only – As the name implies, they only provide cremation services for families.

First most cemeteries do not have restrictions as to who can be buried within them. An example of a restricted cemetery is the Riverside National Cemetery which is veterans and their wife or dependent children only, or religious cemeteries have certain restrictions.

You are not required to use the funeral provider located on the cemetery grounds.

Funeral merchandise consists of caskets, urns, memorial books, folders and the like. To see our pricing on caskets or urns click here. These pages show the most commonly selected items but we can order any casket carried by our vendors, Batesville, [fill in vendors].

This may come as a surprise to you but embalming is not required by law. Embalming is the use of chemical preservatives for the temporary preservation of the body.

A Viewing provides a more private opportunity for friends and family to say goodbye. It can also be a comfort for families who have last seen their family member in the hospital or convalescent facility, now dressed in their favorite dress or suite and looking at peace.

If you choose a viewing, embalming is usually recommended by the funeral provider.

Take a moment to reflect about the person. Funerals are meant to honor the contribution of the person in our lives and to give those they leave behind an opportunity to begin to come to terms with their loss. Funerals don’t have to be expensive to express our appreciation of what a person has meant to us.
Click here to download a guide to help plan the funeral.

Planning ahead is always a good idea. In the funeral industry, many mortuaries offer guides to “Advance Planning” or “Preneed Planning”. Most of these guides end with you contacting their mortuary.

However, depending upon your needs and wishes this may not be necessary at all. We’ve designed a form that contains the most pertinent questions that need answering upon a death as well as questions geared towards helping you formulate your wishes that you may not have realized you even had. [For instance, are there particular songs that you would like played at the service.] Click here to download the guide.

Once you’ve completed the form you simply put it in a safe place, and make a copy for someone you would like to be in charge of your suggestions.

In the 45 years that I have spent serving families, the first question that we ask is “Did he/she leave some instructions or choices about funeral or memorial services. Unfortunately the answer is often no. Now your family needs to think about what you would like. With funeral costs that can run into the thousands, it can produce additional stress during an already stressful time.

Pre-planning does not mean pre-paying. While it is an option to setup a financial instrument in order to pay for the plans you make, it is certainly not required. This means that you can protect your wishes and provide solid guidance without any contractual obligations.