When Death Occurs

No matter if a death is sudden, or if it something that was a long time coming, the loss of a loved one makes us feel emotional and overwhelmed.  No amount of preparation can fully prepare you for the loss of a loved one.  When you are in a heightened emotional state, even the most basic decisions can seem staggering.  The following is a guideline of what needs to be done following the death.

When death occurs at home or the work place

If the person was under hospice care, contact your hospice representative.  They will notify the funeral home when the body is ready to be transported to the funeral home.  They will also have helpful advice as to the proper procedures to follow.  If the person was not under hospice care, and a family member or co-worker is present you should contact emergency services to respond.  If no one was present you should notify the police immediately.  Boone Family Funeral Home is always available to help by calling our office at 336-846-7979.  

When a death occurs at a hospital/nursing home/hospice facility

The staff of a care facility such as a hospital or a nursing home will notify you and the necessary authorities immediately after a death has occurred.  At this time you should provide them with your choice of the funeral home you desire. They will notify the funeral home when it is time for the body to be transported to there funeral home. If you are present at the hospital when the funeral director arrives, they will assist you in making decisions and setting an appointment time to come into the funeral home to make arrangements.  Should you not be present a funeral director will contact you by telephone to answer your questions and discuss these arrangements.

Informing a Funeral Director

It is important that you notify the funeral home once the death has occured.  Once everything has been cleared with the proper authorities, the funeral home will transport your loved one to the funeral home.  We are there to to help and advise you and will work very hard to relieve the stress and logistics involved in funeral planning.

Meeting a Funeral Director

You should meet with a funeral director to begin to make final arrangements for your loved one.  Our funeral directors have years of experience and are trained to help guide you thru the process of planning and we strive to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Making Arrangements

First the Funeral Director will gather information required for the death certificate.  This includes:

• Full Name and Address
• Marital Status
• Race/Ethnicity
• Date and City of Birth
• Social Security Number
• Highest Level of Education
• Father’s Name, Mother’s Name (including maiden name)
• Name of Spouse (if married or widowed)
• Occupation and Employer
• Place of and Means of Final Disposition

The funeral director will also need pertinent documents required to assist you with legal paperwork, those documents include:

• Life Insurance Policies
• Beneficiary Designations
• Cemetery Deeds
• Pre-Arreagement Documents
• Power of Attorney
• Last Will  "If it has information pertaining to the final disposition".

If no pre-planning has been done, necessary arrangements need to be made for the funeral service.  These include:

• Scheduling the location, date and time of the visitation and funeral service
• Selecting the Clergy or Officiant
• Selecting the means of Final Disposition
• Choosing Funeral Products
• Arranging a cemetery plot
• Preparing an obituary notice
• Scheduling transportation arrangements

A funeral director will guide you through all these steps, using your wants, needs and desires as a foundation to create a memorable funeral for your loved one. From here the funeral services can be personalized.  Did your loved one have a favorite sports team?  What was their favorite type of music?  What activity was your loved one known best for?  Recalling fond memories assists with the grieving process and will help honor the life of your loved one.