Funeral checklist
When planning a funeral, try not to do everything yourself. Call on a family member or friend to help you make the following arrangements.
Notify:
- Doctor
- Coroner
- Funeral Home
- They will help coordinate arrangements with cemetery or memorial park
- They will prepare the Social Security Form and see the the number is retired
- They will assist in determining the number of death certificates you will need and will order them - Clergy
- Relatives and friends
- Pallbearers
- Insurance Agents
- Banks
- Unions and Fraternal Organizations
- Organists
Select:
- Cemetery property
- Funeral service
- Casket
- Vault or outer container
- Clothing
- Flowers
- Music
- Thank you announcements
- Transportation
- Time and place for funeral
- Time and place for visitation
Provide:
Vital statistics about the deceased
- Birth date
- Birth place
- Father's name
- Mother's name
- Social Insurance Number
- Veteran's Discharge or Claim Number
- Education
- Marital Status
Obituary information (the funeral home will normally write the article and submit to newspaper)
- Age
- Place of birth
- Cause of death
- Occupation
- College Degrees
- Memberships held
- Military service
- Outstanding work
- List of survivors in immediate family
- Give time and place of services
- Charities for memorial contributions
Addresses of all people who must be notified
Arrangements for out-of-town visitors
In addition you will want to:
- Find someone to help answer sympathetic phone calls, cards and letters, as well as greet friends and relatives when they call.
- Decide appropriate memorial to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, etc.).
- Prepare list of distant persons to be notified by letter/or printed notice and decide which to send.
- Locate the will and notify lawyer and executor.
- Check carefully all life and casualty insurance and death benefits including old age security, credit union, fraternal and military.
- Check promptly on all debts and installment payments, including credit cards some carry insurance clauses that cancel balances upon death.
- Notify utilities and landlord and tell post office where to send mail (if deceased was living alone).