At Home or at Work
If the death occurs at home with family or friends present, and the person is under a physician's care, the family will want to call us directly.
If the death occurs in a residence and no one is there at the time of death, the police will need to be notified and respond to the residence before the deceased is removed from their home.
If you are not sure of who to notify or what to do, you may call (707) 425-4697, and we'll assist you in notifying the proper agencies.
While Under Supervised Care
When a death occurs in a care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, the professional staff will notify you and the necessary authorities. If the name of the funeral home has been left with them, the institution will notify the funeral home at the time of the death. The funeral director will contact you immediately following their notification to help you proceed. (However, we suggest you contact the funeral home immediately, so you've got the reassurance you need that all is taken care of properly.)
If a loved one was in the care of a hospice program, a hospice representative will give family members instructions and procedures to follow. The coroner/medical examiner will be notified by hospice. Following their release the hospice will contact the funeral home. It is always a good idea for the family to contact us immediately so that we will be aware of the pending call from hospice.
Widening the Circle
Our staff members are experienced professionals who can provide much of the information you need, emotional support and compassionate guidance.
While you may ask the director any questions at this time, you will be able to discuss the arrangements in detail later when you meet in person. During this initial call, the funeral director will gather information to be able to respond and transport your loved one to the funeral home.
Notify the funeral director if you have made any pre-arrangements, and if possible schedule a date and time for you to meet at the funeral home. Others you will need to call are:
- Family members and friends
- Clergy or other spiritual advisors
Those Important Questions
If there is no pre-plan in place, there are several other questions that you may have to have answered in regards to the death of your loved one.
By contacting our staff, we'll be able to help answer your questions and assist in making the appropriate plans. You can reach us at (707) 425-4697
However, as we’ve said before, one of the best ways to make sure that all of your questions and desires are taken care of is to make pre-arrangements. This is as simple as outlining your wishes to having all of the details written down and the financial arrangements prepaid. Please contact one of our staff at (707) 425-4697 to learn more about pre-arrangement.
What to Expect When You Arrive at the Funeral Home
A folder with helpful information about our services and merchandise will be given to the family. This will include our general price list, consumer guide with common questions and answers about funeral and cemetery matters, list of things to remember and helpful contact phone numbers. He or she will then guide you through the entire arrangement process, explaining how you can create a memorable personal celebration of your loved one's life. This is not a one-way conversation; we want to hear your ideas and desires, and use them as the foundation for the arrangement process.
The arrangement conference we will discuss:
- Learning about your options for services
- Discussing the possible scheduling of services
- Collecting the needed information for the official death certificate
- Helping you decide on obituary notices and announcements
- Planning unique ways to celebrate one's life
- Scheduling vehicles for services
- Selecting music, designing memorial folders, and DVD tributes
Prepare to talk about your loved one's interests, hobbies, membership in groups or organizations and how he or she touched lives.
We’d like you to bring in photos, their favorite music, awards or recognitions, and memorabilia so that you and your funeral director can better discuss how to plan a truly personal and memorable celebration that would honor the life of your loved one.
We will assist you in planning a loving tribute that captures the spirit of the person whose life you wish to honor.
We will see that the death certificate is properly filed with the health department and order any number of certified copies that you may need. If you have time to prepare before our appointment, here is a list of some of the needed information about the deceased. The following is a helpful checklist of needed information about the decedent.
- Full legal name
- Residences address
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Father's name and State of birth
- Mother's maiden name and State of birth
- Veteran's discharge papers (DD-214)
- Recent Photograph
- Years of education or degree
- Occupation and years of employment
- List of survivors (name and relationship)
- Life insurance policies (we will help you file a death claim)