What Should You Do After the Death of a Love One?

125 Tasks After a Death Has Occurred

A. Secure Vital Statistics

1. Full legal name, address, telephone number, and email address
2. Religious name (if any)
3. Date of birth
4. Place of birth
5. Marital status
6. Name of spouse (if married)
7. Spouse’s maiden name (if wife)
8. Educational attainment
9. Citizenship
10. Father’s full legal name
11. Father’s birthplace
12. Mother’s name and maiden name
13. Mother’s birthplace
14. Full names, phone numbers, and addresses of all children, grandchildren, and/or great-grandchildren
15. Acquire Social security number
16. Obtain Veteran’s serial/service number
17. Determine date and place of military service
18. Date of military discharge
19. Research how long at current residence and former residence(s)
20. Occupation, job title, nature of work, and employment history
21. Workplace name, address, phone number, and email address
22. Ensure family origin

B. Pay Some or All of the Following

1. Estate/Inheritance taxes
2. Funeral and burial costs
3. Purchase a family cemetery burial plot, estate, mausoleum, crypt, cremation niche, or other
4. Permanent resting place
5. Monument and marker engraving details
6. Funeral Director
7. Clergy
8. Organist and vocalist
9. Funeral Flowers
10. Obituary
11. Clothing preferences
12. Long distance telephone service
13. Food
14. Transportation and removal costs
15. Doctors
16. Nurses
17. Medical practitioners
18. Ambulance
19. Hospital or nursing home
20. List of all medications and drugs
21. Current and urgent bills (mortgage/rent, taxes, car payments, debts, utilities, etc.)

C. Collect Documents and Paperwork

1. Last Will (check to see if any final wishes were specified)
2. Prepare legal papers, death certificates, state permits
3. Birth certificates and/or any legal forms of proof of age
4. Citizenship papers
5. Social Security card or number
6. Marriage license
7. Veteran’s discharge certificate
8. Submit all insurance policies (life, funeral/burial, health, long-term care, etc.) and also necessary government forms
9. Disability claims
10. Bank books and listing of all accounts
11. Records of other financial documents (outside of bank)
12. Property deeds
13. Cemetery deed or proof of ownership
14. Auto titles or bill of sale
15. Income tax returns, receipts, and cancelled checks

D. Decide and Arrange Within a Few Hours

1. Make cemetery arrangements
2. Secure interment space and location of burial disposition
3. Arrange for opening and closing of the grave/mausoleum/crypt/estate/niche space
4. Secure endowment care
5. Arrange graveside committal service
6. Secure use of cemetery chapel for committal prayers
7. Decide on embalming and other preparations of the deceased
8. Choose restorative art
9. Funeral Home preference
10. Location of funeral service
11. Service type (religious, fraternal, military, etc.)
12. Time and place of visitation and funeral service
13. Arrange any special religious services
14. Choose person and provide information for funeral eulogy
15. Select from casket (open or closed?)
16. Select outer burial container and/or burial vaults
17. Select cremation urn and niche space (if cremation)
18. Provide vital statistics of deceased for the newspaper obituary
19. Choose clothing for the deceased
20. Choose jewelry and glasses for the deceased
21. Select cosmetology and hairdressing for deceased
22. Selection of Scripture, readings, poems, etc.
23. Choose preferred clergy to officiate
24. Marking of grave (either temporary or permanent)
25. Select memorial market/monument setting and inscription
26. Select charitable contributions in memory of the deceased
27. Register book, memorial/prayer cards
28. Select pallbearers
29. Floral arrangements and transportation (before and after)
30. Select funeral music
31. Organist, pianist, vocalist
32. Arrange for funeral coach
33. Arrange for limousine for family and pallbearers
34. Arrange funeral car list for family and guests
35. Clothing for you and children
36. Decide who will look after children and/or pets
37. House cleaning
38. Extra chairs
39. Transportation for family and guests
40. Review and sign all paperwork (burial permits, etc.)
41. Answer innumerable phone calls, emails, letters, and visitors
42. Meet with Funeral Director, Cemetery Director, clergy, lawyer, CPA, financial advisor, insurance agent, etc.
43. Arrange transportation and lodging for out-of-town guests
44. Acknowledge and thank those who help in a special way (flowers, food, donations, etc.)
45. Decide how many certified copies of death certificates to order
46. Food for family and out-of-town relatives and guests
47. Items for memento display and/or memorial board
48. Decide on memorial video tribute production, pictures, music
49. Arrange for writing thank you notes

E. Plan to Notify ASAP

1. All family members
2. All relatives
3. All friends
4. Minister and church
5. Funeral Director
6. Pallbearers
7. Cemetery
8. Doctor
9. Employer of deceased
10. Employers of relatives not going to work
11. Organist, musicians, and vocalists
12. Newspapers regarding obituary notices
13. Social Security Administration
14. Veterans Administration
15. Insurance Agents and Financial Advisors
16. Religious, fraternal, civic organizations and unions
17. Attorney, accountant, financial planner, and executor of estate
18. Credit card companies, mortgages, utility bills, etc.

Need more information or help?
Please contact us at info@funeralresources.com