Steps to Take After a Death
There are many important details to attend to after the death of a loved one. Many individuals are unsure as to what to do first. The National Hall of Records has provided the information below and links to various helpful sites in order to assist you with the necessary tasks associated with the death of a loved one. We hope this information and the resourcs provided are of assistance to you during this time.
Here is a general list of the most pressing things to do:
- Notify family and close friends of the death
- Contact Funeral Home - Set an appointment and begin the process
- Contact the pastor, priest, or rabbi
- Select pallbearers
- Appoint someone to call relatives, close friends and employer
- Arrange for any separate cemetery or burial needs
- Arrange for the time and location of funeral/memorial services to be communicated to family members and friends
- Arrange for support for family and children if necessary
- Arrange someone to care for pets if necessary
- Arrange for out-of-town visitors to have a place to stay, either in private homes or at a hotel/motel
- Arrange for someone to answer phone calls, answer the door, accept deliveries
- Arrange for food donations to the family
- Arrange for the funeral home to obtain at least 10 copies of the death certificate
- Look for any wills, written funeral or burial wishes
- Notify Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid, pensions, employers and any other agencies
This is all that needs to be done right away. There will be time later to make other decisions. If the deceased had an attorney, a CPA, or a financial advisor, it would be a good idea for the person responsible for the deceased's affairs to contact these individuals soon to ask about business matters that need to be attended to right away, and those that can be delayed to a later time.