What to Do Within 48 Hours of a Death

What To Do Within 48 Hours After A Death

It may feel like a whirlwind when someone has died. That’s likely because it is. Everything is time-sensitive and there is so much to do. While there is lots to do immediately after a death has occurred, the coming days and weeks are also a crucial time for gathering information, planning the service, and meeting with the funeral home. These days, there is also plenty of communicating that needs to be done with friends, family and other people who were involved in the deceased’s life. Because few people plan to die, you may be left to piece everything together without much direction from the person that died. It can be overwhelming, it can be stressful but that doesn’t change the fact that it needs to be done. Below you will find a guide that will help you get through the first 48 hours after the death of your loved one - what can be considered as the most important time for gathering plans, documents, information, and people together. 

Gather Vital Statistics & Other Important Information

Believe it or not, one of the most helpful aspects of organizing the affairs of your deceased loved one is to gather important information and lots of it. Many people overlook this part of the process, but it will undoubtedly make things run smoother. You will likely need to provide information to many different people, like insurance companies, employers and the funeral home. So, start looking for and compiling things like:
  • legal full name, address
  • telephone number
  • employer or business details
  • date and place of birth (it can help to get these details about their parents or next of kin as well),
  • citizenship 
  • location of the will.
It is also crucial at this point to look into whether or not they were an organ donor and if they served in the military. For some families, this will be a very easy process and for others, it will be more challenging. However, the silver lining is the beautiful memories that can be found while going through the pieces of someone's life, including photos, videos and things that help you reflect on their accomplishments.

Start to Think About What Type of Funeral or Celebration of Life You’d Like

Without final wishes or a will, it can be more of a challenge to decide what type of funeral, service or celebration of the life your deceased loved one would have preferred. And if they had this all planned then great! But if not, you may not know exactly what they wanted. Just know that it is important to plan something so that people can pay their respects, reminisce on the life lived and offer support to you and the rest of your family during this difficult time. Below are some important questions to ask yourself when determining what type of sendoff to plan. 

  • How can I celebrate my loved one’s life?
  • Do I need to bring in any religious traditions?
  • What type of service will I have?
  • Where will I hold a service or celebration of life?
  • If there's a visitation, will it have an open or closed casket, or urn present?
  • If cremation, what will you do with your loved one’s ashes?

Read the Step-by-Step Guide

Meet With the Funeral Home

Now that you have some ideas for what you'd like the funeral or celebration of life to look like, you'll work with a funeral professionals with the experience to make it happen. While the event honouring their life is something you (and others) will need, you'll also need to work with the funeral home to ensure the administrative things are done properly. 

Funeral directors are well equipped to help guide you through the necessary steps - the stuff no one tells you about, because most haven't done this before. Think of them as your guide, but also as the person you can turn to for the legal side of things and a resource for planning and support. Here are a few things you can expect from meeting a funeral home:  
  • Preparing and filing the official death certificate
  • Scheduling the services and/or events
  • Planning the funeral or Celebration of Life
  • Selecting a casket, urn or other products
  • Drafting a Death Notice or Obituary
  • Arranging Transportation
  • Selecting Pallbearers

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