Welcome To Cremation Ground Service
Funeral, cremation and cemetery arrangements will need to be made if your loved one has not made them ahead of time. Selecting a funeral home, also known as a mortuary, is often the first task. If your loved one passed away at home or in the hospital, family members will be asked to specify a funeral home where the body will be transferred. After you contact the funeral home, they will arrange to come to the home or hospital to take the body.
Before you begin to make any funeral arrangements, you will want to find out if any pre-planning has been done. Check to see if a "pre-need" funeral trust was established. Also check the deceased person's will for any instructions on planning a funeral.
It may be that your family or religious community has established a relationship with a particular funeral home. If not, a friend or relative who has been through this may make a recommendation. You might also decide to meet with funeral directors from several funeral homes to compare services and prices.
Usually, family members go to the funeral home to meet with the funeral director in person. It may be helpful to bring a friend, relative or other advisor to listen and take notes, as some of the decisions may be challenging.
If you can't go to the funeral home or do not want to, some funeral homes will accept a fax with instructions for funeral arrangements. City Cremation offers Arrangement Assistant software on their website to arrange a cremation online if your loved one is in the hospital. You will need access to a printer and fax. Some funeral homes may also send a funeral director to the hospital to meet with you. Please contact individual funeral homes directly to see if this is possible.
When you meet with the funeral director, you will decide on details of the funeral and will probably select necessary items such as the casket and grave liner, flowers and music. Having a good sense of what you want before speaking with the funeral director is helpful. Friends and family can serve as sounding boards as you consider elements of the service.
Usually this meeting also provides an opportunity to write an obituary, so it might be useful to decide in advance if you want one and, if so, what you would like included.