HELP PAGES

Funerals

In the unfortunate event that you also need to organise a funeral as part of your recovery process, here is some helpful information to guide you through this difficult time.

You may find that you need to put off clean up, salvage and repair of your home. This is okay, prioritise your family and the funeral and once this has been settled you can return to working through your recovery.

Take as much time as you need and ask for help at this time.

Steps to think about when organising a funeral

Planning a funeral or memorial service is a highly personal process, and your decisions will be shaped by your life experiences, your relationship to the deceased, what the deceased wanted or what you desire for yourself after you die, what you can afford, and a myriad other factors.

As this is a difficult and busy time, you may need help to screen condolence calls and correspondence.

  • Local law enforcement As the death is likely to have occurred at the scene of the fire, the Fire Incident Officer or the Police organised will have transported the deceased either to a hospital morgue or the the morgue at the Department of Forensic medicine where the death is investigated if the circumstances of death are thought to be suspicious.

  • The attending physician, a coroner or medical examiner will be needed to officially pronounce the death for recording on the death certificate. If the deceased was in a hospital or other care facility, this is typically arranged by the staff.

  • Family members or a legal representative of the deceased should be contacted if you think the deceased had a pre-arranged funeral plan. If a plan exists it will provide you with direction on how to proceed with funeral arrangements.

You will need to provide this information or similar to the funeral home:

  • Name of the deceased.
  • Deceased’s address
  • Date and time of death.
  • Current location of the deceased — name of morgue
  • Attending physician name and phone number.
  • Your name.
  • Your address.
  • Your telephone numbers.
  • Your relationship to the deceased
  • Death certificate : the process may vary from state to state. The coroner provides a death certificate if the death has been investigated.

Inform the family and close friends of the death.

Choose a date for the funeral: usually around 7 days after death, but can be changed for circumstances.

Choose a funeral home or celebrant

In discussion with your priest or celebrant, you will choose the style of service: traditional or memorial (without the deceased's body present); graveside burial; whether the final committal of the deceased at burial or cremation is held in private and only the service held in a place of worship or a funeral chapel is open for attendance by family, friends and colleagues.

Depending on the kind of funeral you will need to choose a casket, vault, or urn. You will consider style, budget, storage or scattering of ashes.

Choose whether you want an open or closed casket at the funeral, the timing of the viewing and where viewing will take place.

Choose the burial garments and any meaningful belongings to go with the deceased.

Choose the content to be delivered at the funeral: music, photographs, videos, religious text, readings from other sources e.g. poetry, deceased person's favourite writer, quotes.

Choose who will speak of the deceased at the funeral service and who will deliver the eulogy.

Decide who the pallbearers will be.

You will observe any other other rituals relevant to your family.

Cost and payment

Keep in mind the need for a headstone, grave marker, monument or plaque sometime after the deceased has been cremated, buried or interred.

Go to the help pages to read about children's attendance at funerals.

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