Costs: Funerals are increasingly costly these days. So the death of a loved one may give some financial burden to family members especially when someone has died unexpectedly. By pre-planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one can help to save the costs of a funeral service.
So how do you cope? Firstly contact a local Funeral Director to organize a funeral as they are skilled professionals. They can help organize the entire funeral process.
You will need to get a death certificate from the Doctor, which establishes the cause of death. This is vital and the first necessity to do. Once the Medical Certificate of Death has been issued, the body of the deceased can be transferred by the funeral directors to their premises. The Funeral Directors will liaise with hospitals about this transfer.
Next, contact the deceased’s solicitor to check whether the decreased has drawn up a will or their own funeral arrangements. Contact the local authorities to find your Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to formally register the death. After completing the formalities the registrar will issue you a green Certificate for Burial or Cremation.
Think about the funeral itself. Is it to be a religious or non-religious funeral? If you are not sure then consult with the deceased friends and relatives. The bereaved should do their best to let as many people as possible know about the death. The traditional way of reaching a broader public is to put a formal announcement in a national or local newspaper under ‘Deaths’. Printed announcements can also be mailed to everyone in the deceased's address book. Increasingly email can be used for distant friends, acquaintances and work colleagues if they live far away or you don’t have their full contact details.
Other various authorities, businesses and institutions also need to be informed about the death. These include insurance and pension companies, the tax authorities, the local authority for Council Tax, the social services, banks, building societies and other financial institutions, utility companies, any business receiving direct debit payments or standing orders, professional associations, and so on. It’s quite a long list! The deceased’s passport or driving license should be returned to the relevant authorities, and car registration papers need to be altered to show changed ownership.
So, you can see, there is quite a lot of time consuming formalities to perform when conducting funeral duties. Perhaps more than most of us realize, so think ahead if it is possible.
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