Serving York County

When a loved one dies, you suddenly realize that there are hundreds of details to gather and decisions to make.  While many are in preparation for the funeral / burial, many others relate to handling your loved one’s other final affairs.

If the deceased created an end-of-life plan including pre-planning (and possibly pre-funding) of the funeral / burial, then much of your work is already done. 

The following is a list of the many tasks and items you will need to handle either for the funeral / burial or to assure that the deceased’s final affairs are in order.

Notify those who need to know

• Relatives
• Friends
• Co-workers
• Neighbors
• Physicians
• Clergy
• Lawyer
• Accountant
• Organizations (church, union, volunteer, fraternal)
• Funeral home
• Financial institutions
• Insurance companies
• Source of current benefits (Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, Retirement Programs, etc.)

Gather documents and information

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Military service documents
• Credit card accounts
• Bank accounts
• Insurance policies
• Deeds to property
• Death certificate
• Last will and testament

Collect and confirm the deceased’s vital details

• Social security number
• Career/occupation
• Education details
• Degrees earned
• Organization memberships
• Birth date, birthplace, citizenship
• Full names of parents (including mother’s maiden name)
• Children/stepchildren’s names, city, state, spouse name
• Siblings/step-siblings’ names, city, state, spouse name
• Other relative’s names
• Close friend’s names

Prepare for Funding of Funeral / Burial Services

• Cemetery
• Casket/urn
• Flowers
• Professional services
• Transportation
• Honorariums

Confirm location/date/time/details of all services

• Public visitation
• Private family viewing
• Funeral/memorial service
• Graveside ceremony
• Post-burial reception

Arrange for other services

• Out-of-town accommodations
• Child care
• Pet care
• Pallbearers
• Eulogists
• Clergy
• Charity to receive memorial donations
• Recipient of flowers after funeral

Make final decisions regarding…

• Type of services (religious, non-religious, military, other)
• Burial versus cremation
• Casket/urn selection
• Open versus closed casket
• Cemetery plot/mausoleum/columbarium/other
• Grave marker/monument wording
• Obituary wording / newspapers in which to publish
• Scripture readings
• Music
• Flowers
• Seating arrangements

Here at the Koller Funeral Home and Cremation Center in York, PA, we are accustomed to caring for families and helping them with most of these same details.  If we can help you, please contact us anytime.