Planning a Funeral: 5 Important Steps

Planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one requires a clear head and plenty of information — two things that can be challenging when you’re faced with a loss. From the first steps after losing a loved one to creating an exceptional end-of-life memorial service, here are five of the most important steps to keep in mind when planning a funeral.

1. Contact Your Local Funeral Home

When you start by contacting your funeral director, they can help walk you through each step of the process to everything goes smoothly. At Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, we have a funeral director available anytime 24/7 to answer questions and provide you with the guidance that you need to make it through this emotional time.

2. Arrange for Transportation of the Body

Hopefully, you have a trusted funeral home partner in mind and are able to gain their assistance in arranging transportation of the body. The process of transportation is usually quite straightforward and can be handled by a nursing home or hospital if the individual passed in those locations.

3. Determine Final Disposition of Remains

When planning a funeral, this is one of the first questions that you’ll need to answer. There are no right or wrong answers, you simply need to determine whether you wish to proceed with a ground burial or cremation, and how you would like to handle the final disposition of remains.

4. Obtain and File Legal Documentation

There are various legal forms that need to be completed and filed upon the death of a loved one. These could include everything from the Pronouncement of Death and Registration of Death to a Burial Permit. You can often find these forms online or through your funeral director. You will also need to find insurance information, wills, bank account information and other financial details for your loved one.

5. Gather Clothing, Jewelry, and Photographs

You will quickly need to pull together a recent photograph for newspaper and online obituaries, as well as have access to the clothing and jewelry your loved one needs in the event of an open-casket memorial.

You need to know that your funeral director is walking with you each step of the way throughout the funeral planning process. At Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, we take pride in offering caring and respectful service to families for more than 50 years. Contact us anytime at 480-232-2850 or via email to wecare@mvfuneralhome.com for more information or to get started working with our dedicated funeral planning professionals.