How to Plan a Funeral

Planning a funeral is a process that many people will be tasked with during their lifetime. If this is the first time you’ve lost a loved one, you may be left wondering how to plan a funeral. Planning a funeral immediately after the death can be quite difficult because you will be very emotional and overcome with grief. That is why our funeral home staff walks you through every decision that needs to be made.

Sisto Funeral Home prides itself on attention to detail and this has allowed for meaningful funeral services to be created. Whether you need to plan a funeral immediately or you are interested in planning for own future funeral service, the planning process is quite similar.

Below we provide a funeral checklist for the two main areas of funeral planning:

Funeral Related Details

• Contact the funeral home and arrange for removal of the body from the place of death
• Review the deceased’s will and decide on burial vs cremation in terms of handling the deceased’s remains.
• If you wish to hold a ceremony, you need to choose the type of ceremony – a traditional funeral, a memorial service, a celebration of life, etc.
• Meet with one of our funeral directors to create and finalize funeral arrangement details.
• Select the appropriate funeral products to help honor the deceased – a casket, tombstone, urn, flowers, prayer cards, register books, photos, candles, etc.
• Select the music or hymns to be played during the service
• Make note of any important details you or the deceased would want in the obituary.
• If the deceased was a military benefit, see if he/she is eligible to receive veteran death benefits.
• Organize who will be saying prayers, the eulogy, and other remarks during the ceremony.
• You need to think of how you will pay for the funeral expenses. There are different financing options depending on if you are preplanning for a future funeral or have an immediate need. Recently, we launched “A Helping Hand” which is a crowdfunding platform that assists families with covering funeral expenses.
• We will work with you to think about all the logistics. We will plan where the ceremony will take place, the valet to pick up your family members, and how the remains will be cared for and transported.
• If you are interested, you may select a charitable organization that people can donate to on behalf of your loved one.
• Notify family and friends of when and where the ceremony will take place.

Finances and Property

• Have the executor(s) review a list of the deceased’s bank accounts, investments, creditors, benefits, insurance policies, and any other legal or financial accounts.
• Have the executor(s) review and notify the appropriate institutions to notify them of death and suspend payments.
• Review the will and decide whether to delete or close any online accounts of the deceased.

Losing a loved one is a difficult time. You want to make sure that you choose a funeral home that will work with you to help honor and celebrate your loved one. Our funeral home staff will walk you through the entire funeral planning process.

Cremation or Burial?

This is one of the major questions which must be addressed when a death occurs, and the answer usually depends on a variety of things.

The First Meeting with Our Funeral Home

When you meet with our funeral director for the first time, we want to make sure you know what to expect.

The Details of Funeral Planning

The following is an overview of the many aspects of service planning you will discuss during the arrangement conference. If you have any questions about this information, don’t hesitate to call us.

What to Expect after the Funeral

Immediately after the funeral or memorial service, you should give yourself adequate time to rest. While you may find sleep to be elusive, you can always just lie down and shut your eyes for a time.

Selecting Funeral Products

Now that you made the vital decision regarding burial or cremation for your loved one, you need to choose the funeral products involved with your choice.

Funeral Pre-Planning

This section will help you make decisions for the future by explaining what is involved in funeral pre-arrangements, the rewards of pre-planning a funeral, and what options are available.

Helpful Guidance

When grieving becomes too difficult, it commonly results in depression and physical illness. If this is the case for you or someone you love, we have ways to help.

Funeral Issues

This section of our web site will deal with an ever-evolving content of funeral and related issues.

Click here for more information on how to prepare for Funeral Services Cost