At Home or at Work
When a death occurs unexpectedly at home or in the workplace, a family member or co-worker should contact emergency personnel and the person's physician if he or she was under a doctor's care. If the death occurs at home with family or friends present, and the person is under a physician's care, the family will still need to contact emergency personnel.
If the person is under hospice care at home, the family should first call the hospice nurse who will come to the residence and secure a release for the funeral home from the hospice physician.
If the death occurs in a residence while no one else is there, the police will need to approve the release of the deceased into our care.
If in any case you are not sure of who to notify or what to do, you may call Addison Funeral Home at (281) 350-0998 and a funeral director will assist you in notifying the proper agencies.
While IN a Supervised FACILITY
When a death occurs in a care facility such as a hospital or nursing home, the professional staff will notify you, any necessary authorities, and Addison Funeral Home. We will take your loved one into our care once we are notified by a facility representative; however, you are also welcome to contact us to confirm we have been officially notified.
Meeting to discuss arrangements
When our director comes to take your loved one into our care he or she may ask you several questions, including whether your loved one made any arrangements ahead of time. The director will also schedule a date and time for you to meet at the funeral home and will let you know what you should bring with you. The family meeting is an excellent time to ask questions, too. Our directors and staff have worked with many families and we welcome the opportunity to explain every step of the way.
When You Arrive at the Funeral Home
The funeral director will first give you a copy of our General Price List. He or she will then guide you through the entire arrangement process. This is not a one-way conversation. Your ideas and needs are the foundation for any service we plan.
This process may include:
- Preparing and filing the official death certificate
- Scheduling the location, date, and time of services or events
- Selecting a casket, urn, or other items
- Preparing an obituary notice
-- Selecting pallbearers
You may also sign necessary authorizations or make arrangements to have them signed by the appropriate family members.
We’d like you to bring any photos, a favorite song, or memorabilia to help make the service we plan as personal and meaningful as possible.
The following checklist will help you remember what information about the decedent and items will be needed when meeting with a funeral arranger.
- Full legal name- Home address
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Father's name
- Mother's maiden name
- Veteran's discharge papers (DD-214) (To be used for Veteran's Cemetery burial or for procurement of a flag to be presented to the family.)
- Recent Photograph
- Highest education
- Occupation (when working)
- Place of burial (if applicable)
- Clothing
- Clergy name and phone number
- Survivors (name and relationship)
- Life insurance policies (if applicable)