The first step is to write down your wishes and indicate if you would prefer burial or cremation. Write down your ideas for the service, such as your choice of cemetery. If you’ve made those choices, or even if you’re unsure, schedule an appointment one of our funeral directors, who can explain the different service options, as well as the different ways to pay for the funeral itself.

To prearrange a funeral, you will need basic information about yourself or the person you are planning for, such as date of birth, marital status, parents’ full names, etc. Along with this biological information, you’ll need to choose burial or cremation, what type of service you’d like, what cemetery to use, etc. Our caring staff at 

Westhaven Memorial Funeral Homes will help you with this process.

Preplanning is the process of making your wishes known. However, most families who do this choose to pre-fund their funeral as well. Pre-funding your funeral will relieve the financial burden from your family and offers you peace of mind.

If you have plans already at another funeral home and would like to move them here, we can help you. If you move away from the area and would like to transfer your existing arrangements to another funeral home, we will assist with that as well.

A funeral fills an important role for those mourning the loss of a loved one. By providing surviving family and friends with an atmosphere of care and support in which they can share thoughts and feelings about death, a funeral is the first step in the healing process. It is a traditional way to recognize the finality of death.

Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show their respect for the deceased as well as to help survivors begin the grieving process.

You can have a full funeral service even for those who have chosen cremation. Planning a personalized ceremony or service will help begin the healing process. Overcoming the pain is never easy, but a meaningful funeral or tribute will help. Contact us for assistance.

Westhaven Memorial Funeral Homes will help coordinate arrangements with the cemetery.

Bring the following information to complete the state's vital statistic requirements:

• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Social Security number
• Veteran’s discharge or claim number
• Education
• Marital status

Contact your clergy.

Decide on time and place of funeral or memorial service. This can be done at our funeral home. We will assist you in determining the number of copies of the death certificates you will need and can order them for you.

Make a list of immediate family, close friends and employer or business colleagues, and notify each by phone.

Decide on appropriate memorial to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, library, charity or school).

Gather obituary information you want to include, such as age, place of birth, cause of death, occupation, college degrees, memberships held, military service, outstanding work, list of surviving family members, etc. Include the time and place of services. We will normally write the obituary itself and submit it to the local newspapers (newspaper will accept picture and they will be returned intact).

Arrange for members of family or close friends to answer the door or phone calls, keeping careful record of calls.

If Social Security checks are set for automatic deposit, notify the bank of the death.

A funeral director has numerous tasks, including:

• Pick up the deceased and transport the body to the funeral home (day or night).
• Notify the proper authorities, family and/or relatives about the death.
• Arrange and prepare death certificates.
• Provide certified copies of death certificates for insurance and benefit processing.
• Work with the insurance agent, Social Security or Veterans Administration to ensure that all required, necessary paperwork is filed for receipt of benefits.
• Prepare and submit obituary to the local newspapers of your choice.
• Bathe and embalm the deceased body, if necessary.
• Prepare the body for viewing - this includes dressing and cosmetizing.
• Assist the family with all funeral arrangements, including purchase of casket, urn, burial vault and cemetery plot.
• Schedule the opening and closing of the grave with cemetery personnel, if a burial is to be performed.
• Coordinate with clergy if a funeral or memorial service is being held.
• Arrange a police escort and transportation to the funeral and/or cemetery for the family, if necessary.
• Order funeral sprays and other flower arrangements in accordance with the family's wishes.
• Provide aftercare, or grief assistance, to the bereaved.

If you request immediate assistance, yes we can be there right away. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say goodbye, that is perfectly fine as well. Our funeral director will come when the time is right for you.

Burial in a casket is the most common method of disposing of remains in the U.S., although entombment is also a common choice.

Cremation is increasingly chosen because it can be less expensive and allows for the memorial service to be held at a more convenient time in the future for relatives and friends.

A funeral service followed by cremation does not need to be any different from a funeral service followed by a burial. Usually, cremated remains are placed in urn before being committed to a final resting place. The urn may be buried, placed in an indoor or outdoor mausoleum or columbarium, or interred in a special urn garden at a cemetery. The remains may also be scattered at a specific location, according to state law.

With cremation, you have many options. The cremains can be interred in a cemetery plot, retained by a family member in an urn, or scattered on private property or at a place that was significant to the deceased. (We strongly recommend that you check for local regulations regarding scattering in a public place - your funeral director can help you with this.)

There are many different types of memorial options from which to choose. Memorialization is a time-honored tradition that has been practiced for centuries. A memorial serves as a tribute to a life lived and provides a focal point for remembrance, as well as a record for future generations. However, the type of memorial you choose is your own personal decision.