When a death occurs in your family, you will be faced with important tasks and decision-making during a very difficult time. You may not know what to do or when to begin making arrangements, and bearing the responsibility can be overwhelming. Remember that you are not alone: we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist you with the details and offer our guidance.

We have compiled the following list to help guide you through the steps you will need to take when a death has occurred. Your funeral director will help coordinate all of the details when you meet for an arrangement conference.

1. After a death has occurred, notify Lakeview Memorial Home by calling 973-772-1880.
   The following are some questions that we may ask when you call:
   

   • What is the full name of the deceased?

   • What is the location of the deceased (Hospital, Nursing Facility or Residence)?

   • What is your name, address and telephone number?

   • What is the name, address and phone number of the next-of-kin?

   • Is there a pre-arranged funeral plan?

   
   

   We will then set an appointment time for you to come to the funeral home to complete the details of the funeral arrangement. We will ask you to bring in some items and information that will be necessary to complete the arrangement. These items will include:
   

   • Clothing for the deceased

   • Social security number of the deceased.

   • The deceased's birth date and city and state of birth.

   • The deceased's parents names, including mother's maiden name.

   • Information about the deceased's education.

   • Marital status of the deceased.

   • Veteran's discharge papers or Claim Number.

   • A recent photograph of the deceased.

   • Pre-arrangement paperwork (if applicable)

   • Cemetery lot information (if applicable).

   • Name of Clergy or Church

   
   

2. Decide on a place for the funeral or memorial service (the services may be held at the funeral home).

3. The funeral home will assist you in determining the number of copies of the death certificates that you will need and will order them for you.
   

4. Make a list of family, friends and business colleagues, and notify each by phone. You may wish to use a "branching" system: make a few phone calls to other relatives or friends and ask each of them to make a phone call or two to specific people.
   

5. Decide on an appropriate charity to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, library, organization, school).
   

6. Gather obituary information including , age, place of birth, occupation, college degrees, memberships held, military service, outstanding work and a list of survivors in the immediate family. The funeral home will submit this information to the newspaper(s).
   

7. Arrange for family members and/or close friends to take turns answering the door or phone. Keeping a careful record of visitors and flower deliveries will make it easier to thank people later on.
   

8. Coordinate the food supply in your home for the next few days.
   

9. Arrange for child care, if necessary.
   

10. Arrange hospitality for visiting relatives and friends.
    

11. Prepare a list of distant friends and relatives to be notified by letter and/or printed notice.
    

12. Prepare a list of people to receive acknowledgments of flowers, calls, etc. Send appropriate acknowledgments, which may be a written note, printed acknowledgments, or both. Include "thank you's" to those who have given their time, as well.
    

13. Notify insurance companies of the death.
    

14. Locate the will and notify the lawyer and executor.
    

15. Carefully check all life and casualty insurance and death benefits, including Social Security, credit union, trade union, fraternal, and military. Check on possible income for survivors from these sources.
    

16. Check promptly on all debts and installment payments, including credit cards. Some may carry insurance clauses that will cancel them. If there is to be a delay in meeting payments, consult with creditors and ask for more time before the payments are due.
    

17. If the deceased was living alone, notify the utility companies and landlord and tell the post office where to send the mail.

When funeral arrangements must unexpectedly be made away from home, and family hearts are filled with mixed emotions, it is difficult to consider costs. Sometimes, without thinking, decisions are made in far away places that result in unnecessary expenses. To avoid the risk of this, the best practice is to contact us first and let us coordinate with a funeral facility in the area where death has occurred. This will dramatically reduce the risk of your family incurring unnecessary charges.

WHAT TO DO FIRST

CALL LAKEVIEW MEMORIAL HOME AT 973-772-1880 day or night.

With your permission, we will make all the arrangements for transporting the deceased to a local facility for embalming and preparation for their return home to New Jersey and the Lakeview Memorial Home. You only need contact us with the required information and then call us when you return home to set a time for an arrangement conference.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

If a family member dies while traveling outside the United States, the U.S. Embassy will come to your assistance. You should call us immediately when a death occurs abroad. We are well-versed in the procedures for returning the deceased to the United States. Our membership in the National Funeral Directors Association as well as memberships in other national organizations, provide us with funeral service contacts world wide.