This is just a guide that I have put together that you may find helpful
Contact family, friends, and place of work
Notify banks, landlords, schools, college or uni, mobile phone companies, insurance
companies, or anything that is on a contract purchase.
Funeral, choose a funeral directors, arrange a meeting, they can collect your loved one
and take them to their chapel of rest
What would you like your loved one to be dressed in?
What type of service would you like for them? Religious or reflective? Do you want to have order of service printed?
Pallbearers, will these by supplied by the funeral directors or is this something family
members or friends would like to take responsibility for?
Music – look through your loved ones music collection, or streaming history to see
what they’ve been listening too
Reading – on line is a good place to start, or do you have someone who would like to
stand up and say a few words?
Dress code – Formal? Casual? Black? Bright? Or even themed, the choice is yours
Flowers/Donations – do you want flowers or just flowers from immediate family? Would
you rather have donations to a chosen charity? Maybe you could do an animal adoption
as a memorial?
Food/Gathering after service – will everyone be gathering at the family home or at a
separate location?
Memorial book – something where people can write thoughts and say goodbyes.
Taking care of any pensions, insurance or tax that you may be entitled to claim back
Having personal belongings returned once the police investigation has finished with
them
Your loved ones room/belongings, depending on where your loved one is living may
dictate when you have to face this, for example if they are in rented accommodation/
student halls, but if they were still at home with you then this can be done whenever
you are ready, personally we just put Nikkis room back to how it was, tidied it up, and
we can just go and sit on her bed, cry, reflect or just think.
Create a memory box; this can be filled with whatever you want to keep, Photos, old
birthday cards, their keys, purse or wallet.
If you choose to have a cremation, you will be asked a few days after the funeral what
you would like to do with the ashes, and we didn’t have a clue, you can have them
scattered, have them buried and a rose tree or something similar planted, you can
have some made into jewellry, or you can just take them home until you decide otherwise.
