When Death Occurs

Death at Home

If a death occurs at home, you will need to contact appropriate authorities. If your loved one was receiving hospice care or care from home, call your provider, as they will get in touch with the funeral home.

Death in a Care Facility

If death occurs while your loved one is in a care facility, hospice care facility, or a hospital, the staff will notify you and the appropriate authorities. If you have given your facility the name of a funeral home prior, the facility staff will contact them.

If you ever feel unsure about who to notify or what next steps to take, feel free to call us for assistance in deciding the best course of action for your specific needs.

Notify Friends

After you have assessed the essential arrangements, you will need to contact friends, relatives, and/or clergy. Review any pre-arranged wishes or plans that your loved one has put in place, and contact staff at your preferred funeral home to discuss the beginning steps to planning a funeral or memorial service.

A Network of Support

Your first call with our funeral director should include any pre-arrangements and information about transporting your loved one to our funeral home. If you have any questions or initial concerns, please feel free to contact us. 

When someone close passes on, we have a funeral because it helps us grieve. It helps our families and friends who are still here. The funeral for your loved one doesn’t need to be like funerals you’ve experienced in the past. It can be a way to express a beautiful reflection of their life well-lived.  Jarnigan’s Mortuary believes in helping families honor and pay honest tribute to their loved ones. Below is a video to help you understand what you can expect.

What If There Aren’t Any Pre Arrangements?

If your loved one did not specify any pre-arrangements, you will need to answer the following questions when consulting with our staff:

• Should I decide to embalm?
• Should I purchase a casket?
• What kind of memorial or funeral service should I plan?
• Are there any religious traditions or customs that I should prepare for? Should I contact a spiritual leader or clergy member for services?

We are here to ease this process, and we can begin by ensuring that you have all of the best information and guidance you will need.

What to Expect When You Meet With the Jarnigan’s Staff

When you first meet a member of staff to discuss arrangements, we will begin by providing you with a  price list to give you a general idea of what our services cost. We then can discuss and break down the overall arrangement process, and ask about your loved one and get an understanding so we can honor them with our services. 

Tell us about your loved one’s story, interests, accomplishments and memories, as our professionals can use this information to create a meaningful and personalized celebration of your loved one. 

The process may include:

• Making a draft of an obituary
• Arranging transportation
• Selecting pallbearers
• Filing and preparing an official death certificate
• Scheduling services (location, time and date)
• Selecting a casket, urn, or any other necessary products

To better express your loved one’s essence, life story, and personality, feel free to include any memorabilia (photos, videos, sentimental items) that may give us a more well representation of how you would like to pay tribute to your loved one. If you are unsure about how certain parts of their life could be incorporated, please feel free to ask. We often make unique suggestions that could add a specialized touch to their service.

Before your meeting with Jarnigan’s Funeral Director, we ask that you bring the following information with you:

• Full Legal name
• Home address 
• Social Security number
• Date and place of birth
• Father’s name
• Mother’s maiden name 
• Any veteran’s discharge paper (if applicable)
• Clergy name and telephone number (if applicable)
• Names and relationships of survivors
• Any insurance policy information (if applicable)
• The most recent photograph of your loved one
• Any clothing you’d like us to use when dressing them for the service

More documents provide more specific information:

• Funeral Planning Guide: For your convenience and to address more of your questions, please print the complete Funeral Planning Guide

Vital Statistics and Orbituary Form: This printable form will guide you in gathering information required for a death certificate. It will also help you organize your thoughts as you plan the obituary announcement.