When a loved one passes, you may find yourself working with a funeral home to prepare arrangements. While the experience may seem intimidating to anyone who has never had to make plans before, you can rest assured knowing funeral directors are committed to walking you through each step of the process. The compassionate team at Morris Funeral Home in Wayne, WV, explains what you can expect when making arrangements through a funeral home.   

Unless your loved one has pre-arranged their plans, an individual who is legally responsible for making decisions will oversee the funeral plans. This could be a surviving legal spouse or partner, older child, parent, or sibling. If this responsibility falls on you, there will be some decisions you’ll need to make shortly after your loved one passes.

First, you’ll have a phone conversation with the funeral home of your choice (or the one designated by the deceased), to discuss some basic information. They may ask about your loved one’s name and age, as well as the cause of death and the location of the body. Plans will be made to retrieve the body, and an appointment for an arrangement conference will also be set up for a time in the near future.

During the arrangement conference, you’ll work with the director to make plans. They may ask for some additional facts to fill out the death statement before beginning to discuss arrangements. During this visit, you’ll choose between burial or cremation and discuss funeral or memorial arrangements. Details may also be decided upon, including whether the body will be present during the service, the type and style of casket or urn, and which religious elements, (if any) you’d like to include in the service.

No one is ever fully prepared for a loved one’s passing, but the experienced and committed team at Morris Funeral Home is available to help you navigate the planning process during this difficult time. To reach one of their attentive directors, call the funeral home at (304) 272-5171. You can also find additional planning resources online.