When planning a funeral, try not to do everything yourself. Call on a family member or friend to help you make the following arrangements. 

The first individual to contact after a loved one's death depends on where the death occurred.  In a hospital, nursing home, hospice or similar facility, the staff there will advise you.  For death in a home, you may contact local law enforcement or the coroner (in the counties around metro-Atlanta, the coroner function is performed by the medical examiner's office).  If death is not certain, call emergency personnel (911, ambulance). Coroners or medical examiners will be involved in any death resulting from an accident, a homicide, a death in a public location, an in-home death that was unattended by medical personnel, or any death in a hospital that occurs within 24 hours of admission.  Law enforcement may also be involved, depending on the circumstances of death.

Though many family members may be involved in a funeral service, Georgia law provides an exact ranked order of "next of kin" for having ultimate authority over a loved one's final disposition.  Please let your funeral director know who is the next of kin of your deceased loved one.  Also, let your funeral director know about any existing funeral service contracts or wishes of the deceased. Please note that the right of final disposition has nothing to do with who pays for a funeral.  You may view the Next of Kin Law for final disposition under this For Consumers section.  A person must be 18 years of age AND of sound mind in order to have the right of final disposition.  Minor children of a deceased adult parent, for example, do not have the right of disposition because they are under 18 years of age.  In that example, the right of disposition would then pass to the next person in the list under Georgia law. 

Notify:

• Doctor
• Coroner
• Funeral home
• Your funeral director will help coordinate arrangements with the cemetery or memorial park; if there are pre-existing funeral plans or contracts in place, please let the funeral director know immediately. 
• Your funeral director will prepare the Social Security Form and see that the number is retired
• Your funeral director will generally work with you for Veterans Benefits.  He or she can also assist you with preneed or life insurance policies that will be used to cover funeral expenses.
• The funeral director will assist in determining the number of death certificates you will need and will order them
• Clergy
• Relatives and friends
• Pallbearers
• Insurance Agents
• Banks
• Unions and Fraternal Organizations
• Organists

Select:

• Type of final disposition--burial or cremation.  Other decisions will include:
• Cemetery property
• Funeral service
• Casket
• Vault or outer container
• Clothing
• Flowers
• Music
• Thank you announcements
• Transportation
• Time and place for the funeral
• Time and place for visitation

Provide:

• Vital statistics about the deceased 
• Birth Date
• Birthplace
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Social Security Number
• Veteran’s Discharge or Claim Number
• Education
• Marital status
• Obituary information (the funeral home will normally help you write the article and submit to the newspaper) 
• Age
• Place of birth
• Cause of death
• Occupation
• College Degrees
• Memberships held
• Military service
• Outstanding work
• List of survivors in immediate family
• Give time and place of services
• Charities for memorial contributions
• Addresses of all people who must be notified
• Arrangements for out-of-town visitors

• In addition, you will want to:

Find someone to help answer sympathetic phone calls, cards and letters, as well as greet friends and relatives when they call.

Decide an appropriate memorial to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, etc.).

Prepare a list of distant persons to be notified by letter/or printed notice and decide which to send.

Locate the will and notify the lawyer and executor.

Check carefully all life and casualty insurance and death benefits including social security, credit union, fraternal and military.

Check promptly on all debts and installment payments, including credit cards. Some carry insurance clauses that cancel balances upon death.

Notify utilities and landlord and tell post office where to send mail (if the deceased was living alone).

A funeral is one of the most intimate occasions a family can share.  Funeral services help survivors face the death of a loved one, celebrate their life, and often are designed as a send-off for the loved one. Whether elaborate or simple, they are often individualized to reflect the life of the deceased and to hold special meaning for family and other survivors. 

Personalizing the Funeral Service 

Personalization is a valuable element of today's funerals. By reflecting on your loved one's lifestyle, religion, profession, organizational affiliation, or hobbies, there are many ways you can make the funeral ceremony a more unique experience. A ceremony can be individualized with musical selections, readings and displays to reflect the person's life, occupation and interests. It may reflect one's religious beliefs as a reaffirmation of faith in a greater life beyond this world. It may center on an ethnic background or social affiliation, or even reflect the occupation or hobbies of the deceased. Inviting friends and family to stand and make a few informal comments about the deceased can be very helpful to survivors. Family members are encouraged to express any ideas that will create a more meaningful and personalized service.  Your family can also include parting thoughts and messages, making the casket more of a personal memorial. Because personal data is enclosed.

For the service or visitation, some families arrange a memorial table with personal items such as photographs, awards and personal effects that reflect the personality, accomplishments and interests of the person's life, allowing others to share positive and happy memories.

As a way to honor the deceased, many families customize the casket by adding personalized panels, custom corners and items in an interior drawer. Families can also individualize the ceremony by adding music, readings, stories, and poetry that reflect and celebrate the life that was lived.

Viewing the Body

Generally, funeral services are conducted with the body of the deceased present. Many find the viewing to be helpful -- providing a positive and peaceful image of the person to add to their memories. It also allows family and friends to gather and provide comfort to one another. Visitations can be public - open to all who wish to attend, or private - open only to family members and close friends at the immediate family's request. Regardless of the option chosen, this tradition gives family members and friends the opportunity to say their final goodbyes prior to the disposition of the body.

The Ceremony

Funeral ceremonies reflect the life of the deceased and hold special meaning for family and other survivors. The service can be religious or secular in nature, where family and friends are encouraged to participate by sharing their memories and feelings. Funeral services (or memorial services at which the body is not present) can be held in a variety of places, such as a funeral home, place of worship, cemetery chapel or graveside.

Memorial Service

A memorial service can be religious or secular, with or without the body present. Though they're often held in a funeral home, memorial services can also take place in a cemetery, at the grave site, in a person's home, or in a park or garden. More than one memorial service may be held, particularly if friends and relatives located in different parts of the country are unable to travel to one location.

The selection of the casket is a very personal decision and an expression of your feelings. You may select the warmth and beauty of wood or the beauty and protection afforded by a metal casket. You may prefer the simplicity of a tailored interior or a more elaborate design. A casket that reflects the personality and tastes of your loved one can be a final tribute to their life.

A wide variety of caskets in many price ranges and styles are available both in metal and hardwood.

Metal caskets are known for their protective qualities and their unique finishes. Bronze and copper are among the most durable and beautiful of the metals. Both are non-rusting and come in several styles and finishes. Stainless and carbon steel caskets also come in a variety of grades, gauges, styles and finishes. Stainless steel is available in premium and basic grades and carbon steel is manufactured in thicknesses of 16 gauge (the thickest), 18 gauge and 20 gauge (the thinnest).

Hardwood caskets reflect the choice of families who appreciate and cherish the qualities of natural wood. The warmth, beauty and personality it brings to fine furniture makes it ideally suited for the construction of quality caskets. Hardwood caskets are available in a variety of species including Mahogany, Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Poplar, and Pine.

Casket interiors are available in three types of fabrics: crepe, velour, and velvet.

• Crepes are usually the least expensive and velvets are the most expensive.
• Casket interiors are also available in different styles: shirred - in which the material is gathered and sewn, giving it a ruffled appearance; tailored - in which the design is smooth, flat and simple; and tufted - in which heavy padding is used beneath the fabric and the fabric is then pulled through, creating a geometric design. Beige interiors are the standard for most manufactured caskets; however, other colors like the popular pink or blue are also available.
• Personalized panels help honor a loved one in a unique way, many families add personalized panels to the interior lid of the casket. These panels are available in a variety of motifs portraying various lifestyles, interests and service affiliations. Another way to individualize a casket is by adding custom corners.
• Customizing a casket with corner styles adds special meaning, whether it's with the praying hand, the promise of hope or a token of love