Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers regarding funeral planning are listed below. If you have additional questions, please contact us.
What do I do if a death occurs?
Call Pelham Funeral Home any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once we receive authorization, we will transfer the deceased to the funeral home and begin the funeral process.
What do I do if a death occurs and I do not live in the area but would like to use your funeral home?
If you want to have all services outside of the area you live in, we recommend that you contact Pelham Funeral Home as soon as the death occurs. That will allow us to coordinate all the details in the city where the death occurs, and where the services and interment will take place.
What information do I need to have and/or bring with me about the deceased when I meet with the funeral home to make arrangements?
You should have:
- Legal name of deceased
- Birth date and birth place
- Parents names, including mother's maiden name
- Social Security Number
- Occupation/Kind of Business or Industry, including the name and location of business
- Level of Education
- Marital Status
- Military Service Records (including dates of service)
- Cemetery Deed
- Insurance Policies
- Any special requests that the deceased may have had
Must I have a funeral director to bury the dead?
Yes. In New York State, a licensed funeral director or undertaker must be present and personally supervise the interment or cremation, or the pick-up from or delivery to a common-carrier of a dead human body.(NYS Sanitary Code Part 77.7 (a)(4). Furthermore, a licensed funeral director must sign and file the certificate of death with the registrar in the district in which the death occurs.
What does a funeral director do?
- Remove the deceased and transport the body to the funeral home (anytime day or night)
- Prepare death certificate
- Acquire certified copy of the death certificate for insurance and benefit processing
- Prepare and submit the obituary notice to newspapers of your choice
- Prepare the body for viewing including dressing and cosmetizing
- Assist the family with funeral arrangements and purchase of casket, urn, burial vault and cemetery plot
- Schedule the opening and closing of the grave with cemetery personnel, if a burial is to be performed
- Coordinate with clergy if a funeral or memorial service is to be held
How is a cremation service different from a funeral service?
It isn't. At least it doesn't have to be different. The extent and the content of a cremation service is based on the wishes of the family. The service can be formal or casual with many options. Sometimes a memorial service is held after cremation has occurred or perhaps the family will gather at a convenient time for the final committal of the cremated remains.
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