Several things need to be considered when a death occurs. The order in which things need to be done usually depends on whether the death occurred at a residence, a public place, a care center, or in a hospital.

• If the death occurs in a residence and no one is there at the time of death, the police and coroner will need to be notified and respond to the residence before the deceased is removed from their home.

• If the death occurs in a hospital or care center, the name of the funeral home may be left with them, and the institution will notify the funeral home at the time of the death. The funeral home will respond and at the next practical time, review matters with the family.



• If in any case the death should occur and you are not sure of who to notify or what to do, you may call Colyer Funeral Home and they will assist you in notifying the proper agencies.

Today, a large number of families choose to be at home with Hospice or a Home Health Care provider to assist them until the death occurs. Usually the family will notify Hospice or the Home Healthcare provider, so they may notify the appropriate persons and organizations when death occurs. Hospice or your Home Health Care provider will contact the physician, and call the funeral home.

If the deceased was under a physician’s care and Hospice or a Home Health Care provider was not involved and family is present, the family may want to call the funeral home directly.  However, if the family calls the funeral home first, the funeral home will notify the proper authorities.

There are several other questions that you may have in regards to the death of your loved one, such as: “Is embalming necessary?”, “Do I need to purchase a casket?”, “What about cemetery arrangements?”, “What kind of service do I want?” By contacting Colyer Funeral Home, we will be able to help you answer the questions and make the appropriate final plans for your loved one. However, one of the best ways to make sure that all of your questions and desires are taken care of is to make pre-arrangements. This is as simple as outlining your wishes to having all of the details written down and the financial arrangements prepaid.  Please contact one of our staff to learn more.