Death away from home, such as when traveling, is more likely than ever. As a highly mobile society, it seems we are always on the move, always expanding our reach to faraway places. So it is not uncommon for the end of life to come in a place distant from where we call home. And this of course, begs the question: “When death occurs away from home, how is it handled?” Not surprisingly, funeral directors and funeral home staff help make this stressful situation easier to deal with for the surviving family.
Call Your Hometown Funeral Home First
Because death away from home involves thoughtful handling of the body in two locations – where the death occurred and where the services ultimately will be held – it also typically involves two funeral homes and their staffs, working together in service to the surviving family.
When a death occurs away from home, making one phone call to your hometown funeral director is all you need to do. Your hometown funeral director will establish a partnership with a funeral home local to where the death occured. Together they will coordinate the safe return of your loved one. The body will be prepared for transportation home whether it be by airline or other mode of transportation.
Before and during transportation of the deceased, the hometown funeral staff will be busy. They may meet with the family to begin the hometown arrangements; and will notify all appropriate local parties, including newspapers, fraternal organizations, religious or military groups, cemetery personnel, etc.
Back Home Again
When the body is received at its final funeral home destination, it can be prepared for viewing and either burial or cremation. Service arrangements are finalized. And the hometown funeral director secures all required documents and permits, and prepares forms necessary for the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, insurance companies and others as appropriate. Death certificates will be provided to the family, too.
Above all, your hometown funeral director and funeral home staff will help make the added stress of handling a distant death a little easier. It is comforting to be able to turn to trusted local funeral professionals when so much uncertainty abounds. At Stillinger Family Funeral Home, we have decades of cumulative experience assisting families with funeral services, including those for deaths close to home, as well as those ever stressful death away from home situations. (These include those situations requiring international coordination, as well.) To learn more about local and distant funeral planning and services, contact us at (317) 462-5536.
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