South Boston Funeral Arrangements

Where to Begin

Making South Boston funeral arrangements can be overwhelming, but you are not alone in this. We’re here to support you throughout this journey and make this process one of love, healing, and life celebration. Below is some information to help you get started, but you can contact us at any time if you need help.

What to Expect When We Meet

When you meet with a member of our staff to discuss funeral arrangements for your loved one at O’Brien Funeral Home, we’ll first provide you with a general price list to give you a basic idea of what our services cost.

We’ll then ask you about your loved one to gain an understanding of the person the services will honor. Use this time to communicate your ideas and preferences, share your loved one’s life story, revisit memories, and highlight their accomplishments. Our professionals will use this information to guide you in the creation of a personalized, meaningful celebration of your loved one’s life.

Preparing and filing the official death certificate.

Scheduling the services and events (including the location, date, and time)
Selecting a casket, urn, or other products you may need.

Scheduling the services and events (including the location, date, and time)
Drafting an obituary

Arranging necessary transportation

Selecting pallbearers

When a Death Occurs

Whether a death is sudden or expected, the loss of a loved one is indescribable. When you are in a heightened emotional state, even the most basic decisions can seem staggering. This section seeks to guide you through the immediate hours following a passing. This guide also contains a form to help you gather some of the vital information that we will need to help plan for your loved one’s funeral.

If the person was not under hospice care, the police will have to be notified immediately. The police will be dispatched to the home and will place the call to the coroner or medical examiner. From there, the coroner or medical examiner will remove the body and determine whether further action is necessary. The coroner or medical examiner must release the body before a funeral home can do anything. If the person was under hospice care, contact the hospice representative, and they will notify family members what the proper procedures are to follow.

The staff of a care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, will notify you and the necessary authorities immediately after a death has occurred. If a funeral home has been provided to the hospital or nursing home, they will be notified at the time of passing. If you are present at the hospital when the funeral director arrives, they will ask a few questions about the deceased’s wishes and set up a time to make arrangements. If you are not present, a funeral director will contact you by telephone to discuss these arrangements.

Once everything has been cleared with the proper authorities, the next call you place should be to a licensed funeral director. Funeral directors are here to help you obtain a death certificate, transport the body, and, in the event a plan ahead was not done, select a casket or urn and arrange the funeral or memorial service. The funeral director will also help you notify the employer and insurance company of the deceased. Funeral directors are there to help you and advise you.

You should meet with a funeral director within 24 hours of a death to begin making final arrangements for your loved one. Deciding on these final arrangements may seem like a very daunting task, especially when you are in a heightened emotional state. Do not worry: funeral home staff have years of experience, and will strive to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Required Information

First, the Funeral Director will gather information required for the death certificate. This includes:

Full Name and Address
Marital Status
Race/Ethnicity
Date and City of Birth
Highest Level of Education
Father’s Name, Mother’s Name (including maiden name)
Name of Spouse (if married or widowed)
Occupation and Employer

If no plan ahead has been done, necessary arrangements need to be made for the funeral service. These include:

Scheduling the location, date and time of the visitation and funeral service
Selecting burial or cremation
Choosing Funeral Products
Arranging a cemetery plot
Preparing an obituary notice
Scheduling transportation arrangements

A Helping Hand

A funeral director will guide you through all of these steps, using your wants, needs and desires as a foundation to create a memorable funeral for your loved one. From here the funeral services can be personalized. Did your loved one have a favorite sports team? What was their favorite type of music? What activity was your loved one known best for? Sharing these memories with the grieving process will allow you to pay tribute to the life of your loved one.

Live or Delayed Funeral Webcasting

We can help you use technology to bring together family and friends from all over the world in honor of a loved one who has passed. Webcasting your loved one’s service is a great way to involve those who are too ill to travel, those serving in the military, those who cannot afford to travel, or friends and family who can’t make it for other reasons.