Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of a funeral?
A funeral allows family and friends to recognize death and its finality. It also gives them an opportunity to honor the deceased and share in traditional burial customs, as well as, assisting the survivors in the grieving process.
What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are counselors, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help.
What do I bring to the funeral home when making arrangements?For the complete printable Arrangement Form please click "Arrangements"
- Deceased social security number
- Military service records
- Cemetery deeds or other paperwork
- Insurance policies and any other documents pertaining to death benefits
- Deceased personal information: place and date of birth, parents, and survivors, etc.
- Special request that the deceased might have had
Why have a public viewing?
Funeral expenses can be paid through insurance, benefits provided through employment or by direct payment (cash, check and all major credit cards). If a PrePlan trust was established that can also contribute to the funeral expenses. For more information about preplanning please see our PrePlan link.
Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids in the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the activity voluntary.
What is the purpose of embalming?
Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body it decelerates the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of a body. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.
Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable contagious disease or when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours.
What is the difference between cremation and a traditional funeral service?
There is not much difference depending on how the arrangements are made. If you choose to have a traditional service including viewing and church or religious services and decide to have cremation as the end result then the only difference is cremation as opposed to burial. If you decide to have only cremation then those arrangements can be tailored to your specific requests.
What should I do if the death occurs in the middle of the night or on the weekend?
Call the funeral home, the funeral directors at Williams Funeral Home are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a death should occur at home after business hours, the Funeral Director will respond to your call immediately once it is received from our answering service.
How are funeral expenses paid?
