Frequently Asked

Below is a list of questions and responses that we commonly receive at the funeral home. We will continue to include any new questions in this section that we feel would be helpful to others.

If you have a question that has not been covered in this site we would like to hear from you. You may use the "Ask the Director" section of our site to forward your question or comments to us.

If you would prefer to call us on the telephone, our staff would be pleased to provide an answer to any funeral related matter you may have. If we do not have the answer immediately, we will find it for you and contact you the minute the information is in our hands.

1.	What is the significance of a funeral?

2.	What do funeral directors do?

3.	What do I bring to the funeral home when making arrangements?

4.	Why have a public viewing?

5.	What is the purpose of embalming?

6.	Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?

7.	What is the difference between cremation and a traditional funeral service?

8.	How are funeral expenses paid?

Question #1	What is the significance of a funeral?
Answer:	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.

Question #2	What do funeral directors do?
Answer:	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.

Question #3	What do I bring to the funeral home when making arrangements?
Answer:	- 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 For the complete printable Arrangement Form please click "Arrangements"

Question #4	Why have a public viewing?
Answer:	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.

Question #5	What is the purpose of embalming?
Answer:	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.

Question #6	Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
Answer:	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.

Question #7	What is the difference between cremation and a traditional funeral service?
Answer:	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.

Question #8	How are funeral expenses paid?
Answer:	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.