Arrangement Conference Checklist​

Losing a loved one is an emotionally challenging time. Your Dignity Memorial® professionals are here to support and guide you through the process of planning a funeral or memorial service that truly honours your loved one’s memory and celebrates his or her life.

When death occurs and there is an immediate need, the first step is to find a Dignity Memorial location near you or in the location of your choosing. Caring Dignity Memorial professionals will walk you through the next steps and schedule an arrangement meeting. To help make that meeting easier for you, we’ve created some helpful checklists.

The first checklist includes the things you need to secure a death certificate. The second checklist includes other items and information you'll need to bring to the arrangement meeting.

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Arrangement conference checklist: death certificate and obituary

Your Dignity Memorial provider can help you file for a death certificate and obtain certified copies. To do this, you'll need to provide some information at your arrangement meeting. We can also use some of this information to help you write an obituary.

Information needed for a death certificate

From the information you provide during the arrangement conference, your Dignity Memorial provider will initiate the original death certificate. In most cases, it needs to be signed by a physician, who will also indicate the cause of death. The certificate then goes to the health department for registration and recording. The original certificate stays at the health department, which issues certified copies to you. Multiple copies of the death certificate are generally needed when handling the affairs—closing bank accounts, settling retirement accounts, selling an estate, etc.—of someone who has passed away.

The following information about your loved one will be needed at the arrangement conference to begin the death certificate process:

  1. Your loved one’s full name
  2. Social Security number
  3. Date and place of birth
  4. Address at the time of death
  5. Marital status and the surviving spouse’s name, if applicable
  6. Veterans discharge papers (DD-214) if applicable
  7. Father’s name
  8. Mother’s full name, including maiden name
  9. Place of death
  10. Highest level of education and occupation

Obituary information

Your Dignity Memorial provider can help you write a fitting tribute about your loved one to publish in the newspaper and online and to share on social media. In addition to the information above, consider writing down your loved one's biographical details and special characteristics such as:

  1. Education
  2. Work history
  3. Personal achievements
  4. Church or synagogue affiliation, if applicable
  5. Organizations and memberships
  6. Hobbies or favourite vacation spots
  7. What made your loved one unique
  8. Ways your loved one impacted the people around them
  9. Names of surviving relatives and the cities in which they live, including parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandchildren, grandparents, etc.

Counselor sharing information with couple on tablet.

Arrangement conference checklist: funeral and burial arrangements

At the arrangement conference, your funeral arranger will talk with you about the process of planning a funeral or memorial service in addition to options for a final resting place in a cemetery. We'll ask questions about your loved one in order to help you plan the most fitting tribute possible. When meeting with your Dignity Memorial professional, we recommend that you bring the following:

  1. Pre-planned funeral arrangements or documents in which your loved one has made his or her final wishes known, if applicable
  2. Clothing, including undergarments (we have clothing you may purchase, if you’d prefer)
  3. Eyeglasses and jewellery (these items may remain with your loved one or be removed and returned after the service)
  4. A recent photograph (we will use this for cosmetic purposes)
  5. Military discharge papers for a veteran, if applicable
  6. Social Security number
  7. Life insurance policies
  8. Names and contact information for six to eight pallbearers, if applicable
  9. A collection of photos that can be used to create an Everlasting Memorial® Internet archive and a multimedia scrapbook

Please bring these completed checklists to your arrangement meeting, and we can help you with the rest of the details, including funeral or memorial plans; filing for Social Security, Veterans Administration and life insurance benefits; and even ordering the perfect flowers or mementos to honour your loved one.