Funeral Arrangements

On this page, we guide you through the sequence of arranging a funeral, from the first call you make to Staffords, through the various stages of co-ordination.

At such a vulnerable time for a family, this can seem like a daunting and overly bureaucratic procedure, but this is where your Funeral Director can give reassurance, expertise, and basically remove the burden of organisational stress from the family.

Funeral Arrangements

• Our expert staff are available at any hour if you find yourself making that difficult call from home, hospital or abroad to inform Staffords of the death of a loved one.
• You will be offered immediate assistance to begin the arrangements in whatever way suits the family; either by calling in to Staffords, or having us call to your family home.
• Simultaneously, our transportation team will begin the process of ensuring the Death Notification Form is in place so that your departed loved one can be moved to our Preparation Centre at a time that suits the family. The Death Notification Form is usually signed by a doctor who most recently treated your loved one, and is a different document to a Death Certificate, which is generally not issued until some time after the funeral.
• Your meeting with the Funeral Director is really about giving you the space to explore the many options Staffords will outline to you, so that you can make your decision about precisely the kind of funeral service best appropriate for your family and your departed loved one.
• The family discuss in detail with the Funeral Director exactly how they wish their loved one to be prepared and presented, deciding on clothes, and sometimes jewellery and other keepsakes of emotional significance to the family.
• A detailed breakdown of costs is available, including precise information on Funeral Grants.
• The family decides on their preference for date and time and venue of the Funeral Services. Because of our advanced embalming techniques, the Preparation Dept at Staffords can facilitate the family in delaying a funeral service as long as it takes for family members abroad to make travel arrangements.
• We lay out the various options so you can make an informed decision as to whether you wish that the deceased be prepared and brought home, or remain in the hospital chapel, or utilise our chapels of rest at Staffords to facilitate viewing so that family and friends can gather to pay their respects.
• In the case of a sudden and unexpected bereavement, it is necessary to have clearance from the Coroner’s Office before proceeding with the funeral. This can cause delay in arranging the funeral, and can be upsetting, but your Undertaker will guide and advise you here. Included in our professional service to you at this time is that Staffords will deal with any bureaucracy in connection with this aspect of bereavement, we will liaise with the Coroner’s Office on your behalf, so that if there is delay, we obtain regular updates and clarity from them.
• The Funeral Director will advise you on all aspects of funeral cars which pertain to your needs for the Removal and the Funeral Mass or Service in the areas of hearse, limousines and any special requirements like a horse hearse.
• We will liaise with you regarding the various options for placing the Death Notice in the national newspapers of your choice. The wording is carefully worked out according to the needs of the family, and then Staffords will place the death notice with the newspaper of your choice and we will also endeavour to ensure that the publication in question will print your notice in an accurate manner.
• Staffords will inform, co-ordinate and confirm the Funeral times with the Church of your choice. We will also liaise with the parish in question so that the clerical staff can get in touch with you directly in order to personalise your service requirements.
• Humanist funerals are a feature of modern funeral trends, and Staffords have wide experience in arranging funerals with non-religious themes. There are many options available. One example is a customised type of funeral, where the family choose to make full use of our tasteful non-religious chapel facilities for a family service, and proceed to the crematorium or the grave location. If you wish, we can arrange an appropriate humanist minister to conduct your service.
• During your meeting with the Funeral Director, you, as a family indicate your wishes regarding either burial or cremation as the final resting place for your departed loved one. Should you have any concerns regarding any aspect of this, Staffords expertise is available at all times if you need help exploring your choices.
• At this time too, the family usually opt to choose a coffin, either from brochure, or more usually by visiting our showroom. You will also be given options on Church music, soloists, and a wide variety of available flower tributes.
• At the end of your meeting with the Undertaker, you will be given a Staffords Service Folder, containing relevant documents and information sheets pertaining to the funeral, a flower brochure, Grant application forms, relevant Government Dept phone numbers, memorial stone information and more.