When A Loved One Passes Away

Texas law prohibits cremating any dead human body within 48 hours after death. The County Medical Examiner or a Justice of the Peace may waive this time requirement. Embalming may be needed depending on how long the body will be kept before cremation.

Immediately After Death

  • Contact local law enforcement official if the death was unattended.
  • Get a legal pronouncement of death by the coroner, Justice of the Peace, or attending physician. If no doctor is present, you’ll need to contact someone to do this:
    • If the person dies at home under hospice care, call the hospice nurse, who can declare the death and help facilitate the transport of the body.
    • If the person dies at home without hospice care, call 911, and have in hand a do-not-resuscitate document if it exists. Without one, paramedics will generally start emergency procedures and, except where permitted to pronounce death, take the person to an emergency room for a doctor to make the declaration.
  • Designate a main point of contact, or executor. This might be you or someone else, but whoever it is should also have a friend or family member who can be nearby and help with important decisions and more.
  • Notify the funeral home. You  will need to provide the following information
    1. Name of the deceased
    2. Deceased’s residence — Address / City / State / Zip / Phone #.
    3. Deceased’s Social Security Number.
    4. Time of death. ( or apporx. time)
    5. Current location of the body — Facility name / Address / City / State / Zip / Phone #.
    6. Attending physician name and phone #. ( if known, not a must)
    7. Your name.
    8. Your residence — Address / City / State / Zip.
    9. Your telephone #’s including cell number where one can text.— Daytime / Evening.
    10. Your relationship to the deceased
  • Arrange for transportation of the body. If no autopsy is needed, the body can be picked up by a Medical Examiner (by law, a mortuary must provide price info over the phone) or funeral home or crematorium.
  • Notify the person’s doctor or the Medical Examiner.
  • Notify close family and friends (and ask some to contact others).
  • Arrange for a caretaker for Children, Elderly Parents, Pets, etc.
  • Arrange for someone to keep an eye on the home, plants, postal mail
  • Contact organ donor/body donor agency, if applicable. Medical staff members need to know this as soon as possible.
  • Finalize the details of specific funeral/cremation services if not already done. See the standard package Indus Family Services offers.
  • Gather any documents specifying pre-planned or pre-paid funeral arrangements.
  • Obtain the personal information you need for an obituary. Here is a simple checklist <make link to obituary>
  • Contact any religious priest to schedule their services.
  • If your loved one was a veteran, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website at benefits.va.gov/benefits or call 800-827-1000 to explore options for veterans. Your Dignity Memorial provider can also inform you of these benefits or help you get the right information.
  • Locate the will and life insurance and power of attorney documents
  • Schedule Prayers/Bhajans (based on Families’ wish).
  • When a death occurs out of state or country it is recommended a funeral director in your local area be contacted who will know the requirements that must be met if a body is to be shipped to another location. There are legal limitations regarding solicitation by a funeral director at or near the time of death.