The period immediately following the loss of a loved one can be overwhelming emotionally. The most important thing to figure out immediately is how to carry out your loved one's wishes as to organ donation. Next, get in touch with family and close friends – the people you don't want hearing about it from an obituary or the media, the folks you turn to when you need support. Then, you need to make arrangements for the body. Did he or she want to be buried or cremated? If the latter, what did he or she want done with the ashes?
If you don't know what funeral home to use, you may want to ask friends and family for advice.
The next step is planning for the ceremony (if any). Did he or she want a religious or secular ceremony, or perhaps just a “Celebration of Life” party? If he or she was a veteran, the VA web site has lots of information about options: https://www.cem.va.gov/funeraldirector.asp
Once the ceremony is arranged, you'll want to let people know when and where it is. Usually, people announce it in a formal obituary. If you don't feel up for that, you can ask another family member or close friend for help. Alternatively, you can just use a simple announcement.
After the funeral, you'll want to start thinking about the legal effects of the event. You'll need more than one copy of the death certificate (I would recommend getting at least three). Next, you'll need to inform the Social Security Administration, insurance companies, and banks. Then, you should consider contacting an experienced probate attorney. If you don't already have a relationship with one, we would be happy to consult with you.
For a list of things that we will need, check out a previous blog post on the topic here:
https://www.leveyandwagley.com/probating-an-estate/how-to-probate-an-estate-in-maine
For a more thorough checklist of what to do after the death of a loved one, follow this link:
https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-06-2012/when-loved-one-dies-checklist.html
Do you want to make some of this process easier for your loved ones before you die? Check out our page on estate planning: https://leveyandwagley.com/estate-planning-and-probate
