When someone close to you dies, it can be overwhelming and confusing. If you are in charge of making arrangements and notifying other family members of the passing, your life can be thrown into chaos as you handle funeral arrangements, public notifications, and sorting personal possessions. Then you must deal with the demands of everyone that loved the deceased. To help you through the challenging time, here are five things to do after someone dies.
1. Notification
There is no proper way to let family and friends know about the death, but all relatives should be told. You can call the children and ask them to let their individual family members know, or you can send out a mass email or phone alert notifying everyone on your list of the sad event. Be sure to ask each recipient of your message to pass the information on to their family members and the deceased’s friends.
2. Legality
You will need a legal document pronouncing the death of your loved one before you can notify anyone to whom the deceased owed money. A doctor, hospital staff, or hospice nurse can fill out the legal forms you will need before you can order the death certificate you required for notification most companies require.
3. Attorney
Contact the deceased’s New York probate attorney about the passing. This will allow the lawyer to gather necessary documents and prepare for the reading of the will, identification of trusts, and passing of estate issues. The attorney can also begin working on estate or probate taxes.
4. Funeral
The wishes of your loved one pertaining to the disposition of his or her body may take some time. Being an organ donor, asking for cremation, or having a plot at a local cemetery is information best found in the will. Check before you make burial arrangements to make sure the wishes stated in recent months are the same those as listed in the legally binding will.
5. Property
Make sure all personal property of the deceased is secure, including automobiles, homes, and recreational vehicles. If the deceased rented the property, notify the landlord and police that the apartment or house may be vacant for a few weeks, and ask them to keep an eye on the area if possible.
These are only a few of the many tasks associated with making arrangements for the dispersal of property and personal goods of someone that dies. Ask a family member to help you with the numerous tasks to get through them all quickly.