We're Here for You

Call us. That's the first step. Whether your loved one has passed at home, in a hospital, in a care facility, or elsewhere, our team will guide you through exactly what needs to happen next. We'll arrange transportation to our care, help you notify the appropriate parties, and give you time to breathe before any decisions need to be made.

If the death occurs in a medical setting, the facility staff will typically notify you. If it occurs at home, you'll need to contact the appropriate authorities (a physician or coroner, depending on circumstances) before calling us—we can advise you on this as well.

There is no fixed timeline, but most arrangements are made within 24 to 72 hours of death. Practical factors like the condition of the body, embalming, the availability of family members, and cemetery scheduling typically guide the timing. If family members are traveling in from a distance, we can work with you to accommodate a slightly longer timeline.

We never rush families through decisions. You can take the time you need to make choices that feel right.

We file the death certificate with the State of Ohio on your behalf. You'll need certified copies to handle most estate matters—banking, insurance claims, retirement accounts, property titles, and more. Each institution typically requires its own original copy.

Most families order between 6 and 10 certified copies. We'll advise you based on your specific situation, and additional copies can always be ordered later from the county vital statistics office, though it's usually easier to get them all at once. Each certified copy has a small state filing fee.

Pre-planning offers three significant benefits. First, it relieves your family of having to make difficult decisions while they're grieving. Second, it ensures your service reflects your own wishes—not guesses made under stress. Third, it can protect against future price increases if you choose to pre-fund the arrangements.

It's also simply a meaningful thing to do for people you love. Many families tell us that pre-planning a parent's funeral after the fact was one of the hardest parts of the experience. Removing that burden is a genuine act of care.

This varies by faith tradition. Most Protestant Christian denominations, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many other traditions fully accept cremation. The Catholic Church permits cremation, with the understanding that the cremated remains should be treated with the same respect as a body and kept together (not scattered). Some Orthodox Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions traditionally prefer burial.

We always recommend speaking with your clergy if faith tradition is an important consideration. We're happy to help facilitate that conversation or answer questions as best we can.

Absolutely. Many of the most meaningful services we conduct are deeply personal and don't follow a traditional format. Families have held services featuring live bands, photo displays, video tributes, favorite foods, meaningful readings from non-religious texts, and much more. We've helped honor hunters, artists, veterans, gardeners, teachers, and everyone in between in ways that truly reflected who they were.

Our job is to help you create something that feels right for your loved one. There's no template we require you to follow.

We believe every person deserves a dignified farewell, regardless of financial circumstances. We offer services at a range of price points and will always work with families to find something that is both meaningful and within reach.

We can also help you explore available resources, including veteran benefits, Social Security death benefits, and Ohio's indigent burial assistance program. Please don't let financial concerns stop you from calling us—we'll have an honest, private conversation about what's possible.