Dr. DOUG SCHOEN Pastor for Congregational Care office 262.796.5745 cell 414.916.5745
[email protected] PLANNING FOR DEATH / SERVICES Thinking ahead as death draws closer: ___ Locate and review medical Advance Directives, Will, financial records, bank accounts, insurance . ___ Compile short list of people to be notified at time of death (via phone, e-‐‑mail). To minimize phone calling, decide (1) who should be notified immediately, and (2) who can be notified after funeral arrangements & details are finalized. ___ At time of death, will person donate organs? If so, inform hospital. ___ Select Funeral Home __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________
Phone _____________________ Representative/Coordinator _____________________
Funeral Home will help with all logistical decisions. Funeral Home will help select and contact cemetery.
___ Think about obituary (family connections, life highlights, special awards & recognitions, memberships, important info). Funeral home will submit obituary to newspaper, but you should have information accessible for them. ___ Locate and assemble memorabilia (pictures, Bibles, letters) for possible display at memorial
service.
___ Think about epitaph (tombstone or plaque). At time of death: ___ Call Pastor Doug Schoen (church, 262-‐‑796-‐‑5745; home, 262-‐‑786-‐‑0890; cell, 414-‐‑591-‐‑1848) or
other church pastor (via Receptionist, 262-‐‑786-‐‑7051) to join family at hospital or location of death.
___ Notify those on your short list who ought to know immediately. ___ Notify Funeral Home. ___ Next day, meet with Funeral Home representative to work out arrangements for disposition of
body (burial or cremation), services, obituary, cemetery use.
___ After meeting with funeral home and finalizing service details, notify remainder of people
from your 2nd phone list.
___ Doug or other pastor will inform Elmbrook Church of arrangements, put announcement in bulletin,
work out Chapel / Fellowship Hall / Kitchen use details with Feed My Sheep, 262-‐‑780-‐‑1822
If service is at Elmbrook Church, there is no cost other than food.
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Planning services: Visitation (aka "ʺwake"ʺ = same day as/preceding the Memorial Service; suggest 1 or 2 hours rather than 3)
Date: _____________________ Time: _____________________
Location—in Elmbrook Chapel, or at funeral home?
Open or closed casket?
Memorial service (Funeral service) = 45-‐‑50 minute service in the church or funeral home. (Sometimes a service with body present is referred to as a Funeral Service, whereas a service without body present is referred to as a Memorial Service. However, I simply refer to any service as a Memorial Service.)
Date: _____________________ Time: _____________________
Location—in Elmbrook Chapel, or at funeral home?
Open or closed casket?
Reception / food in Fellowship Hall? Barb Pechacek (hm 262-‐‑662-‐‑1964) will coordinate volunteers to
help with set-‐‑up and food service. A menu of modestly-‐‑priced refreshments is available from “Feed
My Sheep.” The contact pastor will make this available to you.
Interment (either following Memorial Service, or next morning) = brief service, 8-‐‑10 minutes at the burial or interment site.
Date: _____________________ Time: _____________________
Location—cemetery?
Family/special guests only, or open to all?
Military honors?
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