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Frequently Asked Questions
Question Topics:
Funeral & Burial Questions
What is the purpose of a funeral?
Funeral ceremonies provide surviving family members and friends a caring, supportive environment in which to recognize the death of a loved one, and to share thoughts and feelings about that person. Funeral ceremonies are the first step in the healing process. The ritual of attending a funeral ceremony provides many benefits including:
Providing a social support system for the bereaved
Helping the bereaved understand death is final and that death is part of life
Integrating the bereaved back into the community
Easing the transition to a new life after the death of a loved one
Providing a safe haven for embracing and expressing pain
Reaffirming one's relationship with the person who died
Providing a time to say good-bye
It is possible to have a funeral ceremony even for those choosing cremation. The importance of the service is in providing a social gathering to help the bereaved begin the healing process.
I've never arranged a funeral before. What do I need to know?
At some time in our lives, most of us will make or assist in making funeral arrangements. This will not be an easy time, but we offer these tips for smart planning:
Be an informed consumer and ask questions
Choose an independent funeral home and a licensed funeral director
Discuss all service and payment options during the funeral arrangements
Make sure you receive a copy of the funeral home's General Price List
Be prepared and make decisions and organize details in advance of need
Plan a personalized and meaningful ceremony to help you begin healing
What do funeral directors do?
Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for the transportation of the deceased, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral ceremonies and final disposition of the deceased.
Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting families in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.
What types of funeral services exist?
Every family is different, and not everyone wants the same type of ceremony. Funeral customs are influenced by religious and cultural traditions, costs and personal preferences. These factors help determine whether the funeral will be elaborate or simple, public or private, religious or secular, and where it will be held. They also influence whether the body will be present at the funeral, if there will be a viewing (public or private) or visitation, and if so, whether the casket will be open or closed, and whether the remains will be buried or cremated.
Why have a public viewing?
Viewing is part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children as long as the process is explained and the activity voluntary.
Embalming Questions
What is the purpose of embalming?
Embalming sanitizes and preserves the deceased, retards the decomposition process and enhances the appearance of someone disfigured by traumatic death or illness. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.
Is embalming required by law?
No. Florida law does require that the body be embalmed or held in refrigeration following 24 hours after death. We provide on-site refrigeration in which the deceased may be held. Embalming, however, is necessary when a ceremony involves a public viewing. Families may choose to have a private family viewing within the first 48-hours of death. At Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services we don't charge any difference between embalming and refrigeration so families can decide what they need without cost being a factor.
Cremation Questions
Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?
As more people are choosing cremation, funeral service professionals are striving to give consumers a true sense of what their many options are for a funeral service. Often funeral directors find that people have a preconception that they have fewer choices for a ceremony when selecting cremation for themselves or a loved one. Therefore, they request basic cremation and deny the surviving friends and family an opportunity to honor them with a memorial service. In actuality, cremation is only part of the commemorative experience. In fact, cremation can actually increase your options when planning a funeral. Cremation gives people the flexibility to search for types of tributes that reflect the life being honored. But this doesn't mean that aspects of traditional funeral services have to be discarded. Even with cremation, a meaningful memorial that is personalized to reflect the life of the deceased could include:
A visitation prior to the service (Public or private)
An open or closed casket
Special music
A ceremony at the funeral chapel, your place of worship or other special location
Participation by friends and family
Commonly, cremated remains are placed in an urn and committed to an indoor or outdoor mausoleum or columbarium; interred in a family burial plot; or included in a special urn garden.
Cremation also gives families the option to scatter the remains. This can be done in a designated cemetery garden or at a place that was special to the person. Today, cremated remains can even become part of an ocean reef or made into diamonds.
Where can I get more information on cremation?
We can assist you with the necessary information for a funeral or memorial service with a cremation. For more technical information about the cremation process go to our Cremation Frequently Asked Questions page.
What to Do If Death Occurs
What steps should I take at the time of death?
Depending on where the death occurs and under what circumstances, this explains what you should do when the death occurs:
Death in an Institution: When the death occurs at a hospital or nursing home, the medical staff should take care of all necessary legal steps. You just need to notify the medical staff that Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services is the funeral home handling arrangements so they can have you sign any necessary release paperwork.
Anticipated Death at Home: Today, more people with terminal illnesses are electing to die at home under the care of hospice. In this situation, you just need to notify Hospice that Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services is the funeral home of your choice, they will then take care of all necessary legal requirements. Many times when someone has a terminal illness, the family will elect to make pre-arrangements with us so that they are not overwhelmed with the many important decisions at the time of death.
Unanticipated Death at Home or Elsewhere: In these situations, immediately call 911. The police and emergency medical personnel will then determine the appropriate steps to be taken. Often, the police can release the human remains directly to our funeral home. However, in certain cases, the body may need to go to the Medical Examiner's office so that they can determine the cause of death.
Death out of state: If the death occurs outside of Florida, you should call Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services on our toll-fee telephone number - 866-831-0600. We can coordinate with a local funeral director at the place of death. Being a member of several national associations, Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services often can save families money by having our firm make the arrangements.
What about the Funeral Arrangement Conference?
To assure that one of our funeral directors is immediately available and can devote the personal attention and time needed to make the arrangements, we would request that you call to schedule a mutually convenient arrangement time. Although the vast majority of funeral conferences are handled at one of our chapels during normal business hours, we are available to come to your residence or meet in the evenings or weekends. One of our funeral directors is always on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
What do I need to bring to the Arrangement Conference?
When you come to the conference, you may want to bring with you the following items:
Military Discharge Papers (Form DD214)
Recent Photograph for newspaper & preparation purposes
Clothing - all normal items including undergarments, other than shoes. For women, an outfit closed at the neckline and long sleeves are preferred.
Jewelry & personal items - these items can either be brought to the arrangement conference, or on the day of the visitation. You will be given a receipt for such items which will also list your requested disposition.
At the funeral arrangement conference, if you have not already made pre-arrangements with Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services, our funeral directors will need to obtain some vital information for completing the death certificate. This process can be started by using our online Immediate Need Form under the “What We Offer” tab. Certified copies of the death certificate are legal documents and are issued by the State of Florida Vital Statistics offices. Photocopies are not considered legal documents. After the original certificate has been signed by the physician or medical examiner and all vital information completed by our funeral home, it is filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Fees for certified copies vary from county to county within the State.
During the funeral arrangement conference, we will ask you how many certified copies of the death certificate are needed. As part of our services, we will obtain certified copies on your behalf. Although we try to obtain the certified copies prior to the completion of the funeral service, this is not always possible. In order to assist you in ascertaining the number of certified copies needed, below is a worksheet:
Each Life Insurance Company
Motor Vehicles
Pension, IRA or other retirement benefits
Probate of Will
Each bank where account maintained
Final Tax Return
Stocks and Bonds
Your own files
Real Property
Please note that we will notify Social Security of the death so no death certificate is needed for that purpose.
