When someone passes
When someone close to you has passed away, it's likely you will be involved in the funeral arrangements. Give yourself some time to take in what has happened, call a family member or friend, speak to the doctor and then call a funeral director.
A funeral director is no different to any other professional person whom you may need to call on for a specialised service, such as a doctor, solicitor or accountant. You should carefully consider their qualifications, facilities and ability to service your needs. Approximately 40 hours of time is taken in order to professionally arrange and conduct every funeral at Hiram Philp Funerals.
Our funeral directors are available 24/7 on (07) 4632 4211.
Once you have spoken to a funeral director and given them permission to take your loved one into care, you will have some time to think about a few of the decisions that will need to be made once you see them for your first meeting.
You will find more information about what to do when a death occurs, what to expect when meeting your funeral director, the Death Certificate and why funerals matter in this section.
The most common funeral services include:
- A service in a church our chapel
- A service held in a church or chapel followed by a procession to a cemetery
- A service at a crematorium chapel
- A graveside service
- A service at an alternative location such as a park, beach, private gardens or family home
You are not restricted to these options, if you have other suggestions or ideas you can definitely share them with your funeral director so that they can help you personalise the service. You can find more inspiration via the Book of Ideas page.
What to do when a death occurs
We share the first steps of the process after someone has died.
There are a number of people, organisations and companies you will eventually need to notify of the death, but to start you should speak to the doctor and then contact a funeral director.
Meeting the funeral director
If you've never had to arrange a funeral before, you might wonder what to expect from the first meeting with your chosen funeral director.
We share a useful list of what you should bring with you, and what you can expect to happen when you sit down with them.
The Death Certificate
The Death Certificate is different than the Cause of Death Certificate.
Your funeral director will take care of all the paperwork, and make sure the Death Certificate gets sent to you some time after the funeral service. You will need this for legal and financial reasons.
Why funerals matter
Having a funeral is an opportunity for those left behind to say goodbye – we need to do this, to grieve, to be with people to give and receive support.
We can underestimate just how much value a funeral can have to us and how it helps the grieving process.
What you can do to help after a death
When a death has occurred, it can be an especially tough time for the immediate family of the deceased.
Hiram Philp Funerals has shared 20 ideas for what you can do to help someone in the days after a death has occurred.
LifeArt Coffins
With a LifeArt coffin we celebrate life, character and passion by using beautiful photos, poems and messages to personalise a coffin.
Choose a coffin design from the LifeArt gallery, decorate the coffin yourself, or the LifeArt graphic designer can help you create a bespoke coffin design.