1. What To Do When a Death Occurs
2. What purpose does a funeral serve?
3. What do funeral directors do?
4. Why have a public viewing?
5. What is the purpose of embalming?
6. Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to the law?
7. Isn't burial space becoming scarce?
8. Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?
9. Is it possible to have a traditional funeral if a person has AIDS?
10. How much does a funeral cost?
11. Has this cost increased significantly?
12. What determines the cost of a funeral?
13. Why are funerals so expensive?
14. Do funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?
15. Is it right to make a profit from death?
16. Don't funeral directors mark caskets up tremendously, at least 400%?
17. Who pays for funerals of the indigent?
18. What recourse does a consumer have for poor service or other problems incurred
19. Are funeral homes and cemeteries owned by the same people or companies?
20. Must you have a funeral director to bury the dead?
21. Organ/Tissue Donations

1. What To Do When a Death Occurs

The death of a loved one can be an overwhelming experience. In many cases, survivors are trying to cope with their grief as well as arrange a funeral service. It is enormously helpful at this difficult time to rely on the advice of a specially trained, licensed funeral director.

Most families will call the same funeral director they've turned to in the past to help them arrange the funeral. If there is no family funeral director, it is a good idea to secure recommendations from friends or neighbors or utilize the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association Member Search on this web site for names and addresses of member funeral homes located in the decedent's neighborhood.

The first step is to call the funeral home for a conference to begin the process. If a death occurs in another city, state or country away from home it is best to call your hometown funeral director to make necessary arrangements. Before making any arrangements, determine if the deceased left any instructions about his or her funeral, or had already purchased or prepaid funeral or cemetery arrangements. Funeral arrangements made prior to death should be honored. Preplanning one's funeral is a growing trend that ensures peace of mind and relieves the individual's loved ones of a decision-making process at a stressful time.

Be sure to check to see if the deceased had any death benefits that would help cover funeral costs. Be aware that signing a contract for funeral services will make you liable for the cost of the funeral but the decedent's estate or available death benefits usually cover final costs. It is advised to always check with your family attorney.

By law, funeral directors must offer accurate price information to people making inquiries over the telephone regarding funeral costs. If you visit the funeral home, the funeral director will give you a written, itemized price list with all the specific goods and services the funeral home offers.

It is good to remember that it is entirely up to the family to make the selections that will best meet their expectations for a personalized ritual that will meet their emotional and economic needs. After the arrangements have been agreed upon, the funeral director will provide a written statement showing the total cost of each item selected.

In addition to removing the deceased from the place of death and caring for the body, the funeral director will arrange all the details of the funeral service which may include:

• contacting the clergy and arranging an appropriate time and place for the services
• writing and distributing obituaries
• contacting the cemetery/crematory, staff, florists, fraternal organizations, memorial gift organizations
• working cooperatively with organ donation teams
• preparing all legal documents (death certificates, burial transit/cremation permits, medical examiner certificates, reports of death, social security and all Veterans Administration benefits, and in some instances filing insurance paperwork)
• providing an emotionally and spiritually comforting environment for visitation and life celebration services
• transporting of family and friends in a funeral procession to the place of final disposition

The funeral director provides quiet support to the family during a time of great emotional stress, and attends to all aspects of the funeral service in a professional and caring way. Always remember that any questions you may have may be directed to your local funeral director.

2. What purpose does the funeral serve?

It is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grief process. Funerals in one form or another have been conducted to honor the dead since around 35,000 BC.
What do funeral directors do?
Back to top

Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved 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.

3. What do funeral directors do?

Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body. Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved 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.

4. Why have a public viewing?

Viewing is a 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 is voluntary.

5. What is the purpose of embalming?

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process and enhances the appearance of a body 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.

6. Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to the law?

No. However, Wisconsin law requires embalming when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier.

7. Isn't burial space becoming scarce?

While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, in most areas of the country, there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land available for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially with the increase in entombment and multi-level burial.

8. Is cremation a substitute for a funeral?

No. Cremation is an alternative to earth burial or entombment for the body's final disposition and often follows a traditional funeral service.

9. Is it possible to have a traditional funeral if a person has AIDS?

Yes. A person who dies of an AIDS-related illness is entitled to the same service options afforded to anyone else. If public viewing is consistent with local or personal customs, that option is encouraged. Touching the deceased's face or hands is perfectly safe.

Because the grief experienced by survivors may include a variety of feelings, survivors may need even more support than survivors of non-AIDS-related deaths.

10. How much does a funeral cost?

In 1998 the charge for an adult, full-service funeral, was $5,020. This includes a professional service charge, transfer of remains, embalming, other preparation, use of viewing facilities, use of facilities for ceremony, hearse, limousine, and casket. The casket included in this price is an 18-gauge steel casket with velvet interior which may or may not be the most common casket chosen. Vault, cemetery and monument charges are additional (Source: 1999 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Survey of Funeral Home Operations.)

11. Has this cost increased significantly?

Funeral costs have increased no faster than the consumer price index for other consumer items. The following figures show increases over the last 15 years for an adult, full-service funeral from NFDA surveys 1975 to 1998.

12. What determines the cost of a funeral?

The family of the deceased does. The cost of a funeral will depend on how elaborate or how simple a ceremony is desired. Funeral directors offer a wide variety of services to choose from.

13. Why are funerals so expensive?

When compared to other major life cycle events, like births and weddings, funerals are not expensive. A wedding costs at least three times as much; but because it is a happy event, wedding costs are rarely criticized.

A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, limousines, hearses, etc.) these expenses must be factored into the cost of a funeral.

Moreover, the cost of a funeral includes not only merchandise, like caskets, but the services of a funeral director in making arrangements; filing appropriate forms, dealing with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers and others; and seeing to all the necessary details.

Contrary to popular belief, funeral homes are largely family-owned with a modest profit margin. The statistics below may be helpful in assessing the true economic picture of a funeral home:

(Source: 1998 NFDA Survey of Funeral Home Operations)

14. Do funeral directors take advantage of the bereaved?

Funeral directors are caring individuals who help people deal with a very stressful time. They serve the same families 80% of the time, and many have spent most of their lives in the same community. If they took advantage of bereaved families, they could not stay in business. The fact that the average funeral home has been in business over 63 years shows that most funeral directors respect the wishes of the bereaved families.

15. Is it right to make a profit from death?

Funeral directors look upon their profession as a service, but it is also a business. Like many businesses, funeral homes pay taxes, employee wages and must make a profit to exist. As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered are necessary, complete, and satisfactory to the family, profit is legitimate.

16. Don't funeral directors mark caskets up tremendously, at least 400%?

No. Talking about the mark up on caskets is not really the point. Most items-clothing, furniture, jewelry-are marked up as much or more than caskets. The real question is whether the funeral director is making an excessive profit. And that answer is "No." Profits run around 11.3% before taxes - not excessive by any standard.

17. Who pays for funerals of the indigent?

Other than the family, there are veteran, union and other organizational benefits to pay for funerals, including, in certain instances, a lump sum death payment from Social Security. In Wisconsin, allowances are available from the Department of Family Services in certain cases. Individual counties have burial assistance for indigent people.

Most funeral directors are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them for the indigent. However, funeral directors often absorb costs above and beyond what is provided by agencies to insure the deceased a respectable burial.

18. What recourse does a consumer have for poor service or other problems incurred?

Funeral service is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and the Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing. In most cases, the consumer should discuss problems with the funeral director first. If the dispute cannot be solved by talking with the funeral director, the consumer may wish to contact the Funeral Service Consumer Assistance Program (FSCAP). FSCAP provides information, mediates disputes, provides arbitration and maintains a consumer guarantee fund for reimbursement of services rendered. To contact FSCAP, call 1-800-662-7666. The telephone number for the Department of Regulation & Licensing in Madison is (608) 266-5511.

19. Are funeral homes and cemeteries owned by the same people or companies?

Wisconsin laws prohibit joint ownership of funeral homes and cemeteries. This checks and balances provides consumers with a wider variety of options while keeping prices fair through competition.

20. Must you have a funeral director to bury the dead?

No law in Wisconsin prevents family members from burying their own dead as long as all legal requirements are met. However, most people find it very trying to be solely responsible for arranging the details and legal matters surrounding a death.

21. Organ/Tissue Donations

The decision to donate organs and/or tissue is a private matter that individuals are facing more than ever before. With increased awareness and new federal regulations, organ and tissue donations are increasing steadily.

A family's decision to donate should not interfere with funeral arrangements. Funeral directors are trained in the latest restorative techniques and work closely with tissue banks and organ procurement organizations to minimize the effects on families.

Depending on the nature of the donation, there could be a slight delay while the procedure is performed. This will result in the funeral home receiving the body. In addition, the funeral director could possibly need more time to properly prepare a body for viewing. It might also be necessary to modify the clothing the family has chosen for the deceased as it may be impacted by the type or nature of the donation.

Your local funeral director can answer any questions you may have concerning funerals following organ and tissue donations. Families are assured that a decision to donate will not preclude a very meaningful funeral service including a visitation.

For more information, please contact any of the following tissue banks and organ procurement organizations: