How to arrange and conduct a home funeral

When a loved one dies, families usually must go through an arduous process of arranging the person’s funeral. Sometimes, families may find it difficult to finance a funeral, or unforeseen situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic may detrimentally impact the ability to hold one.

In such circumstances, home funerals may serve as a more viable option. Home funerals are safe and legal, as long as the deceased does not pass away from an infectious disease such as AIDS or Covid-19. Your family may choose to have one even in the absence of challenging circumstances, as it allows for more time for friends and relatives to visit and grieve their loss.

Home funerals for your loved ones can be conducted in any way that is comfortable for the family of the deceased. However, there are certain steps and guidelines that should be followed for a well-organized and legal home funeral including, but not limited to, the following:

• Familiarizing yourself with state-specific laws

• Taking care of and preserving the body

• Completing necessary after-death paperwork and obtaining a death certificate

• Arranging for transport services to burial or cremation site

Holding a home funeral may help families attain peace of mind but requires active participation from all members of the family. Keeping the body of a loved one at home is legal in every state, but every state has certain regulations that must be kept in mind. Next, caring for the body of a loved one is time-sensitive and requires a lot of work. Family members need to be comfortable and careful with handling the body after death as the process may evoke many emotions. Although embalming is not required, there are still several ways to care for the body, such as bathing the body with soap and rubbing rose-scented salve on their skin. If the body is not embalmed, it needs to be preserved under cold temperatures, which can usually be done with dry ice. It is recommended that the room in which the body is placed for visitors to pay their last respects has sufficient ventilation. More information regarding caring for the body can be found here.

Before the body can be cremated or buried, some legal paperwork must be conducted. Medical personnel are usually responsible for preparing the death certificate of the deceased, which includes the official cause and time of death. This may vary from state-to-state, as some states such as New Jersey require a funeral director to issue a death certificate.

The final step in holding a home funeral is arranging for the burial, cremation, or other method of disposition of the body. Most states require you to obtain a burial-transmit permit or disposition permit before you can dispose of the body. To obtain a burial-transmit permit, the family will usually have to visit the Town Clerk with the death certificate of the deceased in hand. Finally, the family may then contact the burial or cremation site to lay their loved one to rest.

Hopefully this has been a helpful guide on home funerals. For more information on how to conduct a virtual funeral or memorial service, click here.

— Kevin Chen