Pre-Planning Checklist

Remember, there is no need to make all these decisions right away. As Funeral Directors, we are here to provide assistance in planning and personalizing a service that is most appropriate for you. The checklist below will help you prepare and create your personalized plan.

1. General Planning:

• Choose a funeral home.
• If desired, choose a charity to direct memorial donations
• Gather personal information:
  • Addresses and contact information
  • Executor information
  • Type of work done most of working life
  • Mother’s full name (including maiden name)
  • Father’s full name
  • Parents place of birth (City/Province/Country)
  • Social Insurance Number

2. Funeral Service:

• Choose burial or cremation
• Select Casket style or cremation container/urn
• Choose location for service and type of service
• Choose floral arrangements, if desired
• Choose photos for memorabilia and stationary
• Consider any customs, traditions or religious rites that are important to you and your family
• Designate clothing that you would like to be dressed in
• Select hymns and/or type of music
• Choose a Clergy member or officiant to preside over your service
• If burial, choose pallbearers

3. Write Your Own Obituary:

• Share Life Story: ​
  • Consider that its purpose is to provide sufficient information so that those reading it may readily identify you.
  • You also may include information related to your career, work history, service clubs, hobbies etc.
• Family List of Names:
  • Start with next of kin
  • Consider those who are most important to you (it could even be a pet!)
  • Terms of endearment should also be considered.
• ​Photos:
  • ​Photos bring the obituary to life.
  • The photo may be a recent photo or one from years ago.  The choice is yours.
• Safe Keeping:
  • Leave your composition in a place where it can be readily accessed when it is needed.
  • Inform your next of kin where this information, as well as your funeral wishes, is stored so it is available when needed.
• Update as Required

The obituary acknowledges the loss, informs the community of your death, and invites those who knew you (as well as people who care about you) to attend the funeral and offer sympathy and support.  The purpose of an obituary is to record your life story and to live on forever. More than a simple death announcement, an obituary pays tribute by saying something about who you were as a person.

4. Final Place of Rest:

• Select a Cemetery – cemeteries may offer burial and cremation plots, urn columbariums for cremated remains, and mausoleums.
• Select a monument or grave marker and/or tribute inscription to be engraved