At-Need Funeral Guide for an Unexpected Death in South Florida

At The Gardens of Boca Raton, we encourage individuals and families to plan their final arrangements while they’re still alive so they can make essential decisions. That way, every part of their funeral and burial can be customized according to their wants and traditions. Naturally, we recognize that many people — most in fact — fail to do this while they’re still among us. As a result, family and loved ones are left to planning funeral arrangements. The Gardens of Boca Raton, South Florida’s premier funeral and above-ground interment facility, is staffed with caring, compassionate funeral directors who understand how stressful at-need funerals can be. If you’re reading this because you’ve lost a loved one, you have our deepest condolences. Contact us now so we can alleviate your stress during your time of grief.

What is an At-Need Funeral?

At-need simply means that the deceased did not make prior arrangements for their funeral and interment before their death. Unfortunately, this is the case with many South Florida funerals, particularly when the loved one passes unexpectedly.

Conversely, a preneed funeral is one where the deceased or their appointee has made funeral arrangements prior to death. In these cases, they consulted with a funeral home and interment facility to discuss their final wishes. Customarily, the person making these arrangements has also worked out the financial costs of the funeral and interment in advance. A trusted family member or the personal representative of the estate will then notify the funeral facility and put the plan into action.

How to Plan a Sudden Funeral

There are many crucial steps to planning an at-need funeral. If you’ve been tasked with the responsibility of making the arrangements, it’s helpful to know what you need to do and what tasks will fall upon the funeral home. Here are a few things you should consider for an at-need funeral.

• Enlist the Help of Family or Friends – This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s helpful to ask for help from someone who was not particularly close to the deceased. Even the simplest tasks can feel burdensome when you’re grieving, and it helps to have someone close who is not emotionally wrought. For example, if you’ve recently lost a parent, it may be better to lean on an old friend than a sibling who is going through the same pain and emotion that you are.
• Contact a Funeral Home – If you’re in the Boca Raton area, The Gardens is the premier venue for funerals and memorial services. We offer cremation and above-ground interment in a dignified setting with lush grounds and beautiful architectural design. We are able to accommodate at-need funerals with extremely close deadlines. However, it’s important that you contact us as early as possible to get started.
• Notify Family and Friends – Instinctively, you may see this as the first priority, but if you can accomplish the first few steps before making notifications, it will allow you to work for a few hours without distraction. Still, well-wishers and loved ones will need time to make personal arrangements to attend the funeral, so don’t put this off.
• Decide on Interment vs. Cremation – You may know which one the deceased would have preferred because they had mentioned it in the past or it’s stated in their will. In other instances, you may rely on your knowledge of the decedent’s faith, tradition, or cultural customs to decide.
• Casket and Urn Selection – The funeral home will be able to show you a variety of caskets and urns with different styles and options. For many individuals, choosing the right casket or urn is essential since this will house their loved one’s remains for eternity.
• Final Resting Place – Depending on whether you’ve opted for cremation or interment, the next decision is where the remains will be placed. You have several options at The Gardens:
  • Mausoleums – Our facility offers indoor community mausoleums, semi-private, and private mausoleums that all offer visitors protection from the elements. A staff member will walk you through each option.
  • Columbariums — If you’ve opted to have your loved one’s remains cremated, we offer communal niches for individuals and multiple family members indoors and communal niches outdoors, as well as being able to build a private family columbarium memorial space.
• Speakers – Choose who will deliver the eulogy for your loved one. This honor often goes to those who were closest to the deceased.
• Schedule the Funeral – In true at-need funeral situations, you may have a narrow timeline, so it’s important to lock these details in as soon as possible. The funeral home will do everything that it can to accommodate your schedule, but it’s important to remember that it may have conflicts on its calendar, which is why you shouldn’t delay.

The Gardens of Boca Raton is South Florida’s highest-rated above-ground interment facility and funeral home. Our award-winning grounds allow family, friends, and loved ones to visit their loved ones’ graves in a quiet, dignified setting protected from the elements.

Who to Involve in At-Need Funeral Arrangements

It’s important to decide who the decision-makers should be in an at-need funeral. Family, friends, and loved ones will gladly partake in making the final arrangements when asked, but it’s important to limit the number of decision-makers. Here are a few options to enlist:

• The Spouse – Unless they defer this responsibility, which is common after the passing of a husband or wife, the spouse will likely play a central role in the decision-making.
• Adult Next of Kin – Young children shouldn’t be burdened with funeral arrangements after such a significant loss. However, adult children, siblings, and parents may play a significant part in funeral planning, especially if the final arrangements have not been previously paid for, and they should not be excluded. If there are many children or you have a large family, ask them to select someone to represent their opinions and wishes.
• Close Family Friends – If you are looking to friends for help, choose someone who is familiar with the needs and wants of your family. It’s also helpful if they know the deceased.
• Associates and Colleagues – When a person has worked in a specific job or business for years, they develop a bond with one another. Oftentimes, these people can be a tremendous resource during a difficult time.

Ultimately, funeral planning works best when there is a designated decision-maker who can break ties or settle differences about specific aspects of the funeral and interment.

Communicating with Family and Others About a Funeral

Notifying loved ones about a funeral can be tricky. No one wants to find out that someone they loved died via a social media post. These steps will help you get the word out to family and friends in the most dignified, kind way possible:

1. Make a list of people who were truly close to the deceased – These are the people you will need to call or tell in person.
2. Call the people on your list – It’s important to be kind and direct. If you reach the person while they’re driving, ask them to pull over before you deliver the news. Once they’ve processed the information, tell them who’s on the list and ask them if anyone should be added. Finally, tell them not to mention this to others until you’re done making your calls.
3. Make a public announcement – Once you’ve told everyone on your list about the death, you can use social media to break the news to other people and to get the word out about the funeral. You may want to hold off on this step until you’ve scheduled the funeral. It will give other family friends time to grieve before they’re inundated with calls and texts.
4. Use technology to post updates – It can be painful to deliver the same message over and over. Creating a WhatsApp group or mass text can help you keep your inner circle informed.

What to Do if a Death Occurs Outside of Florida

If your loved one has died outside of the state, but you want to bring them back for the funeral, you’ll want to contact a funeral facility with experience in transporting bodies for assistance. Your funeral director can make arrangements for transportation with the airlines. Naturally, this will increase the timeline between the death and the funeral as body shipping services take time to arrange. Oftentimes, The Gardens will have to enlist the help of a local funeral home in the area where the person has died. However, it’s not an unusual request, so you can rest assured that the respective funeral homes will arrange a safe, respectful transport.

How to Cope with an Unexpected Death

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for coping with the unexpected death of a loved one. To make matters even more difficult, you may be the person that the rest of your family and loved ones are relying on to arrange the funeral.

While having a project to focus on can help forestall some of the grief you’re feeling, it’s unhealthy to ignore your own needs. However, there are things you can do to ensure that the at-need funeral is a beautiful, memorable event without sacrificing your personal well-being:

• Delegate tasks to trusted friends.
• Allow yourself periods throughout the day to grieve.
• Have a friend who is outside of the deceased’s mourners to vent to.
• Front-load all time-sensitive tasks. Put off anything that can responsibly be delayed,
• Being in a room full of grieving people can be overwhelming. Walk away from the group when emotions become too intense.
• Leave your funeral planning in the hands of a full-service funeral and interment facility.

The Gardens of Boca Raton is a top-tier funeral venue and interment facility. Whether you choose for your loved one to remain in one of our mausoleums or, in the case of cremation, a niche, we can help you prepare the type of at-need funeral that honors the life of your loved one. Our staff is knowledgeable, professional, and, above all, dedicated to the memory of the deceased and the comfort of the living. Call today to make immediate arrangements.