 | Tom Morris
is president of Downing & Lahey Mortuaries and Crematorium. He joined the family business as a funeral director and embalmer in 1986-the fourth generation to do so.
There are two Downing & Lahey locations in Wichita-one on the east side at 6555 E. Central, and another on the west side at 10515 W. Maple. Tom can be reached at his office at (316) 682-4553, by fax at (316) 685-8624, or by e-mail at info@downingandlahey.com. You can also visit Downing & Lahey on the Internet at www.downingandlahey.com |
Final Arrangements
2001-12-01 16:06:00
Bringing loved ones home
Question: What happens if someone close to me dies away from home and I am responsible for making arrangements? What is the procedure?
Answer: In today's mobile society, it is not uncommon for a death to occur away from home. This may happen because someone has decided to retire to a warmer climate, has moved to be closer to family members that can assist with care, or has had a tragic accident or health condition that arose while on vacation. Regardless of the reason, the first step is to call your local funeral director.Your local funeral director can be of great assistance because he or she can make the necessary arrangements for you. The local funeral director can be called at any time during the day or night to handle the distant arrangements. Since most funeral homes have a directory of major funeral homes in the United States, your funeral director can contact a funeral home where the death occurred and deal directly with a funeral director there. (Your local funeral home may also be a member of a national association. This can be helpful because your local funeral director may know that funeral director personally.)One thing to keep in mind when planning the funeral is patience. It can take several days to bring the remains home due to state regulations that require specific paperwork before the remains are allowed to cross state lines. The method used to transport the remains can also cause delays. If the death occurs within a few hundred miles of home, it is generally easier and less expensive to send an automobile to bring the remains home. When the death occurs in a distant state, a common airline carrier will generally be used. Delays can be common. For example, in Wichita, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to ship or receive human remains on the weekend at Mid-Continent Airport. Air cargo just isn't open.An extreme situation is a death that occurs outside the United States. This can pose many problems, the least of which can be the language barrier. A death outside the United States may require the assistance of the United States Consulate Office or help from your local congressman's office.If you do a fair amount of traveling, you may want to consider purchasing a Travel Plan from your local funeral home. This is a product that is specifically designed to take care of the expenses and arrangements when a death occurs more than 100 miles away from your legal residence.Contacting your local funeral director at your time of need is the first step in dealing with a death away from home. Your local funeral director is there to help; don't hesitate to call him or her.
