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Bob Phifer
Bob Phifer Cochran Mortuary President, and his wife Terri Cochran Phifer have proudly served Wichita families since 1980. The company has been family owned and operated since 1928, spanning five generations. You may contact Bob at (316) 262-4422.
Final Arrangements
2003-08-01 11:28:00
What does a funeral director do?
ANSWER: The proper responsibilities and duties of the licensed funeral director are many and varied.  Along with the legal responsibilities required with a death, the licensed funeral director is most importantly charged with a moral and ethical trust placed with him or her by the family of the deceased.  Therefore, the funeral director must be qualified and willing to provide empathetic support and guidance to all who request his or her service regardless of circumstance.  In other words the "true funeral professional" must help "shoulder the burden" of a loss to death.  That being said, let us look at the varying tasks and physical duties provided by a licensed funeral director from the time he or she is notified that a death has occurred.    It has been proven that over 100 individual tasks must be arranged for and in place within usually a brief period of time in order for a "traditional funeral service" to take place.  For this reason, the licensed funeral director must be an organizational coordinator, in essence, an event planner.   The following is a condensed list of important duties of a licensed funeral director:   The removal and transfer of the deceased from the place of death to the funeral home (24 hours a day).     Professional care and custody of the body of the deceased, which may include sanitary cleansing, embalming with permission, restorative art, dressing, hairdressing, cosmetology and casketing.   Conduct and direct a complete consultation with appropriate family members to gather necessary information regarding the deceased and properly discuss specific arrangements for a funeral or other disposition.     Complete and file all legal documents, death certificates, permits, affidavits and authorizations as required by law.   Assist family in filing for death benefits from insurance carriers, Veteran's Administration and other agencies.   Arrange and coordinate clergy, musicians, cemetery or cremation service, floral service, visitation and viewing requests, transportation, funeral escorts, etc.   As mentioned, this is a condensed list.  To provide the service involved with a typical funeral service, from the notification of the death through the ceremony at the cemetery, the funeral director and his or her staff will expend over 200 man hours in planning, preparation, directing and conduction of the funeral service.   The professional licensed funeral director's duties should not end with the conclusion of the funeral.  A trained and qualified after-care specialist is especially helpful providing guidance and advice to families in facing the adjustments forced upon them by the death of a husband, wife, mother, father or child.  In addition to the duties and tasks outlined, the licensed funeral director must also provide accurate and truthful information to the public concerning prearrangement or prepayment of funeral and death care plans or expenses.
 
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