When Death Occurs

When a loved one dies, it can be a very disturbing time for the survivors. They are faced with a myriad of tasks before, during, and after the funeral service. We at Ocwieja-Robles Funeral Home & Cremation Service are trained to provide thoughtful assistance during these challenging times.

At Home or at Work

When a death occurs at home or in the workplace, a family member or co-worker should contact emergency personnel and the person's physician if he or she was under a doctor's care. If the death occurs at home with family or friends present, and the person is under a physician's care, the family will want to call us directly.

However, if the death occurs in a residence and no one is there at the time of death, the police will need to be notified and respond to the residence before the deceased is removed from their home.

If in any case you are not sure of who to notify or what to do, you may call Ocwieja-Robles Funeral Home & Cremation Service, and we'll assist you in notifying the proper agencies

While Under Supervised Care

When a death occurs in a care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, the professional staff will notify you and the necessary authorities. If the name of the funeral home has been left with them, the institution will notify the funeral home at the time of the death. The funeral director will contact you immediately following their notification to help you proceed. (However, we suggest you contact the funeral home immediately, so you've got the reassurance you need that all is taken care of properly.)

If a loved one was in the care of a hospice program, a hospice representative will give family members instructions and procedures to follow. The coroner/medical examiner will be notified by hospice. Following their release the hospice will contact the funeral home. It is always a good idea for the family to contact us immediately so that we will be aware of the pending call from hospice.

When A Death Occurs

In an effort to be of greater help, we have developed the following checklist of important things you may wish to consider in preparing for the tasks that lie ahead. The very first thing you will want to do is contact us at 773-254-3838. If this is long distance, please call us collect. We will immediately go to work to care for the deceased and help you arrange funeral services. At your convenience, we will want to discuss the following information.

• Vital statistics about the deceased such as full name, address, social security number, birth date, marital status, etc.
• Personal history of the deceased such as education, employment, military service, memberships and affiliations, general biographical information, etc.
• Clergy to be contacted
• Immediate family and friends to be contacted
• Notices in newspaper and other media
• Type of funeral service desired
• Type of casket, vault, urn
• Musical selections
• Scriptural selections, poetry, readings
• Floral requests
• Clothing and jewelry requests
• Casket bearers
• Type of disposition: earth burial, entombment, cremation, etc.
• Organ and tissue donation preferences