When a Death Occurs

You do not have to arrange the transfer yourself

In most situations, your first job is simply to tell the right person that you want American Heritage to care for your loved one.

• If your loved one is in a hospital, nursing facility or other care facility, tell the staff you have chosen American Heritage.
• If your loved one was at home on hospice, call the hospice nurse first.
• If the death at home was unexpected and your loved one was not under hospice care, call 911.

The hospital, facility, hospice or other authority will contact us when your loved one is ready to be released into our care. You do not have to coordinate that transfer yourself.

And you do not have to make all of the funeral decisions tonight.

When you call us

Call (432) 563-9767 at any hour. During office hours, our staff will help you directly. After hours, a live answering service that works exclusively with funeral homes answers the phone.

When a family calls after hours because a death has occurred, you are transferred to our on-call funeral director. You will not be sent to a voicemail box or left wondering what to do next.

You can also call us before your loved one has been officially released into our care. We may have to wait for the appropriate authority before we can come, but we can still talk with you, answer questions and tell you what happens next.

If the death happened at home

If your loved one was under hospice care

Call the hospice nurse first. Hospice will come to the home and complete the required pronouncement. Tell them you have chosen American Heritage Cemetery, Funeral Home & Crematory. Hospice will contact us when your loved one is ready to be released into our care.

You may call us at any point while you are waiting. You do not have to wait to speak with a funeral director.

If the death was unexpected

Call 911. An unexpected death at home requires the appropriate authorities to respond before a funeral home can take your loved one into its care. Tell the responding authority that you have chosen American Heritage. We will come when your loved one has been released to us.

If the death happened at a hospital or care facility

Tell the hospital, nursing home or care facility that you have chosen American Heritage Cemetery, Funeral Home & Crematory. That is your part.

The facility will contact us and provide the information we need to bring your loved one into our care. You do not need to arrange transportation yourself.

If your loved one died out of town

Call us. American Heritage can coordinate transportation from elsewhere in Texas, another state or internationally. We compare air and overland transportation and use whichever costs less.

You do not need to find a transportation company or work out those arrangements on your own.

What to gather when you can

Nothing in this section needs to be found in the middle of the night. When you are able, it is helpful to gather:

• Information needed for the death certificate
• Clothing for your loved one if there will be a viewing, including undergarments and shoes
• Life insurance or funeral insurance paperwork you can locate
• A DD-214 if your loved one was a veteran
• Any prearrangement, prepaid funeral or related paperwork you may have

Do not worry if you cannot find everything. Bring what you have. We will tell you what is still needed and help you work through the rest.

What happens next

We will schedule an arrangement conference with the person legally authorized to make the funeral arrangements. That is usually the next of kin, unless your loved one designated someone else in advance through the appropriate written document.

Our part of the arrangement conference usually takes about one hour. It can take longer when a family has more questions or simply needs more time. During that meeting we will walk through the decisions that actually need to be made and explain the available options.

You do not need to arrive knowing what kind of funeral, cremation, cemetery property or memorial your family wants. And you do not need to be afraid to ask.

Families sometimes assume something is not possible or not allowed, so they never ask the question.

If your loved one was a veteran

Bring a copy of the veteran's DD-214 if you have it. Do not worry if you cannot locate it immediately. It can be provided after the first meeting.

The DD-214 is needed before burial in our Garden of Calvary veteran section and is also used when arranging benefits such as a burial flag or military headstone. Learn more about veteran services.

If arrangements were already made

Bring whatever paperwork you can find. There is no single place where every funeral prearrangement, insurance policy or prepaid plan can be looked up.

If you are unsure what your loved one had in place, call us. We will review what you have and help you determine the next steps. Learn more about planning ahead.

A real response, day or night

Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After office hours, a live answering service that works exclusively with funeral homes answers your call. When you are calling because a death has occurred, you are transferred to our on-call funeral director.

If you need us now, call (432) 563-9767.

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