When death has occurred or is immanent:

1. Determine if any pre-arrangements are already in place for the deceased's death care.
   
   A. If the deceased was a member of BAFS:
   
   
   • Locate his/her Mortuary Selection Form. This lists the name of the chosen funeral home and the method of disposition (burial, cremation), as well as information on arrangements made for body donation. Please note that BAFS no longer keeps copies of members' completed forms.
   • If the deceased has made arrangements to donate his/her body, notify the receiving institution about the death. If they want the body, they will provide instructions for how to proceed. Otherwise, notify the selected mortuary and let them know that the member has died. For contact and pricing information, consult our list of current contractors. Because businesses change hands or close their doors, it sometimes happens that the chosen mortuary no longer exists. In that case, simply pick another from the list.
   • If you cannot find the deceased's Mortuary Selection Form, then print another one, fill it out, and proceed as directed above.
   • Please notify BAFS of the death so that we may update our records. Call us at 510-841-6653 or email info@bafsweb.org.
   
   B. If the deceased is not a member of BAFS:
   
   
   • Look for any written instructions the deceased may have left regarding death care.
   • The deceased may have chosen a mortuary and may even have prepaid some of the costs (it is not possible to prepay all of the costs); contact the chosen mortuary to proceed (especially if there has been prepayment).
   • A cemetery plot may already have been purchased; notify the funeral director about the cemetery plot.
   • The deceased may have set up a trust or bank account to pay for the costs associated to death care.
   • The deceased may already have made arrangements for body-donation; contact the institution specified.
2. Make the basic decisions.
   
   A. What level of help do you want?
   
   
   • At one end of the spectrum, a funeral director at a mortuary can make most of the arrangements in consultation with the family.
   • At the other end, the family can opt for home death care, managing all the arrangements, including moving and transporting the body, and filing all of the necessary paperwork.
   • In between is family-managed death care with the help of a BAFS volunteer, a home funeral consultant, or a willing funeral director.
   
   B. Method of disposition of the body. This must be done by a person who has the right to control the disposition of the remains.
   
   
   • Burial
   • Cremation
   • Green burial
   • Body or organ donation
   
   C. Do you want to join BAFS so that you may choose among the discounted packages at our cooperating mortuaries?
   
   D. Which mortuary to use
   
   
   • See the list of cooperating mortuaries that give discounts to BAFS members for specific packages.
   • See our Funeral Price Survey. The survey allows you to compare the prices of 72 funeral homes in the Bay Area.
   • Although the deceased may have wanted to donate his/her body, or you may want to manage his/her death care without the help of a mortuary, things don't always work out as planned. Therefore, it's a good idea to choose a mortuary and have a plan in place just in case.
   
   E. Choose the products and/or services that you want
   
   
   • Contrary to what some funeral homes may tell you, embalming does not provide a "public health benefit." It is not required by law. However, if you want a public viewing of the body, then the funeral home may insist on embalming. For more information on this subject, click here.
   • Consider these affordable packages
   
   F. What sort of memorial service is desired, if any?
   
   
   • Viewing and Visitation: The Difference
   
   G. Where to bury the deceased (if burial is chosen)
   
   
   • See Cemetery List (Work in progress)
   • See our Cemetery Survey
   
   H. What to do with the ashes (if cremation is chosen)
   
   I. How to pay for it all.
   
   
3. Additional Tasks
   
   
   • List and notify immediate family, close friends, employer, and union. Notify lawyer, accountant, and executor or administrator of the estate.
   • Notify all life insurance companies affected, Social Security Office, and Veterans' Administration if eligible for benefits. (The funeral director may assist in this.) Check for other death benefits, as from group insurance policies, credit union accounts, labor unions, pensions, etc.
   • Notify banks, credit unions or stockbrokers where deceased had accounts.
   • Check for all installment payments coming due on merchandise, loans, or mortgages.
   • Notify credit card companies, book and record clubs and stores where deceased had charge accounts.
   • Notify Post Office of forwarding address to relative or executor.
   • List distant persons to notify and arrange for letter or printed notice.
   • Notify lodges, fraternities and other organizations of which the deceased was a member, and the schools and church that she or he attended.
   • Notify the three credit reporting bureaus (Experian, Transunion, Equifax) about the death, to help prevent identity theft.