Esperanza Family Funeral Home

What to Do When Death Occurs

When a death occurs in your family, you will be faced with important tasks and decision-making during a very difficult time. You may not know what to do or when to begin making arrangements. Bearing the responsibility can be overwhelming. Remember that you are not alone. Esperanza Family Funeral Home Funeral Home is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist you with the details and offer our guidance. We have compiled the following list to help guide you through the steps you will need to take when a death has occurred. Your funeral director will help coordinate all of the details when you meet for an arrangement conference.

After a death has occurred, notify Esperanza Family Funeral Home by calling 713-670-9600. The following are some questions that we may ask when you call:
- What is the full name of the deceased?
- What is the location of the deceased (Hospital, Nursing Facility or Residence)?
- What is your name, address and telephone number?
- What is the name, address and phone number of the next-of-kin?
- Is there a pre-arranged funeral plan? (If yes, what is the plan name or number?)
We will then set an appointment time for you to come to the funeral home to complete the details of the funeral arrangement. We will ask you to bring in some items and information that will be necessary to complete the arrangement. These items will include:
- Clothing for the deceased
- Social security number of the deceased
- The deceased's birth date and city and state of birth
- The deceased's parents names, including mother's maiden name
- Information about the deceased's education
- Marital status of the deceased
- Veteran's discharge papers or Claim Number
- A recent photograph of the deceased
- Pre-arrangement paperwork (if applicable)
- Cemetery lot information (if applicable)
Contact your clergy. Decide on a time and place for the funeral or memorial service (the services may be held at the funeral home)
The funeral home will assist you in determining the number of copies of the death certificates that you will need and will order them for you
Make a list of family, friends and business colleagues, and notify each by phone. You may wish to use a "branching" system: make a few phone calls to other relatives or friends and ask each of them to make a phone call or two to specific people
Decide on an appropriate charity to which gifts may be made (church, hospice, library, organization, school)
Gather obituary information, including a photo, age, place of birth, cause of death, occupation, college degrees, memberships held, military service, outstanding work and a list of survivors in the immediate family. Include the time and place of the funeral services. The funeral home will usually write the obituary and submit it to the newspaper(s)
Arrange for family members and/or close friends to take turns answering the door or phone. Keeping a careful record of visitors and flower deliveries will make it easier to thank people later on
If Social Security checks are deposited automatically, notify the bank of the death
Coordinate the food supply in your home for the next several days
Delegate special needs of the household, such as cleaning, food preparation, etc., to friends and family who offer their help
Arrange for child care, if necessary
Arrange hospitality for visiting relatives and friends
Select pallbearers and notify the funeral home. (People with heart or back difficulties may be named honorary pallbearers)
Plan for the disposition of flowers after the funeral (to a church, hospital or rest home)
Prepare a list of distant friends and relatives to be notified by letter and/or printed notice
Prepare a list of people to receive acknowledgments of flowers, calls, etc. Send appropriate acknowledgments, which may be a written note, printed acknowledgments, or both. Include "thank yous" to those who have given their time, as well
Notify insurance companies of the death
Locate the will and notify the lawyer and executor
Carefully check all life and casualty insurance and death benefits, including Social Security, credit union, trade union, fraternal, and military. Check on possible income for survivors from these sources
Check promptly on all debts and installment payments, including credit cards. Some may carry insurance clauses that will cancel them. If there is to be a delay in meeting payments, consult with creditors and ask for more time before the payments are due
If the deceased was living alone, notify the utility companies and landlord and tell the post office where to send the mail
Your Funeral Director will prepare the necessary Social Security forms.

Esperanza Family Funeral Home

Welcome to our website. Esperanza Family Funeral Home, funeral service providers in Houston, is dedicated to providing leadership in the funeral industry. In a continuing effort to improve all facets of our business, our web site was designed to help individuals acquire a better understanding and knowledge of the many services, merchandise and options associated with the funeral profession. If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Decades of experience have proven that pre-planning is one way to make arrangements without the pressure and grief of an unexpected situation.

Those who pre-plan their funeral needs are often reassured and comforted, knowing that they have relieved their families from the financial and emotional burden of making those decisions at the time of need. We tailor our payment plans to accommodate your family's special circumstances.

Our staff is available to openly discuss and put your mind at ease regarding all aspects of the pre-arrangements we have available. We believe that this is a sound way to avoid an emotional and financial burden often associated with making arrangements when a death occurs.

If you would like more information regarding pre-planning please fill out the form below and we will contact you to discuss the process of pre-planning a funeral

Traditional Funeral
Helps confirm the reality and finality of death..... a way for the community to pay its respects and a way to memorialize a life has been lived.

Cremation Services
Some people are surprised to learn that cremation is only the final disposition of the body, and may include all the aspects of a traditional funeral. Visitation or viewing with a funeral ceremony and church or memorial service are options that are available to families that choose cremation. Families can have a visitation with the deceased viewed in a casket followed by a funeral service. A memorial service is an option for those who choose cremation but do not want a visitation and funeral service with the deceased's body present. At the time of death an immediate cremation takes place at the earliest time allowable. A memorial service is then held afterwards, usually but not always with the remains present.

Preplanning:
Providing vital information for legal documents and permits, make important decisions with long lasting affects and getting informed of the many choices as well as costs involved in funeral services. Many of us spend more time on purchasing a car than planning a funeral. Preplanning allows families, in an unemotional and comfortable environment, to make personal decisions that will affect survivors for years to come, pre-funding may have financial benefits as well.

This is a FREE service with no obligation, designed specifically to provide you with an alternative way of considering funeral arrangements at your time of need.

What happens if a loved one dies out of our local area or out of the state or country?
It has been said that in life 3 things are for sure: Taxes, Life Changes and Death. One of these items can be timed and planned for, one can not. In the event of a death out of your local area, Esperanza Family Funeral Home is able to assist families in either the shipping out or the receiving of your loved ones remains, so that funeral services can be held in a timely fashion.

Code for good funeral practice
As Funeral directors, our calling imposes on us special responsibilities, to those we serve and to the public at large. Providing funeral services with compassion and dignity is foremost, the other is the obligation to provide information to the public, so that everyone can make an informed and knowledgeable choice about funerals and funeral directors, in their time of need.
It has been estimated that some 200 separate tasks are involved in planning a funeral. Be assured Esperanza Family Funeral Home will manage all of them with respect, compassion and honesty. But ultimately funeral direction is not about ordering flowers or placing death notices or any of the 200 activities. It is about the quality of our services - - Standing beside you in a very personalized way, at a most difficult time.

6750 Lyons Ave
Houston, TX 77020
713-670-9600

The compassionate funeral directors at ESPERANZA FAMILY FUNERAL HOME provide individualized funeral services designed to meet the needs of each family. The staff of dedicated professionals are available to assist you in making funeral service arrangements. From casket choices to funeral flowers, the funeral directors at ESPERANZA FAMILY FUNERAL HOME will guide you through the aspects of the funeral service.

Preplanning

Preplanning is planning today for tomorrow's funeral or cremation needs. It allows you to choose the type of service you desire - and can afford - now, when decisions can be made calmly and rationally. It also offers you and your loved ones the greatest gift of all-peace of mind.

Our staff of caring professionals will help lift the burden and anxiety of decision making from your loved ones by creating a permanent record of your funeral service preferences. By following this plan, your loved ones will know they are abiding by your carefully considered wishes, and you will be assured that they will be cared for by our helpful staff in their time of need.