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What to Do When a Loved One Dies: A Step-by-Step Guide

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:26:27 GMT

When someone you love passes away, the world can seem to stop.

Even when a death is expected, the moments that follow are often filled with shock, sorrow, and uncertainty about what needs to happen next. It is completely normal to feel unsure. Most people only face these responsibilities a few times in their lives, and no one expects you to know everything.

This guide walks through the steps families typically take, from the first hours to the weeks that follow. Take them one at a time, and remember that you do not have to handle everything alone.

In the First Few Hours

Step 1: Arrange for a Legal Pronouncement of Death

Before anything else can happen, a medical professional must officially pronounce the death. How this happens depends on where your loved one passed. If the death occurred in a hospital or care facility, staff will handle the pronouncement. If your loved one was receiving hospice care at home, call the hospice nurse, who can guide you through the process. If the death was sudden or unexpected at home, call 911 right away.

Step 2: Notify Close Family and Friends

Once the death has been pronounced, reach out to immediate family members and close friends. You do not need to make every call yourself. Consider asking one or two trusted people to help spread the news to extended family, neighbors, coworkers, or members of your loved one's faith community. Sharing this task can ease a heavy emotional load.

Step 3: Contact a Funeral Home

A funeral home will arrange to bring your loved one into its care, whether from a hospital, nursing home, or residence. At Schumacher-Kish, our staff is available to answer your call at any hour, and we serve families throughout La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, and La Crescent. From that first conversation, we can explain what comes next and help you feel steadier during an overwhelming time.

In the First Few Days

Step 4: Look for Existing Plans or Wishes

Before making decisions, check whether your loved one left any instructions. They may have prearranged their funeral, written their preferences in a will, or discussed their wishes with a family member. If a preplanned arrangement exists, much of the decision-making may already be done, allowing you to focus on honoring the plans they made.

Step 5: Make Funeral or Memorial Arrangements

Meeting with a funeral director is an important step. Together, you will discuss whether your family prefers burial or cremation, what type of gathering feels right, and how to reflect your loved one's personality and values. Reviewing an overview of funeral and cremation services ahead of time can help you feel more prepared for this conversation. You will also make choices about the obituary, music, readings, flowers, and any religious or cultural traditions you wish to include.

If your loved one served in the military, be sure to mention it. Veterans may be eligible for burial benefits, a flag presentation, and other honors. Our team can help your family arrange meaningful veterans services that recognize their service with dignity.

Step 6: Gather Important Documents

Several documents will be needed in the days and weeks ahead. These often include your loved one's Social Security number, birth certificate, marriage certificate, military discharge papers (DD-214), insurance policies, and any will or trust documents. Placing everything in a single folder can make later tasks far easier.

Step 7: Request Certified Death Certificates

Your funeral director will typically help file the death certificate and order certified copies. You will likely need several of them to close bank accounts, claim life insurance, transfer property, and notify government agencies. Ordering more than you think you need can save time later.

In the Weeks That Follow

Step 8: Handle Financial and Legal Matters

After the service, attention often turns to practical affairs. Notify the Social Security Administration, your loved one's employer or pension provider, banks, and insurance companies. If there is a will, the named executor will begin working through the estate, sometimes with the help of an attorney. Remember to cancel subscriptions, forward mail, and secure the home or vehicle if needed. There is no need to rush. Many of these tasks can be spread out over several weeks.

Step 9: Make Room for Your Grief

With so many responsibilities, it is easy to set your own emotions aside. Yet grief deserves attention, too. Rest when you can, accept offers of help, and lean on the people who care about you. Some families find comfort in reading about the grieving process or receiving gentle encouragement along the way. Our GriefWords support resources offer thoughtful guidance for the days, weeks, and months after a loss.

You Do Not Have to Do This Alone

Losing someone you love changes everything, and no checklist can fully prepare you for that. What a guide like this can do is give you a starting point when your thoughts feel scattered. Take things one step at a time, ask questions whenever you need to, and allow yourself to lean on others.

For more than 75 years, families in our community have trusted Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services to guide them with compassion and care. If you have recently lost a loved one or simply want to know what to expect, our team is ready to listen and help whenever the time is right for you.

Burial vs. Cremation: How to Decide What's Right for Your Family

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:01:59 GMT

Few decisions feel as weighty as choosing between burial and cremation.

For some families, the answer is clear because a loved one shared their wishes or because faith and tradition point the way. For others, the choice comes amid grief, with little time to reflect and many voices offering opinions. If you are weighing these options, know that there is no single right answer. There is only the choice that feels most fitting for the person you are honoring and the people who loved them.

At Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, we have walked alongside families in La Crosse, Onalaska, and La Crescent for more than 75 years. Here is a gentle look at the questions that can help you find clarity.

Understanding Your Options

What Traditional Burial Involves

Burial is the long-standing practice of placing a loved one's body in a casket and laying them to rest in a cemetery plot, mausoleum, or family grave. It is often preceded by a visitation and a funeral service, followed by a committal at the graveside. Many families find comfort in having a permanent, physical place to return to on anniversaries, holidays, and quiet afternoons. Burial also carries deep meaning in many religious traditions. Families considering this path can review our funeral packages to see how the different elements come together.

What Cremation Involves

Cremation uses intense heat to reduce the body to bone fragments, often called ashes or cremated remains. Afterward, the remains are returned to the family in a temporary container or an urn of their choosing. Cremation offers flexibility. Remains can be buried, placed in a columbarium niche, kept at home, shared among family members, or scattered in a meaningful place, as long as local rules are respected. Because our Onalaska location has its own on-site crematory, families can feel confident that their loved one remains in our care throughout the process. You can explore our cremation packages to understand the options available.

Questions That Can Guide Your Decision

As you reflect, these questions can help bring your family's priorities into focus.

What Did Your Loved One Want?

The most important starting point is often the simplest. Did your loved one ever share how they wanted to be remembered? Some people leave written instructions or pre-planning documents, while others mention their preferences in passing conversation. Even a casual comment can offer guidance and reassurance that you are honoring their wishes. If no instructions exist, think about the life they lived. Were they deeply rooted in tradition, or did they value simplicity and freedom? Their personality can often point you in the right direction.

How Does Faith or Tradition Shape the Choice?

Many faiths hold specific beliefs about the body after death. Some traditions strongly favor burial, while others embrace cremation or have become more accepting of it over time. If your family belongs to a faith community, speaking with a clergy member can help you understand which practices align with your beliefs. Family customs matter too. If generations of your family rest in the same cemetery, that continuity may carry special significance.

Where Will Your Family Go to Remember?

Consider how your family will want to grieve and remember in the years ahead. A cemetery plot offers a fixed place to visit, leave flowers, and gather. Cremation allows for more mobility, which can be helpful when relatives live far apart or when your loved one had a favorite spot along the Mississippi River or in the bluffs of the Coulee Region. Some families choose cremation and then bury the urn, blending both approaches.

What Fits Your Budget?

Cost is a practical concern, and it is perfectly reasonable to take it into account. Cremation is often less expensive than traditional burial because it may not require a casket, burial plot, vault, or headstone. That said, costs vary depending on the services you select. Cremation with a full visitation and funeral can be comparable to some burial arrangements. Asking for clear pricing helps you make a decision without added stress.

Both Paths Can Include a Meaningful Service

One common misconception is that choosing cremation means giving up a funeral. In reality, both burial and cremation can include a visitation, a funeral or memorial service, and personal touches that reflect a unique life. You might hold a traditional service with the casket present before cremation, or gather weeks later for a memorial with the urn displayed among photographs and cherished belongings. Through thoughtful funeral personalization , families can showcase hobbies, play favorite music, share stories, and create an atmosphere that feels true to their loved one. The disposition choice is only one part of the story. The way you gather to remember matters just as much.

Making the Decision Together

When family members hold different views, the conversation can feel tense. Try to approach it with patience, focusing on shared goals: honoring your loved one and supporting one another. Listen to each person's concerns, and remember that compromise is possible. A family might choose cremation while also selecting a cemetery niche so everyone has a place to visit. Above all, give yourself grace. Whatever you decide out of love and care is a meaningful one.

Whether your family is leaning toward burial, cremation, or still weighing both, our team is here to answer your questions with patience and honesty. Since 1949, we have helped families across the area create farewells that feel healing and personal. Learn more about Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services , or reach out to our caring staff whenever you are ready to talk through your options.