A Death Has Just Occurred
A Death Has Just Occurred - What Should I Do?
If a death has just occurred you can call us 24/7 and speak directly with George, Mildred, Mark, or Geoff and they will be able to help you and your family right away.
Call Us, We Can Help You Right Away
604-926-5121
or
Send us a message
You may also choose one of the following options for more information.
The Death Occurred at a Hospice
When a death has occurred at a Hospice please know that most hospice staff & volunteers are very caring and allow family members to spend additional time with their loved one after the death has occurred (Usually 1-2 hours). When you are ready for our family members to come and transfer your loved one to our funeral home, all you need to do is call us.
Usually the Hospice staff will notify us that the death has occurred, but we also recommend that you call us as well to let us know when you would like us to come. Our phone number is below.
604-926-5121 - Answered 24/7 personally by the McKenzie Family.
Following the transfer we recommend taking a day or two to get some rest and to be with family and friends. Nothing needs to be done right away unless requested. When you are ready to start making arrangements and wishes for your loved one, please just contact us and we can meet with you at our office or your home. Our goal is to walk you through each question you might have and to honour your wishes as a family.
You can view our Funeral Checklist below to see what questions we will be asking in the arrangement and what information you will need to bring when meeting with us.
The Death Occurred at a Hospital
When a death has occurred at a Hospital please know that most nurses & doctors are very caring and allow family members to spend additional time with their loved one after the death has occurred (Usually 1-2 hours).
After the death has occurred and the family has left the hospital, your loved one is generally moved to the hospital morgue. At this time, you and your family will need to call a funeral home if you have not already made pre-arrangements with one. In most instances, hospital can take 12-48 hours before releasing the deceased to a funeral home.
When you would like to use our services and have our family members transfer your loved one to our funeral home, all you need to do is call. We will call the hospital to see if your loved one has been released and have you sign a release form (the release form gives us permission from you to make the transfer). Once the form is signed we will go to the hospital to make the transfer. You can call us at our number below.
604-926-5121 - Answered 24/7 personally by the McKenzie Family.
Following the transfer we recommend taking a day or two to get some rest and to be with family and friends. Nothing needs to be done right away unless requested. When you are ready to start making arrangements and wishes for your loved one please just contact us and we can meet with you at our office or your home. Our goal is to walk you through each question you might have to honour your wishes as a family.
You can view our Funeral Checklist below to see what questions we will be asking in the arrangement and what information you will need to bring.
Death Has Occurred at Home - Was Expected
When the death has occurred at home, and was expected by completing the expected notification of death at home form, please know that our family will personally come to your home to bring your loved one to our funeral home. You will either expect George, Geoff, Mark, Dave or Jim to attend.
Furthermore, if the death just occurred and you need more time before you would like us to come, this is not a problem. On many instances we have not attended to the death of someone at home for several hours. We only come when the family would like us to attend to the death.
When you would like to use our services and have our family members transfer your loved one to our funeral home, all you need to do is call. We will come to the residence when requested and help make the transfer from the home. If you would like to help or be with your loved one as they are transferred from their home to our vehicle, you are more than welcome to do so.
604-926-5121 - Answered 24/7 personally by the McKenzie Family.
Following the transfer we recommend taking a day or two to get some rest and to be with family and friends. Nothing needs to be done right away unless requested. When you are ready to start making arrangements and wishes for your loved one please just contact us and we can meet with you at our office or your home. Our goal is to walk you through each question you might have to honour your wishes as a family.
You can view our Funeral Checklist below to see what questions we will be asking in the arrangement and what information you will need to bring.
Death Occurred Unexpectedly - Coroner's Service.
If a death has just occurred unexpectedly and the Police and or Coroner's Service are involved there are some important items you should know.
Firstly, the deceased individual will likely be taken to a facility that is contracted out by the Coroner's Service of British Columbia. Most often this is at a nearby Hospital morgue, but this can vary.
One of the first thing you can do is inform family and friends of the death. When the Coroner's Service is involved there is no scheduled time when the deceased might be released to a funeral home. We recommend taking the time to spend with your family and be there for one another.
When you are ready, the next step would be to contact a funeral home to make arrangements. We recommend giving us a call at the number below when you are ready to start making funeral arrangements.
604-926-5121 - Answered 24/7 personally by the McKenzie Family.
Once the transfer of your loved one has taken place and you are ready to start making funeral arrangements, please just contact us and we can meet with you at our office or your home. Our goal is to walk you through each question you might have to honour your wishes as a family.
You can view our Funeral Checklist below to see what questions we will be asking in the arrangement and what information you will need to bring.