Funeral Arrangements
Typical Information Needed for Making Funeral Arrangements
Funeral Home
- Date of the funeral (cannot be set until issuance of the death certificate is assured)
- Type of Service (Casket, Embalming, Viewing, Memorial, Hindu Last Rites, Cremation, Urn)
- Livestreaming available or not (see COVID-19 FAQs below)
- Ashes (Delivered or Stored at the funeral home for the short term)
- Embalming the body, or none (see COVID-19 FAQs below)
- Selection of Casket
- Selection of Urn
- The total cost of the Agreement
- A signed Agreement with the cremation/funeral home (see COVID-19 FAQs below)
Hindu Last Rites Service
- Hindu religious service at the funeral home prior to cremation
- Find a Hindu priest
- Puja Items Checklist
- How much time is needed for religious service
- How much time for eulogies
- Select speakers for eulogies
- Decisions about scattering ashes/remains from cremation; scattering in USA or India, or storing
Death Certificate
- Make a note to order extra copies of the official Certificate of Death; shall be needed for closing accounts of the deceased.
COVID-19 Specific FAQs
Q. Is it possible to have a traditional funeral if someone dies of COVID-19?
- Yes, a person who dies of a COVID-19 related illness is entitled to the same service options afforded to anyone else. If public viewing is consistent with local, state and federal guidelines, the funeral home ceremony may be limited to 10 members of the family. A virtual cremation is broadcasted for the larger family members and friends of the deceased. Because the grief experienced by survivors may include a variety of feelings, survivors may need even more support.
Q. What is the purpose of embalming?
- Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness.
- Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.
Q. Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?
- No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable contagious disease or when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours.
Q. What are the Funeral Homes in the Bay Area that support Hindu/Sikh/Jain Last Rites?
- HSCI does not have a financial interest or arrangement with any of these featured providers. This information is being presented as a community service. Please use your discretion.
- The following funeral homes in the Bay Area accommodate rituals for the Indian-American community (Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian):
- Callaghan Mortuary and Livermore Crematory, 3833 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550 FD#416; CR# 38 -- 925-447-2942
- Jess C. Spencer Mortuary and Crematory, 21228 Redwood Road, Castro Valley, CA 94546 FD#1168 -- 510-581-9133
- Lifemark Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 32992 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA 94544 FD#1240 -- 510-471-3363
Note: LifeMark Group of Cemeteries, Crematories, and Funeral homes services are at Hayward, Oakland, Sacramento, and San Mateo.
Q. What are the typical Funeral Home packages?
- Here are examples of three Funeral Home Packages for Hindu/Sikh/Jain funerals:
- Package 1
- Package 2
- Package 3
Q. Who can perform the Last Rites?
- If the son is not there, daughter/son-in-law or any near or dear and immediate family members can perform the last rites. The Priest may guide you further on this aspect.
Q. Is sending flowers to the Funeral Home or taking flowers to Funeral Homes okay?
- The practice of people sending flowers to funeral homes has been a tradition with Christian faith and has been widely adopted by Indians. After the cremation, families could send flowers to hospitals or care facilities.
Q. Participation of women in Funeral acceptable?
- Yes.
Q. Offering amounts presented to the Priest, should it be ending with 1, not 0. For instance: Offering to priest or temple $500, not $501. Why?
- The priest is offered without adding $1 to the amount. When a Pooja is performed for a happy cause, $1 is added to the amount for a repeat of happy occasions, Poojas for Blessings.
Disclaimers This is practical guidance, individual Sampradaya practices may vary. HSCI has no financial interest in any of the service providers or institutions listed herein.