Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Homes, serving Southeastern Connecticut- funerals, cremation, caskets, urns, preplanning

When a death occurs

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If death occurs at home, nursing homes, or a hospital, notify the Neilan Funeral Home @ (860) 443-1871. Our Funeral Home staff is on call 24 hours a day and we are glad to assist you by answering your questions or addressing your concerns immediately.

When the funeral home has been notified, our staff will go to the place of death and complete the transfer of the deceased to our funeral home. We will then arrange with you a conference at your convenience to discuss the funeral arrangements.

What To Do When A Death Occurs Out-of-Town

Contact Neilan Funeral Home @ (860) 443-1871 day or night.

When funeral arrangements must unexpectedly be made away from home, and family hearts are filled with mixed emotions, it is difficult to consider costs. Sometimes, without thinking, decisions are made in far away places that result in unnecessary expenses. To avoid the risk of this, the best practice is to contact us first and let us coordinate with a funeral home in the area where the death has occurred. This will drastically reduce the risk of your family incurring unnecessary charges.

We take charge from then on and make all the arrangements for transporting the deceased to a local funeral home for embalming and preparation for return to Southeastern Connecticut. You only need contact us with some basic information and call us when you return home to set a time for an arrangement conference.

What is involved in the arrangement conference

There are several steps to complete the funeral arrangements for either burial or cremation services. Details are completed during the meeting between the funeral director and the family. Normally this conference is at the funeral home, however it may be held within the comfort of the family's home. It is important throughout the arrangement conference for you to feel comfortable, and for you to allow us to get to know the life of the deceased, you, and your family. This conference is very important to all concerned.

What do I Need to Bring to the Funeral Home

When the funeral home is preparing for the services, there are several items that the family or closest friends need to provide. It helps if these items can be taken to the funeral home for the arrangement conference.

Clothes, jewelry, glasses and other personal items chosen to be placed in the deceased for the visitation, funeral service and burial;
Biographical information for the funeral home to prepare the death certificate and obituary.
Other necessary paperwork, such as Social Security information, VA discharge papers is the deceased was a veteran, and any insurance policies with which the funeral home will be providing assistance
A recent photograph for possible use with the obituary, and to assist the funeral home staff prepare the deceased.

Click Here for the Arrangement Conference Check List, Immediate Need form and Obituary form.

Gathering Death Certificate and Obituary Information

The next step is to gather information for the Death Certificate. This would include the following:

Name of the Deceased
Age
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Social Security Number
Occupation
Industry of Occupation
Years of Occupation
Years of Education
Name and Relationship of the Next of Kin
Marital Status
Name of Spouse
Name of Parents
Name and Relationship of Responsible Party

Once the information for the Death Certificate has been secured we will together create the obituary, which will be placed in the local newspaper, and out of town newspapers if appropriate. The purpose of the obituary is to notify friends of the death, tell a brief life sketch, and to inform friends of service time and place. This information usually includes but is not limited to:

Name of spouse and place and date of marriage.
The names of High School and Universities or Colleges they may have attended.
What the person did during his or her working career.
Organizations, groups or clubs they may have belonged to.
Hobbies
Personal information such as "he enjoyed reading".
Family information such as sons, daughters, brothers, sisters etc.
Photographs- You may choose to include a photo of your loved one with the obituary.

Planning the Service

Our role is to provide you choices that will assist you in creating a meaningful personalized service that is unique to the needs of your family members and friends. Since 1923, we have provided support to area families in arranging religious and non-religious services, both traditional and contemporary in nature in our funeral home, area churches, and other facilities and locations. It is our privilege and honor to offer our experiences and assistance in your time of need. Click here to view our Service Options.

Choosing a Casket, Urn, Vault and other merchandise

Choosing a casket, urn, vault or monument may sometimes be overwhelming. Our role is to inform you of the differences, therefore allowing you to make an informed decision. We are pleased to provide you a wide selection of caskets, urns and vaults. Caskets are available in hardwoods such as oak, pine, and cherry. Metal caskets are created from steel, stainless steel, or bronze.

We offer a wide variety of urns made of materials such as wood, bronze, stainless steel, pewter, cloisonee and granite. We are able to personalize your urn with a name, dates, a scene of a favorite memory, or even a photo. Choosing a vault is also an important part of the burial process. Each cemetery has requirements regarding the use of burial vaults and we will explain cemetery fees and requirements.

If you have any questions on these items, please see our product option pages or CONTACT US