Steps to take at the time of death

• Death in an Institution: Tell the hospital or nursing home that you want McLaughlin Funeral Chapel to handle the arrangements; they will call us.
  
  
• Anticipated Death at Home: Tell hospice that McLaughlin Funeral Chapel will handle all the arrangements; they will call us. Often the family will elect to make prearrangements with us, this allows them to make important decisions under less stressful circumstances.
  
  
• Unanticipated Death at Home or Elsewhere: In these situations, immediately call 911. Tell the emergency personnel that you will be using McLaughlin Funeral Chapel. Often, the police can release the deceased to the Chapel. However, in certain cases, the body may need to go to the Medical Examiner's office to determine the cause of death.
  
  
• Death out of town: If the death occurs outside the Sedalia area, make one phone call to McLaughlin Funeral Chapel and our staff will make all the necessary arrangements.

The Funeral Arrangement Conference

• Social Security Number
• Military Discharge Papers, Form DD214
• Education history, clubs, organizations, and hobbies.
• Martial status, marriage date(s) and locate(s).
• Recent photograph for newspaper (optional).
• Clothing, all normal items including undergarments, no shoes. For women, an out fit closed at the neckline and long sleeves are preferred. Jewelry, broaches and short necklaces work better than longer necklaces.
• Number of certified copies of death certificates. You may need several certified copies of the death certificate, photocopies are not considered legal documents. Below is a list of companies and circumstances which might require a certified copy to complete your transactions.
  
  
  Each Life Insurance Company
  Pension, IRA or other retirement benefits
  Each bank account
  Stocks and Bonds
  Real Property
  Motor Vehicles
  Probate of Will
  Final Tax Return
  Your own files
  .