Collect valuables and personal items before leaving the patient’s room.
Decide on time and place of funeral or memorial services.
Make a list of immediate family, close friends, employers or business colleagues to be
notified by phone.
If flowers are to be omitted, pick an appropriate memorial to which gifts may be made.
Write an obituary.
– You can include: age, place of birth, cause of death*, occupation, college degrees and memberships held, military
service, outstanding work and list of survivors in family. Give time and place of services. Deliver in-person, or by
phone or e-mail to local newspapers. *Including cause of death is optional, but helpful if you would like to
direct funds toward an organization or a charity.
–  To place an obituary in the San Diego Union Tribune, call 866.411.4140,
visit www.utsandiego.com/memoriams/ or contact your local community newspaper for information regarding an obituary.
Arrange for members of family, or close friends, to take turns answering the door or phone,
keeping a careful record of calls and visits.
Arrange appropriate childcare, if applicable.
Seek help in coordinating the supply of food for the next days.
Consider special needs of the household, such as cleaning.
Arrange hospitality for visiting family and friends.
Select pallbearers and notify.
Notify lawyer and executor of the will.
Plan for disposal of flowers after funeral (hospitals or rest homes).
Prepare list of people to receive acknowledgements of flowers, calls, etc. Send appropriate
acknowledgements.
Check all life and casualty insurance and death benefits, including Social Security, credit
union, trade union, fraternal and military. Check also on income for survivors from these sources.
Promptly check on all debts and installment payments. Some may carry insurance clauses that
will cancel them. If there is to be a delay in meeting payments, consult with creditors and ask for more time before
payment is due.
If deceased is living alone, notify utilities and landlords.
Tell post office where to send mail.
Check with the Health Department or mortuary regarding the death certificate number.

Government Agencies:

Social Security Administration, 800.772.1213
Veteran’s Administration 800.827.1000 (if decedent was formerly in the military)
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, 800.269.5170 (military retiree receiving benefits)
Office of Personnel Management, 888.767.6738 (if decedent was not a U.S. citizen)
State Department of Motor Vehicles (if decedent had a driver’s license or state ID)

Financial Companies:

Credit card and merchant card companies
Banks, savings and loan associations and credit unions
Mortgage companies and lenders
Financial planners, stockbrokers and pension providers

Credit Reporting Agencies:

Immediately contact all three national credit agencies by telephone to report the death. Instruct them to list all accounts as “Closed. Account Holder is Deceased.” Follow up with a letter to each agency sent via certified mail. Be sure to retain a copy for your records. You may also request a credit report to obtain a list of all creditors and to review recent credit activities.

A sample notification letter is available at www.PalomarHealth.org/Bereavement.

Experian
Phone: 888.397.3742
Address: P.O. Box 9701, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax
Phone: 800.525.6285
Address: P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348
TransUnion
Phone: 800.680.7289
Address: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

Memberships (examples):

Professional associations and unions
Health clubs and athletic clubs
Automobile Clubs
Public Library
Alumni Clubs, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Veterans’ organizations and clubs
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

Do Not Contact Lists:

For a small fee, you can list the decedent’s name on the Deceased Do Not Contact List that is maintained by the Direct Marketing Association.

Direct Marketing Association (register at www.ims-dm.com/cgi/ddnc.php)