Helpful Information

What to Do When Death Occurs

Within Hours

Unexpected deaths are emotionally draining and difficult. Don’t hesitate to call us if you are unsure what to do. 541-367-2891 We answer 24 hours a day.

If your loved one is on hospice or in a hospital or nursing facility or care home, let the facility/hospice know to call Sweet Home Funeral Chapel when you are ready for transportation to take place.

If your loved one passes away at home, or not attended by hospice or nursing care, call the police, either city or county depending on where you live. They will come first and review the situation then contact the medical examiner. When they are ready for transport, they will call Sweet Home Funeral Chapel and we will take your loved one into our care.

Within the First Few Days

We will call you to make an appointment to come and make arrangements. If you do not hear from us, please call, we may not have a correct number for you or may not know who is handling the arrangements.

Please make funeral arrangements with us before telling family and friends when services will be. We will make sure we are available and the facility or cemetery are available to alleviate having to call everyone back.

What to Expect When We Meet

When we meet, we will gather information to complete the death certificate and notify social security, go over the pre-arrangement instructions if any, discuss the wishes of disposition – whether that is cremation or burial, and help plan and help arrange service details.

This process may include:

  • Preparing and filing the official death certificate
  • Scheduling the services and events (including the location, date, and time)
  • Selecting a casket, urn, or other products you may need
  • Drafting an obituary
  • Arranging necessary transportation
  • Ordering military honors for the service

We’d like to make this process as smooth and stress-free for you as we can, so remember to bring the following information about your loved one with you as well:

  • Full legal name and home address
  • Social security number
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s maiden name
  • Veteran’s discharge papers (DD-214), if applicable
  • Information about the burial location if applicable
  • Clergy name and phone number if applicable
  • Names and relationships of survivors
  • Insurance policy information if using to pay for funeral expenses

If you do not know some of this information when you come in, you can always call us with it when you find it. Please also bring a recent photograph and any clothing you’d like us to use when dressing them for the service.

Common Questions

Do I need to call social security?

We notify social security of the death so you do not have to call them. If you need more information:  online ssa.gov, go to the local office, or call them (expect a long hold time) 800-772-1213

 

What do I do when a death occurs away from home?

Please call us and we will coordinate transportation of your loved one back home as soon as possible. If you plan on cremation, we can transport them here or work with a funeral home and help you through the process and paperwork to have the cremation done and the cremated remains returned home.

Can I still have a viewing with cremation?

Definitely! In fact, we encourage you to do so. Choosing cremation only indicates how you’d like to care for your loved one after the service and doesn’t exclude you from celebrating and honoring their life in any way. Whether you’d like to have a visitation beforehand, arrange a funeral service before cremation, or wait and hold the service after the cremation, we’re happy to help you design a meaningful service to accompany the cremation.

How long does the cremation process take?

It depends, once we have all the proper authorization, the actual cremation takes about 2 to 4 hours. The family can usually pick up the cremated remains 24 to 36 hours after the cremation.

Can I personalize my service?

Absolutely! Our staff has years of experience getting to know families and incorporating their loved one’s hobbies, activities, interests, and unique requests into meaningful and memorable services. Don’t hesitate to make a request because you think it might be too “out there”—we’re honored to work with you to create a service that truly reflects and celebrates your loved one’s individual life journey.

What if I prearranged somewhere else and move?

It is always your choice which funeral home to use. Information and insurance policies can be transferred to any funeral home of choice.

Should I choose burial or cremation?

For some, it is a difficult choice. Please call us to set up an appointment to discuss the benefits, differences, and similarities between burial and cremation. We can give you information that you can use to make a more informed decision.

If I preplan and prepay, what if prices go up?
When you prearrange with Sweet Home Funeral Chapel, and prepay into a guaranteed funeral insurance (we will help with that), we guarantee that all of the guaranteed items are covered at no additional cost even if our costs have gone up substantially.
What kind of payments do you take?

We take cash, checks, visa, mastercard, and billpay checks.

What if I have life insurance? Can I use it to pay the funeral bill?
Yes, typically, life insurance policies will accept a funeral home assignment which states the beneficiary would like the insurance to pay the funeral home directly the amount of the funeral service bill.
I am trying to qualify for Medicaid, but they told me I need to spend down my money.

Many people will come to us to prearrange and prepay for their funeral or final wishes in order spend down their money to qualify for Medicaid or other services. We are happy to help them. We set up the policy so that it will not count as an asset against them.

I am trying to qualify for Medicaid, but I have an insurance policy that puts me over the financial threshold.
We hope you will come to us and let us help you keep your life insurance. You do not need to cancel your life insurance, we will help you get the proper paperwork to make it so the insurance will not count as an asset against you.

Local Resources

Florists

Sweet Home Florist*
1231 Main Street
Sweet Home, Oregon 97386
(541) 367-2424

*Preferred local florist

Nancy’s Floral Boutique & Candy Shoppe
754 Main Street
Lebanon, Oregon 97355
(541) 258-5252
FloristInLebanon.com

Flowers on Vine
262 E Vine Street
Lebanon, Oregon 97355
(541) 258-5509
FlowersOnVine262.com

Hotels & Motels

Sweet Home Inn
805 Long Street
Sweet Home, Oregon 97386
(541) 367-5137

Shanico Inn
1840 S. Main Street
Lebanon, Oregon 97355
(541) 259-2601
ShanicoInnLebanon.com

Best Western Inn
315 Airport Road SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
(541) 928-6322
(866) 270-2846
BestWestern.com

Budget Inn
2727 SE Pacific Blvd
Albany, Oregon 97321
(541) 926-4246

Day’s Inn & Suites
1100 Price Road SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
(541) 928-5050
(800) 329-7466
WyndhamHotels.com/Days-Inn

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
105 Opal Ct. NE
Albany, Oregon 97321
(541) 928-8820
(800) 263-9393
HiExpress.com

La Quinta Inn & Suites
251 Airport Road SE
Albany, Oregon 97321
(541) 928-0921
(866) 608-9330
WyndhamHotels.com/Laquinta

Phoenix Inn Suites
3410 Spicer Road SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
(541) 928-5696
(888) 889-0208
PhoenixInnSuites.com

Relax Inn & Suites
1212 Price Road SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
(541) 926-0170

Airports & Transportation

Portland Airport
7000 NE Airport Way
Portland, Oregon 97218
(503) 460-4234
(800) 815-4636 TDD
PortlandAirportPDX.com

Eugene Airport
28855 Lockheed Drive
Eugene, Oregon 97402
(541) 682-5430
EugeneAirport.com

Groome Transportation
Shuttle from Portland Airport to Albany
Service to/from the Eugene Airport also available
33566 Columbus St SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
(877) 693-3785
groometransportation.com

American Eagle Taxi
(541) 967-3278

Amtrak
110 10th Ave SW
Albany, Oregon 97321
Reservations: (800) 872-7245
Amtrak.com

Greyhound Bus Lines
300 W Second Avenue
Albany, Oregon 97321
(541) 967-4669
(800) 229-9424
Greyhound.com

Newspapers

The New Era (Sweet Home News)
P.O. Box 39
Sweet Home, OR 97386
(541) 367-2135
(541) 367-2137 Fax
SweetHomeNews.com

The Democrat-Herald
P.O. Box 130
Albany, OR 97321
(541) 926-2211
(541) 926-5298
DemocratHerald.com

We can help contact any other newspaper that is not listed here to post obituaries on your behalf.

Cemeteries