What to Do


  • Bay Area Funeral Society

WHEN AN UNEXPECTED DEATH OCCURS


If the decedent has a physician, call and proceed as directed. If there is no doctor and paramedics/police are called, the death will likely be a coroner's case. Be prepared for removal charges from the coroner, and check body to remove needed or wanted items (such as car keys, IDs, jewelry, and wallets).

WHEN AN EXPECTED DEATH OCCURS


Call the decedent's physician, nurse, or hospice care provider. If a doctor has seen the patient within 20 days of the death (60 days if the coroner approves), it is legal for him/her to sign the death certificate. Contact the funeral director who will pick up the body, complete the death certificate, and submit the paperwork to the health department. Removal does not have to occur at any particular time; so waiting for last farewells or normal business hours is practical before calling the funeral director.

It is important to know that California law allows survivors to care for their own dead. If you are acting as the funeral director, then you will need to prepare the death certificate yourself. These forms are available at the county's Office of Vital Records. For more information on home funerals, visit http://www.finalpassages.org/

DEATH CERTIFICATES


Consider how many death certificates you need. Any of your financial arrangements, such as bank accounts, insurance, social security, veteran's benefits, IRA accounts -- anything to do with money -- needs a properly certified (embossed with the state seal) copy of the death certificate.

SOME OTHER STEPS


  • Notify family and friends.
  • Submit an obituary with time and place of service.
  • Notify executor/lawyer, insurance companies, social security office, utility companies, land lord, post office, credit card companies, etc.

Who We Are

  • The Bay Area Funeral Society (BAFS) is a non-profit organization that helps consumers in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties arrange funerals that are dignified and affordable. BAFS is one of more than 100 similar groups across the country, supported by the national Funeral Consumer Alliance (www.funerals.org). We are run solely by volunteers, and have no attachment to the funeral industry or to any religious group.

What We Do

  • We contract with local, independent mortuaries so that our members receive death goods and services at reduced prices. We also engage in consumer-education outreach. This includes group presentations, printed materials, personal consultations, local price surveys and membership benefits.

Our History

  • BAFS grew out of the Berkeley Co-op movement and has been in operation for over fifty years. In the past, our membership roster included the famous author, Jessica Mitford, whose best-selling book, The American Way of Death, exposed the excesses and high-pressure sales tactics of the funeral industry. BAFS continues her work.