When Death Occurs

If you have decided to use our services, please dial 206-529-3800 to notify The Co-op Funeral Home of the death. We have staff on-call 24 hours a day, so no matter what you will be able to speak to a human.

We will dispatch our transportation team to bring your loved one into our care. On the next business day, a staff member will contact you regarding scheduling an appointment to speak to a funeral director.

During this arrangement meeting, your funeral director will assist you with the death certificate information, as well as carrying out the final disposition of the decedent. If you have disposition authorization paperwork or a durable power of attorney with an advanced directive clause, you will be asked to provide that documentation during that arrangement meeting.

We conduct about 95% of our arrangements over the phone and acquire signatures digitally. We can accommodate meeting over zoom or in-person, as well as mailing authorization paperwork via USPS should those methods suit your needs better.

If you wish to access veteran’s benefits, please have all the necessary paperwork ready to provide to your funeral director. 

You will not be expected to make payment to the funeral home at time of arrangements. After authorizing paperwork is signed and submitted to your funeral director an invoice will be submitted for you to pay. Payment plans are available for those who need it.

Final disposition (i.e. cremation, aquamation, terramation, or burial) legally cannot be carried out until authorizing signatures are acquired from the next of kin, the death certificate is certified by a physician, permits are issued by the vital statistics office and payment is received.

Death certificates will be ordered on your behalf by the funeral director. They are typically available to be picked up in 5 to 7 business days.

For those choosing cremation, typically remains are returned to us from our care facility 15 to 20 business days after cremation paperwork is submitted (if this timing changes, your funeral director will alert you).