Frequently Asked Questions
- If the death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, the attending medical staff will notify the family first. This way, the family can spend time with their deceased loved one if they wish. Then the medical staff will contact the chosen funeral home.
- If the death occurs at home in hospice care, the family should contact the hospice staff. The hospice staff will then contact the chosen funeral home.
- If the death is unattended or happens outside of a hospital, nursing home, or at home in hospice care, you should notify the police.
- Notify immediately family members or close friends for support and assistance in making arrangements. If the deceased person had not chosen a funeral home, you will need to choose one to assist with the final preparations for burial or cremation.
- Depending on religious beliefs, contact the deceased person's clergy.
- Notify family, friends, and coworkers. It is helpful to have a prepared list of individuals, along with their corresponding email addresses and phone numbers, that the deceased person would like notified.
- Organize care of children and pets.
- Contact their employer to request information about benefits, any pay that is due, and whether there was a life insurance policy through the company.
- Review any pre-arranged funeral plans, insurance policies and special requests the deceased person may have previously recorded.
- If you or another person is not listed on the deceased person’s bank account, a certified death certificate will be needed to access the account.
At the first appointment:
- Come prepared with any questions you might have. We are here to guide you through the process in any way we can.
- We will ask you for certain information so we can complete the death certificate. This includes the place of death, their Social Security number, if there are benefits to claim, and other details. We will also discuss how many death certificates you need.
- We will ask questions about your loved one so we can create a memorable service or celebration of life.
- If you request a traditional service, please bring clothing, jewelry, or other personal items that were special to your loved one.
Funeral directors most often work together to coordinate shipment of a decedent from city-to-city, state-to-state, or even to international destinations. If someone in your family happens to die while travelling, contact the funeral director at your hometown funeral home and the funeral director at the out-of-town location of where the decedent currently is. Together, they will work with the family or responsible person to organize the best way to get your deceased loved one to exactly where they need to be.
The definition of an obituary is this: "notice of death, especially in a newspaper or online platform, typically including a brief biography of the deceased".
At Bradbury Memorial Center, we truly believe in the obituary. It is a document of record when it comes to a life well lived; a final message about the deceased and an opportunity to let the community, family, and friends of the deceased. It also informs them of when and where services are set to occur.
Please keep in mind that most print publications do charge and most often have a very specific word count. That said, Bradbury Memorial Center has a special place dedicated on our website to showcase obituaries for the families we've had the privilege to serve.
The types of services and merchandise selected primarily determines the cost of a funeral. For example, Bradbury Memorial Center can provide a General Price List prior to any decision making.
The General Price List details various types of services available and the cost for each. We've included price ranges spanning our different types of services including our available urns and caskets, too. We believe we have something for everyone's budget and style.
Yes you do and should ask questions regarding your rights.
FTC Consumer InformationBradbury Memorial Center has an onsite crematory. Once your loved one is in our care, everything is finalized and completed at our facility. Families can be present for the beginning of the cremation process if they wish.
Once the cremation is complete, we return the cremated remains to the family in an urn to keep at home, place in a cemetery, or scatter their loved one in a special and memorable place.
Yes. At Bradbury Memorial Center, families can be present for the beginning of the cremation process if they wish.
Once the cremation is complete, we return the cremated remains to the family in an urn to keep at home, place in a cemetery, or scatter their loved one in a special and memorable place.
Scattering cremated remains is safe and poses no health risks to you or the public.
In Arizona, there are no state laws that restrict where you can scatter your loved one's ashes. However, we do recommend checking the relevant city, county, or federal land rules if you do not want to scatter on private land.
In Arizona, you can scatter ashes:
- On private land
- On public land
- On federal land
- In lakes or rivers
- By air
If you would like more information on scattering ashes in Arizona, our staff is happy to answer your questions.
Scattering cremated remains is safe and poses no health risks to you or the public.
In California, the following people are allowed by law to scatter ashes:
- Employees of a licensed cemetery, crematory, or funeral home
- Family members of the deceased person
- Any person who has the legal right to scatter the deceased person's ashes
If you do not wish to scatter on your own private land, you must get written permission from the land's governing agency or property owner.
In California, you can scatter ashes:
- On private land
- On public land
- On federal land
- At sea
- In lakes or rivers
- By air
- In scattering gardens of churches, cemeteries, funeral homes, or memorial parks
If you would like more information on scattering ashes in California, our staff is happy to answer your questions.
You most certainly can transport cremated remains. Your funeral director can provide documentation to accompany cremated remains for identification purposes.
Cremated remains will always be presented to you in an urn. There are fancy urns, simple urns, biodegradable urns for water submersion, scattering urns, keepsake urns for special placement at home or for burial, token urns, and even "green" urns available at Bradbury Memorial Center.
Cremated remains may be hand-carried on most airlines with a proper container and documentation. The urn/container involved in airline travel must be suitable for x-ray at security. Always contact the airline well ahead of time to discuss the matter, as international travel may involve additional paperwork.
Yes. There may be many reasons to take the cremated remains into your home, all of which are perfectly acceptable.
The urn with the cremated remains may be displayed or kept in the home for as long as you choose. The National Funeral Directors Association recommend that you establish a long-term plan for placing the cremated remains somewhere permanently.
A trusted friend or family member should have a clear indication of what should happen to the urn or urns after your own death.
If you or loved one has chosen to be buried, Lake Havasu City has one cemetery, Lake Havasu Memorial Gardens.
If the deceased person or their spouse is a veteran, they can be buried at any Veterans Cemetery. Read more about planning a funeral for a U.S. veteran.
The materials a casket is made of and the material it is lined with determine the price of a casket.
At Bradbury Memorial Center, our funeral director will review our casket price list with each of our customers and provide price and construction details.
Burial practices, much like cremations, have been part of the human existence through time and many cultures. Some burial practices, or even lack thereof, are rooted in religious beliefs. Otherwise, burial can simply be a profound personal preference.
Burial options vary. In general, a casket or urn is placed in the ground of a cemetery burial plot.
An urn containing cremated remains may be placed within a columbarium niche. Human remains may be housed in a mausoleum, much like an entombment, in an above-ground structure. Mausoleums are stately and elaborate in some parts of the world.
Some of the most visited gravesites in the U.S. include:
- President John F. Kennedy - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
- Michael Jackson - Forrest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, CA
- Elvis Presley - Graceland, Memphis, TN
- Frank Sinatra - Palm Springs, CA
- Bruce Lee - Seattle, WA
- Johnny Cash - Hendersonville, TN
- Marilyn Monroe - Westwood Village Memorial Park, Westwood, CA
National Cemeteries are federally operated and are reserved for U.S. military veterans who have been honorably discharged.
There are at least 151 of them across 42 U.S. States and Puerto Rico, plus about three dozen other soldiers' lots and monument sites.
Did you know there isn’t a National Cemetery in every state? However, in Arizona, there are two. One is located in Phoenix and the other is in Prescott.
Some U.S. states have established State Veterans Cemeteries. Eligibility is like the federally operated cemeteries when it comes to veteran burial eligibility, but often times the state’s eligibility includes residency requirements.
In Arizona, there are five State Veterans Cemeteries located in the cities of Bellemont, Marana, Tucson, San Carlos, and Sierra Vista.
Serving families safely and with respect is always our top priority. In these times, we are taking extra precautions, such as:
- Following CDC guidelines for individuals and families.
- Following CDC guidelines for funeral homes.
- Following National Funeral Directors Associatio guidelines.
- Using online meetings to pre-arrange with families upon request.
- Routinely sanitizing, especially high-traffic areas such as bathrooms, doorknobs, and the coffee bar.
- Providing disposable tissues and hand sanitizer throughout the building.
- Asking staff to follow social-distancing guidelines and insisting they stay home if they feel sick.
- Safely holding a service for someone who has died of COVID-19.
Yes. Please contact us to discuss the latest guidelines.
Arizona Department of Health
ADHS - Highlighted Infectious Diseases for Arizona
This link goes has helpful information on COVID-19 for Arizona.
FEMA will be reviewing for assistance starting in April 2021
Bradbury Memorial Center takes all major credit cards, except Discover, cash and check.
At Bradbury Memorial Center, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our families. We believe that the information shared or that is obtained from you is personal. Our staff is here to ensure that the information you share remains confidential. We understand that your trust in us is our most important asset. As part of this commitment to your trust, we have adopted this privacy policy.
This statement of our policy is designed to help you understand how we ensure that your privacy is protected, and how we manage confidential information.
INFORMATION COVERED BY THIS POLICY
Our Privacy Policy covers all personal information that we obtain in the course of serving you and your family. We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law.
HOW WE OBTAIN PERSONAL INFORMATION
We receive most of our information directly from what you or your family share with us. Information is also collected from these sources:
- Funeral pre-planning activities
- Cemetery arrangements
- Medical and law enforcement personnel, such as the Medical Examiner
- Hospital or care facility
- The doctor and/or the doctor’s staff responsible for care
- Other third party sources used in providing funeral and cemetery services to you and your family
HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE
Confidential information about you or your family is of the highest concern to us. The need for a high level of confidentiality is part of our staff culture. It is our policy to restrict access to your personal, financial and account information. That information will only be provided to the staff who need to know that information in order to provide the services you have requested.
WHOM WE SHARE INFORMATION WITH
In order to best serve you and your family, it may be necessary to share personal information. For example, information that is gathered and authorized for release by you or your family for an obituary or notice of death to the community, is considered public information and not directly subject to our policy. In planning funeral or cemetery arrangements, it is often necessary to share information about the deceased and events in order to facilitate what you and your family have planned. At times, it is necessary to share information with other members of your family, the person designated by you to officiate at an event, our suppliers and other third-party companies, such as florists, outside cemeteries, insurance companies, etc.
Bradbury Memorial will also share personal information, when necessary, to:
- Protect against fraud
- Respond to a legal request for information, such as a subpoena
- Service your account
Finally, Bradbury Memorial Center does not sell any information that we gather to outside organizations.
Please visit this government webpage
