If your loved one passes away while under the care of a facility — such as a nursing home or a hospital — staff from the facility will contact you and notify appropriate authorities themselves.

If the death occurred in the workplace or at home, you will need to get in touch with his/her physician or emergency medical personnel, as the cause of death must be identified and indicated in legal documents.

In the event that no one was present at the time of death, you will need to contact the police before moving the deceased to another location.

Tom or Lauren will assist you with your funeral arrangements. We will collect information from you in order to facilitate the transfer of your loved one’s remains to our facility. You would also be asked if the deceased has made pre-arrangements and whether or not you’d like for him/her to be embalmed. While of course you can ask any questions you have in your mind during this call, we can discuss the arrangements in greater detail when we meet together to make funeral arrangements.

Feel free to call us whenever you feel the need to. Remember that we are here to listen to you, help you, and guide you during this difficult and trying time. We will always give you our cell phone numbers so you can reach us at any time.

On your first meeting with us, we will discuss the arrangements for your loved one’s burial. You will be shown a list of our packages/services so you can decide what suits your family’s preferences and budget. You will be asked whether you’d prefer burial or cremation arrangements and optionally you would select a casket, schedule a time and date for the services, decide on the location of the burial, draft an obituary notice, arrange for vehicle services, and select pallbearers.

We would also use this opportunity to inquire about your loved one for us to have a better understanding of the person the services will honor. A funeral service can be very simple or as elaborate as you'd like.

A death certificate is a legal document indicating the cause of death, including other vital statistics pertaining to the deceased, signed by the attending physician. In case your loved one died due to an accident, a coroner or the county medical examiner may prepare the form. We will fill out and file the death certificate with our local registrar. Certified copies of the death certificate can also be purchased at the same time. These certified copies are important when gaining access to bank accounts and safety deposit boxes, claiming for benefits due to the family (like the Veteran’s benefits or insurance claims), and transferring or selling ownership of properties. The cost of Pennsylvania Certified Copies of Death Certificates are $20 a piece. 

If you need a death certificate for a person anytime after 2 1/2 months after a death, please go to Pennsylvania Vital Records to order death certificates. King Funeral Service does not hold onto any death certificates of those we serve. If you need information to fill out the online application, please don't hesitate to call us.