Frequently Asked

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below is a list of questions and responses that we commonly receive at the funeral home. We will continue to include any new questions in this section that we feel would be helpful to others.

If you have a question that has not been covered in this site we would like to hear from you. You may use the "Ask the Director" section of our site to forward your question or comments to us.

If you would prefer to call us on the telephone, our staff would be pleased to provide an answer to any funeral related matter you may have. If we do not have the answer immediately, we will find it for you and contact you the minute the information is in our hands.

1.	"WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN SERVICES AND DISPOSITION?"

2.	"WHAT DOES A FUNERAL DIRECTOR DO?"

3.	"WHAT SHOULD I DO IF A DEATH OCCURS?"

Question #1	"WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN SERVICES AND DISPOSITION?"
Answer:	A valuable aspect of contemporary funerals is their individuality. Whether a ceremony is elaborate or simple, funerals are often individualized to reflect the life of the deceased and to hold special meaning for family and other survivors. A service may reflect one's religious beliefs as a reaffirmation of faith in a greater life beyond this world. Some families choose to reflect upon the occupation or hobbies of the deceased, and some choose to center the service around an ethnic background or social affiliation. In our society, three basic forms of final disposition are practiced. The first is earth burial, which continues to be the form of disposition chosen most often. Cremation is also a choice. This is a process of preparing the body for final disposition whereby the body is reduced by intense heat over several hours to a few pounds of small fragments. These cremated remains are usually placed in an urn, which may be buried, placed in a memorial niche, or kept in some other location. Cremated remains may also be scattered where permitted by law. Finally, entombment in a crypt is also a choice and is one of the oldest forms of disposition. Today many cemeteries maintain crypts for entombment, which may be in a mausoleum or in an outdoor garden.

Question #2	"WHAT DOES A FUNERAL DIRECTOR DO?"
Answer:	It has been estimated that over 136 individual activities must take place in order for one funeral to be conducted. The funeral director is actually an organizational specialist. Here is a condensed list of some of the more visible activities of a typical funeral director. •Removal and transferring the deceased from place of death to the Funeral Home. •Professional care of the deceased, which may include sanitary washing, embalming preparation, restorative art, dressing, hairdressing, casketing and cosmetology. •Conduct a complete consultation with family members to gather necessary information and to discuss specific arrangements for a funeral. •File all certificates, permits, affidavits, and authorizations, as may be required. •Acquire a requested amount of certified copies of the death certificate needed to settle the estate of the deceased. •Compile information and create an obituary for placement in the newspaper and/or website of the family's choice. •Make arrangements with a family's choice of clergy person, church, music, etc. •Make arrangements with cemetery, crematory, or other place of disposition. •The providing of a register book, prayer cards, funeral folders, and acknowledgements, as requested by a family. •Offer the assistance of notifying relatives and friends. •Arrange for clergy honorariums, music, flowers, death certificates, obituaries, additional transportation, etc. •Care and arrangement of floral pieces and the post funeral distribution as directed by a family. •Arrange for pallbearers, automobiles, and special services (fraternal or military) as requested by a family. •Care and preservation of all floral cards, mass cards, or other memorial contributions presented to the funeral home. •Your funeral director, with his/her staff personnel, will direct the funeral in a most professional manner, and be in complete charge of the funeral procession to the cemetery or other place of disposition. •Assist a family with social security, veterans insurance, grief counseling, and other death-related claims. •A post funeral meeting, by the funeral director, with a family, to deliver such things as the register book, floral and mass cards, and to ascertain whether or not he/she can be of further assistance. The traditional service is a meaningful expression for the family, and it gives friends and associates an opportunity to offer their tributes in the way of flowers or memorials to churches or organizations. Generally, a member of the clergy or other person chosen by the family conducts a service of remembrance. We encourage the active participation of the family in helping plan this part of the service. Many times family members take part by giving a reading, singing or assisting the clergy. If the ceremony is held in a church, there is no additional charge. Nor is there an additional charge for arranging and conducting fraternal services.

Question #3	"WHAT SHOULD I DO IF A DEATH OCCURS?"
Answer:	WHAT SHOULD I DO IF A DEATH OCCURS AT HOME? When death occurs, THE Aloia Funeral Home personnel are available to assist you at any hour, seven days a week. Call (973) 340-7077 for assistance. We will help coordinate arrangements with the cemetery, church and clergy. WILL SOMEONE COME RIGHT AWAY? If you request immediate assistance, yes. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say good bye, that is also acceptable. Our staff will come when the time is right for you. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES OUT OF STATE? When death occurs away from home, we can assist you with out-of-state arrangements and transfer the deceased to our facility. Call (973) 340-7077 for assistance.