What does a funeral director do?

Funeral directors have an amazing mix of skills and privileges authorized by the state in which they live. They are generally considered the custodians of the dead in this country as well as the planners and producers of the body’s transport, care and disposition, though that definitely should not shut the family’s views of what should happen down or out. Good funeral directors have knowledge of world funeral custom. And of course, it’s a funeral director’s job to get your grieving year launched in a healthy direction. Some states allow families to control the caring and directing more than others; families can file the death certificate, make arrangements, even deliver to the cemetery or crematory. 

For greater ease, however, families may hire a funeral firm to manage some or all of those tasks. Nine states still require that you hire a licensed director: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New York. In some states, a funeral director’s license is split: directors are authorized to work either as an embalmer or a licensed funeral arranger. In other states, directors are trained well in the work that occurs both in the front and the back of the house. 

Every funeral firm, by law, has an itemized price list near the front door. You’ll be surprised at how widely those prices may vary from firm to firm. Get to know your local funeral director, even if your family members are determined to manage the disposition on their own. While maintaining the privacy of every family served, good funeral directors carry a wisdom you might not daily confront. They entered the industry to give peace to a suffering populace; they have wisdom to share from their experiences with the novel coronavirus.