We have either a licensed funeral director or a competent and understanding person answering the phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of whether it is a weekend or holiday. We are here when you need us.

If a death has just occurred, call Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home at 320-634-4466. You need to provide us with the following information:

• Name and location of the deceased.


• Name, phone number, and relationship of the person who will be in charge of making arrangements.

We will make arrangements for removal of the deceased to the funeral home for final disposition.

If death occurs in a hospital or licensed facility………

• A staff member will notify the funeral home at the time of death. The name, address and phone number of the next of kin should be given to a staff member.


• Most long term care facilities request the name of the funeral home desired upon admission to the facility, as well as information about the next of kin.

If death occurs in a hospice unit or at home with hospice/home health...

• If a hospice or home health staff member is present at the time of death, they will notify the physician and the funeral home.


• If a hospice or home health staff member is not present, they need to be called to come to the home, and will in turn notify the physician and the funeral home.

If death occurs at home with no health care provider present...

• The police will need to be notified first by calling 911. If the person was under a physician’s care, they may notify the physician, or they may notify the medical examiner on call. The deceased may be taken to the hospital by ambulance or may be released to the funeral home from the residence.


• If unsure who to notify, you may call us and we will assist you in notifying the proper authorities.

If death occurs away from home...

• Dealing with a loss is never easy, but dealing with a loss away from your hometown can seem especially complicated. We are experienced in helping families make the necessary arrangements regardless of where the death occurred.


• A family member should call our funeral home first if they wish to have the funeral and interment in the area. It is more cost effective for you to contact us first, and allow us to deal directly with a funeral director in the town or city where the death occurred, in coordinating arrangements for transporting the deceased.


• Ask us about “Return Assured”, a program that can be utilized to ensure complete costs of transportation expenses if death were to occur away from home. This program must be activated prior to departure on your trip, vacation or winter stay.

If death occurs outside the United States...

• The U.S. Embassy in the country where death occurred needs to be notified. This may be done for you by an official in the country you are in.


• We will work with the embassy and coordinate the return of your loved one.

Information required...

• Depending upon where death occurs, it may be necessary to provide some basic information in order to facilitate transportation of the deceased. While the information needed varies from state to state, it usually includes:
  
  
  • Social security number
  
  
  • Address of current residence
  
  
  • Date, city and state of birth
  
  
  • Parent’s name including mother’s maiden name
  
  
  • Veteran status
  
  
  • Educational level
  
  
  • Usual occupation
  
  
  • Place of burial/cremation
  
  
  • Name, address, and relationship to deceased of the informant
  
  
• In addition to the above information which is required for the preparation of the death certificate and burial permit, we will be requesting further information when you come to make arrangements in order to prepare the obituary.

Remember...

You can always call us at any time. Our answering service knows how to contact us immediately and we will return your call as soon as we can.

 Survivor's Checklist

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