FAQ

The first step is to select a funeral home. Notify them of where the death has taken place at. They will arrange for your loved one to be transferred into their care. To contact Martin Brothers Funeral Chapel, please call 403-328-2361 if you have not already done so. We will set up an arrangement time that works best for your family.

To prepare for arrangements, we will be asking you the following:

• Vital Statistics
  
• Their full legal name:
  
• Usual residence:
  
• Name of their spouse:
  
• Their occupation, before retirement: 
  
• Their Birth-date:
  
• Their Birthplace:
  
• Name of their father:
  
• Father’s birthplace:
  
• Name of their mother (maiden name):
  
• Mother’s birthplace:
  
• Their Social Insurance Number:
  
• Their Alberta Health Care Number: 
  

Obituary: We can submit newspaper obituaries upon your family’s request. 

Disposition: Please consider if you would like to proceed with cremation or burial.

Viewing: Discuss if you would like to do a viewing. Select clothing that you would like for them to be dressed in. Also, we require permission to proceed with embalming, if applicable.

Service: Discuss the location, preferable date and time of service, clergy / officiant (if there is not a preferred member of clergy, we do have individuals within our funeral home who are able to officiate services and adjust the service to your preferences), eulogy speaker, any other forms of personalized tribute (musical, scripture readings, poems, personal memories, open mike), hymn / music selections (average three song selections), slideshow / photo tribute (can be completed by our facility), memorabilia, pallbearers, cemetery location, reception location, preferred caterer, and menu preferences. 

Viewing can be an asset in the grieving process, as it provides a sense of reality that the death has happened. A cause of death usually approaches in two fashions, either a long-drawn battle with failing health or a sudden passing. In both scenarios, a viewing can provide that opportunity to give family serenity. When the deceased had suffered through an illness or physical changes, we try to restore a healthier, more peaceful appearance of that individual. When the passing is unexpected, a viewing is an opportunity for family and friends to say goodbye and express their emotions in their loved one’s presence. In both cases, it provides a sense of comfort for many. Viewing is also encouraged for children, if the process is explained and voluntary.

The purpose of embalming is to sanitize and preserve the body, as well as enhance the appearance of the deceased. This provides the opportunity to extend the time between the time of passing until the final disposition.

Embalming is not usually legally required if burial or cremation takes place within 72 hours of the death, but each funeral home has their own policies concerning embalming for the safety of their staff and the public.

In certain cases, where a communicable disease is present, embalming is not permitted by law and the body is placed in a sealed metal-lined container instead.

If the body is transported across a provincial boundary, embalming is required by law.

Traditions are still important when it comes tofunerals, whether they are religious or simply family based. That being said,new traditions are being created all the time, and celebrating the life of aloved one can take on many forms. A reception at the funeral home, time setaside for tributes and a loved one’s favorite music, gathering at a favoritepark, restaurant, or other setting, are all personal and appropriate ways toremember a loved one. Your funeral director is an excellent resource who willtake care of all the details, allowing you to focus on the moment and trulycelebrate the life of your loved one.

When your loved isunder a physician’s care and a home death is expected, you may immediatelycontact Martin Brothers and we will bring your loved one into our care. When a death is unexpected and happens in the home, please call your localemergency services (911) and they will notify the Medical Examiner’s office;who may wish to investigate the cause of death. Please also contact MartinBrothers and we will begin to assist you.

Traditionally, thepallbearers for a funeral were mainly the close friends and associates of thedeceased. It is an honor for family members or friends to carry a loved one totheir final resting place. However, when immediate family are deciding to be apallbearer, some things to consider are; will someone from the family be availableto assist the spouse of the deceased at the graveside, and are the people beingconsidered physically able to carry the casket? The role of an honorarypallbearer is also important, and those not able to be an active pallbearer cancertainly be considered for this honor.

Funeral costsdepend on many factors including the selection of a casket or cremation urn,related merchandise, and services. The average cost of a funeral is currently inthe $10,000 range, and the bill from the funeral home is broken down into threeparts; service fees, merchandise, and disbursements. Although it is common toconsider cremation to be less expensive, there are economical burial optionsavailable.

Bringing a lovedone back to their home town can be a complicated and expensive process. In thisunfortunate circumstance, we can definitely help. No matter where you are, weare on call 24 hours a day and can be reached anytime. We can look afterbringing your loved one into our care whether it be by ground or air. In orderto avoid the expense and worry of this process, we have travel plans that canbe purchased prior to death that cover travel anywhere in the world if deathoccurs 100 kilometers or more away from a person’s legal primary residence.Once the travel plan is in place, one toll-free phone call is all it takes tobegin the process of bringing your loved one home.

Columbarium niches are available in most CityCemeteries and surrounding areas. The niches available can store two urns andinclude engraving of the names on the niche front.

Crematedremains can be released to the family as well. As such, they can proceed instorage of the urn or have the option to scatter. Scattering of crematedremains is usually permitted on Crown and publicly owned lands but permissionmust be obtained ahead of time in all cases. In national parks, scattering crematedremains in water is prohibited, but remains can be “cast to the wind”. Inprovincial parks, forests and wilderness areas scattering is allowed anywhere,but permission is required to scatter remains over lakes and rivers.

Somecemeteries have special areas where cremated remains can be scattered andindividual plaques may be placed there.

Thereare several important issues to consider before scattering, as scattering ofcremated remains is permanent and cannot be reversed.

•There is no permanent place to identify with the deceased and if done onprivate property, it may be sold in futureyears.

•There may be restrictions at parks, lakes, and such places and they may not beaccessible in the future. There is also no guarantee that the location will bein the same condition in the future.

•There is likely not a way to place a marker to identify the scattering locationfor future generations.

Keepsakeurns and memorial jewellery are a common practice of providing multipleindividuals with their own amount of cremated remains. There are some uniquemethods of personalizing your memorialization as well. These possibilitiesinclude: creating a memorial tree, placing into fireworks, placing in heliumballoons, creating coral reef, creating a diamond, hand blown glass and glasspaperweights.

Friends and familymay not be given the appropriate channels of closure to properly complete theirpersonal grieving process, leaving unanswered questions and concerns. Evensomething as simple as a small gathering of close family and friends wouldallow them the opportunity to express their grief and reminisce together over alife well lived. The finality of a funeral allows those left behind to find asense of closure. 

It is important toknow that Power of Attorney ends at death, and the person immediately in chargeof funeral decisions is the personal representative designated in the will(executor). If there is no Will, there is an order of responsible persons thatmust be followed, starting with the spouse or interdependent partner at thetime of death, followed by an adult child of the deceased, a parent of thedeceased. If none of these exist, there is a further list of responsibility.

Yes. Having awill can protect your family from future legal uncertainty, and gives you thecontrol to distribute your estate accordingly. Even if a person feels that theycannot afford a lawyer, a simple online will is better than nothing.  Aperson can hand write and sign their own version of a will, so long as it iswitnessed by two persons who are not family members or beneficiaries of theestate. This leaves something in their hand writing that gives direction totheir family regarding the estate. That being said, a legal will is always thevery best option.

After a persondies, their estate often goes through Probate, the process in which an executorconsolidates the decedent’s assets and uses them to pay debts, taxes, andprobate expenses. Survivors then receive remaining assets according to the termsof the will.

It is notnecessary to belong to a church to have a funeral. Martin Brothers RiverviewChapel is large enough to accommodate up to 400 people for large funerals, andwe have smaller facilities to hold services for 20 to 30 people. There areother options as well, so consider what best reflects the personality and tasteof your loved one and your family. Hotel ballrooms, community halls, parks, andback yards are just some of the options for funeral gatherings. Martin Brothersalso has a Certified Funeral Celebrant on staff and has connections with manyclergy members who may be suitable to officiate at a funeral service either atour chapel, or elsewhere.

A funeral is simply defined as “a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, orremembering the life of a person who has died.” A life lived is a life worth remembering. Funerals have become asunique as the person they are meant to memorialize. Memorialization of a loved one isimportant to both those who belong to a faith community and those who do not.We have a funeral not because someone has died, but because they have lived.Grief is a completely individual experience and, as such, plan a funeral tovalue that. Perhaps that means a backyard BBQ or a time of fellowship in yourlocal parish; however you define a funeral toensure that it means the most to you.