If  you need help right away and don't know what to do -  Call us at 904-261-0876 for immediate answers.

If death occurs at home and the death was expected  ---  if your loved one was registered with a home health care agency such as a hospice company, for example, and death was expected, contact that agency and they will dispatch appropriate personnel to the home to handle matters for you.  They will contact the funeral home for you when you are ready for our transport personnel to come to the home.  We suggest also calling the funeral home and informing us of the death so that we may begin our process of caring for your loved one's end of life needs.

It is important to note that, even if the death was expected, if your loved one WAS NOT registered with a home health care agency, then you will need to get in touch with the local law enforcement agency as they must confirm that a doctor will agree to sign the death certificate before the deceased can be moved to another location.  Unless your loved one has a DNR (do not resuscitate) order, and depending  on circumstances, resuscitation may be attempted by emergency medical personal.

If death occurs at home and the death WAS NOT expected - or if no one was present at the time of death  ---  You will need to notify local law enforcement before the deceased can be moved to another location.    

 If your loved one passes away while under the care of a facility — such as a nursing home, in-patient hospice facility or a hospital — staff from the facility will contact  the funeral home as directed by the decedent's next of kin or person in charge of the deceased's affairs.  [Be aware that, in most cases, hospitals and some hospices will notify an organ and tissue retrieval company of the death. That company will contact the legal next of kin to solicit the donation of the decedent's organs and tissue for transplant and/or research purposes. If the care facility has notified an organ retrieval company, the facility will not release your loved one's remains to the funeral home until you speak with the retrieval company.]

Please know that our caring staff will listen to your concerns and answer any questions you may have.  Green Pine Funeral Home DOES NOT employ the use of slick sales tactics and there are never any hidden fees...EVER.  

An appointment will be made for you to meet with the funeral director and arrange for carrying out your wishes regarding your deceased loved one.  We know some will choose simple cremation and others will choose a more elaborate service which may include a traditional funeral and burial.  The is choice is yours to make and you will not be pressured to purchase services or merchandise you don't want or need.  Depending on the type service you intend to select it may be necessary for you to bring clothing, military documentation or other items with you to the arrangement conference.  We will remind you of items you may need to provide..

It is possible for arrangements to be made in our office or in your home or other location. In some cases it may be possible to make remote arrangements by way of phone, email and fax.

We will need to gather some personal information about your loved one in order to file the death certificate and other legal documents.  As a relative of the deceased you will probably know most of the information we will need such as:  the deceased's social security number, date and place of birth, father and mother's name including mother's maiden name.

There will be other forms and authorizations that will need to be completed based on the type services you select.

If you choose a service that involves a funeral or memorial service rest assured we have years of experience arranging all manner and types of services from the very simple to elaborate services of dignitaries and military heroes.  All are equally important to us and deserve our utmost respect and attention to detail.

Families frequently ask our help with composing obituaries.  The obituary we compose can be sent to you for proofing and/or editing by email and then placed by us in those publications you select. [A note about obituary costs - Currently, as of 2018, the local newspaper, The Fernandina Beach Newsleader charges $65 for an obituary without a photo; $75 with photo (they will provide a free notice listing the deceased's name, name of the funeral home and time and place of service).  Obituaries are optional.

Remember that we are here to listen to you, help  you during this difficult and trying time. Feel free to call us at any time.