Vital Statistics for Death Certificates

Dec 15, 2009 | 0 comments

Whether you are pre-planning a funeral or planning after a death in the family has occurred, this is information you will need to provide for a death certificate. If you don’t have easy access this information, the process will be much more stressful. It’s better to pre-plan and pull the facts together before you need it!

Legal Name: first, middle, last

A.K.A.: other names the person was also known as

Sex: male or female

Date of Birth: month, day, and year

Birthplace: city, state, and country of birth

Date of Death: month, day, year, and time

Place of Death: name and type of place, such as a hospital, nursing home, etc.

Race: White, Black, Native American (and tribe), Hispanic (from where), etc.

Citizenship: citizen of what country

Social Security Number: an especially important piece of information

Marital Status: married, never married, widowed, divorced

Spouse: if spouse is the wife, her maiden or birth name, and date of birth

Residence: last address where the deceased resided, including county and state

Father and Mother: provide the maiden or birth name for the mother

Usual Occupation: the kind of work, business, or industry of the deceased

Armed Forces Service: yes or no

Veterans Information: Social Security or serial number, wars fought, branch of service, highest rank, enlistment and discharge date/location, disability and pension information, discharge papers

Attending Physician: name and contact information

Disposition: burial, cremation, donation, entombment, removal from state (distant burial)

Cemetery or Crematory: if such services have already been selected

Plot Location: again, if already selected

Other information provided by others that may appear on the death certificate include:

Manner of Death: natural, accident, homicide, suicide, undetermined, pending investigation

Cause of Death: such as diseases, injuries or complications that directly caused the death

Contributing Factors: other significant conditions related to the death, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and/or other diseases or conditions

In addition, for funeral services, Muslims or Jews may need to provide the person’s name in Arabic or Hebrew, as well as the translated names of their parents. It’s better to find this out while the person is still alive to tell you!

A Good Goodbye