Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the General Statutes of North Carolina allows for a change or substitution from the original funeral establish. We make sure whether it’s before the time of death or after there is no loss in your policy amount.

It's simple, just contact the administrative office at the retirement home and ask them to change your parent's designated funeral provider to Salem Funerals & Cremations.

If a death is unexpected, the most common response is to call 911. Emergency services personnel such as ambulance, firefighters or police may come to your home, and often every effort is made to revive the person or to transport them to the hospital. Sometimes the police may call a coroner, who is a medical doctor. You should feel free to ask the coroner questions about causes of death, autopsies, etc.

If the death is expected, you may wish to not call 911 since emergency services people may have to perform invasive resuscitative measures. If the death is expected, make arrangements for the attending physician to come. Although the funeral home may not move the deceased person until the attending physician pronounces death, feel free to call the funeral home to ask for advice if needed.

The first thing you should do after the attending physician has left is to call the funeral home to arrange a time to finalize arrangements.

Since you will need to contact many people when a death occurs (relatives, friends, employers, clergy, etc.) it is often helpful to plan ahead.

If the death was expected, contact the individual's practicing physician or the physician on call in their office. They will be available to help you through the next steps of the process. This will include finalizing the death certificate. For more information, read through the funeral services overview page.

If the death was not expected, you are welcome to call the funeral home. We will be happy to dispatch individuals to your home or place of the body.

It's best to speak with one of our Staff members because some cemeteries or religions have specific requirements. Please contact us at 336-722-6122.

In the Moravian church, there are certain religious beliefs that dictate specific burial requirements, such as the traditional headstone or choir.

A disposition is the choice you will make between a ground burial, mausoleum, entombment, or cremation. This is a very personal choice and is often dictated by faith or an individual’s belief system. Please know that as you make this decision there will be appropriate forms and fees for each.  Contact us if you have specific questions; we will be happy to help you.

No. Unfortunately, most people think that they have taken care of everything by writing a will, establishing a living trust, or even purchasing their cemetery plot. A will simply leaves instructions for the handling of an individual’s financial affairs, while a living trust usually only clarifies certain general wishes regarding medical treatment. The service itself needs to be planned with your funeral director.

To find out what social security benefits are available to you call 1-800-772-1213 or go to www.ssa.gov.  In some cases, a monetary burial allowance is available from the Veteran’s Benefits Administration.  For assistance with these questions you can call 1-800-827-1000 or go to www.vba.va.gov/benefit_facts/index.htm.

All veterans can be buried in a veteran cemetery. There are usually several veterans' cemeteries in each state. The veteran cemetery closest to Winston-Salem is in Salisbury. There is no charge for veteran funeral services. The Department of Veterans Affairs also will provide a flag and grave marker, at no charge, after the family produces the honorable discharge papers (Form: DD 213) from the government. You will find further information at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website: http://www.va.gov/

There is a monetary allowance for veterans who are receiving veteran's benefits for service related disabilities. We will always call the Veteran's Administration to determine the individual allowance. (We will take the responsibility of contacting and verifying the benefit.)

We will always file the notification of death form with the Social Security department. There is a $255.00 lump sum benefit for the surviving spouse. This notification will also shift social security payments from the deceased to the surviving spouse. The household would then receive the greater of the two social security payments but not both (only provided if the spouse works). For more information, write or visit any Social Security office, or phone the toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available weekdays 7 am to 7 pm.

Often families would rather identity the body of their loved one in their own clothing. State law and funeral homes require identification of the body to be cremated on our premises.

You do not need a casket, but the state requires the use of a cremation container for the handling of the body and identification. There are various types of cremation containers, please discuss these options with your funeral director.

Please refer to your local paper. The best way to write an obituary is to read a few in your local paper as examples.

No. They are billed per line of newspaper text, however; our staff will be able to help you with a general estimate. Please do not hesitate to ask us about this.

You are responsible for writing the obituary. Your funeral directory will provide the obituary notice to the papers of your choice.