When someone you love dies,
you shouldn't have to guess what happens next.
A free booklet for the hours, days and weeks after a death. Ten short chapters covering what happens now, what you'll be asked to decide, and where to find help.
Most people meet this moment with no preparation at all. One minute you're a daughter, a husband, a friend. The next you're being asked about registrations, certificates, coffins and dates, often within a few hours. This booklet was written to sit beside you through that: plain language, no jargon, no sales pitch. Read the part you need and leave the rest until later.
you love dies Rite of Passage Funerals
Ten short chapters,
read in any order
Around 20 pages, designed to be printed and written on. The last chapter is blank space for names, appointment times and the things you'll be told once and need to remember.
What happens now
The immediate steps: who to call first, what paperwork is needed, and what decisions can wait.
Legal requirements
Death registration, the medical certificate, and what the funeral director needs from you.
Working with professionals
How to talk to doctors, funeral directors, and others who will help you through this.
Decisions you'll be asked to make
Burial or cremation, coffin type, service style, and the choices that need to be made quickly.
Telling people
How to share the news, who to tell first, and what to say when you don't know what to say.
Children and grief
How to talk to children about death, and what they need at different ages.
The first weeks
What to expect in the days and weeks after, and when you might start feeling like yourself again.
Practical tasks
Mail redirection, social media, and the admin that catches people off guard.
Getting help
Counselling, grief lines and community support across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern Rivers.
Notes and reminders
Blank pages for everything you're told and can't hold on to right now.
Families tell me the hardest part isn't the funeral. It's the not knowing. I wrote this booklet so you have something to hold, at two in the morning, when you can't call anyone.
Other things we've written
for families like yours
Who to notify when someone dies
Every agency, bank, insurer and provider who may need to be told, grouped so you can work through it slowly.
Read more → WorkbookHow to write a Legacy Letter
Four steps to leaving behind your love, your wisdom and your life lessons, in your own words.
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