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Home Funeral Basics
Home funerals are a first step to going out green. Learn more about how you can plan and complete a home funeral, including paperwork and making arrangements. How to>Have a Home Funeral in New Hampshire, Perform Body Care, and Cooling Techniques. 

Home Funeral Description Download and Checklist
For a step-by-step description, download How to Have a Home Funeral in NH. Click here for an abbreviated checklist (coming soon).

Who to Call in the Case of an Unattended Death
​Deaths that occur when not on hospice service or under an attending physician's care must be reported to the Medical Examiner's Office at the locations listed on this webpage: https://www.doj.nh.gov/medical-examiner/report-death.htm. Once an ME has been called in, they are responsible for initiating the death certificate and completing the medical portion before turning it over to the next-of-kin who is acting as his/her/their own funeral director.

What to Do When You Meet Resistance
See our suggestion list for preparing to defend your rights to care for your own dead here: What to Do When Home Funeral Rights Are Challenged

More Resources

Find a Speaker Near You
NHFREA speakers are ready to come to you with presentations on a variety of funeral-related topics. We will also tailor presentations to your group or interests. Presentations

Find a Workshop Near You
Learn what goes into family-conceived, family-directed after-death care, including paperwork, body care, and much more. Presentations
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Find a Home Funeral Guide
Home funeral guides are knowledgeable about all facets of what happens after death, from body care to legal requirements. Learn more at the National Home Funeral Alliance
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Find an End-of-Life Doula or After-Death Care Educator
EOLDs seek to provide meaningful end-of-life experiences for the dying, their caregivers, and the agencies involved in myriad ways before the death occurs. Some doulas also offer after-death education. Find an EOL doula in your area at the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance

Find a New Hampshire Funeral Director
A comparative price guide of funeral goods and services, complete with contact information. Be sure to check out How To Read a General Price List if you have questions. 2020 Funeral Home Price Survey
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Find Veterans Benefits
Learn about all the options for US Military Veterans, including info for spouses and families. Veteran Burial and Memorial Benefits

Find Locally Sourced Crafts and Funeral Goods
Support your local artists and craftspeople in their efforts to create biodegradable products, such as caskets, urns, shrouds, and markers, from materials indigenous to the area. Shop local! Casket, Urn and Shroud Makers
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Find an Interfaith Minister or Celebrant
A resource for anyone who wishes to include a minister to officiate and lead rituals such as funerals,memorials, weddings, commitment ceremonies, baby blessings/namings, house blessings and other ceremonies to mark important life passages.
Interfaith Ministers of New England​
The Celebrant Institute and Foundation

Find a Green Burial Cemetery
We keep the most comprehensive, current list of cemeteries that offer green burial in many forms, and share it with other nonprofits and interested groups for their websites and publications. If you learn of any not on our list, give us a call and we'll add it. and if you see somethign that has become outdated, let us know that, too!​
Green Burial Cemeteries in the US & Canada​
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Find Advance Directives
Knowing what the deceased wanted is a huge gift to those left behind. Download the most recent official NH Advance Directives directions and forms at:
​Foundation for Healthy Communities NH Advance Directive Form
​Caring Info Advance Directive NH Form
​Understanding Advance Directives NHPCO 
25 Docs You Need Before You Die WSJ

Find Planning Forms and Booklets
Protecting Your Digital Assets Form
Planning Guide and Workbook for Home Funeral Families that is included in The After-Death Care Educator Handbook
​Before I Go, You Should Know from the Funeral Consumers Alliance at funerals.org

NH Newspaper Obituary Guide
Online obituaries are one way to get the word out while honoring your loved ones, but old-fashioned newspaper obits are still what's important and accessible for many. For guidelines and pricing of some newspapers in NH, search by name here: NH Newspaper Obituary Pricing Guide (last updated June 2025)

Funeral Goods and Services