The first thing to focus on of course is the funeral.  It must be planned and paid for, or at least a plan needs to be made for payment.  You should look through all the available records to see if there was a prepaid funeral contract.  This may be kept with or near a will or estate planning file.  The deceased may even have left instructions about what kind of funeral or other service he or she might want.  You should look for this information.  Texas law gives a priority to claims for funerals, so if you or someone else has to pay for the funeral, you should keep receipts of your expenditures and plan on presenting a claim to be reimbursed.

Last updated on January 6, 2011 by Glenn Karisch