Holman- Hankins-Bowker & Waud

Welcome

	Thank you for visiting. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office. 503-656-2661 Holman-Hankins in the historic McLoughlin District, circa the early 1900s.

The Best of Both Worlds
As a Full-Service Funeral Home, we are able to offer you the Best of Both Worlds; low cost cremation and burial options without having to limit your choices. You will never have to sacrifice your ability to choose the services and merchandise you want at Holman-Hankins-Bowker & Waud.

Our Commitment To You
It is an honor for our family to be part of a tradition of service dating back to 1890. As one of the last remaining family owned and operated funeral homes, we pride ourselves on our commitment to each and every family we serve.
At Holman-Hankins-Bowker & Waud, we believe that service, above all else, is the foundation on which our industry was created. It is our promise that we will strive to provide the most compassionate and caring level of service to each and every family we have the privilege of serving.
Thank you so much for allowing us to serve you and your family.

Holman-Hankins-Bowker & Waud

Frequently Asked Questions

Please Explain Social Security Benefits and Veterans Benefits?

Both of these death benefits, if approved, are provided to the legal next-of-kin. The Social Security Death Benefit is only available to the surviving spouse. This is a one-time $255 benefit. Social Security benefits may also be available to the minor-aged children of the deceased. And lastly, Social Security may adjust the surviving spouses monthly amount received (usually if the surviving spouses check is less than the deceased spouses check)

Veterans Benefits (VA Benefits) may be available to the family of the deceased veteran. These benefits include: burial space at the national cemetery (Willamette National here in the Portland area) for both the veteran and the veteran’s spouse, the outer burial container for both the veteran and the veteran’s spouse, a standard government grave marker (headstone) representing both the veteran and the veteran’s spouse, an American Flag for the veteran, and military honors for the veteran. Additionally, there may be Veterans Burial Benefits available for the deceased veteran that is paid directly to the next-of-kin. We will help you complete the appropriate forms in order to determine eligibility.

How long can we wait until we proceed with burial/cremation?

The State of Oregon requests that we complete the burial/cremation within 10 days from the date of death. If there are extenuating circumstances (such as a family member not being able to arrive within 10 days) we will notify the State of Oregon for an extension.

Within 24 hours of passing, we are required to either embalm or refrigerate the deceased while we wait to bury/cremate. Please be assured that your loved one will be held with us at our funeral home until we help you with burial/cremation.

What should I do when the death occurs?

There are basically three possible scenarios that outline what to do when a death occurs. First, if your loved one passes at a hospital, nursing facility or at a foster home, you will not be required to do anything. The hospital, nursing home and foster home director have policies in place that allows the proper people to be notified. After the proper people are notified, you will be asked for permission to have the funeral home come and transport your loved one to their facility.

The second scenario involves your loved one passing in another location not mentioned above (for example at home) with Hospice involved in the care of your loved one. In this instance all you need to do is contact your Hospice nurse and she/he will take over the process of notification. When you are ready the Hospice nurse will then contact Holman-Hankins.

The third scenario is the same as the second scenario, however Hospice is not involved in the care of your loved one. At this point you would be required to contact the local medical examiner via the police. We recommend dialing 911 and explaining to the dispatcher that your loved one has passed away and that the authorities need to be notified. You will be asked a few questions such as; name and location of the deceased, your name, call back number (usually a cell or home phone number), etc. Within a few minutes a police officer, sheriff’s deputy or the medical examiner will arrive at your home. This is usually a formality and once they have completed the interview you started with the dispatcher, we will be called. Now please remember that if you have any doubt as to who to call, you are always encouraged to contact Holman-Hankins directly and we will guide you through the entire process.

What are Death Certificates and how many do I need?

It might be easiest to think of a Death Certificate as the counterpart to a Birth Certificate. Both documents are issued through the county’s health department, both certificates are completed by the doctor in charge of the patient, both certificates are used to prove the legitimacy of the individual (i.e. He was born in this state on this date vs. she passed in this state on this date) as claims are made on behalf of the individual (i.e. A birth certificate is needed to prove who you are for a drivers license or passport and a death certificate is needed to prove who you were for title changes or insurance policies). In fact, the two documents (Birth Certificate and Death Certificate) are printed on the same paper, usually by the same person with the same cost.

So, how many do you need? Here are some entities that will usually require an Original Certified Copy: Life Insurance Company, Title to the home, Title to any real property, bank accounts without any additional signers on the account, vehicles without any additional owners on the Title, Pension accounts, retirement accounts, etc. Some places will accept a photocopy of the Death Certificate or perhaps just wish to view the original Certified Copy of the Death Certificate, so please ask when you file a claim.

Can I see my loved one again?

Yes, absolutely and we would even encourage you to do so if you have any inkling that seeing your loved one would help you through your personal grieving process. We only ask that you consider our advice on how to go about the viewing process, as we want your time to be as meaningful and helpful as possible. As a full-service funeral home, your loved one stays right here with us until you are ready for burial/cremation so viewing is only a few moments away.

Who is the funeral/memorial service really for?

The short answer is you, the survivor. How often do we hear that, “He told us not to do anything when he died” or perhaps, “She said she doesn’t want a service”. What your loved one is probably saying is that they don’t want to cause you any trouble after they are gone. Nobody wants to put anyone we care about through grief and heartache. But, what we all forget is that a service isn’t for the deceased, but rather for those of us left behind. We, the spouse, the children, the brothers and sisters, the parents and the friends are left behind to deal with the loss of our loved one. The service is our chance to celebrate the life of our loved one by reflecting on how they shared their time with us. We as family and friends come together to remember, share, cry, laugh and to help each other begin the natural grieving process. The service is about us.

What about body/tissue donation?

Body donation is the act of donating ones entire body to medical research. Currently OHSU here in Portland is the only facility that will accept full body donations for medical research. Tissue donation is where parts of the individual are donated either for transplant of research. Some examples include organs, skin, bones, eyes, etc. Following a tissue donation the deceased is taken back to the funeral home for burial/cremation. Unlike full body donation, which can take up to, and beyond a year, tissue donation is usually complete within 24 hours. With tissue donation viewing with services are almost always possible.

Where you must be cautious is in the selection of facility to perform tissue donation. For full body donation we only recommend OHSU. They are non-profit and only “lend” the bodies to Accredited Educational Institutions (such as OHSU dental program, Lewis and Clark College, etc) for a period of one year. After the year, the body is returned to OSHU for cremation with the cremated remains being returned to the family.

For tissue donation, we only recommend the Community Tissue Bank. The Community Tissue Bank is also the facility used by our local hospitals.

Does the Federal Government/State Government pay for funerals?

The State of Oregon only helps cover the cost for final disposition if the decedent has no known family or anyone willing to take charge of the arrangements. In this case, after steps are taken to ensure that there is no next of kin, the funeral home may apply to the State Indigent Burial Fund for reimbursement towards the least costly disposition; usually cremation. The general public cannot access this fund.
The Federal Government via Social Security will pay the surviving spouse and only the surviving spouse $255 towards the cost of burial/cremation. There may also be Federal Veterans Benefits available to the survivors of a deceased veteran. We will help you file for any and all Federal Benefits.

What if money is tight?

We understand that times are tough for many people, so we offer a variety of low cost, simple options. We also offer a wide range of price points for merchandise, including an import line of caskets and urns that are very affordable. Also, we will work with every family that we serve to make sure they select only the services and merchandise that they want and can afford. And don't forget we will accept an insurance assignment.

How do I deal with my grief? My children?

First of all, please know that you are not alone in your grief. There are many resources available to you to help you through this process. If at any time you find that you are overwhelmed by your grief, call us. We work with several professionals in the area, specifically trained in helping you through this difficult time, from spiritual counselors to therapists specializing in grief. Also, your personal health insurance company may have provisions for counseling at low or no cost (depending on your policy).

As for children, The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families is an excellent resource that we highly recommend. Give our friends at the Dougy Center a call at 503-775-5686.

Help, I'm overwhelmed, what do I do now?

Our recommendation to you is to slow down, take one day at a time, and ask for help, be it from a friend, family member or your funeral director. After the death of a loved one, there may be many tasks that you will be expected to complete that are completely new to you. It seems that during this time, many people lose the ability to prioritize and end up becoming overwhelmed and discouraged. Aim to achieve only what you can each day. Don’t push yourself beyond your ability. Ask for help, including contacting us. If we’re not able to help you, we probably can suggest someone who can help.