How to Plan a Funeral in Whatcom County
Planning a funeral in Whatcom County means working through three core decisions: which funeral home to call, whether to choose burial, cremation, or a memorial service, and how to gather the information needed for the death certificate. Washington law requires that report to be filed with the local registrar within five days of death. Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services in Bellingham walks Whatcom County families through each of these steps, any hour of the day or night.
If you're reading this because someone in your life has just died, or because you can feel that day coming, take a breath first. There's no clock you need to beat in this exact moment, even though it can feel that way.
This guide lays out the decisions in front of you, roughly in the order most Whatcom County families face them.
Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services has been serving families in Bellingham and across Whatcom County since 2010, and founder Sig Aase has worked as a funeral director in this community since 1977. This article will help you know what comes next.
What to Do in the First Hours After a Death in Whatcom County
Who you call first depends on where the death happens. If your loved one was under hospice care at home, call the hospice nurse first; they'll confirm the death and help start the paperwork. If the death happens at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, Whatcom County's only hospital, or through Whatcom Hospice, staff there will guide the immediate steps and contact the funeral home you've chosen.
If the death is sudden and happens outside a medical setting, call 911. A medical examiner may need to be involved before a funeral home can take the next step.
Once a funeral home has been called, most families can step back from logistics for a little while. Our page on what to do when death occurs covers this in more detail, and it's the kind of immediate need support Sig's team provides around the clock.
Choosing Between a Funeral, Cremation, or a Memorial Service
There's no single right answer here, only the answer that fits your family and the person you lost. A traditional funeral typically includes a visitation, a formal service, and burial. Cremation can happen with a service beforehand, or as a direct cremation without one. A memorial service or celebration of life can happen days or weeks later, with or without the body present, which gives out-of-town family time to travel.
Many Whatcom County families land somewhere in between, a small graveside gathering, a private viewing followed by cremation, or a celebration of life at a favorite local spot instead of a chapel. Sig's Bellingham funeral services page walks through each option in more detail, and the firm's directors can talk through what fits before anything is finalized.
Documents and Decisions Along the Way
Washington State requires a funeral director or funeral establishment to obtain the decedent's personal information, provide it to the medical certifier, and file the completed report of death with the local registrar within five days. A burial-transit permit must be obtained before disposition can happen. Most families never have to manage this directly; Sig's handles the filing on your behalf.
Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, any funeral home must give you a written, itemized price list when you ask in person about arrangements or prices, and must give you price information over the phone when you ask. You're also generally free to choose only the goods and services you want. Sig's team can walk through your options and answer questions by phone before you commit to anything.
How Sig's Guides Whatcom County Families Through Each Step
Every arrangement at Sig's is handled by fully licensed funeral directors, and families are welcome to ask to see those licenses. Justin Aase and Sig Aase lead the day-to-day work, with Marva Aase managing the office side of things, and the team has deep roots in Bellingham, Ferndale, and Lynden.
For families who'd rather not sit through an in-person meeting, Sig's offers fully online cremation arrangements through PartingPro, a setup designed to keep costs down by removing some of the overhead of an in-person visit. Whichever path you choose, the goal is the same: clear information, no pressure, and a plan that reflects what your loved one would have wanted.
Support for Veterans and Military Families
If your loved one served, let the funeral home know right away. Eligible veterans are entitled to military funeral honors, which typically include a flag folding and presentation and the playing of Taps by a local honor guard. Sig's coordinates directly with area honor guards to arrange this.
Ryan Christie, a funeral director and embalmer intern on Sig's staff, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran himself, and the team works with families on headstone applications and other veteran-specific benefits as part of the arrangement process. Veterans' families are one of the areas where Sig's has built real, hands-on experience over the years.
Planning Ahead with Purple Cross
Some of the hardest decisions in this guide get easier when they're made ahead of time, before there's any urgency behind them. Purple Cross is a pre-arrangement program that lets you record your wishes now and fund them through a dedicated life insurance policy, rather than leaving the cost to your family later.
Sig's pre-planning checklist is a good starting point if you're not ready for a full conversation yet. When you are, pre-planning a funeral with Sig's means your family will have a clear, written record of what you wanted, and one less decision to make during an already hard week.
Frequently Asked Questions About Planning a Funeral in Whatcom County
What is the first thing I should do when someone dies in Whatcom County?
Call for help first. If the person was on hospice, call the hospice nurse. If death happens at a hospital or care facility, staff there will guide the next call. If it's sudden and unexpected at home, call 911. Once that's handled, calling a funeral home lets someone else carry the next steps for a while. Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services answers day or night, at (360) 656-5459.
How long do I have to file a death certificate in Washington State?
Washington law requires the completed report of death to be filed with the local registrar within five days, and a burial-transit permit must be obtained before any disposition can happen. In practice, most Whatcom County families never touch this paperwork directly. Funeral homes routinely handle the filing on the family's behalf, gathering the needed information and submitting it electronically.
Can I choose cremation instead of a traditional burial in Whatcom County?
Yes. Cremation is a legal, common choice in Washington State, and it can be paired with a visitation, a memorial service, or a graveside gathering, or done as a direct cremation without a service. Sig's offers direct cremation, cremation with a service beforehand, and fully online cremation arrangements through PartingPro for families who prefer to handle things remotely.
Does Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services have its own cemetery or crematory?
No. Sig's coordinates cemetery, monument, and crematory needs through trusted partner providers in Whatcom County, including the cemetery your family chooses. This means families still get one point of contact for arrangements, even though the disposition itself happens at a partner facility.
What if my loved one was a veteran?
Let the funeral home know as early as possible. Military funeral honors, typically a flag folding and presentation and the playing of Taps, are requested through the funeral home and coordinated with a local honor guard. Sig's has a Marine Corps veteran on staff and works directly with families on headstone benefits, flag presentation, and other veteran-specific details.
What is Purple Cross, and is it different from funeral insurance?
Purple Cross is a pre-arrangement program that lets you record your wishes now and fund them through a life insurance policy rather than paying out of pocket at the time of death. It's different from a life insurance policy you'd use for any purpose, because the funds are earmarked specifically for funeral and cremation costs. Our team can walk you through how it works.
Reaching Out to Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services
Whenever you're ready, we're here. There's no pressure and no obligation, just people who know how to help, day or night. Sig's Funeral & Cremation Services serves families throughout Bellingham and communities across Whatcom County, and the team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (360) 656-5459.
