Unless you send a large funeral piece, family of the deceased will take your flowers home. So, a nice vase or basket arrangement of seasonal flowers that would brighten their home would be most appropriate. You don’t want to send anything that looks too depressing.

Another option is to send a basket of assorted plants. Any professional florist can make one of those. Most families would love a basket of plants, because they last longer than cut-flowers. In fact it is a nice thought to give a potted plant that will not die quickly, and could be a reminder of death for the grieving, as cut flowers can be.

White roses are associated with honor and reverence, which makes them a fitting memorial for a departed loved one. Funeral and sympathy arrangements traditionally incorporate white roses as a part of the tribute. As a symbol of remembrance, the white rose represents heavenly virtues and is an expression of spiritual love and respect. If you can find gladiolus, those are also traditionally a funeral flower. Chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations and daisies are all favorites for funeral arrangements.

Contact the funeral home or church where the services are being conducted and find out the next of kin’s full name. If you would like to help with funeral expenses, the family may have already started a fund at a bank and they often list this information in the obituary.

Memorial contributions can be made in the name of the deceased at any time. In a nice sympathy card, write a personal note of comfort, and then write a line asking the family to ‘please accept this memorial contribution in the deceased’s name, please use this for anything you and your family need at this time.’ (The implied message here is that it be used for expenses related to the funeral, without coming right out and saying so.) Sign off with your affection or best wishes, and it’s done.

You could also make a donation to a charity in their memory – most charities are prepared for these types of donations and will provide a card for you to give to the family showing that you’ve made the donation. If they died of a particular illness, it could be a charity related to curing that illness. If not, you could simply make a donation to a charity you think they would appreciate (maybe something to help the homeless, or children, etc.). It’s a good cause, it doesn’t go bad, and it’s in their name.  When a family member passes away, many people do this and it can make the family feel that something good was coming out of their passing.

Another option would be to, call your florist where you are and order something for X amount of dollars. Tell them what to say on the card and let them know what funeral home and who died. They will call another florist in that town and have the arrangement delivered. Florists do this all the time for each other, but you don’t know what the arrangement will look like until you get there.

• cookies
• ready-to-eat microwave ramen noodles, soups, etc.
• snack crackers
• fresh fruit… bananas, apples, pears
• individual drink mixes

All kinds of things like that. The more “grab and go” the better! Items that don’t require refrigeration are great as fridge space can be limited with many people bringing prepared meals and such.
It’s one of the oldest  cliches that people bring food to a family in bereavement. It may be old, but it’s TRIED AND TRUE! To be able to grab a couple cookies here and there is a great help! If you are not the “casserole” type of person, then such a gift basket is most appropriate and will be very much appreciated!