Glossary for A Death in Your Family
| This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Helen Low, QC and Nicco Bautista in January 2017. |
- Autopsy
- A thorough medical examination of a body after death. It may be done to find out how or why a person has died, or to learn about a disease or injury.
- Assets
- Property owned by a person at their death. Assets can include things such as money, land, investments, and personal possessions such as jewelry and furniture.
- Coroner
- An appointed official who investigates all unnatural, sudden or unexpected deaths in BC.
- Cremation
- Using extreme heat and processing to turn a body after death into sand-like "ashes".
- Death certificate
- A certified extract of the registration of death. Survivors need to provide a death certificate to apply for benefits and to settle the legal and business affairs of the deceased.
- Disposition permit
- A permit to dispose of human remains or cremated human remains in BC.
- Embalming
- Preserving a body from decomposing after death by treating it with chemicals.
- Estate
- All of the property and belongings a person owns at their death, with certain exceptions such as jointly owned property.
- Executor
- The person appointed in a will to carry out the instructions in the will and settle the will-maker's affairs after they die.
- Funeral home
- A business that provides funeral services for the dead and their families.
- Medical certificate of death
- A certificate signed by a doctor, nurse practitioner or coroner within 48 hours of death stating that the person has died and the cause of death.
- Memorial society
- By becoming a member of a memorial society, a person may obtain funeral services at a lower cost. Memorial societies typically negotiate fixed prices with selected funeral homes.
- Next-of-kin
- A person’s closest living blood relative or relatives.
- Obituary notice
- A notice of the death of a person, often with a short biography.
- Preneed cemetery or funeral services contract
- A contract that provides for cemetery or funeral services for one or more persons who are alive at the time the contract is entered into.
- Pronouncement of death
- Giving an opinion that life has ceased based on a physical assessment of the person.
- Will
- A legal document that leaves instructions about what a person wants done with their assets and obligations after they die.
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