{"id":13208,"date":"2025-10-19T06:30:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T11:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=13208"},"modified":"2025-10-16T13:58:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:58:20","slug":"death-and-the-republic-some-decisions-cannot-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/death-and-the-republic-some-decisions-cannot-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Death and the Republic: Some Decisions Cannot Wait"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>What Happens After Death in Texas<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plato\u2019s Phaedo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Socrates argues about what happens to us after death. He needn\u2019t have bothered; Texas law tells us quite plainly what is going to happen upon death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your death is going to set in motion several actions involving your body and burial.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Legal Pronouncement of Death<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Someone must first make a legal pronouncement that you are dead.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you die in a medical or nursing facility, then it will be a physician, registered nurse, or physician assistant (under certain conditions).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are under hospice, then it will be the hospice nurse, with a later certification by the medical doctor. Otherwise, the pronouncement will be made by the Justice of the Peace or the medical examiner.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Organ Donation and Notification<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have consented to be an organ donor, or if your family consents to your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/news\/people-are-dying-to-donate-horrific-stories-of-rushed-organ-donations-emerge\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">organ donation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and you die in a hospital or care facility, then someone should notify the staff immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice tip: Put your organ donation choice in writing and then tell a family member or close friend.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Release of the Body<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the pronouncement of death, your body will be released to a licensed funeral director. Note that your Uncle Albert will not be allowed to load your body in his SUV to make the drive to the funeral home.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Choosing a Funeral Home<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which funeral home will get the call?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you had cleverly put your choice in writing and given it to your family members, then it would be the funeral home you chose.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Otherwise, your family members who are present will decide. The facility or hospice company makes the call to the funeral home.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a decision has not been made on a funeral home, then a company will be called to pick up and store your body until someone makes the decision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Filing the Report of Death<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before your body is transported, the funeral director must file or complete a report of death with the Texas Department of State Health Services. Within 24 hours, that report is given to the county clerk or local registrar where you died or where your body was found.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Deciding What Happens to the Body<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then a decision must be made about what to do with your body.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you had a prepaid funeral contract or had put your choices in writing, then your wishes must be followed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If, however, you had not made any plans, then Texas law sets out a priority list for who has the right to control the disposition of your remains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Order of Priority in Texas<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It goes in this order:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your surviving spouse<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any one of your surviving adult children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Either of your surviving parents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any one of your surviving adult siblings<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The executor or administrator of your estate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any adult person in the next degree of kindship in the order named by law to inherit your estate<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>Burial and the Right of Sepulture<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are to be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/the-family-cemetery-backyard-burial-wrapped-in-red-tape\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">buried<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then your decision maker will need to locate a burial plot, pick the casket, and decide about embalming. Your right to be buried in a particular plot is known as the exclusive right of sepulture.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Cremation Requirements in Texas<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are to be cremated, then your remains may be taken to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/gifts-causa-mortis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">crematory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. However, you may not be cremated until 48 hours have passed since your time of death, as noted on your death certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Preplanning Your Wishes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to have your wishes followed, then you can preplan this through an<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/the-morning-after-executors-role-after-a-death\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Appointment for Disposition of Remains<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 That is a form that you fill out and sign before a notary. You should give your agents a copy before you die.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Plan Ahead: Ensure Your Final Wishes Are Honored<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Hammerle Morris Law Firm, we understand that end-of-life decisions are deeply personal \u2014 and that making them in advance can bring peace of mind to you and your loved ones. Knowing who will make arrangements and how your wishes will be carried out can prevent confusion and conflict when the time comes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re planning your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/legal-talk\/buying-prepaid-funeral-contract\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">funeral preferences<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, completing an Appointment for Disposition of Remains, or reviewing your broader <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/practice-areas\/estate-planning\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">estate plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our team can help you document every detail clearly and legally. Schedule a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/lewisville-attorney\/#form\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consultation <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">today to ensure your final wishes are respected and your loved ones are protected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virginia Hammerle is an accredited estate planner and represents clients in estate planning, probate, guardianship, and contested litigation. She may be reached at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"mailto:legaltalktexas@hammerle.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legaltalktexas@hammerle.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This blog contains general information only and does not constitute legal advice.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Happens After Death in Texas In Plato\u2019s Phaedo, Socrates argues about what happens to us after death. He needn\u2019t have bothered; Texas law tells us quite plainly what is going to happen upon death.\u00a0 Your death is going to set in motion several actions involving your body and burial. The Legal Pronouncement of Death [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1224],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13208","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-estate-planning"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Death and the Republic: Some Decisions Cannot Wait - Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what happens after death in Texas, including legal pronouncements, funeral arrangements, and how to ensure your wishes are followed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/death-and-the-republic-some-decisions-cannot-wait\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Death and the Republic: Some Decisions Cannot Wait - 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