FUNERAL HOME SERVING LEVITTOWN PA

A Funeral Home Serving Levittown, PA

Levittown PA History - What was billed by Levitt and Son in June 1952 as the “new adventure of suburban living” in Levittown, Pa. resulted in some interesting statistics about the community. Before the end of 1951, more than 5,500 acres of farmland was purchased by Levitt for his new city. Pennsylvania was the second "Levittown" built by William J. Levitt, who is often credited as the creator of the modern American suburb. To speed up construction, Levitt & Sons perfected a 26-step rationalized building method that was essentially an assembly line type of home building. The house remained stationary, while the construction workers moved from house to house. Each worker had one task such as pouring slabs, framing, installing electric sockets or installing washing machines. This highly regimented process enabled Levitt's workers to produce a finished house every 16 minutes. Construction of the homes commenced in 1952 and when completed in 1958, 17,311 homes were built.

What set Levittown apart from other developments at the time was that it was built as a complete community. Levitt & Sons designed neighborhoods with traffic-calming curvilinear roads, in which there were no four-way intersections. Each neighborhood had within its boundaries a site donated by Levitt & Sons for a public elementary school. Locations for churches and other public facilities were set aside on main thoroughfares such as the Levittown Parkway, likewise donated by the builder to religious groups and other organizations. Other amenities included Olympic-sized public pools, parks, "greenbelts", baseball fields and playgrounds, and a shopping center located in neighboring Tullytown borough that was considered large and modern at the time of its construction (and in fact was the largest east of the Mississippi). The first set of four sample homes were put on display in a swatch of land near the future Levittown Shop-a-Rama, and an estimated 30,000 people viewed them in that first weekend.

When You Meet With Steve Ullrich, Funeral Director/Owner

J. Allen Hooper Funeral Home has been servicing the residents of Levittown providing practical information and valuable advice for important end of life matters. Whether you need to make funeral arrangements now or wish to plan, we offer extensive information about traditional funeral services, cremation services, celebrations of life, and memorial services. You can learn the differences between the many options to make an informed decision and what is best for your family. If you have any questions or require more information, don't hesitate to contact us at any time.

Chances are, within the first 24 hours of your loved one’s death, you will need to meet with a funeral director to begin funeral arrangements. The following information will help you prepare for what is often called “the arrangement conference.”

Without a doubt, this is a difficult time for you and your loved ones. Yet, it’s comforting to know every member of the J. Allen Hooper Funeral Home staff will be there to do their utmost to make this difficult time a little bit easier. Stephen Ullrich, the owner and Funeral Director, will guide you in making all the necessary decisions. It’s good to know you are not alone.

Perhaps you’d like another member of the family to come along with you. Or maybe you’d rather have a friend, or close neighbor join you in the first visit to the funeral home. While it’s not necessary to bring someone with you for moral support, it can be very beneficial.

Please don’t hesitate to ask someone to join you. Chances are they will be honored at your request, and gladly step up to help you during this time. When you ask, be sure to tell them that if they do not feel comfortable doing so, you’ll understand.

Who is Responsible for Making the Decisions?

It’s important to know exactly who is legally responsible for making the funeral arrangement decisions for a loved one. If the deceased has not expressed their wishes through a written document such as a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, or a Last Will and Testament, where the deceased has designated an agent to fulfill their wishes; then the chain of command is commonly as follows:

• Legal Spouse/Partner
• Surviving Adult Child/Children
• Surviving Parent
• Surviving Adult Sibling
• Ex-Spouse
• Parent of Minor Child

The person designated as the responsible party, whoever they may be, needs to be present to make decisions, and sign documents. If you have questions about the accepted kinship-related order of precedence or are unclear who responsible person for funeral planning is, call us at 215-295-7725. 

Should Someone Else be Included in Making the Arrangements?

Have You Gathered the Necessary Documents?

When a loved one dies, it is not just an emotional matter for those left behind; it is a legal one which requires the timely completion of paperwork. Our Funeral Director, Steven Ulrich will tell you that the first step in caring for your loved one involves completing, and filing, the Death Certificate and Burial or Cremation permit.

These documents need to be completed as accurately as possible and if you are not prepared with the necessary information, then most of your initial meeting will be spent retrieving this information.

To assist the funeral home in preparing all the necessary documents, it’s helpful to bring some of the following things with you:

• Deceased's Birth Certificate, or if this is not available, parent’s names including mother’s maiden name
• Social Security Number,
• Deceased's Military Discharge papers,
• Deceased's Funeral pre-arrangements documents, (if available)
• Cemetery Information if Available,
• Deceased Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care,
• Last Will and Testament and any Codicils,
• Revocable Living Trust

If you’ve got questions about the legal documents you should bring with you, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by direct cremation?

Direct cremation is a type of funeral service that is arranged with no funerary ceremonies, without embalming, viewing, or visitation. The body of the deceased is immediately processed for cremation shortly after they expired.

How is a body cremated?

The process of incinerating the deceased takes place in a crematory in which the cadaver is exposed to an intense heat that reduces the body into dried bone fragments.

What are the four types of cremation services?

• Cremation with memorial service
• Cremation with memorial service
• Direct Cremation
• Cremation with body donation to science
• What are the factors that affect cremation time?
• The size and weight of the deceased
• The person’s body mass index and the proportion of fat to lean muscle mass
• The efficiency of the cremation chamber used
• The optimum operating temperature of the retort
• The kind of cremation container or casket that contains the remains