Gentry-Smith Funeral Home

04/01/2026

The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) defines cremation as "the mechanical, thermal, or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments. Cremation also includes processing and pulverization of the bone fragments into pieces that are usually no more than one-eighth inch."

If you're interested in knowing more about cremation, you can read about the process at https://www.cremationassociation.org/cremationprocess.html.

04/01/2026

03/25/2026

We generally provide families with 2 lists at the arrangement conference. One is more generic with broad categories of entities to contact, and the other gives a more specific timeline of when to look at doing things. We call these survivor checklists. For some families, the work is minimal, and for others, it takes months to even years to tie up all of the loose ends, especially if there is a large estate involved. Some of the places you may need to contact include:

-Social Security
-Veteran-Associated Federal Entities and Civic Organizations
-United States Postal Service
-Department of Motor Vehicles
-Board of Elections
-Credit card companies
-Mortgage companies and lenders
-Financial planners and stockbrokers
-Pension providers
-Life insurance and annuity companies
-Health, medical, and dental insurers
-Disability insurer
-Automotive insurer
-Mutual benefit companies
-Professional associations and unions
-Heath and athletic clubs
-Automobile clubs
-Public library
-Alumni clubs
-Rotary clubs
-Credit bureaus
-Social media and other digital accounts
-Religious organizations
-Utility companies
-Home service companies

While funeral providers do deal with end-of-life circumstances, we are not legal counsel for issues regarding probate nor do we hold any sway on government entities that may alter benefits after notification of your loved one’s death.

03/25/2026

Margaret Faye Hayes-Ryan

Mrs. Margaret Faye Higgins Hayes-Ryan, 87, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee passed away on Monday, March 23, 2026. She was born at home in Woodbury on Sunday, April 17, 1938 to her loving parents Jesse "Doc" and Sammie Davenport Higgins. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Ryan; son, David Hayes; and sisters, Betty "Jean" Bise and Joyce Alexander. She is survived by her daughter, Rhonda (Michael) Carroll-Boner of Hermitage; grandsons, Ryan Carroll and Wesley...

View Margaret Faye Hayes-Ryan's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

03/18/2026

Believe it or not, many families find there is plenty to do while “waiting” on a funeral. After the arrangements are complete is when the work begins. If you didn’t have clothes picked out for your loved one’s burial or you’re still going through photos, just these tasks on top of everyday life can seem overwhelming. Then, there is getting the word out to extended family members and the community, which generally leads to a flood of condolences. The time between the arrangements and the service will go by quickly.

Then, there is the paperwork and administrative side of everything. While you don’t have to start handling your loved one’s after affairs immediately, there are aspects you can start working on in the meantime. Contacting employers, doctor’s offices, and other applicable entities can help reduce frustrations down the road. We will get more into this next week.

03/11/2026

It’s the night before/day of your loved one’s funeral arrangement conference. Nothing has been pre-planned. You have limited knowledge about funeral services or what is even needed. You’ve already lost a loved one and are dealing with the grief, but now are expected to think, plan, and provide…what exactly?

Here are the essentials to help you feel prepared :

1) Vitals: The funeral director is responsible for completing the vital statistics on the death certificate. Most of this information, he or she will get from you and other family members. This information includes your loved one’s:

-Full legal name (maiden name, if applicable)
-Date and place of birth (City, State)
-Social security number
-Current address
-Father’s full legal name
-Mother’s full legal name (maiden name, if applicable)
-Highest level of education
-Military service
-Informant and his or her contact information (a single individual that will be listed on the death certificate as a point of contact)

2) Stories: The funeral provider generally assists with writing the obituary unless the family wishes to do so. Regardless, having memories to share will help your funeral provider get to know your loved one better to make recommendations for customizing the service (e.g. displaying a tool belt, requesting military honors, displaying civic organization emblems or artwork, or making a photo wall). The obituary information will also need to include the list of family members preceding and surviving your loved one. Making sure you have the names ready to spell and last names/spouse names all listed out can reduce a lot of frustration. It’s hard to remember when you’re grieving!

3) Arrangements: Talk to your family members about the type of arrangements you’d like to have to honor your loved one. At least having a broad idea can help you feel more in control and certain about your decisions. Ask your family:

-Do you want to have a burial or a cremation?
-If cremation, do you want to have our loved one cremated before or after the service?
-What service arrangements would work best for our family and the potential guests that would want to pay their respects to our loved one?
-Are there days that absolutely do not work for our family to attend?

4) Budget: This one may be awkward or difficult, but having a rough budget in mind can help the funeral director steer you in a direction that makes that happen and honors your family’s wishes.

5) Miscellaneous: If your loved one is being buried, bringing the desired burial clothes to the arrangement conference is a big help and one more trip off your plate. This would generally include a long-sleeve, higher-collar necked shirt/dress, pants/skirt, regular undergarments, socks, and shoes (optional). If you’re not sure on your loved one’s size, it is better to err on the side of being bigger than needed. Also, selecting a photo for the obituary and bringing in photos to be scanned (if you want a tribute video made) takes another item off your plate. These can always be brought in later, but the sooner you have it done, the sooner you don’t have to worry about it.

03/09/2026

03/04/2026

Let’s take the month of March and build confidence and understanding on handling funeral arrangements and what is to come. We will aim to answer a few questions that can come up to alleviate your reservations.