English Funeral Services

Do you need to arrange a funeral in English? Do you want advice and information on death and dying in Berlin?

Two of our team are funeral directors whose first language is English and the rest of the team are fluent English speakers.

Call us or visit our funeral home and we can make you a cup of tea and listen to your story. Together we can find out what you need and explore the options. There are often more possibilities than you might think.

We can take care of all the necessary German paperwork and help you through every step of the process from the first hours following a death to the funeral and beyond.

If you need help ring us on +49 (0) 30 347 147 87 and ask to speak to Danny or Mat or email us at info@memento-bestattungen.de.

What to do when someone dies

A death at home

Contact the person’s doctor (or local medical practice) and explain that you are ringing to report a death at home. Alternatively, you can call 116 117 for a non-emergency doctor on call. The practice will arrange for a doctor to come out to you.

After your doctor has been there, please phone us and we will talk you through the process of bringing the person into our care.

Remember, there is no rush. You can spend up to 36 hours with the person at home if you wish. We can also offer advice on washing, dressing and preparing the person at home if you want to do this.

A death in a care home or hospice

If the person has died in a care home or hospice the staff there will ring you to inform you. Please tell them to ring us too and let them know that you have chosen memento Funeral Services as your funeral directors.

We will arrange to come and collect the person and bring them into our care.

Remember, there is no rush. You can spend up to 36 hours with the person at home if you wish. We can also offer advice on washing, dressing and preparing the person at home if you want to do this.

A death in a hospital

If the person has died in a hospital, the staff will usually ring you to let you know and explain their procedure.

When you are ready, please contact us so that we can arrange to collect the person and bring them into our care. It is normal for them to remain in the hospital for a few days before they are transferred to us.

An unexpected death

If the person has died suddenly or unexpectedly, you should first ring either the emergency services or the person’s doctor. The emergency services or doctor will try to determine the cause of death. If it is unclear or the circumstances are deemed to be suspicious, they may report it to a coroner for further investigation.

If a coroner is involved then they will take care of the person initially and inform you about the next steps. Even if the coroner is involved, you can still call us when you are ready to start discussing funeral arrangements.

 

Price List

We offer solidarity based, sliding scale payment options. Click here to see our pricing structure (PDF).

 

Who we are and how we work

The memento collective believe that bereavement and grief are an important part of all our lives, which are often overlooked. We see funeral care as an opportunity for people to actively participate with and engage in the mourning process by creating meaningful rituals that honour the life of the person who has died.

We have created a friendly, welcoming and supportive space where people can talk about death and dying openly together.

We will listen and help you through every step of the process from the first hours following a death to the funeral and beyond. There are often more possibilities than you may think.

Cassandra Yousef

Pronoun: she/her

With a background in Islamic Studies, Cass joined memento in 2016 as an undertaker and collective manager. She is a qualified counsellor with a special focus on families and young children in times of grief.

Hanna Fricke

Pronoun: she/her

After studying economics, philosophy and politics, questions about what constitutes a good life – and thus also a good death – led Hanna to train as an undertaker and join the memento team.

Jan S. Möllers

Pronoun: he/him

Co-founder of memento Bestattungen, Jan is an experienced undertaker, celebrant and grief counsellor, who divides his time between funeral work and leading workshops on rituals of farewell and transition.

Johanna Mauk

Pronoun: she/her

Johanna started working in death care at the tender age of fourteen in Bavaria. She joined memento as an undertaker in 2022. A musician and singer, she also loves to perform at funerals.

Julia Michael

Pronouns: she/her

Julia brings her diverse experiences in various organizations and work contexts to her tasks in administration and accounting for memento.

Mat Hand

Pronoun: he/him

Mat moved from England to Berlin in 2004 to make art and performance. His passion for collective work and belief in the power of participatory ritual led him to deathcare work and memento in 2019.

Valerie Kottmann

Pronoun: she/her

 

The cloud

We work with a group of volunteers and assistants known as ‚the cloud‘ (die Wolke) who get invaluable hands-on experience by helping at the mortuary and assisting the undertakers during funerals.