Cremation Services

Cremation Information

What is Cremation?

Part of making funeral arrangements on behalf of a loved one involves choosing between burial of the body, or cremation. Certainly this is a big decision, based on any number of factors: religious or spiritual beliefs, finances, or ecological awareness are just some of the reasons we've heard for choosing cremation. Before you can make the choice, you need to know exactly what it is you're considering. You can learn the basics below, however, if the content here raises additional questions for you, please give us a call. One of our cremation specialists will address any of your inquiries or concerns.

The Cremation Process

Traditional cremation is the process of reducing a body at very high temperatures until it is nothing but brittle, calcified bones. These are then processed into what we commonly call ashes. Returned to the family in a temporary urn (or a more personal urn selected by the family), these ashes can be kept, buried, or scattered. Some families even choose to place a loved one's cremated remains in a hand-crafted piece of cremation art.

Author Michelle Kim, in How Cremation Works, details the cremation process: "In modern crematories, the body is stored in a cool, temperature-controlled room until it's approved for cremation. The body is prepared by removing pacemakers, prostheses and silicone implants. The body is then put into a container or casket made out of flammable materials such as plywood, pine or cardboard."

The container is placed in the retort or cremating chamber. It takes anywhere from two to three hours to reduce an average adult to ash. When the cremated remains are cooled, they are processed to a uniformly-sized pebble-like substance and placed in an urn. The funeral director then returns the cremated remains to the family.

Cremation Explained

The Cremation Association of North America describes cremation as, "The mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments".  On our page, The Cremation Process, we offer a deeper look at the most common cremation process which uses extreme heat.

What is Required to Arrange for Cremation?

Once the cremation-over-burial decision has been made, all that's required is authorization. This is provided by the person who is the legally identified or appointed next-of-kin. Once all authorization documents are signed, and service charges are paid; the body can be transported from the place of death to the crematory and the cremation process can take place. However, there are some additional things you may wish to consider, such as:
  • Is there a special set of clothes (such as a military uniform or favorite dress) your loved one would appreciate the thought of wearing? This will be a focus of the cremation arrangement conversation, and you will be advised by your funeral director as to your best options regarding jewelry or other valuable personal items.
  • Are there any keepsake items you'd like to include in their cremation casket? Perhaps there's a special memento, such as a treasured photograph or letter? We sometimes suggest family members write cards, notes or letters to their deceased loved one, and place them in the casket prior to the cremation.
  • Would you or other family members like to be present for–or participate to some degree in–your loved one's cremation? Because we know how healing it can be to take part in an act of "letting go", we welcome the opportunity to bring interested family or friends into the crematory. Please discuss your desire to participate with your funeral director.
  • What will you keep the cremated remains or ashes in after the cremation or the service? Many families are simply unaware that they can purchase a cremation urn to be placed in a special place such as the family home. We offer a large selection of urns that will help memorialize your loved one. Ask one of our caring funeral director's to see the wide variety of urns.

Benefits of Cremation

If your comparing burial and cremation, you might find yourself wondering, why cremation? For hundreds of years, burial services have been the norm. While there is a certain level of tradition in regard to burial services, today’s families are choosing to forego that tradition and select the option that best meets their needs. 

Over the past few years, the popularity of cremation has grown immensely. In fact, By the year 2035, experts are predicting that 75 percent of Americans will be planning cremation services instead of burial services. Cremation services offer many benefits compared to the traditional method of burial. 

Here are some of many benefits of cremation. 

Flexibility

Many families enjoy the flexibility for planning that cremation offers. Cremation provides flexibility and makes it easier to plan a service at a time that is convenient for everyone to attend. It’s actually quite common for families to hold a celebration of life weeks or sometimes months after the death has occurred. The added time to plan means you can take longer to gather meaningful scriptural passages, poetry, literary quotes, music, photos and videos. 

Save on Costs

When a loved one is buried, there will be additional expenses like the cost of a casket, burial vault and grave marker. A cremation service allows you to save on costs because you don’t have the added expenses of a burial. Instead, many families will use these savings to purchase an urn to hold the remains or to offset the cost of a service to pay their respects. 

Cemetery Availability 

Cemeteries only have a limited amount of space. As they become closer to capacity, many cemeteries will raise the cost of their remaining plots. This added expense can take a larger chunk of your budget than what was expected and drastically increase the total cost to honor your loved one. 

Portable

Life is unpredictable. If you ever have to move to a different city or state, it can be difficult to move a loved one’s remains to a different cemetery. Cremated remains that are stored in an urn are easily transported and can be taken with you almost anywhere with ease.

Are You Ready to Talk About Cremation?

We want you to know that no matter your reasons for choosing cremation, we're here to help you explore your options. When you're ready, call us to set an appointment or simply drop by our office. You can also send us an email via our online contact us form.
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