Cremation Arrangements
Today, more and more people are considering cremation. This decision is entirely a matter of personal preference. We believe that to make the best decision, families should have a thorough understanding of the alternatives available.
That’s why we designed this section of our website to give you the information you need to make the right choice for your family, and provide a meaningful and memorable tribute to your loved one.
Following cremation, the family of the deceased has several options. The cremated remains may be memorialized in any way the family chooses.
• Burial in a traditional cemetery plot
• Entombment in a mausoleum
• Placement in an urn, or divided among two or more urns, for safekeeping at family member’s homes or other special place
• Placement in keepsake jewelry to be worn as a necklace or bracelet
Our Cremation Arrangement Services
Traditional Cremation Service
Private Visitation
Immediate Cremation
Graveside Service
Memorial Visitation
Memorial Service
Death Away From Home
Traditional Cremation Service
This is the most common type of cremation service, in which a formal funeral service or ceremony held is in place of worship or the funeral home. The service is designed for family and friends to commemorate the life of their loved one. The deceased is then transferred to a crematory.
Traditional Cremation Services also include time for family and friends to gather together before the funeral with the body of the deceased is present (the casket may be opened or closed). This is commonly known as “calling hours”, “visitation”, “viewing” or “the wake”. We offer Rental Caskets and Basic Cremation Caskets.
It is usually held the day before the funeral service or over a period of two days, either at night or in a combination of day and evening hours. The duration of the viewing hours is scheduled to accommodate the needs of the family. Floral tributes are often displayed, as well as photographs and other personal items that reflect the life of the deceased loved one. Special music may be played to create a warm and serene setting.
Private Visitation
This service offers guests who are chosen and invited by the family the opportunity to say goodbye to the deceased in their own personal and private way, before public services and burial. Usually lasting about an hour, private Visitation is typically held at the funeral home with an open or closed casket. It may be followed by funeral services which are held in a place of worship or at the funeral home itself.
Floral tributes are often displayed, as well as photographs and other personal items that reflect the life of the deceased loved one. Special music may be played to create a warm and serene setting.
Immediate Cremation
With our Immediate Cremation option, cremation occurs within 24 hours of death and meets the needs of some families when cremation is desired without prior services. Families are encouraged to think about how best to memorialize their deceased loved one – whether through a graveside service, a memorial visitation, or a memorial service at a later date. Current research and professionals agree some form of ceremony is helpful in working through the stages of grief. Family members are encouraged to have a private visitation/viewing of their loved one prior to the cremation.
Graveside Service
Some families desire the simplicity of a graveside service with cremated remains without formal calling hours or a funeral service at a place of worship. Our funeral staff will meet you at the cemetery where a service led by clergy or a family member will provide a quiet time of sharing. Family members still have the option of a private visitation prior to the graveside service.
Memorial Visitation
Without a body present, many families desire a less formal service. Held anytime after a loved one’s death, a visitation celebrates the life of a loved one, gives family members and friends an opportunity visit with one another in a private setting at the funeral home to pay their respects, and may include flowers, photographs, music, and/or a DVD presentation.
Memorial Service
Without a body present, many families decide to have a formal ceremony facilitated by clergy or a family member to honor the memory of their deceased loved one. Held at our funeral home or a local place of worship, a service of remembrance may include prayers, poems, eulogies, photographs, music, and/or a DVD presentation of the loved one’s life. With no timeline, this service may be delayed until family members can travel here for the service.
Death Away From Home
Death always requires the surviving family to cope with many emotions and decisions. But when death occurs away from home, the entire situation grows even more complex. That’s when the services of your hometown funeral director become even more invaluable. Contact us immediately 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if a death occurs away from home.
Domestic Travel:
When death occurs away from home, we are both your advisor and your agent, working with other professionals long-distance, and coordinating the many services required. We belong to a nationwide association of funeral directors, which greatly enhances our ability to efficiently coordinate the legal and practical details of a death away from home, including:
- Moving the deceased from the place of death.
- Preparation of the deceased for transporting to the home area.
- Providing a transportation container.
- Arranging for all required documents and permits in the city where death occurred.
- Arranging for airline transportation.
- Transporting the deceased to the airport and ensuring the deceased is shipped properly.
- Beginning arrangements or services.
- Notifying newspapers to keep local residents informed.
- Arranging for cremation where the death occurred and transportation of the cremated remains back to the home area.
International Travel:
If a family member dies while outside the United States, the U.S Embassy will come to your assistance. An Embassy official in the country where the death occurred will be contacted, and he or she will contact the State Department in Washington, D.C to notify the next of kin.
You should immediately contact us when a death occurs abroad. We are well versed in the procedures for returning the deceased to the United States. Although it may be difficult, you will need to understand that this process may take a few weeks, or even longer, depending on which country the death occurred. We will do everything possible to expedite the process for you.
