Cremation Options

Cremation With Services provides your family and friends the opportunity to find support in one another as they physically gather for the purpose of showing support for one another.  Cremation offered through a Funeral Director’s Services can be arranged to follow either an open or a private visitation gathering time; with or without your prepared body present.  Services usually conclude with a Funeral Ceremony designed to appropriately honor the life, love and unique character of One of God’s Own.  Your local funeral home can offer experienced guidance in helping you to plan for your own celebration of life

Memorial Visitations and Memorial Funeral Ceremonies

Memorial Visitations and Memorial Funeral Ceremonies 

A Memorial Service is a scheduled event where family and friends gather, reminisce, and honor the life of a loved one.  Their loved one’s body is not present, but photographs, hobby and achievement memorabilia are often arranged to create a fitting tribute to a life well-lived.  Memorial Visitations can be planned for any desired length of time and are usually followed by a Memorial Funeral Ceremony. 

If the loved one’s body has already been cremated, the love-one’s ashes are often present in an urn. 

Costs for Memorial Visitation and Memorial Funeral Ceremonies vary community to community.  Often the services scheduled in the morning are the least costly while those in the afternoon are a bit more and the Memorial Services during the evening hours cost the most

Final Resting Place

Final Resting Place 

In choosing Cremation, a final resting place can be provided in many different and creative ways.  You may select from a wide variety of beautiful urns, which can be kept in your possession, or placed in a columbarium building that contains niche spaces for permanent placement. 

Urns can be interred in a family burial space at a local cemetery.  This then allows for a permanent statement of dates-of-life to be inscribed on the cemetery marker or monument. 

Scattering gardens, a favored option by many, are available at many community cemeteries. 

A family may wish to purchase keepsake mementos by which to personally remember their loved-one.  Keepsakes such as miniature urns or keepsake jewelry items are widely available today and are offered for sale through local funeral homes. 

Need To Know when A Loved one Dies

Need To Know when A Loved one Dies 

Immediately upon death, medial or police authorities must be summoned to determine the nature of its cause.  This must be done before the deceased body can be removed from the place where death occurred.  If there is a question concerning the cause of death, the local medical examiner may have the body removed to his/her facility for examination. 

When death occurs in a hospital, the hospital staff will usually notify the funeral home on behalf of the family.  The funeral home will immediately dispatch staff to retrieve the love-one’s body and prepare it for final disposition. (earth burial or cremation).  If no family gathering or viewing is requested, it may not be necessary for embalming to take place.  However, it is recommended and usually required by funeral homes and cremation services that a positive identification of the deceased is made by a close family member prior to cremation. 

If organs are to be donated, this must be arranged for with the hospital staff prior to release of a love-one’s body to the funeral home.  For information on organ donation, consult www.organdonor.gov or www.mdtransplant.org.   

If cremation is requested without family viewing, the body may be held (without embalming) in a specially refrigerated unit to preserve it until cremation can be arranged. 

The First Funeral Arrangements Conference

The First Funeral Arrangements Conference 

When preparing to meet with the funeral director for the Funeral Arrangements Conference, gather together the following: 

Your loved-one’s full name, address, social security number, birth date and place of birth, and veteran information (military discharge or DD 214). 

Their parents’ names, including mother’s maiden name; the name of their children, sisters and brothers and number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and possibly great-greatgrandchildren. 

Your loved one’s educational experience, occupation, memberships, hobbies, and note-worthy achievements.

And finally, the desired place of funeral, the funeral minister, cemetery information, and life insurance information, if life insurance is to be used to play the funeral bill.

And finally, the desired place of funeral, the funeral minister, cemetery information, and life insurance information, if life insurance is to be used to play the funeral bill.

NOTE:  Signed Authorization For Cremation, if not done before death by the decedent must be authorized by signature of the following: 

- Surviving Spouse

 - Or, if none, majority of one’s children. 

- Or, if none, both parents 

- Or, if none, majority of one’s siblings 

Pre-arrangement is one big Love Noteā€¦To your family

Pre-arrangement is one big Love Note…To your family 

Planning ahead for difficult times always makes sense, and usually saves money.  Planning ahead for a specific time when the family will be without one of its own, offers them an invaluable road-map over uncharted terrain!   

Here are some important considerations:

1.   Invite those family members who will be in charge of decision making to review and perhaps discuss your wishes.  Write your wishes down and provide those family decision makers their own copy to hold on to.  

2.  Note which funeral home you wish to entrust with the care of your family, and the implementation of your funeral wishes. 

3.  Note your choice of clergy or others to address your family with spiritual comforts and challenges; for life without you will be a new experience. 

4.  Decide where your celebration of life should take place, (Church, synagogue, funeral home, other). 

5.  Determine a final resting place (choice of cemetery or cremains disposition). 

6.  Consider your favorite music, readings and scripture passages to perhaps be shared at funeral time. 

7.  Other personally important details that could be helpful…. 

8.  Note for them the location of important papers, documents, military record, (DD for 214), bank accounts and investment deeds, records and especially computer data-base passwords and account numbers. 

9.  Finally, write a note to your family of how they have been important to you…Save it for them in a separate place. 

Once pre-planned arrangements have been completed, your funeral home will offer to maintain a copy for safe keeping.   

Remember, this is a living document…You may update and make changes whenever appropriate -Life Changes…All The Time