Cremation Information

The popularity of cremation in the United States has been on a steady rise for the past 50 years. As the popularity grows, we receive more and more questions about cremation. Many people are still confused about cremation, and we often hear misconceptions about cremation. This section of our website is committed to teaching you all about cremation. The pages below have been written by our cremation professionals in hopes that families can improve their education about cremation and feel more empowered when making end-of-life decisions. Often people struggle to decide if cremation is right for them or their loved one. The starting point to this decision is to first understand and become informed with the facts of cremation. 

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 Explained

People often have many misconceptions about how cremation actually works. Many people think cremation is done by simply lighting the body on fire and burning it. However, the cremation process is completed with a lot more care and is much more technical in nature. 

Cremation is the process of reducing a body to ash by exposing it to very high temperatures. First, the family or next of kin must authorize the body to be cremated. The crematorium operator prepares the body and removes any jewelry, medical devices (i.e. pacemakers), prostheses, and implants. The corpse is placed in a container made of wood or heavy cardboard. The container is then placed into the crematory chamber which is essentially a large furnace. The heat ignites the container and the body begins to dry out. The temperature in the chamber can rise to about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. It usually takes 2 to 3 hours to fully cremate a body. What’s left is a grey coarse material that feels like a fine gravel. On average, 3 to 9 pounds of ash is produced (Kim, 2018).

Step 1: Start Planning Online or Give us a Call

The decision between cremation and burial is a large one, especially if you are making it for someone else who did not plan out their wishes. Our funeral directors will be happy to help you decipher which is the best option for you.

Step 2: Making the Cremation Arrangement Official

When you are ready to finalize the cremation plan, we will put your wishes on record and keep it in our database until death occurs.

Step 3: Removal from the Place of Death

Upon death, we will remove the body from the place of death. After all paperwork has been completed and the medical examiner has given approval, the body is transported to the crematory.

Step 4: The Funeral Ceremony

If you have chosen to have some type of ceremony before the cremation takes place, we will begin and execute those plans accordingly.

Step 5: Cremation

We transfer the body to the crematorium, and the operators take care of the cremation process. The body is placed in the cremation chambers and the process usually takes 2-3 hours.

Step 6: Return of the Cremated Remains

After cremation is completed, your loved one's ashes are safeguarded and promptly returned to you.

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.

What are the Benefits of Cremation?

It has always been an on-going debate: cremation vs. burial. Lately, cremation has been winning the battle as the more popular choice. The American cremation rate has been steadily on the rise for the past 30 years. The year of 2015 marked the first time the cremation rate was higher than the burial rate in the United States.

So, why cremation? Everyone has their own personal reasons for choosing cremation, but we have noticed 6 key benefits of cremation: 

1) Cost

On average, cremation is generally 45-50% cheaper than burial. Cremation allows you to avoid the big purchases of items like a headstone and a casket.

2) Environmental Concerns

Cremation is considered to be more environmentally friendly than burial. Often the deceased is embalmed using harsh chemicals for a wake before he/she is buried. People have been critical that these chemicals can seep through a casket and create water and soil pollution. Secondly, burial plots take up land space and disturbs the Earth to inter a casket. Crematories do release carbon emissions into the air, but new technology is really starting to reduce the amount and impact.

3) Simplicity

Often times, when people choose a traditional funeral they choose to have their loved one buried as well. In contrast, cremation is more associated with memorial services and celebrations of life. A traditional funeral involves many more components such as a wake, gathering pallbearers, organizing a mass with a church, coordinating the burial with the cemetery, and much more. Memorial service and celebrations of life can be much simpler if you choose them to be. Since these ceremonies are more based on what you want and are less about common rituals, you can choose just how complicated and sophisticated the ceremonies are.

4) Cemetery Availability

Plots at cemeteries are becoming more and more scarce. The cemetery you wish to be buried may not have plots available when you pass. Also since the supply of burial plots shrinks the cost of them has been on the rise. Cremation allows you to avoid the trouble of finding a plot.

5) Flexibility

With burial, you are either interred underground in a plot or above ground in a mausoleum. With cremation, you have several options in terms of what you can do with your loved one’s ashes. You can scatter your loved one’s ashes, store them in an urn, hold a small portion of it in memorial jewelry, blast them as apart of fireworks, mix them into the ink of a tattoo, and do some many other creative things with ashes.New Paragraph

6) Religions are Becoming Less Strict

Many people are starting to move away from tradition due to religions having a more relaxed stance on cremation. Catholics believe that the soul is immortal and does not depend on the physical body. Since cremation of the deceased's remains do not affect his or her soul, according to the Church, there are no doctrinal objections to the practice (Bryner, 2016). The less strict beliefs of the Catholic church are becoming another reason that people are choosing cremation rather than burial.

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.
Sources:
  1. What is Cremation, Cremation Association of North America
  2. Kim, M. (2018). How cremation works. Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/cremation1.html
  3. Jeanna Bryner, Vatican Issues New Cremation Guidelines for 'Faithfully Departed'; https://www.livescience.com/56632-vatican-issues-new-cremation-guidelines.html