Cremation FAQs

Pre-arranging funeral services can be done regardless of the final disposition. Pre-arranging is simply recording your wishes with the funeral home and prefunding if you choose to do so.

Yes, cremation or burial is merely the disposition of the body. Funeral services are to honor and remember your loved one, regardless of disposition.

Burial in a casket is the most common method of disposing of remains in the United States, although entombment also occurs. Cremation is increasingly selected because it can be less expensive and allows for the memorial service to be held at a more convenient time in the future when relatives and friends can come together.

A funeral service followed by cremation need not be any different from a funeral service followed by a burial. Usually, cremated remains are placed in an urn before being committed to a final resting place. The urn may be buried, placed in an indoor or outdoor mausoleum/columbarium, or interred in a special urn garden that many cemeteries provide for cremated remains. The remains may also be scattered, according to state law.

It really depends entirely on how you wish to commemorate a life. One of the advantages of cremation is that it provides you with increased flexibility when you make your funeral and cemetery arrangements. 

You might, for example, choose to have a funeral service before the cremation; a memorial service at the time of cremation or after the cremation with the urn present; or a committal service at the final disposition of cremated remains. Funeral or memorial services can be held in a place of worship, a funeral home, or in a crematory chapel.

There are a lot of options, so please speak with one of our funeral directors to get a sense of all the choices available to you. 

With cremation, your options are numerous. The cremated remains can be interred in a cemetery plot (i.e., earth burial); retained by a family member, usually in an urn; or scattered on private property or at a place that was significant to the deceased. (It would always be advisable to check for local regulations regarding scattering in a public place. Your funeral director can help you with this.)

Today, there are many different types of memorial options available. Memorialization is a time-honored tradition that has been practiced for centuries. A memorial serves as a tribute to a life lived and provides a focal point for remembrance, as well as a record for future generations. The type of memorial you choose is a personal decision.

You might choose ground burial of the urn. If so, you may usually choose either a bronze memorial or monument. 

Cremation niches in columbariums are also available at many cemeteries. They offer the beauty of a mausoleum setting with the benefits of aboveground placement of remains. 

Many cemeteries also offer scattering gardens. This area of a cemetery offers the peacefulness of a serene garden where family and friends can come and reflect.

If you wish to have your ashes scattered somewhere, it is important to discuss your wishes ahead of time with the person or persons who will do the scattering, as they might want to let your funeral professional assist in the scattering ceremony. 

Funeral directors can also be very helpful in creating a meaningful and personal ash scattering ceremony that they will customize to fit your family's specific desires. The services can be as formal or informal as you like. 

Scattering services can also be public or private. Again, it is advisable to check for local regulations regarding scattering in a public place. Your funeral director can help you with this.

Yes. Depending upon the cemetery's policy, you may be able to save a grave space by having the cremated remains buried on top of the casketed remains of your spouse, or utilize the space provided next to him/her. Many cemeteries allow for multiple cremated remains to be interred in a single grave space.