Cremation Services
If your family has chosen cremation, we offer affordable services that help celebrate the life of your loved one while giving you several options for a public gathering and a final resting place. Our compassionate team understands that choosing cremation services is a deeply personal decision, and we're here to guide you through every step of the process with dignity, respect, and care.
Understanding Cremation Options
Cremation has become an increasingly popular choice for families seeking meaningful, personalized, and affordable funeral services. We offer comprehensive cremation services that honor your loved one's memory while providing the flexibility to create a service that reflects their unique life and values.
Traditional Funeral Service followed by Cremation
Many families find meaning and beauty in a traditional funeral service. With a traditional service combined with cremation, you can still choose to have a final viewing, visitation or wake, and a funeral service. However instead of in-ground burial, the funeral will be followed by cremation.
This option allows families to gather, share memories, and say goodbye in a traditional setting before cremation takes place. The viewing gives loved ones the opportunity to pay their respects, while the funeral service provides closure through ceremony, music, eulogies, and meaningful rituals.
Depending on your wishes, the cremated remains may be either returned to in an urn, scattered, or interred in a columbarium. This option will include fees for the funeral services as well as the fees associated with the cremation itself.
Memorial Service
The memorial service can be held in our chapel, a church, or any other venue the family chooses. Unlike a traditional funeral service, memorial services typically take place after cremation has occurred, offering greater flexibility in timing and location.
We work with our families to design a service that honors their loved one with stories, music, or scripture. Whether you envision an intimate gathering or a larger celebration of life, our experienced staff helps you create a meaningful tribute. We also have life celebrants that lead services where clergy may not be chosen. Our celebrants are trained in creating experiences that help start the healing process.
Memorial services for cremation can be personalized with photo displays, video tributes, favorite music, and special readings that reflect your loved one's personality, passions, and legacy.
Graveside Service
A graveside or committal service is typically held immediately following the funeral service but it can also be a small intimate gathering of those closest to you. For families choosing cremation, a graveside service may involve the burial of an urn or the placement of cremated remains in a columbarium niche.
These services provide a sacred moment for final farewells and can include prayers, readings, music, or personal reflections. The intimate nature of graveside services offers comfort to families seeking a quieter, more private way to honor their loved one.
Permanent Memorialization
One of the advantages of choosing cremation services is the flexibility it provides for memorialization. Families have several meaningful options for the final disposition of cremated remains:
Keeping an Urn at Home
This is a common choice and families can select the perfect urn for their loved one. Keeping cremated remains at home allows family members to feel close to their loved one and creates a personal memorial space. We offer a wide selection of beautiful urns in various styles, materials, and sizes to suit every taste and budget, from traditional designs to contemporary art pieces that celebrate your loved one's individuality.
Placing the Urn in a Columbarium (aka, a “niche”)
Many families find comfort in having a final resting place that they can visit. A columbarium is a permanent structure with individual compartments (niches) designed to hold urns containing cremated remains. Columbarium placement provides a dedicated memorial space where family and friends can come to remember and reflect.
This option combines the benefits of cremation with the permanence of a marked resting place. Many columbariums are located in peaceful cemetery settings, memorial gardens, or church grounds, offering a serene environment for remembrance.
Burying the Urn
Similar to a casket, the in-ground burial of the urn allows for a final resting place. Urn burial can take place in a traditional cemetery plot, in a specialized cremation garden, or in a family plot. This option provides a permanent memorial with a grave marker or headstone, giving family members a specific place to visit and honor their loved one's memory.
Urn burial is often chosen by families who value traditional cemetery memorialization but prefer cremation to traditional burial.
Scattering the Cremated Remains
Some families find comfort scattering the cremated remains in a place that was special to their loved one. Whether it's a favorite hiking trail, a beloved beach, a cherished family property, or a memorial garden, scattering ashes allows families to return their loved one to a meaningful location.
We can provide guidance on scattering options and help you understand any legal considerations. Some families choose to divide the cremated remains, keeping a portion in an urn while scattering the rest, or sharing among family members in keepsake urns or cremation jewelry.
Why Choose Our Cremation Services
Affordable Cremation Options
We believe everyone deserves a dignified farewell. Our cremation services are priced to provide exceptional value while maintaining the highest standards of care and professionalism.
Compassionate, Experienced Staff
Our team has extensive experience providing cremation services with sensitivity and respect. We understand the emotions families face during this difficult time and are committed to supporting you through every decision and detail.
Personalized Service
No two lives are the same, and no two cremation services should be either. We work closely with families to create personalized tributes that truly reflect the individual being remembered. From selecting the perfect urn to designing a meaningful memorial service, we help you honor your loved one in a way that feels authentic and healing.
Complete Cremation Care
We handle every aspect of the cremation process with professionalism and dignity, including necessary paperwork, permits, death certificates, transportation, and coordination with cemeteries or other venues. Our full-service approach means you can focus on your family while we manage the details.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cremation
How long does the cremation process take?
The cremation process itself typically takes 2-3 hours, though the entire process from receiving the deceased to returning the cremated remains to the family usually takes several days to a week, depending on necessary authorizations and paperwork.
Can we have a viewing before cremation?
Yes. Many families choose a traditional funeral service with viewing before cremation. This allows family and friends to say goodbye and provides closure before cremation takes place.
What happens during cremation?
Cremation uses high heat to reduce the body to bone fragments, which are then processed into the fine, sand-like cremated remains returned to families.
What is included in cremation services?
Our cremation services include professional care of your loved one, necessary permits and paperwork, the cremation process, a basic urn or container for the cremated remains, and coordination of any services you choose. Additional services such as viewings, memorial services, upgraded urns, or memorialization options are available based on your preferences.
Is a casket required for cremation?
A casket is not required for cremation. If you choose a viewing or funeral service before cremation, a rental casket or alternative container can be used. For direct cremation, a simple combustible container is sufficient.
