Part of making funeral and cremation 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 of cremation below, however, if the content here raises additional questions for you, please contact us. One of our cremation specialists will address any of your inquiries or concerns.

The Cremation Association of North America describes cremation as, "The mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments".

As we said earlier, people choose cremation over burial of casketed remains for any combination of reasons. Sometimes it's the simple fear of burial itself, which may stem directly from the Victorian phobia of being buried alive.

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 one of our funeral directors as to your best options regarding jewelry or other valuable personal items. We typically recommend that expensive jewelry and keepsake items be removed before cremation and kept in the family as heirlooms.

• 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 our crematory room. Please discuss your desire to participate with one of our funeral directors.

• 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 merchandise that will help memorialize your loved one. Cremation urn vaults and urns that can be used for burial may also be viewed under the Outer Burial Container Tab. Ask one of our caring funeral directors to see the wide variety of urns.

Cremated remains(ashes) are returned to the designated recipient in a corrugated temporary container or in an urn if the family has purchased one. An official certificate of cremation is prepared under the authority of the crematorium to accompany the remains after cremation. The final disposition depends on the personal wishes of the deceased as well as their cultural and religious beliefs.

Cremated remains can be:

• Placed and stored in an urn at home.
• Scattered on a special area, cemetery and buried at sea.
• Buried in the ground at home or a cemetery
• Entombed
• Incorporated,with urn and cement, into part of an artificial reef
• Small portions can be placed in a Keepsake Jewelry or Pendant
• Sprinkled from an Airplane
• Mixed into paint and made into a portrait of the deceased
• Made into a diamond or gem
• Thumbie Jewelry
• Various Cremation Jewelry
• Shot into Space and placed into the Earth’s orbit