When you start planning a cremation service, you’re quickly going to consider that all cremation services are not created equal. There are actually a handful of different types of cremation services that you can choose from when putting a loved one’s services into place. You should think about which services are going to be best for you and your family. In this article, we will discuss the different types of cremation and their benefits.
Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, Ltd is one of the best funeral homes offering cremation services in Quakertown, PA and the surrounding areas. Locally owned and operated for over 100 years, we have been serving the community with compassion and dignity. Our team is made up of devoted and licensed professionals who have the knowledge and experience to answer any inquiries you may have about our services. We are glad to be able to provide a contemporary, large facility that includes an on-site crematory, extensive off-street parking, a gathering space that may accommodate a small group for a post-funeral lunch, and more. Call us today at (215) 536-3343.
A traditional cremation process is pretty straightforward. The body is prepped and deposited in its last resting place. The body’s container is taken to the “retort,” or cremation chamber. The retort reaches a temperature of around 1800° F and the heat in the furnace reduces the body to gases and bone fragments. The leftover metal is removed after the cremation, and the bones are pulverized. The “ashes” are either placed in a temporary container or placed in an urn donated by the family.
An alternative cremation method, alkaline hydrolysis offers an eco-friendly cremation option. The body is placed in a pressurized chamber with water and potassium hydroxide—a chemical compound found in soap making. This reaction creates another solution that extracts the fluids from the human remains; the bones are then dried out, leaving behind white ash.
The cremation procedure takes three to four hours on average. However, this does not imply that receiving your loved one’s cremains takes only four hours. From the time of death to the completion of the cremation, it can take anything from four to fifteen days. A cremation takes roughly ten business days on average.
Not everyone realizes this, but just because you’re holding a cremation for a loved one doesn’t mean that you can’t have a regular funeral for them. You’re more than welcome to stage a traditional funeral for a loved one prior to their cremation so that their body can be present at it. You can even put together plans for a viewing if you would like and get your hands on a casket rental for it. Just be sure that you work with a funeral home that can pull this off and get everything to go accordingly to plan.
Benefits
If you would like to cremate a loved one without any pomp and circumstance, then you might enjoy what direct cremation services bring to the table. This type of cremation service doesn’t involve a funeral, a memorial service, or any other kind of celebration. It’s solely a cremation and nothing else. Many families choose this type of cremation service when they want to cremate a loved one for the lowest price possible and make sure that everything is over and done within a hurry.
Benefits
What is the difference between cremation and direct cremation? The interval between death and cremation is the fundamental difference between traditional cremation and direct cremation. The body is transferred immediately from the hospital or morgue to the crematory in direct cremation.
What is the least expensive way to be cremated? Because the most expensive purchases like caskets, body preparation, funeral service, and considerable transportation are avoided, direct cremation is the least expensive disposition option. Furthermore, some funeral homes may charge a cheaper basic service fee (a non-declinable flat fee charged by funeral homes) for direct cremation.
If you want to wait until after a loved one is cremated to hold any kind of service for them, this is always a possibility, too. Many families have come to appreciate the freedom that comes along with planning a memorial service for someone who is being cremated. For this type of cremation, a family can hold a memorial service at almost any time that they want and personalize it to make it completely unique to their loved one.
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While the vast majority of the families that cremate a loved one hold either a traditional funeral with cremation or a cremation with a memorial service to follow, there are some that have started to hold a celebration of life ceremony. These ceremonies often look and feel more like parties than funerals. As their name would suggest, they’re meant to be celebrations of people’s lives and not somber events. They’re one more option for you to consider when mapping out a loved one’s cremation services.
Cremation with life celebration allows the cremated remains to be present during a memorial service. This is very similar to a traditional funeral, but instead of burying or entombing the cremated remains in an urn, they are scattered on land or water that had significance for their loved one.
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For this type of cremation, when you donate a body to science, there are many scientific institutions that can take care of the cremation for you. Cremation is a compulsory part of the body donation process, and unmatched cremated remains are returned to the family within 3-5 weeks of donation.
Benefits
Do you have questions about any of the specific cremation services that we just mentioned? Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, Ltd. can break them down further for you when you make funeral arrangements for a loved one at our Quakertown, PA funeral home. Obtain additional information on cremation services by setting up a meeting with one of our trusted funeral directors or call 1-215-536-3343.