Funeral Options
How do I plan a traditional funeral service versus a cremation funeral service?
The same way. There is no difference, for the most part, between a cremation funeral service and a traditional funeral service. Both involve the viewing of the dead, gathering of family and friends, holding a funeral service and accompanying the dead to the final disposition. (Though it's less common, the family may accompany the deceased to the crematory and view the casket going into the retort.)
Next, you will need to make a series of decisions. Here's what we need to know:
- Final disposition
- Type of services
- Why have services
- How to plan a service
Final Disposition
If the choice is to keep the body intact, there is the option of ground burial in a cemetery plot or entombment in a mausoleum crypt. If the choice is to cremate the body, the remains can also be interred in a plot or inurned in a niche. Cremated remains have the additional options of being kept at home in a display urn or scattered.
Choosing to keep the body intact or cremated is a personal one. Many factors play into this decision: religious beliefs, family custom, funeral budget or the wishes of the deceased.
What type of services?
Once the family has made their choice, the next question is what type of services they would prefer: a traditional burial or cremation funeral service. Both are similar. The deceased is laid out for public viewing at the Lee-Ellena Funeral Home. The family receives friends and relatives at a gathering (or visitation) for one or two days followed by formal services and committal. In a traditional burial service, the hearse goes to the cemetery, often in procession. In a cremation funeral service the hearse goes to the crematory. In both options the family has the choice to witness the burial or the start of cremation.
Another option is a cremation memorial service. Here only the cremated remains are present. The family holds a gathering at the Lee-Ellena Funeral Home for one or two days. Services are held at a church or the Lee-Ellena Funeral Home the same day or the following. There can be procession to the cemetery to commit the remains, either in a plot or in a niche.
Why have services, anyway?
Whether a funeral cremation service or a traditional service, funeral services provide a great benefit to the survivors. Families and friends come together to remember the deceased and celebrate his or her life. Funeral services are also family reunions where memories are shared, comfort is given and the grieving can begin the road to adjusting to a new life without the deceased.
Scattering Options: Did You Know?
Often families choose a favorite place of the deceased to scatter remains. National parks allow the scattering of remains with a special permit or on private land with the owner’s permission. Cremated remains can also be shot from shot gun shells, scattered from an airplane, placed in a helium balloon, put into low-earth orbit, made into synthetic diamonds, incorporated into an artificial reef or mixed with paint to create a portrait of the deceased.