When considering cremation, today's families are concerned with many complex issues: how cremation affects the environment (especially when compared to traditional burial), personal finances and faith being amongst the top three. If you, or a family member, are curious about cremation or wondering if cremation is the right option for your situation, we invite you to read the articles in this section. And of course, if you have concerns or additional questions, we ask that you connect with us by calling (610) 866-8059. We will be pleased to take part in your cremation conversation.
Part of making funeral 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 below, however, if the content here raises additional questions for you, please give us a call. 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". On our page, The Cremation Process, we offer a deeper look at the most common cremation process which uses extreme heat.
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 our crematory in Bethlehem, PA and the cremation process can take place. However, there are some additional things you may wish to consider, such as:
We encourage open dialog about all end-of-life issues, and sincerely hope you reach out to us to dig deeper into the topics related to cremation and burial. Contact Us us today to ask a question or to set an appointment (either in your home or our office). We look forward to the conversation.
Everyone has his or her own personal reasons for choosing a cremation funeral over traditional casketed burial in Bethlehem. In the last few years, more and more North American families have been making this choice and there are multiple reasons why this trend has developed. The simplicity and affordability of cremation in comparison to burial packages and other funeral services is certainly a large contributing factor. At our Bethlehem and Fountain Hill funeral homes, we want you to know that no matter your reasons for choosing cremation, we're here to help you explore your options. When you're ready to talk about cremation, Contact Us to set an appointment or simply drop by our office. You can also send us an email via our online contact form.
Cremation services in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley typically costs one-third of the cost of a traditional burial. While it's true that cost is a big factor for many families, it's important to remember that cremation is only one part of providing meaningful end-of-life care for a loved one. Coming to terms with the death of a loved one is important and can be achieved with a memorial service. Bringing family and friends together provides everyone with the opportunity to share memories and receive support.
Cremation also allows a family the flexibility they may need in planning and preparing for a memorial service, celebration-of-life, or a scattering ceremony. While the cremation process can occur almost immediately (once all the proper paperwork is complete), the decisions required in planning a meaningful memorial for a loved one can be made in a relaxed, rational way.
You can also be sure that concern for the environment ranks high among many who choose cremation. Casketed and embalmed remains take up cemetery space and can pollute the ground water but many still question the amount of atmospheric pollution created by the cremation process.
We are caring cremation experts who promise each family we serve the highest level of:
We offer three cremation options; each can be modified to meet your needs:
Cremation has been a part of the human death experience for a very long time. If you would like to understand more about the cremation process we invite you to read this section. We'll also take a look at cremation costs that will help you with your decision.
Traditional cremation is the process of reducing a body at very high temperatures until it is nothing but brittle, calcified bones. These are then processed into what we commonly call ashes. Returned to the family in a temporary urn (or a more personal urn selected by the family), these ashes can be kept, buried, or scattered. Some families even choose to place a loved one's cremated remains in a hand-crafted piece of cremation art.
The container housing the remains, which can be a casket or an alternative container, is placed in the retort or cremating chamber. It takes anywhere from two to three hours to reduce an average adult to skeletal remains. When the cremated remains are cooled, they are processed to a uniformly-sized pebble-like substance and placed in an urn or temporary container. The funeral director then returns the cremated remains to the family.
We want you to know that no matter your reasons for choosing cremation, we're here to help you explore your options. When you're ready, Contact Us to set an appointment or simply drop by our office. You can also send us an email via our online contact us form.