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 at 207-244-3183. 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.
What is Required to Arrange for Cremation?
Once the cremation-over-burial decision has been made, all that's required is authorization. This is provided by the person who has been legally appointed or is the legal next of kin. Once the cremation authorization document is signed, the death certificate is completed, and service charges are paid, the body can be transported to the crematory 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. Call us today at 207-244-3183 to ask a question or to set an appointment (either in your home or our office). We look forward to the conversation.
Sources:
What is Cremation, Cremation Association of North America