Many Americans are coming to view the planning of their own funerals as a part of estate planning. Such planning may or may not involve pre-paying for the arrangements. As a point of reference, life expectancies are rising in this country. According to a 2015 report conducted by the National Institute of Aging, living to 100 is Read more…
Funerals: An Overview
Funeral Homes There are over than 32,000 local funeral homes in the U.S., and these businesses are offering an expanding range of services, such as grief counseling and personalized caskets. The funeral home industry has undergone a consolidation in recent years, and many local funeral homes are actually owned by a large national corporation. Increasingly, the Read more…
Funeral Glossary Of Terms
Alternative Container: An unfinished wood box or other non-metal receptacle without ornamentation, often made of fiberboard, pressed wood or composition materials, and generally lower in cost than caskets. Casket/Coffin: A box or chest for burying remains. Cemetery Property: A grave, crypt or niche. Cemetery Services: Opening and closing graves, crypts or niches; setting grave liners and vaults; setting Read more…
Selecting A Funeral Home – Factors To Consider
As you would when searching for any professional service, you should shop around to find the best fit. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) can give you a list of member funeral directors in your area. Look for a reputable, licensed funeral home, and try to get personal references, too, from friends, relatives or clergy. Read more…
Veterans – Funerals
VETRANS FUNERALS Veterans have earned the right to be buried in a national cemetery and have a grave marker and flag. Those who have been dishonorably discharged or convicted of subversive activity are ineligible. Spouses and dependent children of eligible veterans are also entitled to burial in a national cemetery. Depending upon the circumstances of Read more…
Burial At Sea
BURIAL AT SEA History And Rules Bodies have been committed to the ocean depths for centuries. Despite the honor associated with the tradition, many Americans are unaware that this type of burial is available to them. Human remains may be buried at sea in accordance with regulations based on the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuary Read more…
Space Burial
Blasting Off For Good – Space Burial For those who want to slip Earth’s bonds and travel among the stars, it is now possible to have your cremated remains launched into space to orbit Earth or to journey into deep space. Encased within a personalized flight capsule, some of your beloveds ashes can be sent Read more…
Green Burial Funerals
When You Go – Go Green This practice is based on the premise of returning our bodies to the earth to form a vital link in the cycle of life. Wrapped in a shroud of natural fabric, lying on a wicker burial stretcher or contained in a biodegradable casket, bodies are buried in designated ‘green’ Read more…
Memorial Services – End Of Life Planning
A memorial service generally describes a gathering of family and friends that takes place without the body or cremains of the deceased present. There may have already been a direct burial or cremation with a private, intimate service for only the closest of family and friends. A memorial service would be open to a much Read more…
Planning A Funeral
If you find yourself faced with the task of organizing a funeral for a loved one who has died unexpectedly or without leaving instructions, take a level-headed friend with you to the funeral home as a steadying influence. Depending on the type of funeral chosen, there are a variety of services that a funeral home Read more…