Choosing cremation for when you die instead of a traditional funeral can save your family a substantial amount of money. If you do not know much about cremation, however, it can help to learn a little about the process. This can then help you decide on how you want to plan your funeral.
Process for the Family
Once you pass away, the family will have to provide the funeral home with your date of birth, your father's and mother's names and the states they were born in, your social security number, and a copy of your driver's license, if this is applicable. If you are a veteran, there is other information your family will have to provide. The funeral home can help them determine the forms that are needed.
If you want to keep the ashes, your family will need to choose an urn. The funeral home will have urns available or your family can purchase the urn elsewhere. There are also companies that will place ashes in jewelry or a painting. Your family can choose to dispose of the ashes in another way, such as spread them across a certain area. Your ashes can also be buried in a casket in a cemetery if you prefer.
If chosen, your family will coordinate the memorial, visitation, or ceremony with the funeral director. They will also be assisted with preparing and publicizing your obituary.
Cremation Process
When all documents are provided and everything is set up, the funeral home will then start the cremation process. Your body is first prepared which may including cleaning and bathing, as well as dressing in certain clothing, if preferred. If your family does not have a public viewing before the cremation, your body will not be embalmed.
Next, all items will be removed from your body including jewelry, prosthetics, and medical devices that have batteries.
Your body will then be placed in a cremation container. This could be a cardboard box or a simple casket. Whatever is used must be sturdy so that it will hold your body. The container must also be combustible.
Your body will then be placed in a cremation chamber to be cremated. The chamber is made of fire-resistant bricks. Diesel fuel, propane, or natural gas is used to power the furnace. When the cremation process is finished, your remains will be cooled down. The operator then inspects your remains for any type of metal that may be left behind. If anything is found, strong magnets are used to remove the metal.
The operator will grind your ashes and place them in a sealed, plastic bag. This bag is then given to your family members or placed in the urn that your family purchased.
If you want more information talk to a funeral director and they can go into much more detail on the cremation process.
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