Itemized
$2,085
Package Price
$1,695
Non Ceremonial Cremation with Private Family Farewell
- Basic Services of Funeral Director & Staff
- Sanitary Care of the remains
- Transfer of remains to funeral home
- Use of Facilities, Staff & Equipment for Private Family Farewell
- Standard Crematory Fee
Itemized
$3,670
Package Price
$3,095
Cremation with Service of Remembrance (Without Deceased Present)
- Basic Services of Funeral Director & Staff
- Sanitary Care of the remains
- Transfer of remains to funeral home
- Use of Facilities, Staff & Equipment for Private Family Farewell
- Use of Facilities, Staff & Equipment for Memorial Service
- Utility Car
- Standard Crematory Fee
Itemized
$4,810
Package Price
$4,395
Full Traditional Service with Cremation
- Basic Services of Funeral Director & Staff
- Embalming
- Other Preparation of the Body
- Transfer of remains to funeral home
- Use of Facilities, Staff & Equipment for Visitation
- Use of Facilities, Staff & Equipment for Funeral Service
- Casket Coach (Hearse)
- Utility Car
- Standard Crematory Fee
Cremation Services in Fontana, CA
Part of making funeral arrangements on behalf of a loved one involves choosing between burial of the body, or cremation. On this page, we have provided you with relevant information about how does cremation work, the cremation process & our cremation services in Fontana, CA.
How Does Cremation Work
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 about some basic cremation information 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.
More Information About Cremation
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.
The Cremation Process
What are some factors that you will have to consider when deciding on cremation?
- How do you feel about the idea of cremation? What about burial? Purely based on emotions, which one makes you feel better?
- Is cost a big concern for you? When it comes to end-of-life planning, are you most interested in saving you and your family money?
- What does your religion say about cremation? Will your religious or spiritual beliefs have a great impact on the decision to cremate?
- Do you have concerns about reducing pollution and being as environmentally friendly as possible?
- How do you think your family and friends will react to your decision? What are their end-of-life plans?
Why Choose Cremation Services?
Everyone has their own personal reasons for choosing cremation over traditional casketed burial.
Cremation Costs are Only One Reason
Given the religious, ethnic, and regional diversity among us, there are many other reasons for the dramatic rise in the number of cremations performed each year. According to Tyler Mathisen of NBC, one of those reasons "is the softening of the Catholic church's views of the practice. For centuries—until 1963, in fact—the church outlawed it. The church's laws still express a preference for burial. But the outright ban is a thing of the past."
He goes on to tell readers that the decline in nuclear families is another reason. "As more Americans live far from hometowns and parents, and as family burial plots have waned in popularity and accessibility, millions have turned to cremation as a practical and cost-effective way to care for a loved one's remains."
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.
Cremation Benefits
Cost
On average, cremation is generally 45-50% cheaper than burial. Cremation allows you to avoid the big purchases of items like a headstone and a casket.
Flexibility
With burial, you are either interred underground in a plot or above ground in a mausoleum. With cremation, you have several options in terms of what you can do with your loved one’s ashes. You can scatter your loved one’s ashes, store them in an urn, hold a small portion of it in memorial jewelry, blast them as apart of fireworks, mix them into the ink of a tattoo, and do some many other creative things with ashes.
Cemetery Availability
Plots at cemeteries are becoming more and more scarce. The cemetery you wish to be buried may not have plots available when you pass. Also since the supply of burial plots shrinks the cost of them has been on the rise. Cremation allows you to avoid the trouble of finding a plot.
Simplicity
Often times, when people choose a traditional funeral they choose to have their loved one buried as well. In contrast, cremation is more associated with memorial services and celebrations of life. A traditional funeral involves many more components such as a wake, gathering pallbearers, organizing a mass with a church, coordinating the burial with the cemetery, and much more. Memorial service and celebrations of life can be much simpler if you choose them to be. Since these ceremonies are more based on what you want and are less about common rituals, you can choose just how complicated and sophisticated the ceremonies are.
Environmental Concerns
Cremation is considered to be more environmentally friendly than burial. Often the deceased is embalmed using harsh chemicals for a wake before he/she is buried. People have been critical that these chemicals can seep through a casket and create water and soil pollution. Secondly, burial plots take up land space and disturbs the Earth to inter a casket. Crematories do release carbon emissions into the air, but new technology is really starting to reduce the amount and impact.
Religions are Becoming Less Strict
Many people are starting to move away from tradition due to religions having a more relaxed stance on cremation. Catholics believe that the soul is immortal and does not depend on the physical body. Since cremation of the deceased's remains do not affect his or her soul, according to the Church, there are no doctrinal objections to the practice (Bryner, 2016). The less strict beliefs of the Catholic church are becoming another reason that people are choosing cremation rather than burial.
The Cremation Process
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 options that will help you with your decision.
A Short History of Cremation
According to Wikipedia, cremation dates back at least 20,000 years ago in Australia, while in Europe, there is evidence of cremation dating to around 2,000 B.C. Cremation was common in Ancient Greece and Rome, and it remains a standard practice in India. The practice of cremation faded in Europe by the fifth century and during the Middle Ages, it was primarily used in the punishment of heretics or in response to the fear of contagious diseases. Today, cremation is preferred by more and more people around the world.
The Flame Cremation Process
Traditional cremation services include 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.
Author Michelle Kim, in How Cremation Works, details the cremation process: "In modern crematories, the body is stored in a cool, temperature-controlled room until it's approved for cremation. The body is prepared by removing pacemakers, prostheses and silicone implants. The body is then put into a container or casket made out of flammable materials such as plywood, pine or cardboard."
The container is placed in the retort or cremating chamber. It takes anywhere from two to three hours to reduce an average adult to ash. When the cremated remains are cooled, they are processed to a uniformly-sized pebble-like substance and placed in an urn. The funeral director then returns the cremated remains to the family.
Cremation Costs
Cremation 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.
Spend Time with Us
Sit down with us to discuss your cremation options. We appreciate the opportunity to share our insights and experience to fully support you in making end-of-life decisions for you and your family. Call us to schedule an appointment or drop by our office.
Need More Information About Cremation in Fontana, CA?
We encourage open dialog about all end-of-life issues, and sincerely hope you reach out to get some more useful cremation information. Call us
today to ask a question or to set an appointment (either in your home or our office). We look forward to the conversation.
Speak to a Licenced Professional
Sources:
- What is Cremation, Cremation Association of North America
- Mathisen, Tyler, "Cremation is the Hottest Trend in the Funeral Industry"
