A funeral represents a purposeful opportunity to reflect on a life that has been lived, and to honor the memory of that life for family and friends. There is no single proper funeral service. Funerals provide a time for human sharing in its deepest sense. You and your loved ones are at the very center of the process, and the choices you make will determine a funeral’s significance for you. By participating in the planning of the service, you will help create a meaningful experience for everyone.

Funeral Options
Cremation
Pre-Arranging Your Funeral Service

Selected Independent Funeral Homes has a firm commitment, through its Code of Good Funeral Practice, to support your freedom of choice in funeral services. The choices you have, which are as personal as you wish to make them, can be made with confidence and without undue stress – especially if they are approached with awareness and understanding.

Sound decisions are based on good information. We sincerely hope the information provided will satisfy certain questions, stimulate you to ask others, and enable you to make wise choices regarding funeral services.

Please refer to What You Should Know as a Consumer for other important funeral-related information.

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No matter what your funeral preferences, your funeral director can help you with every aspect of the funeral process. Among other things, your funeral director can:

- Arrange the funeral plans
- Help notify friends and family
- Secure necessary permits and death certificates
- Take care of the body
- Coordinate all details with the clergy
- Help in the arranging for burial or cremation
- Notify your attorney if you need legal help
- Help secure any benefits to which you may be entitled
- Follow up after the funeral, providing both practical help in adjusting to your loss

When a death occurs, call your funeral director immediately. Regardless of the day or time, funeral directors are always prepared to respond to your needs quickly and competently, and to guide you through the array of choices that need to be made.

If possible, try to make planning the funeral a joint effort with other family members or very close friends. Working together can sometimes lessen the burden and further enable the healing process. Many decisions listed below can be best made by several people, with consideration of the deceased's wishes.

To help you find a qualified funeral director, please refer to our Funeral Home Finder to search for the member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes nearest you.

Generally, a funeral gathering is held in a funeral home or a place of worship. A gathering with the body present is a funeral service. If the body is not present, the gathering is referred to as a memorial service. Whether you choose to bury, cremate or place the deceased in an aboveground vault, you may arrange either a memorial or funeral service. It is often customary to have a period of visitation or a reception at the funeral home or mortuary. During this time the casket may be open or closed, according to the family’s preferences. Some families opt to receive friends at their home or other location.

Your funeral director can guide you through the wide range of decisions that have to be made. Those decisions include choosing a casket, a vault and or an urn, the type of service and who will preside, and a method for people to express their sympathy, such as flowers or donations to the deceased's favorite charities.

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Cremation

Cremation is the process of reducing the body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat. This procedure usually takes from two to three hours and occurs in a special type of furnace known as a cremation chamber or retort. The remains are then processed into a finer substance and placed in a temporary container. Before the remains are returned to the family, they are usually transferred to an urn for permanent containment.

Many people believe that at the time of death, only two basic choices exist: immediate cremation of the body or a complete funeral, including viewing, followed by burial. In fact, several options are available for those who prefer cremation. Cremation and burial are both defined as methods of caring for the body, and are just one part of a funeral.

Just like burial, cremation can occur after a funeral where the casket is present at a place of worship or funeral chapel. Likewise, cremation can occur after a memorial service. The urn may be present for the memorial service, depending on the family's wishes.

As with burials, a cremation funeral may be preceded by a period of visitation or a reception at the funeral home or mortuary. During this time and before the service, the casket may be open or closed, according to the preferences of the survivors. Instead of a public visitation, some families opt to receive friends at their residence or other location, which is another matter of personal choice. After cremation, a public or private service may be arranged for the final placement of the cremated remains.

Generally, the cremation process itself costs less than burial or entombment. However, a more accurate comparison must include the services chosen to be a part of the total funeral. Your Selected Independent Funeral Homes director can offer current information on cremation costs and will, at the time of arrangement, provide a complete listing of charges for the services you select.

Non-Traditional Alternatives. Members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes pride themselves in their commitment to helping people create meaningful, personal ceremonies. It is important that you discuss your preferences and allow your funeral director to offer alternatives and suggestions that are most appropriate for you and your family.

Once you've chosen a funeral director and had the opportunity to start discussing your preferences, the next logical step is to pre-arrange the service. Pre-arrangement is not a preoccupation with death; it is a personal tool for preparation. Many people pre-arrange in a sincere desire to be helpful to their families and avoid questions and confusion later on.

The first step is to get together with your family. Offer your thoughts and then listen carefully. Give their ideas special attention. Since your funeral will most directly affect your family, it is essential to include their suggestions in your plans.

Next, go ahead and arrange a conference with your funeral director and family members. Use this opportunity to ask as many questions as necessary, and to discuss the choices that will help to create a tribute that is appropriate and meaningful for you.

Your funeral director has the proper forms needed for making these arrangements. He or she will likely keep a copy of these forms on file, but you should ask for copies as well. Keep them with your valuable papers, review them periodically, and update them as necessary. Remember, with a pre-arrangement plan, you are in charge.

Funding the pre-arranged service is also a choice many people make to further ease a possible financial burden on their family members. It allows you to arrange the specific kind of service you desire based on today's prices and be assured of an adequate fund for the future payment of the service.

There are several options available for funding the pre-arrangement, and they may vary somewhat in each state or province. Talk to your funeral director about funding the pre-arranged funeral service. He or she will be able to give you helpful information and thoughtful guidance.

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