Burials and Cremation

 

Traditional Burial

The most common option for burials is a ground burial. An in-ground burial places the body after preparation (usually embalmed) in a casket then into a gravesite. Prior to the burial the cemetery places a container, or vault in the ground which holds the casket.
Cemetery Grounds In Autumn During committal or interment the casket is lowered into the gravesite. The vault then seals the casket and the grave is then filled in and re-soded.

Today burial spaces are generally located in beautiful, scenic areas within the cemetery and are available by single spaces, which accommodate individual burials, or you can purchase as many together as needed for your families.

All burials lots are maintained by a permanent care fund that insures perpetual continued care without further expense to the lot owners.

 

Mausoleum Burial

Community Mausoleum One of the oldest forms of burial is mausoleum entombment. Christ was entombed in a rock-hewn crypt. Over the years, many families followed and provided prearrangements in their own private mausoleum. Later came the development of community (public) mausoleums which provided an affordable and ideal method of burial.

Families are choosing mausoleum entombment as an alternative to ground burial because of convenience in locating space, comfort while visiting during inclement weather; and cost. The purchase of a mausoleum crypt includes the space, which is the vault, and lettered door all packaged into one price, as opposed to ground burial where these elements (grave, vault and monument) must be purchased separately.

Cemeteries offer both indoor and outdoor mausoleums. Mausoleum crypts are both clean and dry. Many people have an aversion to being interred in the ground, so this is a popular alternative to in-ground burial. Many cemeteries are running outof land therefore mausoleums allow for the maximum number of entombments in a minimum amount of space

Community Mausoleum Chapel Crypt spaces are constructed of steel reinforced concrete, so they are incredibly strong. Crypts are designed to hold casketed remains. Following a casket entombment, the crypt is sealed and a lettered front is put in place. Depending on the cemetery, the front may be made of granite, wood, marble, or bronze. The crypts are typically available in singles, or companions, where each casket is placed in an individual crypt space side by side, or in individual singles. Pricing depends on which type of crypt space (single or companion); the level (elevation); and the location within the mausoleum complex.

 

Cremation

Acceptance and choice of cremation has been increasing every year. From the time interment was first practiced, cremation has been accepted as a respected form of memorialization. Cremation is a process where intense heat is used to transform the body to ashes. The body is placed in a cremation container and burned. What remains is not actually ashes, but bone fragments that are then placed in an urn for final disposition. There are literally thousands of types and designs of urns. In selecting an urn it is important to determine the final resting place of the urn. Variety of materials used in urns range from wood, ceramic, plastic to even metal. The urn is often placed in a niche located in a mausoleum. A niche is an individual compartment for housing cremated remains, which are generally placed in an urn. Niches can be closed using metal, wood, granite, or even glass fronts. Niches can be located either indoors or outdoors. There are several other options for placement of cremated remains.

Cremains can be scattered or buried in a cemetery either under ground or above ground. Scattering is the act of dispersing cremains over an area such as a cemetery scattering garden. Cemeteries offer scattering gardens, which contain some form of plaque or memorialization. The most significant aspect of scattering is that it is irreversible. Once remains have been scattered, they can not be retrieved.

Some cemeteries allow a single set of cremains to be interred on the top of a traditional burial in a single space.

Columbariums are specially designed structures for permanently housing of cremains. Columbariums are generally comprised of individual niches; the size varies but is usually 12” by 12” by 12”. A columbarium can be free standing outside or can be housed in a mausoleum.