Faqs

The short answer is, YES. We do offer this service for a fee. Please inquire if this is a request for your family.

In most cases, you will have to wait somewhere between 24-72 hours after death before a body can be cremated. The waiting period for IL is 24 hours. Certain paperwork is required and may take several business days to obtain, such paperwork includes death certificate information, obtaining cause of death, cremation permits, and final death certificates filed with the local registrar. Most often the process is delayed while waiting for cause of death to be submitted by the doctor or medical examiner.

Embalming is not necessary for a cremation. Check the policy of the Funeral Home you are using; they may require embalming the decedent for cremation.

No! It is illegal to cremate multiple people at the same time.

The legal term is Human Cremated Remains but biblically we may use the term, Ashes. None of the terms are wrong, they can all be used interchangeably.

For a funeral or viewing with the decedent present, you will likely need a casket. That does not mean that you must buy one. Many facilities offer caskets for rental; however, you will need an appropriate container to hold the decedent during cremation. You will likely see the term “alternative container” used. This refers to a combustible, environmentally safe container to hold the decedent for the cremation.

If you have a cremation without a viewing, the decedent will be cleaned, and medical devices removed.

Cremation reduces the decedent into their basic elements through a process that exposed them to open flames, intense heat and evaporation. This is done in a specially designed furnace called a cremation chamber or retort. Any non-flammable material is removed and then the decedent is placed into a proper container and then is placed into the chamber, or retort, for the cremation process.

After the body goes through the cremation process, what you’re left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled, placed into a processing machine, and transferred to a temporary container or Urn.

During the cremation process, organic matter is burned away, and the remains are essentially sterile.

With cremation, your options are numerous. The cremains can be interred in a cemetery plot (earth burial), retained by a family member, scattered on private property, scattered in a designated area of a cemetery or scattered at Sea.

It is often possible to inter the cremains in an existing grave or family plot in a cemetery of churchyard although scattering is often not possible. Many cemeteries and churchyards have a space set aside for interment of cremains and small headstones may be permitted. Placing cremains on a grave without permission of the cemetery or churchyard is illegal.

We have plenty of memorialization options for you, some can include your loved one’s cremains. Look at the Urn/Keepsake tab on our website to see the different keepsakes you can purchase.