CREMATION OPTIONS

The day that NFDA member Thomas Janosz, owner of Cain & Janosz Funeral Home in Manchester, New Hampshire, received a special commendation for his work never entered his mind. It was February 2005 and Janosz having just taken in Davies’ body, tried to acquire information about the deceased. The New Hampshire Medical Examiners Office approved Davies’ release from the hospital because it felt I had correctly identified him, but Janosz still needed information on Davies for the state death certificate and cremation permit. Janosz met with Davies’ girlfriend of 16 years to obtain the necessary data for the paperwork, but he did not get anywhere. All Davies’ girlfriend knew was his name, age and that he was from a small town in Vermont. When the girlfriend left, Janosz started playing detective. He called Elliot Hospital in Manchester where Davies died, to see if it had any information on him. Janosz found out that Davies had knee surgery there back in 2000, so he called medical records and turned up a social security number. “I thought that was a good sign, until they ran the number at social security and found out that it belonged to a woman in North Carolina. When I heard this, I was startled,” said Janosz. His suspicions aroused Janosz called the Manchester Police Department, and state and local welfare office, to see if Edward Davies’ name came up anywhere. Everything came back negative. “I called the New Hampshire Vital Records Department and asked how was I supposed to cremate a body with no Social Security, no real date of birth, and no parents names,” said Janosz. “I was told by an official that since the state medical examiner’s office identified the man, and I did all that I could to find out more information about him, there was no reason that I could not cremate him legally. I still did not feel good about all of this. ” It had been more than six hours since he received the body and it was getting late in the day Janosz felt he had run out of options, but he was not about to give up yet. He called Davies’ girlfriend once more to see if he could obtain even another shred of information about him. The girlfriend was hesitant at first, but after Janosz reassured her that he was not the law and that neither he nor any other funeral home could cremate Davies’ body without further information, she opened up a bit more. “She told me that he once went by the name of ‘Bissett’ of ‘bessette’ and changed his name soon after a traffic accident in Florida a few years ago,’ said Janosz. “She also thought (Davies) was born in September. Armed with this new information, Janosz called a local Social Security office, where a quick computer check revealed a person name Edward J. Bessette Jr. from Vermont was a social security number and parents’ names. Still unsure who presently resided in his funeral home, Janosz called New Hampshire Medical Examiners Office and relayed the new information. They thought this situation was strange as well and sent a staff member to Cain & Janosz Funeral Home to fingerprint the deceased. Within a few hours, it turned out that the body in Janosz’s possession was that of Edward J. Bessette Jr. one of Vermont’s top 10 most wanted fugitives. Besette had been wanted since 1988, charged with five counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 15. He lived in Florida briefly but had been living in Manchester as Edward Davies. Most appalling was the Besette-as Davies-had been working as a babysitter in the neighborhood. A few days after Janosz’s discovery he met with Vermont State Police Lt. Mark Lauer and U. S. Marshall Jim Gaines, who both expressed their gratitude for his meticulous search for the facts. “Quincy’s got nothing on Tom Janosz,” said Lauer , referencing the famous TV show coroner/detective. “Even though his colleagues told him to let it go and cremate the body, he pursued further. At any point, he could have walked away, but he didn’t. He was relentless. Today, with Bessette’s name off the books, the Vermont State Police will save considerable time and money when investigation a sexual assault committed in the state, according to Lauer. “This also put a huge closure on things for the victims and their families,” he added. “They’ve been looking over their shoulders for the past 16 years. They can relax now. ” Feeling that law enforcement owed Janosz a debt of gratitude for what he did. Lauer recommended him for a special commendation. On December 13,2005, Janosz and his wife, Myrta visited Montpelier, Vermont, where he received a special commendation from Vermont Governor Jim Douglas and the Vermont State Police, which reads: In recognition of your role in identifying one of Vermont’s most wanted fugitives. You were approached by an individual who wanted you to cremate the remains of her recently deceased companion. You became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the request and were persistent in attempting to resolve your suspicions despite assurances from colleagues that you had done all you could. Your determination eventually led to the true identity of the deceased, bringing closure to the victim’s family and bringing a sixteen year manhunt to an end. Your actions are a credit to you and are honorably recognized by Vermont State Police. “This whole thing was so bizarre. I felt like I was living a CSI program, said janosz. Since this humbling event, Janosz has heard runblings of legislation in Vermont that would require funeral directors to verify Social Security numbers of the deceased before burial or cremation. This would prevent possible felons from slipping through the cracks in the future, just as Bessette might have if not for the persistence and eye for detail of Thomas Janosz.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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It is being brought to our attention now in some of the political education debates what is going to be taught in schools. “Creationism the Garden of Eden, paradise versus the Big Bang, where are we from and where are we going?” asked William I. Lamers Jr. , of the Lamers Medical Group. “This is what we want to know. “After practicing psychiatry for a few years Lamers was struck by how many people came to him with problems related to death. “Whether it be in the family, unresolved grief after the death of a mother, father, husband, wife, friend or child he found that about 42 percent of the individuals he was counseling had some kind of problem related to death. “A cardiologist sent me a man who he believed to be nuts,” said Lamers. “The man believed he was going to die of a heart attack, though his heart was in perfect condition. After sitting and talking to the man who was married and wanted no children, it was easy to recognize where his problems were coming from. At the age of five the man lost his 42 year old father to a heart attack. I told the man to go home and write a story about what it is like to see your first child. “After writing the story the man realized that he was not going to die of a heart attack and his neurosis went away. “Again and again I was things like this in my work,” he said. “Then I read a study done by two psychologists at Stanford. “The psychologists did a large analytical study of all the people in California state mental hospitals and then did follow ups on their children by using California census statistics. When they graphed the number of serious medical conditions that arose In the children, the number rises drastically when the children reach the age that their parents were when they were taken away and put in the hospital system. “They wrote a paper called Anniversary Reactions and it sensitized us to what goes on when people are exposed to something that has such a severe impact in their life. All of a sudden they are getting to the point where they are the same age when this happened to their parents. “It is significant that what happened to people in the past can have impact on them later even though there is no real apparent reason for it. “We hold a lot of things in our consciousness just under the surface and those things do impact us,” said Lamers. Lamers defined “culture” as an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends on man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to future generations. He concentrated on how culture is affected by death and how the funeral is man’s way of regarding death. “In the book, Funeral Customs the World Over, my dad wrote, ‘Man is an animal who buries his dead with dignity,” Lamers said. As a civilized society death is something that has to be dealt with not only from an emotional but a public health standpoint as well. “I believe that all behavior has meaning,” he said. Lamers went on to tell a story about a Russian funeral he attended with a patient. He noticed the people were taking dirt, brought from Russia and placing it in the casket, a tradition that helps his culture mourn and grieve. Grief and mourning are often misunderstood. Today people talk about grief therapy as though it is the answer to all problems. “It has become a fad that grief is an illness and that people need therapy for it,” Lamers said. “Grief is not a disease it is a normal occurrence that happens when a severe loss I experienced. It can be intense but it is something that commonly accompanies death. “Lamers explained that there are three stages in the period after someone dies” separation, transition and integration. Separation activities include procession, transport, display, costume, sacrifice, mutilation, purification and mourning. Transition activities he added are more complex since at this point the person moves on to the spirit world. In integration there are rituals of remembrance, regeneration and eventually getting back into a normal cycle of life. “The funeral as we know it is part of this macro separation, transition and integration. The funeral is a response to a loss and it is organized so that each person has a job to do,” he said. The funeral he explained says something about us as human beings, about our myths, our religious beliefs and about creation. The funeral talks about where we are going and what happens after we die.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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There will be something funny in funeral service in the next few months if all goes as planned with the Funeral Service Foundation’s (FSF) latest initiative. The Daniel M. Voecks fund, established by Homesteaders Life in 2002 to honor the former executive will actively award grants in the next quarter. “It’s an exciting moment in time for the foundation,” said Kathy Buenger, FSF executive director. “We are in our endowment-building phase of course so to see our first endowed fund become active and those grants start to work is like a wonderful preview of spectacular things to come. The fireworks are in the air. “Thos e familiar with the concept of humor therapy likely think of the work of Patch Adams, a physician portrayed by Robin Williams in a movie of the same name. Humor therapy involves the use of humor for the relief of physical and emotional difficulties. There are more than a dozen links to information about therapeutic humor in the Voecks section of the FSF Website. The Voecks funding is two-part. The Voecks humor education & training initiative aims to spread the work that Voecks himself so enjoyed. “As a volunteer, Mr. Voecks was what is called a “caring clown” Buenger explained. “Homesteaders has honored his joy serving children by promoting that kind of work to others. We hope that funeral directors and others associated with funeral service will take a look at the information we’ve collected on humor therapy and will consider applying for funds to take advantage of this training. “The Voecks humor education & training initiative will sponsor training, education and research that will lead to therapeutic applications of humor with a particular interest in serving children in end-of-life programs and those who care for them. “The second part of the Voecks funding is a recognition award,” continued Buenger. “The great thing about this award is that it keeps giving; the foundation will be giving a gift to a children’s charity on behalf of those who are recognized. “The Voecks humor and altruism award recognizes an individual (or individuals) in funeral service who demonstrates exceptional and inspirational service to children. The annual award recognizes a “good heart and good work. “Award recipients nominated by their funeral service peers,will be honored with a gift to the children’s charity of their choice.

Who Was Daniel M. Voecks?

In his 10 plus years associated with Homesteaders life, Daniel M. Voecks saw the company gain tremendous financial strength and rise to national prominence as a preneed insurance funding provider. Voecks died in 2002 following a five year battle with cancer. Voecks joined Homesteaders in 1960 as an investment analyst. His character, work ethic and leadership resulted in his rise to president, CEO and chairman of the board. Most will consider as his legacy the Homesteaders account executive program. Created during his tenure as president, this program was the catalyst for the company’s transformation into a leading funeral home focused preneed insurance funding provider. He enjoyed a rich personal life filled with family, friends and community service. Humor was a priority and Voecks was devoted to children and their happiness as “Roly Poly” the clown. He co-founded the Klowns 4 Heaven’s Sake troupe.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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During the past few years, it seems to me that there have been a growing number of movies and television shows that embrace some aspect of funeral service. I do not know if it is just my wishful thinking, but not it also seems that more of these programs and movies include full service funerals concluding with burials. One such move I recently enjoyed and appreciated from a funeral perspective is Big Fish, a story about the strained relationship between a father and his son. The son after no contact with his father for three years returns home because of the father’s looming death. Everything the son knows about his father’s life he considers “tall tales” so now facing his loss he seeks factual information before it is too late. As the plot unfolds the son realizes that the tall tales are actually based on facts or actual events in his father’s life, and that many of the people in his father’s tales were indeed real. As the movie climaxes the son sits at his father’s bedside and hears the man’s last request: for his son to tell him how his life ends. The son does not know what to say so the takes parts from all of the stories his father has told him and uses them to create the tall tale of his father’s end. The son’s tall tale of his father’s death was a beautiful fictional sendoff, but beyond that it involves the actual funeral service of the father and the conclusion of the movie epitomizes a personalized funeral that fulfills the man’s request to the white country -church cemetery where the grounds are filled with people. The hearse stands parked next to the church; the casket is covered with flowers and it rests over the open grave which is surrounded by green grass and floral tributes. As the scene continues a growing number of people arrive-the people in those tall tales -because the man who died impacted their lives. They all stand reverently around the grave as the minister presides. Following the committal service these people gather in small groups and reminisce about the past, sharing stories about this man whom they loved and who touched their lives in some significant way. They have come to honor him this day. I do not know about you but his is the kind of “sendoff” I want for myself. Just like the man in Big Fish, I hope that I have positively affected many people during my lifetime and that they will have lots to talk and laugh about after my “sendoff”. For me this movie demonstrates the value of visitations and funerals-not so much for the person who dies but for all the friends and family members impacted by that person and who loved him or her. Visitations and funerals are opportunities to celebrate in community a life lived. They provide opportunities for the living to outwardly express feelings and emotions. Funerals celebrate a life lived and bring healing to the living.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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In 1963 not long after Jessica Mitford’s scathing indictment of funeral service in the United States, President Kennedy was assassinated. In the days that followed the world had an up close and personal view of how Americans honored the memory of their dead. Since then, there have been some benchmark funerals that have amplified the need to grieve and reminded the world of the respect and dignity that the funeral offered. In 1997, it was the death and funeral of Princess Diana. Two years later, the world witnessed a funeral and memorialization of John F. Kennedy Jr. an in 2004 America paid its respects to President Ronal Reagan. In 2005 the poignancy and pageantry of the funeral played on the world stage. The ceremony surrounding the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II left an indelible mark on hundreds of millions of viewers whose eyes were transfixed by the reverent majesty of the Mass of Christian Burial that was punctuated with spontaneous applause 10 times from the hundreds of thousands who jammed St. Peter’s Square. Pope John Paul II was buried April 8th shortly after a ceremony described as one of the largest religious gatherings in modern times. The pope was laid to rest at 2:20 p. m. (8:20 a. m. EDT) according to the Vatican. The numbers of people who witnessed the funeral was staggering. More than 300,000 jammed St. Peter’s Square and more spilled out onto the wide Via della Conciliazione leading toward the Tiber River. Video screens were placed throughout the streets of Rome to accommodate the nearly 2 million who traveled to the Italian capital to be close to the historic ceremony. Early indications were that more than 2 billion people turned in to view funeral on televisions around the world. In the people native Poland, 800,000 people gathered in a vast field in Krakow to watch the funeral, many having spent the previous night attending mass and gathering around bonfires. Four kings, five queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers and more than 14 leaders of other religions were attending alongside the faithful. Together they was a powerful ceremony and spectacle that clearly illustrated the importance of ceremony-it was a farewell beyond comparison. At the very moment the pope’s simple wooden coffin was visible upon the shoulders of a dozen pall bearers emerging from the basilica, spontaneous applause filled the air, which is how the pope was greeted in life. Twelve pallbearers carried the casket out of the church and into the square. They were followed by a procession of 160 cardinals dressed in bright red vestments. The coffin which was adorned with a cross and an “M” for Mary was place on carpeted ground in front of the altar for the mass. The book of the gospel was placed on the coffin and occasionally the wind lifted the pages. In his will, John Paul requested to be interested “in the bare earth,” and the ceremony was to be like the service for Paul VI. The details were left to the College of Cardinals. His body was placed under the floor of the grotto below the basilica, among the remains of pontiffs from centuries past near the tomb traditionally believed to be of the apostle Peter the first pope. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, a close confidant of John Paul, presided at the mass and referred to him as our “late beloved pop” in his homily that traced the pontiff’s life from his days as a factory worker in Nazi-occupied Poland to his final days as the head of the world’s 1 billion Catholics. “Today, we bury his remains in the earth as a seed of immortality-our hearts are full of sadness, yet at the same time of joyful hope and profound gratitude. ” Said Ratzinger. He added that John Paul was a “priest to the last” and said he had offered his life for god and his flock “especially amid the sufferings of his final months. “”We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father’s house, that he sees us and blesses us,” Ratzinger said, pointing to the window where John Paul made his final public appearance. After the mass ended, bells tolled and the 12 pallbearers sporting white gloves, white ties and tails presented the coffin to the crowd one last time, and then carried it on their shoulders back inside the basilica for burial-again to sustained applause from the hundreds of thousands in the square. In a ritual new to the procedure, a white silk veil was placed over his face and a special prayer said. By tradition various medals, imprinted with the dates, of the pontificate, were placed in the coffin along with a parchment sealed in a lead tube, summarizing the pope’s life.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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Cremation In a way September 11, 2001 was a kind of dry run for the country’s medical examiners and coroners. While thousands of people died, their bodies didn’t pose a major risk to rescuers. And the final disposal of the remains has gone smoothly. In a future man-made or natural disaster, the dead may be a huge threat to the living. Alarmed by the prospect of serious dangers, officials are paying more attention than ever to the medical risks posed by the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert to coroners and medical examiners about how to protect themselves while still doing their jobs. “Not only are people thinking about it, they’re thinking about it in a formal way,” said Dr. Michael Graham, chief medical examiner of the city of St. Louis and president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. Disaster preparation of course, is nothing new. Cities and countries routinely plan how to handle events like airplane crashes, hurricanes and tornadoes. But now for the first time the disposal of the dead is getting attention from officials who usually focus on the living. Before, “it was not a mainstream issue in disaster management the way the medical management of victims would have been,” said Dennis McGowan a former Atlanta coroner’s investigator who advises government officials on how to handle mass fatalities. For coroners and medical examiners, the most immediate hurdle after a terrorist attack would be removing dead bodies from the scene while protecting the health of investigators, rescue workers and themselves. While they’re usually fairly harmless, corpses can spread disease, as warriors realized in the Middle Ages as the committed what may be the first acts of bio-terrorism in history. According to historians, they used a unique delivery system-catapults-to fling plague victims over walls into enemy territory. In more modern times the bodies of the victims of the Tokyo Sarin attacks in 1995 sickened many of the doctors assigned to take care of the injured. Fortunately many chemicals that can be used as terrorist weapons are easy to remove, Mr. McGowan said. “Soap and water will go a long way in some cases, and sometimes you have to add something to it. The problem for medical examiners and coroners comes when you have large numbers of bodies that need to be decontaminated. Then it becomes a logistical problem.” Biological weapons-germs-are a different story. Some infectious diseases, such as plaque, can be spread in aerosol form, especially if bodies are sprayed by water. In a June 11 report the CDC warned that people can become infected if they’re exposed to bodies of people who died from hemorrhagic fevers (like the Ebola virus) or smallpox. The CDC said workers who do autopsies are at risk of getting infected by organisms that cause diseases-including Q fever and tularemia-that could potentially be spread by terrorist attack. The next challenge will be finding storage for bodies. They must remain refrigerated; otherwise they “could just serve as a culture medium for anything that’s out there,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California at Davis who studies fatality preparedness. “This is the kind of thing you read about all the time with big disasters like earthquakes or floods.” Then finally the bodies must be buried or cremated. Officials have talked about some worst-case scenarios that involve crude methods of body disposal, such as mass graves or mandatory cremation, but they’re considered “unnecessary option,” Dr. Blumberg said. Experts differ on how well-prepared the country is to handle the risk in the hours and days after a terrorist attack, but Dr. Graham the St. Louis medical examiner is hopeful. “I don’t think you can ever be perfectly ready and prepared. But if you have a framework in place and have thought about these issues, you can usually work through them.”

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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The number of people choosing cremation has increased significantly in the past few years, which in many ways magnifies the need for personalization and memorialization.  When a family chooses to have the ashes scattered following cremation, there is often no permanent memorial that provides a place of vigil for those who want to remember the life of their loved one.  This can create a missing link for current and future generations.  Video memorials provide a source of connection-a tangible tribute that can console the bereaved, not only at the service but also at any time of the day or night in the comfort of their own home.  Of course choosing cremation in no way needs to eliminate a funeral or memorial service.  A funeral service can precede cremation, just as it can precede cremation, just as it can precede above ground burial.  Alternatively a memorial service can be held after the fact.  Either way the ceremony may be personalized by video remembrances to reflect the life of the deceased and thus have special meaning for the grieving families, their loved ones and everyone in attendance.  When a video remembrance becomes the only permanent memorial for a loved one, such as in the case of scattering the remains after cremation, an even greater responsibility is placed upon the funeral director to provide the finest possible quality when choosing a memorial video service provider.  Will you be proud of the finished product, pleased to place your funeral home’s name on it or will the poor quality of an inexpensive “quick fix” come back to haunt you?  It simply begs the question: if it was your mother, (father, wife, husband, daughter, son or best friend), how would you personalize the service?  Would you settle for a glorified slide show or would you want to celebrate this precious life with a memorable, quality keepsake?  Video memorials are a popular and effective way to bring added personalization to funeral services.  They fulfill the need to preserve our heritage, by utilizing family photographs of the deceased that represent special moments throughout their lifetime.  There are a number of memorial video products available-from basic slide shows to full motion DVD productions with background scenery and music.  You can also choose between outsourcing services and doing all the work in house. How do you know which is best for you?  To help you make the best choice for your funeral home needs-and the needs of the families you serve-her are the 10 most important questions you can ask when choosing a company to provide video remembrances:  Is the production merely a slide show with transitions, or is it a full motion video?  Is the video true DVD quality or merely VHS content burned to a DVD which looks homemade?  Will the company take care of the burdensome and time consuming creative and production processes or will that be my responsibility?  Do I need to be a computer expert to use your software?  For outsourcing companies, ask: What is the turn-around time-can I be guaranteed the finished production will arrive in time for the visitation or service?  Sometimes a family brings in photos that are scratched, torn or faded; can your technicians or the software you provide correct the imperfections?  Do you use licensed music so that I won’t need to worry about copyright infringement?  How much extra will it cost for additional copies for family members?  Will I be able to talk to someone who can help me any time of the day or night?  Do you offer personalized covers and labels, as well as coordinating memorial items?  A video memorial not only provides a lasting tribute to a loved one, but also gives family and friends a way to celebrate the life that was lived.  And in the case of cremation, if may become the only permanent memorial a family has for their loved one.  Realizing that this remembrance becomes a link for generations to come, how important is it to provide a lasting memorial that projects the finest in photo quality and restoration, soothing background scenery and appropriate music licensed for synchronization?  How important is it to provide a quality tribute to share with family and friends across the country who could not attend the services?  You would never dream of compromising a family’s trust through the services you provide, so why would you want to just “get by” when choosing video memorial service provider?  When quality video productions are included in memorial services, families and friends are reminded of what a caring and memorable experience they’ve had.  Those who have experienced this unforgettable acknowledgement of a loved one’s lifetime at your facility are bound to think of your funeral home in their time of need.  Everyone benefits when a standard service is tuned into an extraordinary lasting memorial.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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Though recent reports have pegged funerals as the third most expensive purchase in consumers’ lifetimes, the reality is that average funeral costs fall far below those for weddings, cars, boats, RVs, and even the cost of one year at a public university.  “To say that a funeral is the third most expensive item a person buys in life is just false,” said Jack Kynion, president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association.  “Certainly people are not spending more for funerals that they are for an education, a home, an automobile.”  While the average cost of a funeral is $5,000 to $6,000, a wedding for example averages $22,360.  “The reason people talk about the cost of funerals is that no one wants to purchase a funeral,: said Mark Musgrove, Association, Brookfield, Wisconsin, “You don’t see exposes on the high cost of weddings.”  In fact, for one of the most important events in life, a funeral is a remarkable bargain, particularly when you consider the services that come with it.  “Funeral homes have people on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Kynion, “And the facilities are available any time you need them.”

The Value Of Funerals

Funerals have many of the same elements as weddings, flowers, food, special clothing.  Yet in many ways, planning them is more involved than planning a wedding and reception-and funeral directors do it all in two to three days, plus care for and prepare a loved one’s body.  While wedding planners have nine months to plan an event for 1,000 people, funeral directors have only three days to plan an event for 1,000 people.  Amazing when you think that the average cost of a funeral is a quarter that of the average wedding, said Musgrove.

Families Choose The Cost Of Funerals

When planning a funeral, families absolutely have a choice, said Musgrove, and not only do they have a choice, they know exactly what they will pay for all services.  Federal Trade Commission regulations require all funeral homes to provide consumers with a General Price List and a detailed list of all services available.  “The families have the opportunity to pick and choose what’s appropriate, said Bill Edmunds, executive director of international order of the Golden Rule, a St. Louis based organization that recognizes funeral homes for high moral standards an ethical conduct.  “Not only is that a price concern, but it’s also important for them to be able to choose a service that’s appropriate for their family.”  In reality, said Musgrove, funerals will cost what families want them to; they select the products and services that are right for the loved one, from casket and type of service to flowers and music.  Preplanning helps take the emotion out of making financial decisions at a difficult time, and funeral directors can work with families to find the right options for them.  The bottom line is that funerals, like any event, are customizable to suit families’ budgets, tastes and traditions.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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Since 1908, when America witnessed its largest influx of immigrants, the United States has served as a haven for those seeking to live out the American dream.  Today, the United States is experiencing it’s a second great wave of immigration, as immigrants from the still developing worlds of Asia and Latin America make it their home.  As cities and towns become increasingly multicultural, it is essential for funeral service providers to be cognizant of the role that religion plays in the funeral services of the residents of the communities they serve.  The following is an overview of the rituals and beliefs of several of the cultures that are becoming a greater part of the fabric of America, in the hope that it will provide some degree of insight for funeral service professionals who are called upon to care for them.  It should be noted, however, that some of these customs may not always be applicable in certain areas, and funeral directors should consult with the religious leaders of the various groups to become familiar with their specific needs.

Religion And Clothing

In the United States, the custom among most funeral-goers is to wear black, as it signifies mourning or death.  However, in many religions, black is not the traditional color of mourning.  Buddhists, for example, wear white loose fitting clothes, as mourners are expected to meditate during the ceremony.  Followers of the Greek Orthodox religion expect mourners to wear navy blue clothing to signify death, and the deceased’s widow must wear black clothing for up to two years after a spouse’s death to signify mourning.  During Islamic funeral services, women are expected to cover their heads and arms and are not allowed to be seated near the men.  Followers of Judaism also believe that mourners should be covered.  Jewish men must wear a yarmulke or a kippah.  Clothing differences are not the only factors funeral providers should be aware of.  Many religions also have differing views on how long the body should be held before burial.

Life After Death

The Hmong, an ethnic group originating in China, Thailand and Laos, believe that a funeral should last for three days.  The funeral is the most important part of the Hmong culture and must be performed properly to ensure a prosperous afterlife for the deceased.  Family members play a key role in helping to prepare the body for burial and adorn it with food, wine, clothing and money to protect the deceased’s soul from evil spirits as it journeys to the other world.  Followers of the Baha’I religion must be buried within a one hour traveling radius of the place where the death occurred.  The most striking differences in the various religions can be seen in the traditions that are carried out during the funeral service.

Religion And Funeral Services

In Buddhist ceremonies, guests are expected to view the body and offer a small bow in front of the casket to honor the deceased. The funeral ceremony includes chanting and individual offerings of incense.  Although rituals may vary according to the traditions of a particular sect, Jewish funeral services are conducted by a Rabbi and typically require a closed casket.  Additionally, mourners are not permitted to enter during the recessional, processional or reading of eulogies during the services.  Following the services, the body is taken to the grave site for interment.  The immediate family then recites the Kaddish, a prayer about God and his relationship with the mourners.  Others in attendance recite only the limited responses.  After prayers, each person places a shovel-full of dirt on the casket.  Scientologists, on the other hand, do not believe in the concept of a funeral because they believe that the deceased has not died but merely moved on to another level of life.  As a result, they refer to their services as memorial services.

The Greatest Honor

As the face of America changes, it is increasingly important for funeral directors to not only comfort their clients in their time of need but also respect their cultural rites and rituals.  By honoring the traditions of the dead and respecting their cultural and religious customs, funeral directors help create a meaningful experience for those who grieve.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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Feeding 21 percent of the world’s population with only 7 percent of the world’s arable land is the unenviable task faced by the Chinese government.  With 1.3 billion hungry mouths to feed, preserving all available farm land is a top priority for the government.  While soil erosion and commercial development in China’s emerging market economy might first come to mind as obstacles toward this goal, the Chinese government is less concerned with these problems than with another factor-ground burial of the dead.  According to Chinese belief, in order for the dead to find external rest, their intact remains should be buried in the ground in a grave appropriate to the deceased’s rank and station in life,  For thousands of years, the Chinese performed elaborate ground burials.  They transferred food, money and goods to the deceased.  In some ceremonies, rice was place in the mouths of the dead so that they would be free from going hungry in the underworld.  In a deeply-rooted belief that spirits of the ancestors had to be looked after and ritually appeased, every spring on Qingning Festival people would pay homage by visiting their tombs and offerings.  Paper money is burned for the wandering ghosts in order to satiate their need to consume in the nether world.  Other goods, anything from a shirt and tie to a luxurious car, are also buried in an effort to transfer these items to the dead.  Since 1949, when the communists took power, they have tried to replace traditional burials with cheaper alternatives.  The Communists argue that such burials are costly to both the families and the country.  Supplying the traditional heavy wooden coffins requires the cutting of many trees thus adding to land erosion, while the scattered graves take up considerable land that could be used for farming.  The official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, has reported that due to the preference for tomb burials in the Guangdong province, more than 250 hectares of land are lost there every year.  Communist leaders have often challenged social conventions by setting a personal example, and the Chinese are no exception in the regard.  The first challenge to traditional ground burial was mounted by Mao Tse-Tung in 1956 when he announced that he planned to be cremated.  While this never happened, and Mao’s body went on display in Beijing’s Tiananmen  Square, the gesture did begin a small trend toward greater acceptance of cremation.  But while cremation began to catch on, the demand for ground interment remained unabated.  So despite government-sponsored programs touting space-saving sea burial and high rise columbariums for the disposal of cremated remains, the Chinese continued to prefer ground interment of their loved one’s cremated remains.  The next major challenge to custom came in February 1997 with the death of Deng Xiaoping, architect of China’s reform and opening drive, whose last wish was to be cremated and his ashes scattered in the sea.  Deng’s remains were cremated and scattered at sea.  Again this gesture brought about some amount of social change, but was not as successful as the government would have liked.  A 2001 study revealed that only 37 percent of those who died in China during the preceding year were cremated, despite free cremation services in may low income rural areas.  According to recent press reports, Shanghai has encouraged burial at sea since 1991.  But although it costs only about $13, compared with $1,200 to $1,800 for a typical earth burial, there have been few takers.  Less than 1,000 of the 100,000 people who die in Shanghai each year are buried at sea, according to a Chinese government run newspaper.  Predictably, the elderly, especially in the rural areas, have led the resistance toward cremation.  Chinese statistics show that while nearly 90 percent of city dwellers who die are being cremated, only 15 percent of rural residents choose cremations.  Having offered the carrot to limited success, the Chinese government banned all ground burials in urban areas and began an effort to ban new cemeteries throughout the nation altogether.  Efforts to alter traditional beliefs about funeral customs have also been redoubled with the creation of government -run, 24 hour, full service burial centers that were recently opened with the mission to change old customs and attitudes.  Still, the road to ending ground burial will be an uphill one in a China where even talking about death is difficult.  The word for death (pronounced suh) is rarely spoken, apparently due to the ancient belief that what you speak of will come to pass.  The number four is even considered unlucky because the Chinese word for it sounds like the word for death.  In the past, a range of class and rank specific  euphemisms was used to describe death.  Even now most people refer to death as xieshi (pass away), laole (got old) or simply zoule (gone).  Another factor adding to the difficulty is China’s market economy which is giving more Chinese greater access to wealth and more freedom to spend their money as they see fit,  Many newly-rich Chinese have spent lavishly on ostentatious burial ceremonies and monuments for their parents.  One family reportedly spent upward of $2.5 million on an elaborately landscaped hilltop grave including a four-story building for their elderly father.  In 2002, people making the Qingming Festival-China’s traditional day for sweeping the graves and remembering the dead-were encouraged to pay homage through the internet instead of burning paper money and arranging sumptuous feasts on the hillside tombs.  As China goes modern and the number of internet users is growing rapidly, the authorities are hoping that online tributes to the dead and even online cremations might prevail over traditional burial and homage practices.

If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.

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