Many families are choosing cremation as an alternative to burials more often than they did in the past. Many families will move many times during their lifetime due to education, work, and retirement opportunities so they do not have a “hometown” anymore. Also, cremation is now accepted as a choice of disposition by the Roman Catholic Church. Some people believe that cremation offers more options than a traditional burial – flexibility in timing, format of the service, and cost. We’d like to discuss each of these options with you.
Timing – Cremation does offer additional time between the death and the final burial or scattering of cremated remains. But sometimes this additional time can actually prolong the grieving and create extra heartache. However, for some families, the extra time may give relatives time to travel, plan services and arrange for a special memorialization and ceremony.
Services - Cremation can occur at any point in the funeral process. Some families choose to have a full funeral service with the physical remains of the deceased with a visitation and a church/funeral home service. Other families may only have a public or private visitation with the physical remains of the deceased prior to cremation. They may later hold a public memorial service when it is convenient for the family with or without the cremated remains. Just as with our traditional funerals, we at the Chopyak-Scheider Funeral Home will assist you in creating the kind of experience you would like to have.
Cost – The cost of a cremation, just like the cost of a burial, will vary greatly. Often cremation will provide a more economical choice compared to traditional burial services, though some arrangements will cost the same or more than burial. Each service is unique and creates its own costs and considerations and will be thoroughly discussed with you during the arrangement conference with our caring staff.
At the Chopyak-Scheider Funeral Home, we understand the importance of gathering people together to have time to remember and share special memories. We feel that whether you choose to have a visitation, a traditional, memorial or a graveside service with a cremation, that you make time to remember the life lived by your loved one.
Please call us at 607-797-4612, if you have any questions about cremation.