Understanding the Cremation Process

When people are considering cremation and Quincy cremation services, they often have a lot of questions about what is involved, from start to finish, in the cremation process. This is because until the last few decades, most American funerals included burials. Cremations were rare, so we didn’t – and still don’t, for many people – know much about it.

Cremation has been around for a long time and many ancient and not-so-ancient civilizations cremated their dead instead of burying them. As available land for cemeteries has decreased in small or island countries around the world, cremations have become, out of necessity, the primary method of disposing of remains.

There are two types of cremations: direct and indirect. With a direct cremation, the body of the deceased goes directly from the place of death to a crematorium. With an indirect cremation, the body of the deceased goes to the first home first.

With direct cremations, a memorial service may or may not be held at any point in time after the cremation. With indirect cremations, a viewing and funeral service are held before the cremation.

One of the misconceptions about cremations is that people can’t have a viewing or funeral service, but that is not true. The deceased is laid out in either the casket that will be used for cremation or in a casket that is rented just for the viewing and funeral service from the funeral home. Traditional funeral services with readings, music, and eulogies are held, and then the body of the deceased is transported to the crematorium.

At every step of the cremation process, respect and care for the deceased is the highest priority.

Cremation must be done in fully-combustible containers that have no metal parts. Cremation caskets are specifically built to meet this requirement, but any large container that is fully-combustible can be used.

All metal must be extracted from the body before cremation occurs. This means that jewelry, watches, glasses, hearing aids, pacemakers, and artificial joint replacement much be taken out. All of these can be donated through the funeral home to be refurbished and used for people who don’t have the financial resources to obtain these by themselves. It’s a good way to give to others in need.

Before the deceased person is cremated, the body is identified. This can be done through a current photo or by a family member at the crematorium (family members are allow to witness the cremation, if they desire). A tag that will remain with the decease throughout the cremation process is affixed.

The body (only one at a time and properly-tagged and identified) is then put into the cremation chamber. Once the body has been cremated (open flames, intense heat, and evaporation for two to three hours), all that remains are bone fragments. Once these cool, they are pulverized and returned to the family in either a temporary container or the urn that the family purchased to hold the remains (which are called cremains). These can weigh as little as three pounds and as much as nine pounds.

There are many safeguards in place to make sure that the cremation process is done with dignity and is done accurately.

For additional information about Quincy cremation services, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is here to assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can call us today at (850) 627-1111.