Funeral Home Terminology
One of the cremations services in Havana, FL is to assist the families who entrust their funeral needs to us with the sometimes, new-to-them, terminology used in funeral homes as cremations are being planned.
There is a vocabulary that is specific to the funeral industry and to the services they offer. It’s good to know and understand this vocabulary ahead of time. Bereaved families are in the fog of grief when they’re making cremations or burial arrangements. This means any new or unfamiliar information will go in one ear and out the other. The brain is overloaded during this time and simply can’t absorb or process new or unfamiliar information.
Burial is the action of placing a deceased person underground.
A columbarium is a structure (freestanding or within a mausoleum) with niches that urns with cremains can be stored in. Small gravestones or grave markers are placed over (if closed) or under (if open) each niche to identify the person whose cremains are stored there.
Cremation involves incinerating the dead body, and returning what remains – cremains – in a sealed urn to the family of the deceased. Before cremation takes place, the body of the deceased is positively identified by the family. Only one body is cremated at a time. The cremation process takes about two to three hours.
A crematory is where cremations are performed.
Crypts are burial chambers that are partially or completely underground. Double crypts are designed for two caskets to lie side by side.
Death is the end of life.
Donations that are made in memory of people who have died are financial gifts that are given either a charity the deceased person supported or a charity that the donor selects.
Embalming encompasses both preserving a body with preservatives and antiseptic fluids in veins, arteries, and body cavities, and grooming and dressing a body for funeral viewings.
A full couch casket is a casket with a one-piece cover that opens completely.
A funeral is a ceremony done to honor someone who has died. While funerals are usually religious events, they don’t have to be. Every funeral is unique.
A funeral cortege or funeral procession can refer to mourners who follow a casket as it is brought in or taken out of the place where the funeral service is held or to a motor convoy of mourners who follow the hearse to the cemetery where burial will take place.
Funeral monuments (markers) are also called gravestones, headstones, or grave markers. They have pertinent details about the deceased person, such as their name, date of birth, date of death, and tributes or epithets. If a gravestone is upright, it is known as a funeral monument.
A funerary recess is a receptacle in a wall that is the casket’s final resting place. Once the casket is placed inside, the receptacle is sealed and covered with a white marble identifying plaque.
Graves are excavations of soil in cemeteries where caskets will be buried as their final resting place. Backhoes are used to dig and cover graves.
Hearses are specially-designed vehicles that are used to carry caskets from funerals to cemeteries.
Plots are a measured piece of land in a cemetery where a person will be buried when they die.
Prearrangements or preplanning refers to making – and possibly paying for – funeral arrangements while a person is still alive.
A viewing or visitation is an event that usually takes place before the funeral service. Mourners have the opportunity pay their respects to the deceased and offer comfort and support to the deceased’s family.
For more guidance regarding funeral home terminology and cremations services in Havana, FL, talk with our knowledgeable and compassionate team at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations.
