So you’ve decided you want to be cremated. That’s a great option, and a way to personalize your funeral service so that it is right for you. Or perhaps a close family member has made it known that they want to be cremated, and that they will be entrusting you with their urn once the memorial services have been completed. Or, maybe you were cleaning out your aunt’s house after her death, and found the cremated remains of Great-Uncle Edgar in her closet. Now what should be done with these urns?
The purpose of this newsletter is to discuss the positive effects of placing cremated remains in a cemetery. You can see from the examples above, that even with the best of intentions, sometimes people are left holding cremated remains that they have no idea what to do with. Certainly for those people who want to hold onto the urn of their loved one, perhaps placing them on the mantel, there is an emotional attachment that may be hard to break. Likewise, there are many people who want their cremated remains to be scattered. Neither of those options should be discouraged.
However, follow these scenarios to their logical conclusions. At the end of the day, the person who has been living with the urn will also die. So what happens to the urn then? The emotional attachment to the deceased person has been lost, as the new recipient of their urn may not have had the same relationship (or even have known them) in life.
For those who are scattered, there is no place to visit to pay your respects, a generation later no one knows where they were laid to rest, and a gap in history has been created because there is no permanent record of them ever having existed.
The solution to these issues can be found by consulting with a cemetery. For example, a portion of the cremated remains can be placed at the cemetery to provide that place to visit. If you already have a family section with us, this also allows the family to stay together.
Even if ultimately all of the cremated remains are scattered, your loved one can still have a marker laid with us, a testament to their life and legacy. If you are the one who needs to hold onto the urn of your loved one, such as a spouse, parent, or child - you can still make arrangements with us for a final resting place for them. Either way, their time with you is temporary, so planning ahead for a space for both of you for when your time comes will provide a peace of mind that you will be together forever.
Consider, you can trace your ancestors back for generations through cemetery records. You can physically visit where your great-great-great-grandparents have been laid to rest. Cremation is a wonderful alternative to burial for many people, however, there is still a very real need to leave a permanent legacy of the life that has been lived, and the person who has been loved.
Our staff is always available to provide further information, and to answer any concerns you may have. Give us a call anytime at 206-842-2642 @ Cook Family Funeral Home.
Article Submitted by:
Tim and Alison Dinan, Owners
Cook Family Funeral Home, Cremation Service, and Hillcrest Cemetery
206-842-2642
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