Legacy Cremation Services in Illinois is the most trusted services for your needs and feels that answering questions on cremation will help you to make a better choice when it comes to final arrangements.
We at Legacy, have been told by the families we serve, that they trust our cremation services, and the fact that we never charge more than the cremation costs quoted. We think that everyone should have all of the information on what cremation is before making the final decision to use cremation services, so below you will find information on the cremation process in the state of Illinois.
The Cost of Cremation versus a Funeral
While the exact cost of a cremation is determined by the service you choose to handle the arrangements, even with a memorial service it will be thousands of dollars less than a funeral.
Funerals include more processes than cremation does which explains the major price difference. Some families do choose to have a visitation at a funeral home before they cremate the deceased and this will still cost less than having a burial in a traditional cemetery.
Having a visitation with or without an open casket requires cleaning the body and if you are going to have an open casket dressing is something that needs to be done, and if the viewing is going to be days after the death embalming will be necessary. Embalming does not preserve the deceased forever, but long enough to have to have a viewing or traditional three days visitation. In the state of Illinois embalming is not a law, only recommended if the departed will not have a funeral for several days after the death.
Another thing to consider when thinking of cremation costs versus a funeral, is the purchase of a casket. You may rent one for a visitation if you are going to have a cremation after the services, or you may even purchase one from a reputable dealer instead of the funeral home and save money.
With cremation services from Legacy the only other cremation costs you may incur will be the purchase of an urn, and any memorial services you may want.
The Cremation Process
Cremation is the process of diminishing the body of the deceased to bone fragments and ashes by using flames at a high heat.
The deceased will be driven to a crematory by Legacy Cremation Services, the body will be identified by both parties, and left with the professionals at the crematory.
One question we are always asked when cremation services are discussed is about the mixture of your loved ones ashes. Crematoriums can only fit one body in the cremation chamber at a time so there is no chance to mix your loved ones ashes.
When the cremation process is complete the remains are swept into a cooling pan, any metallic objects are removed with a strong magnet and placed into an apparatus that will process the remains into a consistent size. When this is over the ashes will either be placed in a container provided by Legacy Cremation Services or you own if you purchased on, and picked up by Legacy, these prices are included in the original cremation costs.
What We do After the Cremation Process
After the cremation process is over our job really begins by helping you and your family determine what type of memorial service you would to have. Or, maybe your loved one pre-planned their own arrangements and we can begin to carry out their wishes. Your loved one may have possibly the cremation costs prior to their death and we will check this for you also.
There are numerous options when it comes to what do you do with cremated remains. You can have a memorial service after which you will be able to keep your loved in an urn and place it in our home in an appropriate setting. Scattering of the ashes at sea or having them placed in a memorial reef where life will grow around them, have both become popular choices. Other choices are to bury the cremated remains in a cemetery or a memorial garden.
We have been asked by many families to have a celebration service for their loved one as opposed to a funeral service, not only because cremation costs and memorial services are less expensive but because they wanted to be able to remember the good life the departed lived and they wanted everyone to know it.
We agree with the celebrating of a life well lived and having all of the information you need to make that choice. We hope these answers from the most trusted funeral service in Illinois, Legacy Cremation Services will help you to decide what cremation is and see why cremation costs are more affordable.