Category Archives: Cremation

Why Cremation is the Best Choice for You and Your Loved Ones

The decision of how to lay a loved one to rest is deeply personal and often influenced by a variety of factors, such as cultural and religious beliefs, family traditions, and personal preferences. In recent years, cremation services in Washington Township, MI have become an increasingly popular choice for families across the city. The various benefits and reasons behind choosing this service, and why it may be the best choice for you and your loved ones.

Cost-Effective and Economical

One of the most significant advantages is its cost-effectiveness. Generally, this service is less expensive than traditional burial, primarily due to the elimination of costs associated with purchasing a burial plot, casket, and headstone. Additionally, it more often has affordable package options, making it a more budget-friendly choice for families.

Flexibility in Memorialization

It offers increased flexibility in memorializing and commemorating a loved one. The ashes can be scattered in a meaningful location, interred in a columbarium, or kept in a beautiful urn at home. This allows family members to choose a personalized and unique way to honor their loved one’s memory, reflecting their individual beliefs, values, and preferences.

Simplified Planning and Logistics

It simplifies the funeral planning process and logistics. With a traditional burial, families must coordinate the purchase of a burial plot, casket, and headstone, as well as arrange a graveside service. It removes many of these complexities, allowing families to focus on creating a meaningful memorial service that celebrates their loved one’s life.

Environmental Considerations

This service is often considered a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial. The process requires fewer resources and has a smaller environmental footprint. In contrast, traditional burials can lead to overcrowding in cemeteries and require the use of embalming chemicals, which can potentially harm the environment. For those who are environmentally conscious, it may be a more appealing choice.

Adaptable to Various Beliefs and Cultures

This is a practice that spans various cultures and religious beliefs, making it a suitable option for families with diverse backgrounds. While some religious denominations may have specific guidelines, many faiths accept and embrace the practice. By choosing this kind of service, families can ensure that their loved one’s final wishes are respected and in line with their spiritual or cultural beliefs.

Easier for Distant Family Members

In today’s interconnected world, family members often live in different cities, states, or even countries. It allows for easier transportation of a loved one’s remains, making it more convenient for family members to gather and participate in memorial services. This can help bring families together in times of grief and provide an opportunity for everyone to honor their loved one’s memory.

Lasting Legacies and Artistic Expression

Cremation offers unique opportunities for creating lasting legacies and artistic expressions of a loved one’s life. From incorporating ashes into memorial jewelry or artwork to creating a living memorial by planting a tree with a biodegradable urn, there are countless ways to honor and remember a loved one in a meaningful and personalized manner.

Conclusion

Cremation services in Washington Township, MI help with your decision making to choose the services you want. It is deeply personal and should be made after careful consideration of various factors, including personal preferences, cultural and religious beliefs, and budgetary constraints. Lee-Ellena Funeral Home offers numerous benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, flexibility in memorialization, simplified planning, environmental considerations, adaptability to various beliefs and cultures, convenience for distant family members, and opportunities for lasting legacies. By understanding these benefits, you can call us at (586) 412-8999 or visit our location at 46530 Romeo Plank Rd, Macomb, MI 48044.

Why It’s Time to Choose a Greener Goodbye

In today’s world, environmental consciousness is not only important; it’s essential. As we strive to make greener choices in every aspect of our lives, it’s time to extend that mindset to our final farewell. Cremation services in Shelby Charter Township, MI are an increasingly popular option for those who live here and want to minimize their environmental footprint even in death. Embracing eco-friendly farewell is the way forward and how it can be a meaningful and sustainable way to honor our loved ones.

The Environmental Case

Land Conservation – Traditional burials require land – and lots of it. Cemeteries take up significant space that could otherwise be used for parks, wildlife habitats, or agriculture. With the world’s population ever-growing and urban sprawl consuming more and more of our precious green spaces, the need for land conservation is urgent. We need a space-efficient alternative to burial that eliminates the need for new plots and helps preserve our dwindling natural resources.

Reduced resource consumption – Burials not only consume land but also require vast amounts of natural resources. From the wood used to build coffins to the metal and stone required for headstones and grave markers, the environmental impact of traditional funerals is substantial.

Lower greenhouse gas emissions – While it does produce some greenhouse gas emissions, the overall impact is less than that of a traditional burial. The production and transportation of coffins, grave markers, and other burial materials contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. By choosing this service, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and do our part in the fight against climate change.

Eco-Friendly Cremation Options

It is inherently more environmentally friendly than burial, but there are still ways to make the process even greener. Here are some options to consider:

Biodegradable urns – Rather than opting for a traditional metal or wooden urn, consider using a biodegradable urn. Made from materials like recycled paper, sand, or even cornstarch, these urns will naturally break down over time when buried, leaving no trace behind. This is an excellent option for those who wish to have their ashes interred on the earth but still want to minimize their environmental impact.

Water cremation – It also known as alkaline hydrolysis, is an alternative to flame-based that uses water and potassium hydroxide to dissolve the body. This process produces significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions and uses less energy than traditional ones. While not yet widely available, it is an exciting development in eco-friendly funeral options.

Tree urns – For those who want to give back to the earth after they’re gone, tree urns offer a unique and environmentally friendly option. These special biodegradable urns contain a seed or sapling, which can be planted along with the ashes of your loved one. As the tree grows, it absorbs the nutrients from the ashes, creating a living memorial that contributes to the health of the planet.

Honoring Your Loved One in a Sustainable Way – Choosing an eco-friendly farewell is not just about reducing your environmental impact; it’s also a meaningful way to honor your loved one’s life and values. By opting for a greener goodbye, you’re helping to preserve the earth for future generations and creating a lasting legacy of love and respect for the planet.

In Conclusion

Cremation services in Shelby Charter Township, MI serve as environmental stewardship and a powerful statement of our commitment. It’s a beautiful opportunity to inspire other services around the world to make similar choices, thereby fostering a collective shift towards more sustainable funeral practices.

In the end, embracing eco-friendly farewell cremations like Lee-Ellena Funeral Home is not only a fitting tribute to our loved ones but also a gift to future generations. By opting for a more sustainable approach to our final goodbyes, we can ensure that our legacy is one of love, respect, and care for the world we leave behind. Call us now at (586) 412-8999 for more information.

Tips for Buying an Urn for Cremation

Cremation services in Washington Township, MI offers different options for families, particularly choosing a suitable cremation urn for you or your loved one, here are some helpful pointers to keep in mind when you make your final decision.

A cremation urn’s principal function is, of course, to contain the deceased’s cremated remains. But once the urn is filled with your loved one’s ashes, what will you do with it? Depending on your response, you’ll be able to narrow down your urn options. The following explanations of common uses for cremation urns might help you make a decision:

Having the urn kept in the house

One approach to memorialize a deceased loved one is to have their cremation urn on display in a prominent location in the home. Many grieving families find solace in keeping their loved one’s urn at home, where they may continue to be reminded of and reflect upon the life of the departed. Metal, wood, composite resin, and stone are only some of the materials that may be utilized to make urns for this function.

Dispersal of Remains

The cremains may be readily dispersed from the urn’s top aperture, making it ideal for scattering. If the family wishes to do anything in memory of their lost loved one after spreading the ashes, they can do so by placing flowers or mementos inside the scattering urn.

To be buried in water or in the ground

Rather than being able to survive the weather, biodegradable urns manufactured from organic and recyclable materials will decompose when exposed to water or soil. Urns created specifically for underwater burials are buoyant when submerged but swiftly disintegrate in the sea once they reach the surface. Land-use biodegradable urns are suitable for interment in the ground, house display, or inurnment in a columbarium, among other uses.

Inurnment in a Columbarium niche

For a columbarium niche, the urn’s size is the primary deciding factor. Make sure the urn you select fits the niche’s specifications (height, breadth, and depth). The urn’s construction material should also be thought over. Guidelines for what is and isn’t permitted in mausoleums and cemeteries are often posted and must be adhered to.

Interment at a Cemetery

Urn vaults and other burial containers are made to prevent the ground from collapsing around the urn after it has been buried. It is common practice to encase an urn in a burial container constructed of steel, polymer, or polystyrene. To ensure that the urn lasts forever, it will be placed within the burial casket. The inside dimensions of the urn are crucial when looking for a burial container to guarantee it will fit the urn you intend to purchase. The urn vault may be used for both burying the ashes and displaying them. The low cost and beautiful design of urn vaults have made them a popular choice for many families. These containers may be used for both burial and public exhibition.

Scattering ashes amongst loved ones

Instead of assigning one individual the responsibility of caring for the cremains of a deceased loved one, some families choose to divide the ashes amongst many urns or souvenir containers. Cremation jewelry is a common way for mourners to retain a piece of their loved one near to their hearts.

If you still have a lot of questions about cremation urns, you can contact cremation services in Washington Township, MI.

What Makes Cremation More Practical than Burial?

Some are drawn to cremations services in Shelby Charter Township, MI because of its perceived environmental benefits, while others are moved by their faith’s growing approval of the practice. Another factor that might prompt a rethinking of a conventional burial is the evolving function of cemeteries in modern family life.

We must also take into account the emotional and pragmatic dimensions. If you choose cremation, for example, you can arrange the memorial service any way you choose. With this method, families have the option of keeping their loved one close at all times or scattering their remains in a tranquil and meaningful area, both of which may bring immense solace. Compared to a casket burial, cremation is far more affordable, costing just about a third as much. Let’s take a look at the reasons why cremation might be the best option for your last arrangements.

The rise of the environmental movement and public consciousness about the need of protecting and appreciating the natural world has coincided with the rise in cremation rates.

More than 1.6 million tons of concrete and more than 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid are buried every year as part of traditional burial customs, both of which are considered to be harmful to the environment.

A growing number of Americans also yearn to reconnect with nature. The number of Americans who wish for their remains to be scattered into the wilderness and become a permanent part of the natural world and the cycle of life is growing as the country develops a greater appreciation for the outdoors. Scattering or burying remains in a natural setting is a deeply spiritual and calming ritual. Ashes, for instance, can be combined with soil and wildflower seeds to create a memorial tree through Better Place Forests. This procedure renders the ashes accessible to the tree, allowing them to contribute actively to the tree’s health.

People today are increasingly interested in eco-friendly burial practices that allow their remains or body to be returned to the earth without harming wildlife or the natural environment, as opposed to more conventional burial methods that prioritize preserving and protecting the body in a controlled artificial setting.

People are also opting for cremation because of the changing meaning of a family burial site. In the 19th and 20th centuries, many families established long-term roots in a single community. Because of the low cost of cemetery sites, whole families might be laid to rest in the same location. The family’s final burial place would be preserved for future generations to come and feel a sense of belonging.

Having a separate plot of land to bury your loved ones was less prevalent in the 20th century. There was a shortage of burial space in many family plots, and the surrounding property was either sold or proved too expensive for the families to afford. Today, a family plot large enough to bury six people will probably set you back at least $30,000.

It grew more difficult for the youngsters to visit the family cemetery as relatives moved to different parts of the country. Parents frequently find it difficult to determine whether or not they want to be buried next to their own parents or their own children. Finding a suitable residence for a large family is challenging under the best of circumstances.

As the traditional family cemetery became less important, many families began to place more emphasis on scattering their ancestors’ ashes in locations that held personal or emotional meaning.

There has been a recent uptick in the number of cremations performed in the United States. It’s accepted by many contemporary religions and gives you more options for where to store or disperse your loved one after death. Because cremation locations are typically less expensive than conventional burial sites, it may also be possible to give your loved one the send-off they deserve while staying within your budget. At the end of the day, cremation may be a touching way to say goodbye to loved ones.

If you think that a cremation is a good option for your departed loved ones, you can reach through cremations services in Shelby Charter Township, MI.

Why Eulogies Are Important During A Memorial Service

A death in the family is a shocking event that no one is prepared for. A eulogy can be used as a tool for the loved ones of the deceased to process this death. While funeral homes in Chesterfield Township, MI can write a eulogy on your behalf, a personalized eulogy written by a family member may be more effective. Here are reasons why reading personalized eulogies during a memorial service are important.

Honor Your Loved One Using A Eulogy

Giving a eulogy is a way to honor your loved one who has passed away. Anyone can deliver a eulogy as long as they were close to the deceased. You can choose one person to deliver the eulogy on behalf of the family or have several people eulogize the deceased. That includes not just family members but also clergy, friends, and even colleagues. A eulogy is an opportunity to express your affection for your loved one and also describe their impact on the world around them.

Eulogies Help You Grieve

During the process of writing or reading the eulogy, you are forced to process the reality that your loved one is no longer living. The fact that you have to write and read about the deceased in the past tense reinforces the fact that a death has occurred. That is a very important step in grieving. You will feel the pain of loss once you accept reality. You and the people listening will feel the pain together and offer support for one another.

Eulogies Provide An Opportunity To Share Cherished Stories About The Deceased

Every member of the family has an interesting story about the deceased that would put a smile on anyone. Including favorite moments you had with the deceased in the eulogy and sharing the lessons you learned from those experiences helps everyone appreciate the impact the deceased had in the world. You may also use that opportunity to reveal a positive facet about your loved one that most people did not know. It could be about your loved one donating a toy to charity when they were younger or their beliefs about the world and so on.

Eulogies Help You Search For Meaning

When you are preparing a eulogy, you are forced to search for meaning and ask yourself difficult questions about the death of your loved one. It’s not unusual for people to ask themselves why their loved one had to die now or what happens next after this loss. These questions may not have clear answers, but asking them is an important step in processing and understanding your feelings about death.

Eulogies Help People Know How To Offer Support

When you describe in the eulogy how you feel about the death of your loved one, people listening will know how to support you. It also creates a sense of solidarity between you and other people who feel like you do.

If you come to us for cremation services in Chesterfield Township, MI, we can also help you formulate a memorable eulogy for your loved one.

What To Do With Cremated Remains

After cremation, funeral homes in Shelby Charter Township, MI, often deliver the cremated remains to the family of the deceased. You may get the ashes delivered to you in an urn that you bought with the funeral home, or in a simple cardboard box. You can then bury, scatter, or do what you feel needs to be done with the ashes. Here is what to do with cremated remains.

Add The Remains To An Existing Grave

You can add the ashes to the existing grave of a spouse or other family member. It is not illegal to dig into an old grave to bury an urn but there are guidelines you have to stick to. You can only dig from 6 to 12 inches into an old grave, which means that you cannot place the urn on the casket in the grave. Before you begin the process, you must talk to the cemetery and get their permission. But you need to get experienced grave diggers that will avoid disturbing the old grave to prevent any damage to the grave and the remains of the person buried there. To avoid delays, carry the cremation certificate with you when you go to the cemetery.

Bury The Urn In A Cemetery

Many people would rather bury the ashes of their loved ones rather than keep them at home or scatter them. Just like it is for caskets, you have to buy a parcel of land to bury an urn. Most of the time the urn is buried 3 feet deep. This is deeper than when you bury it in an old grave. You can have a traditional funeral with viewing or visitation and then cremation instead of a burial. Funeral homes can provide a casket that you can hire for a significantly lower cost to be used for the viewing.

How To Keep The Remains At Home

Keeping the ashes of a loved one at home is a way to remember your loved one after the memorial. It may also be a cultural practice. Depending on your culture or preference you can keep the ashes in a decorative urn or in an artsy but simple urn. The urn can be made of wood, metal, marble, ceramics, or other material. Another way to keep the ash is to have small amounts added into a piece of custom-made jewelry such as a locket or pendant. But jewelry can only hold small amounts of the ashes, which means you will need to either create a special memorial garden in your backyard to bury the remaining ashes, or even scatter them in a place that was meaningful to your loved one.

It is important to make sure that the ashes are kept, buried, or scattered in a safe and respectful place. Our funeral home doesn’t just offer you quality cremation services in Shelby Charter Township, MI but can also help you and your family members make an informed decision on what to do with your loved one’s ashes.

The Difference Between A Funeral Home And A Crematorium

Many people don’t have to organize a funeral for most of their life unless they are funeral directors for funeral homes in Washington Township, MI. So, they often get confused when the words crematorium and funeral home are used interchangeably when they do not refer to the same thing. The difference between the two is mainly based on the number of services they offer to clients.

Crematoriums Are Different From Funeral Homes

Crematoriums often only offer a single service which is the cremation of a body. They will not handle all the details of the funeral, which means you have to do most of the funeral arrangements on your own. But a funeral home not only provides cremation but also helps arrange the funeral including handling all the logistics even if it means transporting relatives from other states to the funeral. Your funeral director can actually help organize the transportation of the body of your loved one across state lines. They can also organize visitation, wakes, memorial services, funeral services, and burial services. A funeral home is basically a one-stop shop for all the funeral services you need.

Other Services Offered By Crematoriums

To actually cremate bodies, crematoriums have to also provide storage for the bodies. This is because cremation can only be done legally after certain paperwork is completed. They can provide an alternative container to hold the body if you don’t want a casket. Plastic containers or cardboard boxes are used to hold the ashes after the cremation. Crematoriums can also provide ash scattering services or sell you some land where you can bury the urn holding the ashes of your loved one. They can also return the ashes to you if you want to keep them at home.

Funeral Homes Provide More Cremation Packages

Whether you want a cremation with no services or one with services including viewing or a wake, a funeral home can arrange it. Funeral homes provide different packages of cremation services that are easy to understand and each package comes at a different cost. There is a direct cremation package that involves the cremation of the body without viewing or funeral service. You can also choose a package that includes all the traditional aspects of a funeral except for the cremation. It all depends on your budget or what your loved one asked for in the funeral plan. Your funeral director can help you choose the option that is right for you.

Should You Choose A Crematorium Or A Funeral Home

Crematoriums work like “depositories” for the bodies that are about to be cremated. On the other hand, funeral homes are run by members of the community which means they deal with real families every day. These establishments are designed to make you feel at ease when you visit them.

We don’t just provide cremation services in Washington Township, MI but arrange memorial services, wakes, funeral services, and others. Contact us today so that we can provide you with the highest quality care and service in your time of need.

What To Know About A Veteran Funeral

Veterans planning a funeral or the loved ones of a veteran may not have to pay for all costs at funeral homes in Washington Township, MI. They can access benefits that are occupational in nature and are only available for veterans that were not dishonorably discharged. But the family of the dead veteran still has to pay for some of the funeral costs. Here are things to know about a veteran funeral.

A Veteran Funeral Ceremony

A veteran funeral often includes a basic Military Funeral Honors (MFH) ceremony. There is folding and presentation of the United States flag to the family of the deceased veteran during this ceremony. The ceremony is different depending on the status of the deceased in the military. Two or more members of the Armed Forces render the funeral honors. There is also the playing of taps by a bugler, or when there is no bugler, a clear recorded version of a bugler playing may be used.

Requirements For Funeral Honors

Active military members or in the Selected Reserve are eligible for military funeral honors. Retired military members are also eligible but only if they didn’t go through a dishonorable discharge. Another group that is eligible is former military members that completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve. They must not have been separated from the military under dishonorable conditions. You are also eligible if you were discharged from the Selected Reserve because of a disability that occurred while on active duty.

What Funeral Costs Are Covered By Veteran Affairs

Veteran affairs provides multiple benefits to a deceased veteran that may be financial in nature or may include certain unique funerary goods and services. If the deceased is eligible, VA may pay up to $2,000 to cover burial expenses but on a reimbursement basis and only for service-related deaths. That means that the family of the deceased has to provide receipts and the VA will pay the maximum amount permitted by law. Non-service-connected deaths result in a $300 reimbursement for funeral and burial expenses.

You May Not Have To Buy A Casket

Free caskets are only for personnel who died on active duty. You may also receive a free urn if there is cremation. The casket provided is of high quality. For veterans that received an honorable discharge, only a free flag for draping the casket is provided. But they have to pay for other funeral goods and services they incurred from funeral homes or mortuaries. Military personnel that died on active duty and those that received an honorable discharge all get a hero’s tribute in the form of military funeral honors.

Our funeral home offers services specifically targeted at military families. We have the information you need and can work with you to arrange the whole funeral. Our staff can answer all your questions about veteran funerals when you come to us for funeral and cremation services in Washington Township, MI.

Why You May Need A Burial Vault

A burial vault is a solution most funeral homes in Shelby Charter Township, MI may suggest if you are concerned about the integrity of the casket of your loved one after burial. The extra weight of the earth above the casket and water leakage may cause the casket to cave in after a period of time. This will incur extra costs because the cemetery will have to do something after the grave collapses. Here are reasons you may need a burial vault.

Grave Liners Do Not Protect The Casket

Many people confuse grave liners with vaults but grave liners are basically concrete boxes that prevent the grave from collapsing or caskets from caving in. They have multiple names such as grave receptacles, rough boxes, or concrete boxes. But since they are made of concrete, they cannot efficiently protect the casket from water and dust leakage. This can cause the structure of the grave liner to weaken and also deteriorate the casket. You can prevent all this by using a burial vault.

Burial Vaults Are Built To Provide Security

Burial vaults are made of concrete but they are also lined with plastic on the inside and are sealed securely. The seal prevents the cover from sliding from its position so that it can continue protecting the casket space. They perform the function of grave liners but they also protect the casket from the elements. That means that there is no intrusion of water or dust into the vault. So, the main difference they have with grave liners is that burial vaults offer more security for the casket. Vault manufacturers are serious about the durability of their vaults which is why they offer warranties.

You Can Customize A Burial Vault

You can have a photo of your loved one or an emblem added to the burial vault to personalize it. There is a standard quality for burial vaults but you can choose to get one that offers premium protection. That means it could be made with other materials that enhance the integrity of its structure and seal it more securely.

Where To Purchase Burial Vaults

The funeral home you are working with should have burial vaults that you can buy. But if you want a wider selection of burial vaults you may have to contact a retailer that specializes in selling burial vaults. But the cemetery is likely to charge you a fee for using a burial vault that you purchased from other retailers. The price for a standard burial vault is somewhere between $900 and $7,000, but it’s not unusual to find vaults that cost as much as $13,000.

Buying Vaults Online Is Not Recommended

Purchasing burial vaults online is not a good idea because the retailer will probably charge you high shipping fees. This is obvious because burial vaults are really heavy and difficult to ship.

We help customers seeking funeral and cremation services in Shelby Charter Township, MI find the right burial vault for their loved one. Our main focus is to lighten your burden and provide the highest quality care and service in your time of need.

What Type Of Urn Is Best For Ashes

All funeral homes in Washington Township, MI offer a variety of urns for cremation ashes. Not all urn options are appropriate for keeping ashes for a long time. Urns are also made using various materials meaning that they vary in price. The best urn for you is the urn that catches your eye and is within your budget. Here are some tips for getting the best urn.

What You Want To Do With The Ashes Is Important

It doesn’t make sense to buy an expensive urn when all you want to do is scatter or bury the ashes. There are affordable urns that you can use to keep the ashes before you scatter them or you can put them in any container that can securely hold the ashes. Biodegradable urns that easily break down in water or while buried in the earth are a great choice if you are considering water burial or natural burial for the ashes. If you want to keep the ashes, buy a durable urn that you can display in a room in your house. You will need more than one urn if you want family members to share the ashes.

Material Used To Make The Urn

Consider the material used to make the urn, but base your decision not only on your budget but also on how you want to use the urn. Urns made of harder more durable materials such as wood, metal, ceramic, and glass are a better option if you want to keep the ashes for a long time. Frequently people choose the type of material that they prefer rather than considering how they want to use the urn. In case you want to bury the urn, consult the cemetery staff to confirm if they may require a concrete vault for the urn.

Consider Size And Shape Of The Urn

Urns come in different sizes and shapes. Fortunately, retailers add the amount in cubic meters each urn can hold in the label. They may make it simpler for you to tell the appropriate size of an urn by the weight of the person who was cremated. The shape of the urn varies from vase-shaped urns to simple wooden boxes. If an urn has a simple box shape, it may be intended for holding the ash temporarily as you search for a suitable urn for the ashes of your loved one.

Custom Urns For Your Garden

If your loved one used to love the outdoors or gardening, you should consider custom garden urns. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are made to look like huge tear drops while others are curved into the shape of the Buddha. They are normally designed not to look out of place in the garden. But they are more expensive than traditional urns you may find at your local funeral home.

We provide funeral and cremation services in Washington Township, MI, and can help you find the right urn for your loved one’s ashes. Our professional staff has years of experience helping families to organize funerals and will support and guide you through the loss of a loved one.

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