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.