Cremation Containers
From classic elegance to practical simplicity, the cremation container assortment is designed with a clear progression of value and specific product categories to help consumers select with comfort and confidence. Our cremation caskets are specially designed for cremation yet have all the style and craftsmanship of our hardwood burial caskets.
We offer caskets that can meet any family's taste and budget from simple cremation containers of cloth to veneer and hardwood caskets. We also offer a line of Orthodox caskets that are manufactured in accordance with Jewish law.
Cremation Information
The History of Cremation: Thousands of years ago ancient historical writings from the Grecian and Roman time period referenced both cremation and burial of the dead. Common practice in this culture was to entomb or bury the created remains. Cremation was prohibited for Christians in the late Roman period because destruction of the body conflicted with the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. However, most denominations today allow cremations as a form of disposition. Until 1963 the Roman Catholic Church did not allow cremation of the body. A rule change regarding this practice now permits a funeral mass to be said before cremation, if the body is present in the church. Here in the United States cremation had it's beginnings in the late 1700's. However, cremation did not become common practice until 1980. When the death of a loved one occurs, several options of disposition are available: entombment burial, cremation and burial. In the United States today, about 2.3 million people die each year and of that 26% are cremated. People's rationale for choosing cremation includes environmental reasons, financial and convenience. The process of cremation uses intense heat to reduce the human remains into small bone fragments. This takes place at a crematory. A chamber known as a cremation retort is used for this procedure. A second process further reduces these bone fragments to a fine powder. These are referred to as cremains, cremated remains or ashes.
Many families that opt to have their loved ones cremated rent a casket from the funeral home for the visitation and funeral, eliminating the cost of buying a casket. If you opt for visitation and cremation, ask about the rental option. For those who choose a direct cremation without a viewing or other ceremony where the body is present, the funeral provider must offer an inexpensive unfinished wood box or alternative container, a non-metal enclosure - pressboard, cardboard or canvas - that is cremated with the body. Under the Funeral Rule, funeral directors who offer direct cremations:
- may not tell you that state or local law requires a casket for direct cremations, because none do;
- must disclose in writing your right to buy an unfinished wood box or an alternative container for a direct cremation; and
- must make an unfinished wood box or other alternative container available for direct cremations.
Cremation is a process that quickly reduces the body to its elements. The energy needed to accomplish the cremation process is balanced to some extent by the equipment and labor that otherwise whould be needed for grave excavation, and it is considerably less than for the construction of an above-ground mausoleum. Modern cremation units operate with air-scrubbing capabilities to keep air pollution to a minimum. When death occurs away from home, shipping cremated remains will be far less expensive than the cost for shipping a body.
