Understanding How Cremation Works

With the rising popularity of cremation services Burton, MI, as a natural alternative to traditional burials, people have started learning more about this disposition method. If you’re thinking of having a cremation for your lost loved one, here is what you should know to make your decision.

What happens before cremation?

Following the death of a person, the family decides if they want to hold a cremation funeral for the deceased. All necessary paperwork, including cremation authorization, will need approval before anything can happen.

The process also includes providing signatures of the relevant parties, including the next-of-kin who will be receiving the remains back. Having done that, here’s the step-by-step guide of what follows:

Step 1: Identifying the Deceased

The funeral home or the crematory operator will double-check the identification of the decedent as well as cremation authorization. Bring your relevant documents, including visual confirmation to make sure everything goes smoothly.

The deceased is given a metal ID tag bearing a unique number that accompanies them throughout cremation – and even into the urn following cremation – to ensure identity.

Step 2: Placing the body into the cremation chamber

Once the identification process is completed, the body is placed in the cremation chamber, which is often a heavy cardboard or simple container.

Step 3: Cremation begins

The next step is to shut the cremation chamber and turn on the machine to burn the body. The operator has already heated the retort beforehand, so it shouldn’t take too long for the process to be complete. In general, cremating the body takes 1-3 hours.

Step 4: Remains removed from the cremation chamber

With the cremation process completed, the crematory operator removes the ashes and remaining bone fragment. When the ashes are cool enough, the operator gently and respectfully sifts through the resulting bone material to remove any metal pieces.

This is important as any hard pieces like silver teeth can damage the machine that processes the remains.

Step 5: Remains processed into ashes

These remains are then placed in a machine that grinds the bone fragments into a powder-like consistency. This step turns the cremated remains into pulverized, final ashes which are put in a plastic bag.

Step 6: Placing the remains into an urn

Then, the funeral home contacts the family and informs them to pick up the cremated remains. Note that it may take 1-2 weeks for the funeral home to prepare and hand over the ashes to the bereaved family.

Once the family or the authorized person brings the urn, the funeral home places the remains into the urn. Now, they have the complete authority to do whatever they want to do with the ashes. Some of the creative ways to honor the loved one’s cremated remains include:

• Scatter them from the mountain top.
• Bury them in a water body like an ocean or river.
• Bury them in your loved one’s favorite place or anywhere you wish.
• Turn them into jewelry.
• Keep the urn at home.
• Burying them in your garden

Cremation services Burton, MI, may be right for your family.