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More People Choose Cremation
French Funeral Home Offers This Option On-site, Plus a Full Range
of Services
November 11, 2010
A recent report from the Cremation Association of North America
(CANA) shows that the percentage of people who choose cremation
over traditional burial continues to increase in the United States.
CANA’s Preliminary 2009 Cremation Statistics Report indicates
that cremation’s share of all funeral services in 2009 was
36.84%, up from 35.77% in 2008. The figure was less than 20% in
1995 and has been increasing by nearly 1.0 percent a year for
the past five years.
Nick French of French, Lawson-Miller, & Schoppenhorst Funeral
Homes & Crematory in Brazil and Clay City said he sees many
reasons why more families are choosing cremation. He listed cost
and convenience as two of those reasons. “In today’s
economy, people find that cremation is a more affordable alternative
to a traditional funeral service with burial,” he said.
Cremation also gives families more convenience in scheduling
services. “Considering that families are increasingly geographically
diverse, some families choose cremation as a matter of convenience,” French
explained. “While traditional services are somewhat constrained
to time, cremation can be scheduled at a time that is convenient
for everyone in the family.”
French said his funeral home’s experience, as the only
funeral home in Clay County with a crematory on-site, has been
that families who choose cremation are grateful for the wide range
of cremation options. These include having a visitation/funeral
service before cremation or a memorial service following cremation;
scattering the ashes at a place meaningful to the deceased; or
placing them in keepsake jewelry or an urn to be kept at place
of the family’s choosing. For some families, cremation provides
a simpler alternative to a traditional service.
“I think the general mobility of the population is another
reason,” French said. “Cremation lets a family transport
a loved one’s remains more easily when the death was far
from home. Also, many religions are becoming more tolerant and
are relaxing restrictions on cremation.”
One thing French cautions consumers about when considering cremation
is to choose a funeral home with its own on-site crematory. A “crematory
service” may transport the deceased to a different facility
for cremation. “It’s important to know who is taking
care of your loved one” French said.
“Our crematory is in Brazil at our Lawson-Miller Chapel
location,” French said. “Tom Hofmann and I are the
only operators of the facility, and we have both been certified
through Matthews Cremation Division and the Cremation Association
of North America. We welcome the public to tour and view our facility.”
Lawson-Miller Crematory is a member of CANA, the national organization
whose Code of Ethics guides members in the ownership and operation
of their crematories to provide the best service possible. According
to CANA, a cremation provider should readily answer any and all
question consumers have, and it recommends consumers ask the following
questions:
- Does the provider have its own crematory or does it
work with a cremation firm? If the latter, which crematory does
it use?
- Who owns the crematory facility?
- How often is it inspected?
- Are licenses and permits current?
- How many operators does it have and what type of training
is required?
- Is it CANA certified?
- Does the crematory have refrigeration?
- How long does the crematory hold the body prior to cremation?
- Does the crematory have liability insurance?
- Does the crematory facility allow witnessing by family
members?
For more information, go to www.frenchfuneralhome.com or www.cremationassociation.org.
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