Whether you have recently lost a loved one or you are interested in pre-planning for your own funeral service, more people are choosing cremation. In 2018, 53.1% of people in the United States chose cremation. By 2023, the cremation rate in the United States is projected to reach 59.4%. At Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, located in the picturesque city of Mesa, Arizona, we provide full-service funeral services, including cremation service. The death of a loved one leaves many people feeling lonely, confused, and sad. Our team is prepared to guide you through this process and assist you as much or as little as you would like in making the necessary decisions.
In Arizona, cremation is defined as the final disposition of the remains. Cremation is actually the process of reducing human remains to basic chemical compounds in the form of gases and bone fragments. In order to accomplish cremation, we use high temperatures and vaporization. Most families are under the mistaken belief that cremated remains are comprised of ashes. However, cremated remains are actually dried bone fragments that are crushed in a machine called an electric cremated remains processor. The process, which on average takes from two to three hours, results in a fine texture much the consistency of sand in both texture and color. As a result, cremated remains can be scattered without any foreign matter.
We prefer to meet with our families within the first 24 hours after your loved one passes away, typically at the funeral home. It can ease the process if you are able to provide items like the deceased’s birth, marriage and death certificates or even items like wills, durable power of attorney for health care, military discharge papers and a recent photograph. If your loved one has pre-planned their cremation service with our staff, we will have the information with regard to what was pre-planned.
We do not require families to purchase a casket before cremation. It is, however, necessary to place the body in an alternative container typically made of either wood or cardboard. This container is cremated along with the remains. Each family can choose the type of alternative container or cremation casket for their loved one. This decision is primarily driven by whether the family wishes to spend time with the deceased before a cremation or has a disinclination toward a cardboard container.
When you choose Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery for your cremation service, we allow immediate family members of the deceased to view the body prior to cremation without embalming. There are several options including identification viewing and interpersonal service.
In an identification viewing, which we encourage in order to address legal ramifications that can arise, the deceased is merely placed on a dressing table under a sheet and blanket for the family to view prior to cremation. With interpersonal service, on the other hand, families are given the opportunity to view their loved one dressed and placed in an alternative container with a pillow and interior of their choice. Public viewing, as typically thought of for a visitation or funeral service, requires embalming and an appropriate alternative container with handles.
Often, families express concern about whether they will receive the correct remains after the cremation process. Our families can rest assured because Mountain View has established policies and procedures in place in order to minimize errors in the cremation process. We go to painstaking lengths to provide our clients with outstanding service and take great lengths to minimize human error, doing our best to ensure each family receives the correct remains.
With the exception of Orthodox Jewish, Islamic, Eastern Orthodox and a limited number of Fundamentalist Christian faiths, cremation is an accepted method of handling remains. The Catholic Church permits cremation as long as it is not selected for reasons that oppose Christian teachings.
Cremated remains can generally be brought into a church for a cremation service. The majority of Protestant Churches and Catholic Churches allow for cremated remains to be present during a cremation service celebrating the life of the deceased. The staff at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery actually encourages clients to have cremated remains present during any service that is planned. In our experience, the presence of the cremated remains provides a focal point for the service.
In response to Covid-19, Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery is now offering funeral video conferencing services so that family and friends can attend a cremation service virtually. At the present time, all gatherings are limited to 50 loved ones, as recommended by the CDC.
Here at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, we operate our own crematory inside our facility. This unique aspect at our own location gives us the ability to assure our families that their loved one is always in the care of our funeral home. Our on-site facility also means that families do not pay for additional transportation expenses or become subject to timing delays. Families are even permitted to be present when the body is placed inside the cremation chamber.
When the cremation process is complete, families have the ability to choose from a variety of options. Remains can be buried in a cemetery lot. Remains can also be placed in a cremation garden, a columbarium, kept at home, or scattered in a meaningful location.
The dedicated staff at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery can provide knowledge and information throughout the process of planning a cremation service. A cremation service can be planned in advance or in a time of need.
Cremation cost can be less expensive than a traditional burial and service, but there are several factors that affect the overall cost. The cost of cremation depends on a multitude of decisions and factors, including whether there will be a funeral service prior to cremation that will require embalming, specific instructions for handling remains, whether a burial plot and headstone will be purchased, and other factors. However, in our experience, the average cremation cost when you work with a funeral home ranges from $2,000 to $4,000.
At Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, we offer several options that allow families to create a cremation plan. When you choose this option, you know exactly what to expect and can price out different options to make the most informed decision. We offer a monthly payment program with flexibility, allowing you to pay monthly over the course of 3, 5, 7, or even 10 years. Any interest that is accrued during the time in which monthly payments are made will be applied toward the cremation cost at the time of need. Any funds in excess of cremation costs will be distributed to survivors.
All of the funeral directors at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery are licensed cremationists. We are committed to continuing to provide valuable services and products to our families, even in the midst of a global pandemic. To learn more, visit Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery today or call us at 480-832-2850 or 866-684-1951. Our phone lines are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can meet with you in person or by phone, email, or video call. Our compassionate team is ready to provide the guidance you need during this significant time.
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Categories: Blog
Tags: Cremation, cremation service