Tributes that won’t Cost an Arm and a Leg

After the death of a family member, many families feel the need to go out and spend a lot of money for a monument. Now, monuments to honor the dearly departed and to mark where they were buried — if they choose to bury the urn containing the ashes following direct cremation — can be a nice gesture. But there’s no need to spend an arm and a leg for a tribute to the deceased following cremation at an Elko New Market, MN funeral home.

Here are some fitting tributes that families can opt for without breaking their budget or going into debt.

Pictures

It’s true that a photo is worth a thousand words. Families can create a fitting memorial for their deceased loved one by using photographs. Whether taken from phones, other mobile devices, photo albums or other things, families can collect pictures and — perhaps via scrap booking or via slide show — create a lasting memorial. This will allow families to take trips down memory as they see pictures of their dear loved one that mark important life events and fun times.

Memorial Garden

If families have enough space on their properties, they can potentially create memorial gardens to honor the deceased. This would involve creating a specific spot and planting the deceased person’s favorite flower or plant. It might also be fitting to scatter some of the cremation ashes on the memorial garden as a way to commemorate the deceased. A memorial garden can definitely be a lasting tribute to honor the memory of someone who meant so much.

Cremation Jewelry

Cremation jewelry can take many different forms. An easy option would be to have a locket that contains a picture of the deceased. Families can use this sort of memorial to honor their deceased loved ones and to physically carry around the memories wherever they go.

Charity

Families that are up for the challenge can potentially start up their own charity to honor a cause that the deceased had been passionate about. Did the person want to see a neighborhood school provide breakfast in the morning for underprivileged students? Was the person passionate about spaying and neutering dogs so as to cut down on the number of animals in animal shelters? Families can consider starting some sort of charity, or they can simply support existing charities with their time, with their financial means or with both.

After direct cremation at Scott County Cremation, which is the premier funeral home in Elko New Market, MN, families may want to create a lasting memorial for their deceased loved one. As mentioned above, there’s no need to spend a lot of money to accomplish this objective. When ready to discuss direct cremation as a body disposition option, call us at (952) 402-9000 for a free consultation. We’ll take the time to guide families as they prepare to professionally, respectfully and compassionately give their deceased relative a fitting send off. We’re also available at 833 S. Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN 55379 for those who want to stop by.

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What Steps to Take When a Family Member Dies

Handling the death of a loved one is never an easy thing to do. Whether it occurs suddenly or after a long bout of terminal illness, the finality of death can bring down a torrent of emotions like grief, sadness and even hopelessness. But in the midst of the grief brought about by the sad development, what steps do families need to take in the aftermath of a death? What follows is a look at what to do, besides calling a Chanhassen, MN funeral home, when a loved one dies.

Immediate Aftermath

If the death occurred in a medical care facility like a hospital or a hospice, then the family ought to notify one of the medical professionals on duty about what has occurred. If it happens in another location such as in the person’s home, then the family should reach out to a doctor or even the police. If it has already been decided that a direct cremation will be the body disposition method, then it’s important that the family call the death care service provider so that the body can be picked up and transported to where the cremation will take place.

Body Disposition Plan

This is where preplanning and prepaying come in. If the deceased has made proper arrangements, then the family need only follow through. But if no such arrangements have been made, then the family will have to decide what to do and how to pay for it. The two most common body disposition options are cremation and traditional earth burial. The former tends to be less expensive than the latter, and direct cremation is the cheapest type of cremation. Cheap, fortunately, relates to the cost, rather than the quality, of the body disposition method.

Dot the I’s and Cross the T’s

There are documents that families have to sign before a direct cremation or any other body disposition method can be performed. The best thing to do is to enquire about the steps from a death care service provider since such a business will be able to provide all of the applicable details and may even be able to facilitate the process on behalf of the family.

Write the Obituary

The obituary is the death notice. It informs the community that a death has occurred. It lists the deceased person’s name, the names of immediate family members, the time and place of death, some life accomplishments, and when and where the body disposition will take place. Again, families can ask for some tips from a death care service provider on writing an obituary.

Scott County Cremation is a funeral home in Chanhassen, MN that specializes in direct cremation. Since that’s the only body disposition method that we do, we are experts in the practice and have experience helping families with their body disposition needs. We can be reached by phone at (952) 402-9000 or in person at 833 S. Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN 55379. Death is an event that sends shock waves through families. Let the experts help during life’s most trying times.

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How to Write a Great Obituary on the Internet

When a family loses a member, those left behind are often left with the task of preparing a written death notice that’s commonly referred to as an obituary. Yes, families can get some tips from a Shakopee, MN funeral home if they need some guidance. But the actual task of writing it will ultimately be left to those who knew the deceased best…the family.

It’s common to publish obituaries in neighborhood newspapers, but the digital era has made it possible to also post them on the Internet. While newspaper obituaries tend to be relatively short because of space limitations, Internet obituaries can be — and often are — much longer since the sort of space restrictions that newspaper traditionally enforce are not applicable to the World Wide Web. Even so, how do families actually go about writing fitting obituaries?

Read on for a look at tips to help families write great online obituaries that honor their dead loved ones.

Personal Info

Families definitely have to include all critical personal data pertaining to the deceased. This includes the full name, where the person was born, where the person died and possibly even the cause of death, information relating to whether the body will be cremated or buried and information about where the body disposition ceremony will be held.

Loved Ones

Don’t forget to list the members of the deceased person’s immediate family and, if desired, the name of other close family and close friends. In a newspaper obituary, the list would usually stop at immediate family, but it’s possible to expand that list for an Internet obituary to include others who were close to the deceased such as cousins. Don’t forget to include immediate family members who may have passed away prior to the deceased’s own passing.

Acknowledgments

If the deceased had received medical care related to a serious sickness, particularly any sickness that led up to the person’s passing, it would be a good idea to include an acknowledgment of the assistance and care provided as well as to show of appreciation for those who may have gone over and above the call of duty to help the deceased. Families that don’t desire sympathy flowers can include in the online obituary a note asking supporters to, in lieu of sympathy flowers, make a donation to a charity that the deceased had supported.

If families follow these tips and take advantage of the chance to write more for an Internet obituary than they would for a newspaper obituary, they can come up with a great death notice to honor a dearly departed loved one. At Scott County Cremation, located at 833 S. Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN 55379, we have expertise providing direct cremation. Direct cremation is the simplest and the most cost-effective body disposition method. Our main focus is providing top quality service at a price people can afford. For more information, call (952) 402-9000 to speak to one of our empathetic and professional staff members. We’re a funeral home in Shakopee, MN that understands what our customers want. And we aim to deliver.

What is Cremation and how does it work?

Cremation is defined as the reduction of a dead human body to ashes through direct exposure to heat and flame.

The process of cremation happens in a building called a crematory or crematorium. There are more than 1,000 crematories in the United States and Canada today. We operate Reflections Crematory in Jordan, MN.

Within a crematory is a special chamber called a cremation chamber, or retort. Once a body has been prepared for cremation it is placed in a cremation container, and the container is slid into the cremation chamber. Then the chamber door is tightly sealed, and a trained crematory operator begins the cremation process.

Cremators use heat and flame inside the cremation chamber. This intense heat allows the body to burn until only bone fragments remain. The cremation process takes about 2-3 hours.

Following the cremation, the remains are further processed and refined to a consistency similar to coarse sand. These remains are white or grey in color and are referred to as ashes or cremated remains.

These remains are now sealed in a transparent bag and placed in an urn selected by the family. The remains weigh about 5 lbs. and are similar in size to a 5-lb. bag of sugar.

Can I see my loved one before they are cremated?

Yes. In fact, grief experts believe that you SHOULD view your loved one. This is very important to the grieving process. Our sister firm Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation can accommodate a private family viewing with up to 15 family members at the crematory prior to cremation.