Author Archives: Michael Bernardo

What Are Your Options if You Want to Scatter Cremation Ashes?

After a loved one has been cremated, you may want to scatter the ashes. Many people who plan cremation services in Silver Spring, MD opt to scatter ashes on land, on the water, or in the air. Any of these options for scattering will work, and scattering is certainly what many families choose to do after the cremation of a loved one. Here are some tips to do it.

Trench the Ashes

One scattering option is to trench the ashes. This is done by digging a trench in the ground – sort of like if you are gardening and making a trench to place seeds into before covering the trench up with earth. After creating a trench — it should be long enough to contain the ashes but doesn’t need to be too deep — you can place the urn into the trench and cover it up. It’s a good idea to go with a biodegradable urn that will naturally disintegrate over time. You can also scatter the ashes into the trench, rather than place the urn in it, and then cover up the trench.

Rake the Ashes

Another popular scattering method is raking the ashes. This is an easy process that essentially means scattering the ashes on the earth and then using a rake to mix the ashes into the ground. It’s a good idea to do the raking in a place that has sentimental value. Did the deceased enjoy being outside in the backyard? You might want to rake the ashes in the backyard or in a garden. Does the family own a cottage with some land? You can find a suitable location on the property to rake the ashes.

Cast Ashes in the Air

You can also scatter the ashes by casting the ashes in the air. You can do this in a park – perhaps after a memorial service in honor of the deceased. It’s a good idea to scatter the ashes below the waist. This will reduce the chances of the ashes blowing back on you and others. No one wants a face full of cremation ashes. That would be one way to end a memorial service on a negative note. Even so, ashes are environmentally safe and don’t pose health risks. So you won’t have to worry about harming either the environment or any person.

Cast Ashes on the Water

It’s also possible to cast ashes on the water. If you want, you may get a biodegradable urn so that you can cast the entire urn overboard in honor of your deceased loved one.

Do you need help from a provider of cremation services in Silver Spring, MD? We’re a reputable death care services provider with experience helping people with their planning and preplanning needs. Our goal is to offer our customers the level of service we’d want if we were in need of similar services. Why can you trust us with your final services planning needs? We’re a family owned and operated funeral home that has been faithfully serving the community since the early 1900s. Our solid reputation for helping people in the community will give you confidence that you can count on us with your body disposition needs. Give us a call to learn more.

Preplanning at a Funeral Home is Good for Your Family

It makes sense to preplan final services with a funeral home in Silver Spring, MD. For one thing, you’ll feel better knowing that you’ve looked out for your family. If you haven’t actually sat down with a funeral director to make arrangements yet, you might become convinced to do so after considering some of the specific ways that your loved ones stand to benefit if you preplan.

Take a look below to see a few of the things your preplanning will do for those you love most.

They’ll be Able to Grieve

The immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death is no time to have to plan a funeral service or a cremation service. Yet that’s exactly what you’ll be asking of your family if you pass away without having made final services arrangements. When you do take the important step and preplan, you’ll afford your loved ones the opportunity to grieve in peace after your passing. This is especially important in the immediate aftermath of their loss. Preplanning will help them.

They Won’t Have to Pay

After preplanning a funeral or a cremation, you’ll have the option to prepay. This will ensure not only that you get the body disposition you want, but also that you spare your loved ones from having to pay for it. Prepaying will also be economically prudent since you – and your family — will be spared any price increases caused by inflation and other factors. When you pay, you will guarantee your final services at the price you paid upon finalizing the preplanning.

They Won’t Have to Choose

You might be surprised at how difficult it may be for your family to have to choose between a cremation or a funeral on your behalf. They may seriously be torn as to which option to select. This is especially the case if you never made it known to them whether you had a preference. Why not spare them this dilemma by preplanning on your own so that they don’t have to?

They Won’t Argue Over Planning

Your preplanning not only will spare your family from having to try to figure out what you would have wanted, but also will prevent possible disagreements or arguments over the matter. It would be a shame if your loved ones were to clash over what body disposition to plan. You can keep the peace by simply taking a little of your time to make final services arrangements.

Do you need help from a funeral home in Silver Spring, MD? We’re here to help you with preplanning your own final services or with planning the funeral or cremation of a deceased loved one. We’re a family owned and operated funeral home, and we’ve been serving the community since the early 1900s. Our track record of assisting people in the community means you can look forward to the same high level of customer service. Get in touch for help arranging final services. Our funeral director is here to help you. Contact us by phone or stop by for a visit.

Top 3 Benefits of Preplanning Cremation Services Online

Everyone knows instinctively that it makes sense to preplan funeral services or cremation services in Columbia, MD. But knowing that something is a good idea and following through by actually doing it are two different things. A lot of the people who are open to contacting a funeral home to preplan might think that doing so will eat up too much of their time. The reality is that it won’t take nearly as long as you might think. This is all the more the case if you avail yourself of the chance to preplan cremation services online. Here are 3 reasons to do so.

1. Do it From Comfort of Own Home

When you opt to preplan online, you’ll have the freedom to do it from the comfort of your own residence. In fact, you’ll be able to do it from virtually anywhere. Some people get nervous about having to go to a funeral home to speak with a funeral director. By making arrangements online, you’ll more easily be able to preplan in a less stressful environment. Whether from your kitchen table, on your bed, in your favorite recliner, on the front porch, or anywhere else, you’ll be able to get on with the important business of preplanning.

2. Do it When Most Convenient

Another reason it makes sense to preplan online is that you will be able to do it when it’s most convenient for you to do so. Do you want to do it right after dinner? Would it make more sense for you to do it before heading off to bed? Whenever you want to preplan, you can do so. You won’t have to make plans to plan at a funeral home during regular business hours. By making arrangements online, you’ll be able to do it on your own schedule. This is one of the reasons why it makes so much sense to make arrangements over the Internet.

3. Make Things Easier

Are you the sort of person who is easily distracted? Perhaps you think that it might be harder for you to focus if you go to a funeral home to preplan there. You can make things easier for you by preplanning at your own home. It will be just you and your computer. You can, if you wish, have some of your family members with you. But if you want to preplan with no distractions, it might help to do so in a quiet area where you can give the process your undivided attention.

Do you need help from a provider of cremation services in Columbia, MD? We’re here to help you with preplanning your own final services or with planning the funeral or cremation of a deceased loved one. We’re a family owned and operated funeral home, and we’ve been serving the community since the early 1900s. So we have deep roots here. Our track record of helping people in the community means you can look forward to the same high standard of service. Get in touch for help arranging final services. Our funeral director is here to help you. Call or visit when you need us.

3 Ways to Learn More About Funeral Homes

Do you know a whole lot about funeral homes in Columbia, MD? Most people really don’t. In fact, the majority of people wouldn’t even think of such a question unless they were in need of a funeral home’s help. If there’s a death in the family and there isn’t a whole lot of time for planning, you might not spend a lot of time learning about funeral homes before contacting one. But it does pay to know a thing or two about how they can help you.

What follows is a look at 3 ways you can learn more about companies in the death care services industry. Learning more will ensure you’re more at ease with the final services planning process.

1. Funeral Homes

If you only turn to one source for information on funeral homes, then you should contact a funeral home. That seems obvious enough. Funeral homes specialize in helping people to plan final services and the funeral directors at these businesses will be able to answer all your questions. So if you want to know about body disposition options, wish to learn about how to choose the right casket, want help comparing cremations and funerals, or require assistance with anything else, you can count on the funeral directors at funeral homes to help.

2. Friends

Do you know anyone who has planned final services in the last little while? It’s always a good idea to talk to people who have first-hand experience with planning funerals and cremations. You can ask them about which funeral home they hired, what final services package they chose, how helpful the funeral director and staff members were, how they would rate the customer service they received, and more. You can get the nitty-gritty when you speak to people who have been through the process before, so it’s worth asking people you know.

3. World Wide Web

The Internet makes it possible to learn just about anything about any subject. So you can learn a lot about funeral homes, funeral directors, funeral services, cremation services, checklists for final services planning, and a whole lot more. When looking for information online, your best bet is to focus on websites from funeral homes and crematories. That way, you can be pretty certain that you’re getting the right information.

Do you need help from a funeral home in Columbia, MD? We’re here to help you in any way we can. Our funeral director and other staff members are professional, compassionate, and knowledgeable. We’re a family owned and operated funeral home that has been around since the early 1900s. With our long track record of success serving the community, you can rest assured that you will be in good hands when the time comes to plan final services. We’ll help you plan funerals or cremations. Are you wondering which one to choose? Let our funeral director help you make the right decision for you and your family. When you’re ready to plan, get in touch by phone or in person. We’re here for you when you need us.

3 Unique Things to Do with Cremation Ashes

Are you planning cremation services in Clarksburg, MD for a family member who has passed way? One of the things you’ll need to figure out is what, exactly, you want to do with the ashes. Some people choose to keep the ashes in an urn. They can then keep the urn on their private property whether inside or outside on the patio deck or elsewhere. But there are other things you can do, so there won’t be a lack of good options. What follows are 3 unique options.

1. Cremation Jewelry

One of the things you can do with cremation ashes is get cremation jewelry. You can, for instance, get jewelry that has a compartment that some of the cremation ashes can be put into. Another type of cremation jewelry involves actually subjecting some of the ashes to intensely high heat to create a “diamond” that can be incorporated into jewelry. The funeral home you work with will be able to help you should you wish to go this route. Getting cremation jewelry, otherwise known as memorial jewelry, is great if you want to uniquely memorialize the deceased. You can create something that can be passed down from generation to generation.

2. Work of Art

Another idea would be to combine some of the ashes with paint. You can then paint a portrait of the deceased. Do you lack the skills to create a portrait that is worthy of hanging up on your wall? If art really isn’t your thing, you can find someone else in your family who has the skills or hire an artist in the community to do it for you. The painting will be an interesting way to memorialize your deceased loved one since their ashes will be incorporated into the portrait.

3. Get Some Ink

Are you into getting inked? That’s slang for getting a tattoo, in case you didn’t know. Some tattoo professionals will be happy to oblige if you want a tattoo that combines ink with some of the cremation ashes. Just in case you were wondering, cremation ashes don’t actually pose health or environmental risks. By getting a memorial tattoo that honors a deceased loved one, you will be doing something unique. Just make sure that it’s something you really want since it will be expensive and painful if you wish to remove the tattoo at a later date.

You might be better off going with option #2, where you can get a portrait to hang on a wall, if you aren’t absolutely certain that you want to get a tattoo on your skin.

When you need help planning funeral services or cremation services in Clarksburg, MD, get in touch with us by phone or in person. We’re a family owned and operated funeral home that has been serving the community since the early 1900s. You can count on us to help you with planning final services for your deceased relative. We can also help you with preplanning final services for yourself. Let us know how we can help you with your planning or preplanning needs.

When Should You Prefer a Funeral Over a Cremation?

If you speak to the funeral director at any reputable funeral home in Clarksburg, MD, they will certainly let you know that funerals and cremations are both honorable body dispositions. Even so, you’ll find that there are definitely times when you will want to focus on planning a funeral. It’s not because a funeral is inherently better than a funeral – because it really isn’t. But what might be the right fit for someone else isn’t necessarily the right fit for you.

Read on to see certain cases when you probably won’t want to consider arranging a cremation.

Tradition

For some families, the body disposition of choice when a loved one dies is a funeral service with a graveside service, a casket burial, and a reception to wrap things up. Some traditions are worth keeping. So if your family gains strength by going with funeral services rather than by planning cremation services, you will likely want to stick with tradition. There’s nothing wrong with cremations, of course, but some families might prefer the tradition that comes with funerals. And if this tradition has served your family well for generations, there’s no reason to change.

Personal Preference

If you’re planning a body disposition for someone who you know did not wish to be cremated, then you will want to focus on planning a funeral. There are lots of reasons why someone might not want to be cremated. Sometimes it’s simply based on misinformation. They might not know enough about it or might have bought into some of the myths and misconceptions about cremation. But none of that matters if the person is dead and can no longer speak for themselves. The bottom line is that you’ll want to honor the wishes of your deceased loved one. This is actually one reason why it makes sense for people to preplan their own final services. That way, there won’t be any guesswork after they die. They will get the final services they want.

Religious Considerations

Does your family practice a religion that doesn’t favor cremation? Most religions accept both funerals and cremations. If yours doesn’t prohibit either body disposition type, you’ll be able to choose the one that is best for you and your family. But there are some religions that don’t want their followers to be cremated. There’s even at least one religion – Hinduism – that requires its adherents to be cremated rather than to be buried. Are you unsure as to what your religion’s position is on suitable body dispositions? Your best bet is to ask a funeral director. You can also ask someone connected to your faith community for the answers you seek.

Do you need the help of a funeral home serving Clarksburg, MD families? We have a long track record of helping families and individuals with their final services planning and preplanning. We believe in treating everyone who comes to us for help the way we’d wish to be treated if our roles were reversed. You can count on us because we are a professional death care services provider that is family owned and operated. In fact, we’ve been serving the community since the early 1900s. For the help you need, get in touch.

Things to Consider When Buying a Cremation Urn

Are you in need of a cremation urn? If you’ve contacted a funeral home to plan final services and have opted to arrange a cremation, you’ll need to select an appropriate urn. The funeral director at any provider of cremation services in Silver Spring, MD will be more than willing to assist you in making the correct choice. You’ll find that the right cremation urn will depend on various factors. Read on to find out what you need to consider before making a buying decision.

Budget

You definitely need to think about your budget before doing anything else. While the average urn is a lot cheaper than the average casket, the reality is that there are urns priced at different price points. Some are relatively inexpensive while others are relatively expensive. A funeral director will be able to help you find an appropriate one no matter what your budget is. But you may be more limited in terms of choices if you have a very small budget.

Purpose

What do you ultimately intend to do with the urn? If you want to keep the urn in your home or place it in a columbarium — a structure where urns are displayed – then you might want to spend a bit more to get an attractive urn. Such an urn will, after all, be kept there for a long time. So why not get a really nice one? Do you wish to scatter the ashes? There are urns that make it easy to scatter, so you’ll want to ask the funeral director about that. What if you’d like to bury the urn in a cemetery plot or even in your backyard? You can get urns that are appropriate for this purpose. So, as you can see, the right urn will depend on what you want to do with it.

Size

The size of the person being cremated will determine the size of urn you require. You can rest assured that the funeral home director will be able to help you on this front.

Material

You can get urns made from different types of material such as ceramic, wood, glass, and marble. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, as there are other materials available. One thing to keep in mind is that some material types will cost more than others. So while you might want a higher-end material, you’ll need to consider whether your budget can accommodate it.

Do you need the help of a reputable funeral home to plan cremation services in Silver Spring, MD? We have a long track record of success, offer various final services packages for you to choose from, and are accessible by phone and in person. We’re also a family owned and operated funeral home that has been faithfully serving the people in and around the area since the early 1900s. You can count on us to help you make the funeral or cremation arrangements you need. We pride ourselves on providing quality products and dignified service at an affordable cost. Give us a call or pay us a visit

Why it Makes Sense to Preplan Your Final Services

Have you preplanned your funeral service or cremation service with a funeral home? If you either haven’t gotten around to it or don’t fancy doing it, you’re certainly not alone. While many people would likely agree that it’s good to look out for their loved ones, a lot of these same people might be hesitant about arranging their own final services with a funeral home in Silver Spring, MD. If you haven’t preplanned but are open to doing so, here’s why it makes sense.

You Get to Do Things Your Way

One of the main reasons preplanning makes sense is that you can do things your way. Who knows better than you do what you want for you? Others might have your best interests in mind, but you’re the best person to arrange your own body disposition. Instead of leaving it others to decide whether to plan a cremation or a funeral on your behalf after you die, you can take the initiative to preplan exactly what you want. That way, you can choose the body disposition you want, the specific final services package you want, and even the death care services provider you want. You’ll be in charge – and that’s how it should be.

You Can Spare Your Family

It’s never fun to have to plan the final services of a deceased loved one. For one thing, making funeral or cremation arrangements is an acknowledgment that they’re really gone. For another thing, it will be especially hard to have to plan while dealing with grief. So by simply taking a bit of your time now to arrange your body disposition, you will ensure that your loved ones don’t have to contact a funeral home and plan your final services. After you’ve made arrangements with a reputable death care services provider, you’ll want to ensure that your family members know the details so that they know which funeral home to contact after you die.

You Can Save Money

When you preplan, you can also prepay. How can you save money, you ask? When you prepay for a service you won’t need until sometime in the future, you’ll save by paying in today’s dollars. Consider the economic indicator of inflation. Over time, the costs of goods and services go up. That’s a given. So if you prepay now, you will end up getting a better deal versus if your family has to pay after you pass away. So it makes sense economically to preplan and to prepay.

If you need assistance from a reputable and experienced funeral home in Silver Spring, MD, we’re here to help. We have a long track record of success in helping families to make funeral and cremation arrangements. You can count on us to guide you through the final services planning process so that you can arrange a fitting final send-off for a dearly departed loved one. We’re also a family owned and operated funeral home that has been around since the early 1900s. You won’t only get the best customer service when you deal with us, but also affordable costs. Call or visit for the help you require.

3 Reasons Why Cremation is Becoming Increasingly Common

When planning final services for a family member who has passed away, you’ll need to choose between funeral services or cremation services in Columbia, MD. Whichever one you select is entirely up to you and your family since both body disposition options are honorable.

One of the things you should know is that cremations are now more common than they’ve other been. It used to be the case where funerals were much more common than cremations. However, cremations are the leading body disposition option in many jurisdictions.

Read on to learn about 3 reasons why cremation services are increasingly being chosen over funerals.

1. Cost-Effective

Cremations are more cost-effective than funerals are. This is the primary reason why cremation services have become so overwhelmingly popular. Why are they so much cheaper? If you plan a cremation, you can usually skip some of the options that are more common to funerals. For instance, you can skip the funeral service in a church, the viewing, the wake, the casket, the embalming, and the body preparations such as makeup and hairstyling. This doesn’t mean that you can’t add more options to a cremation service. But the extras are optional. So you can save a lot of money if you plan a cremation and stick with only what is absolutely necessary.

2. Options After Final Services

If your loved one is buried, their casketed body will be lowered beneath the ground and will be covered up. But there are lots of options after the final services if you go with cremation. This is one of the main reasons why many people opt to arrange cremation services. Options include, but are not limited to, scattering the ashes, keeping the ashes in an urn, bury the urn, getting cremation jewelry, combining the ashes with paint before painting a portrait of the deceased, interring the urn at a columbarium facility that has wall spaces where the urns can be stored, and more. You can ask the funeral director who helps you to plan for more suggestions.

3. Convenient

Sometimes people choose cremations because they offer more flexibility. For instance, if someone dies and their loved ones are spread out all over the world, it might be hard for everyone to get to a funeral service. In such cases, it might make more sense to plan a cremation service right away and to then plan a memorial service or celebration of life service down the road so that the family members have enough time to make travel arrangements.

Do you need to plan funeral services or cremation services in Columbia, MD? We’re a family owned and operated funeral home that has been serving the community since the early 1900s. So we have deep roots with this area and strong connections with the people in this area. You can count on us to help you plan final services for loved ones who have died. We can also be of assistance should you wish to preplan your own body disposition. This will allow you to arrange the service you want – so that your loved ones don’t have to after you’ve passed away. For the help you need, give us a call.

5 Things to Look for in a Good Funeral Home

After the death of a family member, you’ll need help from a funeral home in Columbia, MD. The right service provider will provide you with all the help you need to arrange final services, but how should you go out finding the right funeral home to work with? There are certain things to look for in a funeral home worth patronizing. Consider these 5 things to look for.

1. Good Reputation

You want to ensure that the funeral home you work with has a stellar reputation. Check out online reviews to see what previous customers have to say about different service providers. Be on the lookout for any themes, good or bad, that reviewers seem to repeatedly mention in their write-ups. While you shouldn’t make a decision solely based on online reviews from people you don’t personally know, you can nonetheless learn more about prospective service providers.

2. Wide Range of Final Services Packages

It’s also a good idea to find a service provider that offers a variety of final services packages. There are some funeral homes that offer funerals and cremations, others that offer funerals but not cremations, and others still that offer cremations but not funerals. Finding a funeral home that has a variety of body disposition packages to choose from will be especially useful if you’re not exactly sure which one you want for your deceased loved one.

3. Accessible Staff

The last thing you want is to sign on with a funeral home and to later find out that neither the funeral director not the rest of the staff are accessible. While you can’t expect someone to be by the phone 24/7, you should expect that someone will be regularly checking messages so that you at least get a call-back within a reasonable period of time.

4. In Business for a Long Time

Another thing to look for in a funeral home is a long track record. It would be too simplistic to say that a funeral home that has been in business for a long time is necessarily more reliable than a funeral home that has been in business for a short time. But researching companies is easier if they have a longer track record. So you can make things easier on yourself by finding service providers that have been serving customers in the area for longer than a few years.

5. Customization

When you visit a funeral home, you will be given a general price list. This document, which some funeral homes include as a downloadable file on their websites, lists all the final services packages the funeral home offers and the costs for all those packages. But what happens if you like a specific funeral service package but wish to make changes? A reputable funeral home will work with you to customize packages as required.

Are you interested in finding a reputable funeral home in Columbia, MD? We have a long track record of success, offer a range of final services packages, are accessible to our customers, have been a family owned and operated funeral home since the early 1900s, and will be pleased to customize packages to better meet your unique needs. Let us know how we can help.

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