Cremation Services

Our staff provides professional and affordable cremation services in Lafayette, CA with reputable and licensed funeral directors.

As you consider the options when choosing cremation, there are several elements that you will need to select in order to create a touching tribute for your loved one. Here we have outlined some of the choices you will make as you move through the planning process.

You can choose from a variety of service types and formats. Just as grief has many dimensions and is experienced in different ways by different people, services for those who prefer cremation are also unique. This is an opportunity to be creative and to share an honest expression of your most heartfelt values. There are no rigid rules that need to be followed, but there are guidelines that can help you if you are unsure how you might proceed.

• Transportation for your loved one from a residence, medical facility or hospice
  
• Proper documents including filing of death certificates
  
• Licensed and experienced funeral directors
  
• Online tribute/obituary listings

For unexpected deaths please call 911.

The traditional cremation service is held with the loved one present and embalmed in either an open or closed in a special casket designed specifically for cremation. After the visitation and/or service is concluded by the funeral director, clergy or officiant, there may be a procession to crematory. Many aspects of this service is similar to a traditional funeral.

A memorial service is typically held without the body present (though the cremated remains may be present in an urn). Disposition of the body may take place either before or after the service. Some memorial services are not held until weeks or months after the death. The services may be religious or non-religious. There are many different types of memorial services, and they may be held in funeral homes, churches, private homes, community rooms or outdoors. A memorial service may be held instead of a funeral, or in addition to it.

More and more today, terms like affirmation or celebration of life are being used to describe funeral or memorial services. Such services vary widely in content and format, but they tend to be more personalized and more upbeat. The body may or may not be present. They can be religious or non-religious and they can be held almost anywhere. The only rule seems to be that no rules apply!

Cremation services, like burial services, look different from one family to the next, but always provide a meaningful way to honor a deceased loved one. We work with families to ensure cremation services that are in line with their beliefs, values, and wishes. We also provide family members with different options for preserving and honoring the cremated remains of their loved one—including urns, Columbariums, cremation grave markers, and more. Options are also available to place cremated remains alongside cherished mementos—such as photographs—or even within cremation benches or rocks.

Whatever kind of service you choose, we want to ensure that it fulfills all the wishes of your family and your deceased loved one. Please contact us to discuss these options further.

The opportunity to say goodbye in a private setting with a limited viewing time for one to two people.

Cremation Casket or Container

The casket or container is the resting place that gives dignity to your loved one. Cremation caskets are made of wood and available in a wide variety of styles that are suitable for services with a visitation, viewing or gathering held prior to the cremation. Cremation containers are made from both composite and solid wood components and are fully combustible. These are most appropriate when a private viewing has been scheduled.

Memorial Urn

The urn or personalized memorial will become the final resting place for your loved one and it typically complements the final placement.

Keepsakes & Jewelry

Keepsake urns and jewelry hold a small portion of cremated remains, a lock of hair or ceremonial flowers. These products offer a unique and elegant way to hold a loved one close with a fashionable and lasting remembrance. Jewelry is available in men’s and women’s styles, so you can select a matching piece for many family members or friends to share a special and lasting bond.

Urn Vault

Urn vaults enclose the urn when it is placed at the gravesite and are designed to prevent the weight of soil and heavy equipment from damaging the urn and for environmental protection.

Cremation is often chosen and widely accepted within many religions. When we are cremated, we are reduced to our natural elements, quickly and without chemicals. A variety of disposition options is available for those who choose cremation, including private family estates, columbaria, special garden areas, ground burial, cremation benches and pedestals, urns, cremation niches and more. Cremation also relieves stressful time factors, since the process allows gathering and services to be held at any time.

Cremation Gardens

A cremation garden is an area designed especially to protect and memorialize cremated remains. The garden can be a simple area or a more elaborate landscape that features a variety of cremation memorial options, including many of those listed below.

Private Family Mausoleums or Niche Estate Areas

A private family area or structure is an option whether you choose cremation or burial. Family niche units allow family members to be together in a shared area, often bordered by special landscaping or architectural elements. A family mausoleum can accommodate both cremation urns and casketed entombment.

Columbaria

A columbarium is a specially designed structure comprising multiple cremation niches (small compartments) that hold cremated remains sheltered in an urn. A columbarium may be an entire building, part of another structure or situated in an outdoor setting such as a cremation garden area.

Glass-Front Niches

Glass-front niches offer a unique and tasteful way to pay special tribute and preserve precious memories. The clear-glass facing allows visitors to view special keepsakes, photos and personal memorabilia in remembrance of a loved one.

Ground Burial/Bronze Cremation Memorials

Bronze memorials are designed especially for families or individuals who choose cremation and prefer ground burial. An urn fits directly into the tamperproof bronze memorial. Companion ground-burial options are available even when one spouse chooses traditional burial and the other, cremation.

Cremation Benches & Pedestals

Cremation benches and pedestals provide a desirable alternative for sheltering cremated remains in a peaceful outdoor setting. There are many designs that represent a personal way to commemorate the life of a loved one.

During the cremation process, intense heat reduces human remains to their original elements. Our trained staff will bring your loved one to the crematory in a cremation container. Following cremation, we will receive the cremated remains and place them into an urn that has been selected by the family. There are several options a family has in the final disposition of the remains at this point, including:

• Ceremonial Scattering – Gulf or other place of importance
  
• Home Memorialization
  
• Inurnment – Burial or Niche
  

Tour our facilities and meet our friendly staff.