Planning Archives - Rest Ashured Ash Scattering Services

Posted on July 29, 2022October 21, 2022 by restashured

The Cost of Cremation and Other End-of-Life Planning Tips

Just like a traditional funeral, there are many options when planning a cremation funeral. Sometimes, people choose a simple cremation and scattering — without much ceremony. Others may plan a memorial service or even a reception. Throughout the process, you’ll be asked to make decisions that affect the cost of cremation.

The Cost of Cremation
Complete Cremation Service
Cremation with Reception
Cremation with No Service
Scatter Cremation Ashes with Rest Ashured

As you’re planning, the options may feel overwhelming. A few key decisions will help guide you to create a plan that works best for your family.

Important Questions to Ask

What’s the plan for the ashes?

If you don’t own cemetery property, or already have a planned location for scattering, many people struggle to decide what to do with their ashes. In fact, funeral directors explain that when ashes go home without a plan, they “almost never find another home.” They end up stored in a closet or displayed on a shelf.

The ashes become something that weighs on the family. You’ll always mean to “do something” with them but, forget to make time for it.

That’s why we recommend planning for the ashes right away. Whether you’re burying them, keeping them, or scattering them, you will enjoy the relief of knowing they have been respectfully put to rest.

Do you need an urn?

The container from the crematorium is meant to be temporary and utilitarian. If you’re keeping the ashes, you’ll need an urn for storage. Also, people often like to display the ashes in an appealing container if they choose to host a memorial service.

If you are simply collecting the ashes from a direct cremation and scattering them immediately, you won’t need to transfer them to an urn.

What are you planning for the services?

If you choose cremation, you have several options for services. Some people choose to display the embalmed body for visitation and the funeral, similar to a traditional funeral. After those ceremonies, the body is cremated. Then, the family can bury, scatter, or store the ashes.

Others choose to cremate the body then hold a memorial service. They often display the ashes in an urn with a portrait of the deceased.

A final option is to skip traditional funeral services entirely. In these cases, you simply need to plan for the storage or interment of the cremated remains after you get them from the crematorium.

Cremation and End-of-Life Planning

When you choose cremation, the related services affect the cost. Some people choose to host a traditional viewing and funeral service (similar to a burial). Others go straight from the crematorium to scattering. We’ve collected some information to help you understand the associated costs.

The Cost of Cremation

When you work with a funeral home, their services incur various costs. While these are slightly different between groups, this information will help you plan.

Complete Cremation Service – About $7,800

Some people select a complete cremation service with a time for visitation, a funeral service, and display in a casket.

For this option, the body will be prepared for a visitation time (like a funeral home or church). The body will need to be embalmed, and placed in a casket. Most of the time, you don’t have to buy the casket. It’s a ceremonial casket — sometimes called a rental casket. The funeral homes switch out the interior between ceremonies.

Cremation follows this visitation or even the funeral. Then, the ashes will be delivered to you for a graveside service or an ash scattering ceremony.

Prices vary by funeral service provider but some funeral homes estimate about $7,800 for these services.

Cremation with Reception – About $5,700

Many people choose to host a cremation with a memorial service. In this situation, the cremation takes place first. Then, the ashes are put out in the funeral home for the visitation and for the memorial service.

Because this includes a time for viewing, you incur the same embalming costs and body prep (about $150 – $1,000) as a regular funeral. You’ll also pay for arrangements, coordination, permits, and paperwork (about $1,700 – $5,000). Flower arrangements ($70 – $350), printed programs, and other traditional elements add additional fees.

After the memorial service, the ashes are given to the family. You can store them, scatter them, or bury them.

For that level of service, some memorial service providers estimate about $5,700.

Cremation with No Service – About $3,500

Some people choose just to cremate their loved one’s remains. They have no memorial services. However, the funeral home will probably provide an obituary and help facilitate the decision-making process. Some funeral homes estimate this cost at about $3,500.

Prices for cremations with no service vary but, Legacy.com estimates that it’s between $1000 – $3,500.

The Cremation Institute even maintains a list with the average cost of cremation for major U.S. cities.

1. New York City, NY	$550 – $10,200
2. Washington, DC	$700 – $7,600
3. Houston, TX	$675 – $6,800
4. Dallas, TX	$850 – $6,300
5. Indianapolis, IN	$900 – $6,100
6. Chicago, IL	$895 – $4,600
7. Charlotte, NC	$875 – $4,400
8. Nashville, TN	$1,295 – $4,400
9. Virginia Beach, VA	$900 -$4,300
10. Providence, RI	$1,400 – $4,100

Source: https://www.legacy.com/advice/how-much-does-cremation-cost/

Additionally, some families choose direct cremation which is essentially processing the remains and delivering them to the family. These costs include things like the simple wood or cardboard casket that the body rests in during cremation.

If you decide on a direct cremation, you can arrange ash scattering at a later date. This is sometimes how people find our scattering services at Rest Ashured.

We also find many people choose us as a scattering site after a memorial service, celebration of life, or a cremation funeral. It’s something that they decide to do, whenever they’re ready to say goodbye.

Scattering Cremation Ashes with Rest Ashured

When you’re finished with your goodbyes, Rest Ashured offers several locations where you can scatter your loved one’s remains. The process is simple and we’re here to help you.

Select a Scattering Service

Our cremation scattering locations offer peaceful, meaningful areas for you to put your loved one’s ashes to rest. Our locations include burial at sea, a mountaintop scatter garden, and a memorial tree garden.

For the scatter garden and memorial trees, we properly registered our property for cremation ash scattering and have long-term arrangements to ensure the sanctity of the location. For the burial at sea scattering services, our boat captains know the places where they can legally scatter ashes and how to file the required paperwork.

Sending Your Ashes

We help you through the process when you send the ashes. We’ll send you a package with all the necessary packing materials. This kit has the appropriate boxes, labels, tape, and simple shipping instructions.

Then, you ship the package to us. You can ship it through your local post office. (We also offer personal pickup for certain areas.)

Visiting Your Memorial

Most of the year, our property is closed to visitors to protect the beautiful, serene location. Instead, we hold two Days of Celebration each year. You’ll be notified by email prior to the event. Then, you can plan to visit your loved one’s marker.

On these days, we encourage friends and family members to visit, remember, and reflect.

Get in Touch with Us

Our ash scattering services are a labor of love. We are honored by each scattering and help people say goodbye with dignity and respect. If you have any questions about our services, please get in touch with us. Call 434-534-4007 or email us at info@restashured.com.

Posted on July 9, 2021November 16, 2022 by restashured — 1 Comment

Important Steps to Take After the Loss of a Loved One

Whether a loved one’s death is sudden or expected, many people are overwhelmed by the process of facilitating their departure. You will need to determine their final wishes and do your best to honor their memory. This includes personal details like arranging their memorial as well as practical processes like initiating probate. If you’re working with a funeral planning service, this list prepares you for the documents they’ll need.

Steps to Take When a Loved One Dies

After your loved one passes away, access their living quarters. Try to find important documents such as a last testament and will, financial documents, and other important records. These will help you as you go through the process.

As Soon as Possible

Each of these tasks must be done as soon as possible.

1. Get a Pronouncement of Death

A pronouncement of death is a ritual performed at the time of someone’s passing. If the family is present, the pronouncement gives permission to grieve. In a hospital setting, this is usually performed by the doctor or nurse providing care. If someone dies outside a hospital, an EMT, firefighter, or police officer may declare death.

This individual records the time and it becomes the official time of death on their certificate. This is an important legal step that begins the process of putting someone to rest.

2. Arrange for Organ Donation

Medical professionals at a hospital will identify a potential candidate for donation. If appropriate, they will approach you about your loved one’s status. When your loved one has registered as an organ donor, you will be notified at the appropriate time. If they are not registered, you will be asked to provide consent. This happens in the hospital and the donation coordinator will assist you during the process.

Learn More about How Organ Donation works at organdonor.gov/about/process.

3. Notify Friends and Family

This notification usually takes two forms. First, an information notification happens immediately when you contact your family and friends. Most people call text, or email with an initial update.

Later, most people choose to send a formal message. Below are a few decisions you’ll need to make.

Choose a Medium: Most people write a post on social media, send an email, mail a letter.
Express sympathy: Your message should contain an expression of sympathy for everyone’s loss.
Declare Details: Include important details about how your loved one passed and how their life will be memorialized.

See Sample Letters and Messages HERE. This should be sent to anyone who should be notified before a formal obituary.

4. Arrange Care of Dependents and Pets

Often, a person expresses their wishes for dependents and pets in a living will. If they have not, you’ll need to contact the appropriate organizations to arrange their care.

For Children: If the child has no other legal guardian, your state’s child protective services. They will work with you to arrange care.
For Other Dependents: If your loved one leaves behind an adult dependent, you must contact your state’s adult protective services. They will assist you with the arrangements.
For Pets: Your local humane society can assist you with rehoming a pet.

5. Call Your Loved One’s Employer

Contact your loved one’s Human Resources department to let them know of their death. You can call or send an email. They will ask you for additional information for their records.

6. Secure Large Property (eg: house, car)

Depending on the circumstances, you may need to secure your loved one’s large property. Make sure their car is parked in an appropriate and safe location. Check their house to make sure the doors and windows are locked. Also, make a note of who has additional keys and decide if they should still have access to these areas.

7. Decide What you Will Do With the Remains

Your loved one’s living will may provide insight into what they would like to do with their remains. Some people provide explicit instructions and may have even pre-paid for a funeral planning service. If so, follow their instructions and contact the appropriate service providers.

If your loved one did not plan, you will need to choose between several options, including:

Ground Burial
Water Burial
Cremation

8. Arrange for Transportation of the Body

Depending on your choice, you will need to direct the remains from the morgue to the appropriate funeral planning service provider. This might be a funeral home, a crematorium, or a mausoleum.

Within a Few Days

These tasks must be finished within a few days of your loved one’s passing.

9. Arrange for a Funeral or Burial

Now that you have chosen the method of your memorial, you’ll need to work with your service provider to arrange for a funeral or burial. You’ll need to decide on the location for the memorial service and where you are putting the remains to rest.

If you are doing a ground burial, you will work with a funeral home. They can hold the services at their location and help you with interment in a cemetery. You can also work with them to hold the service at another location (like a church) and transfer the body to the cemetery. In the U.S. these services usually take place 3 to 7 days after death. If you choose a natural or green burial, the timeline is shorter.
If you are doing a water burial, you’ll need to work with a service provider that performs these ceremonies. Typically, they are held on a ship and the remains are buried in the ocean as part of the ceremony. These follow a similar timeline as a funeral but are dependent on the weather.
If you are cremating your loved one, you can ask a funeral home or a crematorium to perform the service. Often, this is called a direct cremation. Then, you can choose to hold a memorial service with the funeral home or plan one yourself. With cremation, you do have some extra time to arrange a service.

10. Order a Casket, Urn, or Scattering Service

You must choose the appropriate vessel for your loved one’s remains. If you are doing a ground or water burial, you will need to order a casket. The funeral home or another service provider can help you order this. If you choose cremation, you can order an urn or simply use the box provided by the crematorium. Most of the time, people order an urn if they plan to display their loved one’s remains for some time. If you are scattering them shortly after the cremation, you can keep them in the original packaging.

11. Get their Mail Forwarded

Forward your loved one’s mail through the US Postal Service at https://www.usps.com/manage/mail-for-deceased.htm. They have a simple online form that takes you through several steps.

Also, you should contact DMAchoice.org to register them on the Deceased Do Not Contact List (DDNC). Within 3 months of registering, advertising mail should decrease.

12. Check Home for Plants or Expired Food

Even if you visited your loved one’s home to find important documents, you should return to check on perishable items. Check their refrigerator and cabinets for items that can expire. Consider donating the other items to a food distribution charity if you are able.

Also, look for any plants and take them with you. These steps avoid attracting pests to the empty living space.

13. Check with Fraternal Services or Military

If your loved one was part of the military or any fraternal services, notify them of your loved one’s passing. They will let you know if any special ceremonies and honors can be bestowed upon your loved one. Additionally, the Military or fraternal organizations often assist with the cost of a service or burial.

14. Write an Obituary

If you choose to place a formal obituary in the newspaper, you should write it before the wake. According to Legacy.com, these cost between $100 – $800. The price depends on the length of the obituary and the chosen publication. Alternative options include:

Funeral Home Website: Many funeral homes allow you to post a copy of your loved one’s obituary on their website.
Social media: Social media platforms provide another, less-formal option to leave an obituary message. Many friends choose to interact by leaving comments.

Leading Up to the Wake

As you plan the funeral, wake, or memorial service, you’ll need to facilitate each of these tasks.

15. Establish Financial Needs

Common costs related to a funeral planning service include the cost of burial or cremation, the vessel, and legal paperwork. Additionally, you may choose to include memorial programs, floral arrangements, printed photos, and other displays. Celebrations surrounding the service may require catering and a venue. Create a budget and determine if there are costs that aren’t covered by your loved one’s estate.

16. Choose Participants

You’ll need to decide on a format for a memorial service. Typically, someone leads the service and introduces each person to speak. This may be the funeral director or a religious advisor. Even if you have a time when anyone can speak, someone will need to facilitate the transition between speakers. Plan who will participate in the ceremony.

17. Set a Schedule

You’ll likely have a limited amount of time to spend at your service. Plan how you will fill that time of remembrance by setting a schedule. This helps direct people through the ceremony and any special moments of remembrance.

18. Order Programs and Flowers

If you are working with a funeral home or another service provider, they can help coordinate programs and flowers. You’ll need to decide the details with their assistance.

If you are arranging the memorial service yourself, you’ll need to order these and plan delivery.

19. Coordinate Food and Drinks

Often, people have a meal as part of awake. You’ll need to choose the venue for the meal and plan the food. Some choose to cater the event. Others may plan a potluck for a close-knit community.

20. Tell Loved Ones About the Service

Once you have planned the service, you should send clear instructions to anyone who would want to attend. This includes friends, family, and other mourners. Sometimes, people differentiate between the different parts of the mourning process and only invite those closest to the deceased to the intimate parts like a graveside service.

Within a Few Weeks

After the ceremony, you’ll need to finalize these important details.

21. Order a Headstone

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If you are burying your loved one, you may order a headstone after they are interred. This serves as a permanent marker. Often, people have another small, private moment of remembrance when the headstone is installed. If you are scattering your loved one’s ashes in a garden, you may put a marker in that area.

22. Get at Least 5-10 Copies of the Death Certificate

As you are settling your loved one’s estate, you’ll need several copies of their death certificate. Order many copies to avoid reordering later.

You can order these through your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles or Department of Health. Most states have online forms on an option to visit their offices.

23. Start the Will Probate Process

Probate is the legal process of administering a person’s estate after their death. If the deceased has a last will and testament, probate confirms that the will is legally valid and executes the written instructions. If the deceased did not write a will, the probate court will consult your state’s intestate laws. These laws vary from state to state. A lawyer can guide you through either process.

24. Talk to Financial Benefit Organizations

This may include stocks, bonds, retirement benefits, or social security. Go through the deceased records to find out the entitlements their loved ones may be able to collect.

25. Notify Banks and Insurance Companies

To notify your loved one’s bank of their death, you can visit their office or their website. Most banks have an online form where you can start the process. They’ll need to verify the death and help close the accounts.

Similarly, you must notify insurance companies of your loved one’s death. They will verify the death and determine who receives benefits.

26. Contact an Accountant

In addition to a lawyer, you’ll want to use an accountant to help close out your loved one’s finances. They can guide you through the taxes necessary to settle their estate.

27. Notify Pension Services

If your loved one had a pension, you’ll need to notify them as well. They’ll confirm the death and facilitate any financial benefits.

28. Cancel Insurance and Utilities

Cancel the insurance and utilities that are no longer necessary. If your loved one owned a property, you may need to keep some of these accounts active to keep the property safe.

29. Find and Pay Important Bills

As you’re closing out your loved one’s account, you’ll need to settle any outstanding bills. Use this as another opportunity to close out their accounts.

30. Close Credit Cards and Notify Credit Reporting Services

Close all of the deceased’s credit cards to protect their accounts. Also, notify credit reporting services. Equifax provides simple instructions for protecting credit after death HERE.

31. Cancel Driver’s License

Contact your local DMV to cancel the deceased driver’s license. You’ll need a copy of their death certificates and any license plates in their name.

32. Close or Memorialize Social Media and Email Accounts

Social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook can be closed or memorialized after death.

If you need to close out an email account, submit a support form from their email account to their email provider.

Download our Checklist

Photo of Steps to Take When a Loved One Dies

Although this list may seem overwhelming, you can work through these tasks slowly over the weeks following your loved one’s departure. This document contains printable checklists to make the unthinkable a little bit easier.

Download Now

Posted on March 1, 2018November 16, 2022 by restashured

Burial or Cremation

Funeral Planning

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Planning for your death may necessitate some extremely difficult and uncomfortable decisions—and one of the most challenging aspects of funeral planning is the choice between being buried or cremated upon demise.

While you cannot rely on others to make this determination for you, you can certainly take some factors into consideration to make the selection easier.

Religion

The first thing you have to consider is your religious beliefs. In most cases, the choice between cremation and burial will be determined by the religion you adhere to, as many religions have an already accepted practice of disposition. Some religions require cremation while others forbid it.

Cost

Like all the other important decisions of life, one of the most important factors to consider when choosing between burial and cremation is how much money one is willing to spend. Cremations can be quite economical, while a traditional burial, with a casket, headstone, embalming, and grave purchase, can be very expensive.

Eco-friendliness

People who have cared about the environment all their life, would want their disposition to happen in an environmentally friendly way as well. Cremations are far less damaging to the environment than burial as burial entails the use of a number of highly toxic chemicals in the embalming process. Furthermore, when buried, people also take a spot on the earth forever. You must also consider that the machines used to dig graves and non-biodegradable coffins may contribute to a larger carbon footprint.

That’s not to say that all cremation methods are completely safe for the environment. A recent method of cremation such as alkaline hydrolysis is a water-based chemical resolving process that can harm the environment.

After

Perhaps the most important factor to consider when choosing between burial and cremation is where people want their remains to be kept. In burial, people have the ability to choose a graveyard that is near to their family and loved ones, so that they can be buried adjacent to their family. On the other hand, with cremation, people can opt for a number of options to have their ashes spread in a place that has important sentimental value to them. They can also have their ashes contained in an urn. This way their ashes can move with their family, or even be incorporated into objects such as jewelry, enabling their loved ones to have them close to their hearts at all times.

Burial or cremation? However you want your body to be finally disposed of, you must first let your loved ones know in writing to ensure your wishes are met. Remember that it is a very personal decision and should only be resolved with careful consideration.

If you or a loved one has chosen cremation, Rest Ashured is available to talk with you about the final steps.

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Posted on February 22, 2018November 16, 2022 by restashured

Planning Ahead for Your Death

Death is inevitable – Have you planned?

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It is tough to accept death as the inevitable outcome, and that makes thinking ahead for it rather uncomfortable. This is why so many people often overlook all the advance preparations. But the harsh reality is that one day everyone is going to die, and that makes it imperative to begin planning now…because when your end is imminent, it may actually be a relief to know you are prepared.

Taking care of your funeral services ahead of time serves as an essential component of a reliable financial and estate plan. When you pre-plan your arrangements, you relieve your loved ones from emotional and financial pressures during a stressful time. Furthermore, pre-planning also allows you to choose your course of disposition, the kind of services you want, and gives your family the ability to focus on their grief and recovery.

Another obvious advantage of pre-planning is that you are likely to make rational and thoughtful decisions with a calm and clear thought process, which your family might not be able to make in a time of grief and despair.

How to be prepared for your funeral?

In order to make the most of your pre-planning process, you must ensure that you’re taking all the appropriate actions. Start your preparation by visiting funeral homes and choosing the one you and your family are most content with. Be informed of death entitlements, and consider religious and moral beliefs. Lastly, choose your method of disposition (burial, cremation, etc.). Conclude the planning with estimating the costs of your funeral service.

Arranging for your funeral expenses in advance

Like pre-planning, pre-paying your funeral expenses can help you address the critical concerns of the future in a reliable and easily accessible manner. Strategies such as life insurance are an easy and efficient way to handle your funeral expenses. Upon your death, this pre-arrangement can be used to take care of the entire funeral ceremony and even your debts or obligations.

Death is a sensitive subject, and speculating about what would follow if you were no longer around is scary. While nobody thinks about their own mortality, death is one of the certainties of life everyone has to face one day. So, if you want a financially and emotionally secure tomorrow for your loved ones, the only way you can ensure this is by establishing a firm funeral plan. The advantages of planning far exceed the discomforts that come with the thought of dying.

So plan ahead and give your loved ones the opportunity to treasure and value your life, and relieve them of the difficult decisions and expenses that might arise when you’re no longer with them.