Cremation is gaining popularity within our upwardly mobile modern society. Often times, cremation is chosen out of indecision where many people have never been afforded the opportunity to discuss their wishes. Sometimes, families who have never before cremated a loved one are chosen to cremate and find themselves lost without an opportunity to say goodbye, or heal with the benefit and support offered by what is often coined a traditional funeral. Families who choose cremation are often thankful that they were given the option to have an open casket, and funeral service before a cremation.
Our traditional funeral service offers your family and friends standard visitation hours of 2 – 4 & 7 – 9 pm, though we are able to accommodate other times as you may need. Families are offered open or closed casket* visitations, with the option of an afternoon or evening prayer or fraternal service. Following one or two days of visitation a funeral service, or a mass is held in the funeral home or church followed by cremation. The cremains are returned to the family to be placed in an urn and buried in the earth or entombed in a niche.
Some local congregations afford parishioners or congregants the privilege of visitation or calling hours in their place of worship. Similar to our traditional funeral service options, we can also help facilitate calling hours with a celebration of life in your church. Hours of 2 – 4 & 7 – 9 are suggested. Families are offered open or closed casket* visitations, with the option of an afternoon or evening prayer or fraternal service. Following one or two days of visitation a funeral service is held, followed by cremation. The cremains are returned to the family to be placed in an urn and buried in the earth or entombed in a niche.
Many families choose to simplify services to accommodate family members who need to travel from out of the area, or even to honor the wishes of the deceased who asked for simple, but personal and intimate service. We can provide your family with morning visitation, with open or closed casket* and a service at the funeral home or mass at your church, followed by cremation. The cremains are returned to the family to be placed in an urn and buried in the earth or entombed in a niche.
Like a traditional funeral service, memorial visitation gives family and friends with a time and place to gather to remember and celebrate their loved one. Memorial visitation differs from a traditional service in that there is no casket or body present, as a cremation will have occurred before visitation. A personalized urn often stands in place of a casket. Our typical visitation hours are 2 – 4 & 7 – 9 pm, though we are able to accommodate other times as you may need. Families can elect to hold an afternoon or evening prayer or fraternal service. Following visitation some families choose to have a funeral service at the funeral home or a mass at your church. The cremains can be returned to the family, or buried in the earth or entombed in a niche at a graveside service.
Immediate cremation** foregoes any traditional funeral visitation, and ceremony. With immediate cremation, the deceased is only taken to the funeral home for a brief period long enough to secure death certificates and permits for the cremation. The deceased is placed in the minimum container required by the crematory and is cremated with no visitation, or service. The cremains are returned to the family to be placed in an urn and buried in the earth or entombed in a niche.
* Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with a viewing or open casket. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement such as a direct cremation or immediate burial that does not require you to pay for it.
** While not required or included as part of any immediate cremation, the Brueggemann Funeral Home suggests that families elect to have their loved one bathed and dressed prior to cremation. Affording the family an opportunity to identify, and view the deceased for a short period. Medical implants with batteries, such as automatic implanted cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers will be removed as is required by the cremation service provider.
