A. Ceremony has been important since the beginning of mankind. Archeologists maintain that 50,000 years ago the Shanindar tribes in Iraq performed a burial ritual of some type when one of their tribe died. Today, the funeral provides the family an opportunity to gather together and not only recognize a life that was lived, but to share their grief with others.
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A. The necessity of a common gathering place large enough to accommodate groups of people created the modern funeral home. Prior to this time, funerals were held in the home of the deceased or perhaps a church. For ease of facilitation, the large funeral "home" was created, thus becoming a "Home for Funerals" but with more room and better facilities for this type of gathering to occur.
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A. In a word, NO. Although similar basic religious format may be followed, the unique thing about a funeral is that it can be personalized to suit the needs of the family or the desires of the deceased. All relationships on the face of this planet are unique, thus lending creedence to the idea that uniqueness is an inherent trait of the funeral process. So while no two funerals are the same, they may contain common elements that are found in all funerals.
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A. As with any purchase, cost can be an important part of the buying decision. Basically, funeral costs can be broken down as such: SERVICES, MERCHANDISE, AND CASH ADVANCED ITEMS.
SERVICES – may include the following:
Basic services of funeral director and staff
Embalming or Cremation
Other preparation of remains
Facilities for funeral or visitation (on or off site)
Transportation to funeral home
Necessary automotive equipment
Transportation to cemetery or crematory
MERCHANDISE
Casket Cremation urn
Burial Vault
Cremation urn vault
Register book
Cremation casket
Memorial folders
Cremation container (required by crematory)
Acknowledgement cards
Burial clothing
Temporary grave marker
CASH ADVANCED ITEMS – items the F.H. may pay on your behalf…
Newspaper obituaries
Minister’s honorarium
Funeral flowers
Out of town transportation
Air freight charges
Certified death certificates
Hairdresser fees
Phone/Fax tolls
Cemetery charges
Out of town F.H. charges
New Federal Law (Federal Trade Commission) or F.T.C. has mandated that customers are to be given a General Price List (G.P.L.) prior to any funeral selection. On the G.P.L. appears the costs for any of the SERVICES that the funeral home provides. A separate Casket Price List and Vault Price List must be given to the customer prior to any MERCHANDISE selection. By combining the costs of the SERVICES, MERCHANDISE, and CASH ADVANCED ITEMS, the majority of the total funeral cost can be realized.
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A. We firmly believe that little kids are people too. As such, they have grief needs as well. It is very important that the death and dying process be presented to them as something that is normal and natural. Hollywood has done a lot to distort the image what happens at death and does not accurately portray these events. A child’s natural curiosity will prompt them to ask questions and it’s important to remember that answers given them should be both truthful and age appropriate.
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A. Absolutely!! Pre-planning or Pre-arranging one’s funeral makes a great deal of sense. Here are just a few of the BENEFITS OF PRE-PLANNING:
GUESSWORK CAN BE COMPLETELY ELIMINATED. Your wants and wishes will be followed simply because they are your wants and wishes and not someone else’s.
PEACE OF MIND IS ACHIEVED. Because no one but you needs to make any decisions, your survivors are relieved of making decisions that, right or wrong, are decisions that will remain permanent. Once made, they are irreversible.
COST CAN BE CONTROLLED. By doing things in advance, you are not as prone to impulse or emotional buying. Your arrangements can be accomplished with a clear head and can even be considered for a period of time without being finalized.
PRICES MAY BE ABLE TO BE "LOCKED-IN". Prices may be guaranteed for whenever they are needed. This means that if you pre-finance your funeral or memorial services, the price of the services and merchandise may be all, or in part, guaranteed against any inflationary trends. This relieves your estate (if any) or relatives of any financial hardship or burden at your death.
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A. CASKETS are either classified as Metal or Wood since both materials are used in their manufacture.
WOOD CASKETS can be made of either a solid hardwood specie, e.g. Mahogany, Oak, Cherry, Walnut etc. or a particleboard to which a veneer has been laminated. Because of the nature of the material used in construction, wood caskets are not generally designed to resist the elements of air or water.
METAL CASKETS are made entirely of metal. Like wood caskets, different metals are used in their manufacture. Steel is the predominant metal used, but the rust resistant metals of stainless steel, copper, and bronze are also used. Different levels of protection can be achieved by the use of different metals or the thickness thereof, and these caskets can also be designed to be resistant to the entrance of air and water - thus giving the consumer numerous choices to provide piece of mind and buyer satisfaction.
METAL VAULTS Were the first type of "protection" offered to the buried remains. Before the advent of body donation, medical schools were in dire need of cadavers for anatomical work. "Grave robbing" was a common practice, and although the actual body was the desired goal, anything buried with the remains added additional value. Incidentally, slabs of iron or steel were placed over the casket to "protect" the person's body from such plundering. These "grave vaults" gradually took the casket-like shape they have today and have been produced since the late 1800's. Three types of metals are used: steel, stainless steel, and copper. By the way they seal Clark Metal Grave vaults are designed to keep the casket dry, and will not be adversely affected by any dynamic blasting in the cemetery to remove rock. Additionally, the non-rusting metals of stainless steel and copper offer even more protection, since they will not be affected by rain, snow melt, or leachate.
CONCRETE VAULTS Came into production during W.W. II since metal was scarce and primarily was being used for the War effort. Made of steel reinforced concrete, they are strong enough to support the soil load, but need additional measures to be made protective. Some concrete vaults have liners in them to offer more protection. These can be plastic, stainless steel, or copper. Concrete, however, is a porous material and will allow moisture penetration once in the ground.
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A. A lump-sum death benefit of $255 may be paid upon the death of a person who has worked long enough* to be insured under the Social Security program. The lump-sum death benefit can be paid upon the death of the insured person even if they were not receiving retirement or disability benefits at the time of death.
Only a spouse who was living with the worker at the time of death, or to a spouse who, in the month of death, is eligible for certain Social Security benefits based on the workers record, or a child who, in the month of death, is eligible for a Social Security benefit based on the worker's record. If no spouse or child meeting these requirements exists, then the lump sum death payment will not be paid.
* Up to 10 years of work is needed to be eligible for benefits, depending on the person’s age at the time of death. Survivors of very young workers may be eligible if the deceased worker was employed for 1½ years during the three years before his or her death.
Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit Social Security on the internet at http://www.socialsecurity.gov for more information.
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A. While we are not able to predict where or when death will occur, take comfort in the fact that the U.S. has one of the highest calibre death care industries in the world. The regulations surrounding our funeral industry are not only state mandated, but also come under Federal statutes. In the U.S. and Canada, a call to your local funeral director should be your first step toward getting a relative remains "back home" for burial. Individual countries throughout the world have their own shipping regulations because of religion or sanitation requirements, and a consulate usually needs to be contacted. Your local funeral director is familiar with these unique requirements and should be able to meet your needs whether in this country or some other.
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A. Cremation is the burning of the deceased’s body in a retort (or gas fired oven) to a point where there is only calcified bone material left. The removal and grinding of this bone material into an ash-like consistency completes the process.
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A. "Fire Burial" as cremation was initially called, was practiced by numerous cultures throughout time. For religious reasons, Vikings and Scandinavian cultures often buried at sea by this means although they burned the entire ship along with the body. Early Greek and Roman cultures practiced cremation on the field of battle. Bones of fallen comrades were taken back to be buried on "home soil" and you can see how cremation made this much more practical. There was no greater disgrace than to be left on the field of battle in a foreign land, and often troops or commanders were executed for this infraction upon returning home. Christianity, however, brought an end to cremation for a period of years due to the "sanctity" of the body. Later, from 300 A.D. on, cremation was again practiced, and today we have both cremation and earth burial – different ways of caring for our dead that have been passed down through time.
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A. Since cremains (cremated remains) are an aseptic calcified bone material, they constitute no public health hazard. As such, they can be scattered according to local law or custom. Things prohibiting this would be perhaps a local littering ordinance or certain real estate considerations.
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A. Different states have varying regulations concerning the scattering or burial of cremains at sea. Generally, scattering can be done closer to shore than a burial. Burial usually needs to take place in open international waters and only then in some type of container that will sink. These precautions are to ensure that the cremains remain unretrievable and permanently entrusted to the sea.
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Have a Question?
We welcome any question or inquiry that you may have. Contact us personally at 717-263-3414, send e-mail to info@sellersfuneralhome.com, or fill out our form on the Ask Sellers page and we will be most happy to help with any problems you may be experiencing.
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Q & A
History of Funeral Practice
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