A gathering with the body present is a funeral service. If the body is not present the gathering is referred to as a memorial service. Whether you choose to bury, cremate or place the deceased in an above-ground vault, you may arrange either a memorial service or a funeral service. It is often customary to have a period of visitation or a reception at the funeral home or mortuary. During this time the casket may be open or closed, according to the survivors' preferences.
Some families opt to receive friends at their home or other location.
Your funeral director can guide you through the wide range of decisions that have to be made. Cremation Cremation is the process of reducing the body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat. This usually takes from two to three hours and occurs in a special type of furnace, known as a cremation chamber or retort. The remaining fragments are then processed into a finer substance and placed in a temporary container. Before the remains are returned to the family, they are usually transferred to an urn for permanent containment.