Frequently Asked Questions

If you request immediate assistance, yes. If the family wishes to spend a short time with the deceased to say good-bye, that’s perfectly acceptable. Your funeral director will come when your time is right.

• Pick up the deceased and transport the body to the funeral home (anytime day or night).
  
• Notify proper authorities, family and/or relatives.
  
• Arrange and prepare death certificates.
  
• Provide certified copies of death certificates for insurance and benefit processing.
  
• Work with the insurance agent, Social Security or Veterans Administration to ensure that necessary paperwork is filed for receipt of benefits.
  
• Submit obituary to the newspapers of your choice.
  
• Bathe and embalm the deceased body, if necessary.
  
• Prepare the body for viewing including dressing and cosmetizing.
  
• Assist the family with funeral planning and selection of a casket, cremation container, urn, outer burial container, or cemetery plot.
  
• Coordinate the opening and closing of the grave with cemetery personnel, if a burial is to be performed.
  
• Coordinate with clergy if a funeral or memorial service is to be held.
  
• Arrange a police escort and transportation to the funeral and/or cemetery for the family.
  
• Order funeral sprays and other flower arrangements as the family wishes.
  
• Provide aftercare, or grief assistance, to the bereaved.

According to the National Funeral Directors 2021 Burial and Cremation report the rate of burial versus cremation was a surprising 36% to 57%. The national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial in 2021 was approximately $7,848 while the median cost of a funeral with cremation was approximately $6,971.

Burial is a time-honored choice steeped in tradition and faith. The practice of burial stems from the belief that our bodies are part of who we are. We are separated from them at death, but look forward to being reunited with them at the resurrection. Christians view the body as being a sacred part of a person who is made in the image of God.

Cremation is the most common method of disposing of remains in the United States. Cremation is often selected because it allows for more options and the memorial service to be held at a more convenient time in the future when relatives and friends can come together.

A funeral service followed by cremation need not be any different from a traditional burial service. Usually, cremated remains are placed in urn before being committed to a final resting place. The urn may be kept at home, placed in a cemetery, or scattered in accordance with state law.

It really depends entirely on how you wish to commemorate a life. One of the advantages of cremation is that it provides you with increased flexibility when you make your funeral and cemetery arrangements. You might, for example, choose to have a funeral service before the cremation; a memorial service at the time of cremation or after the cremation with the urn present; or a committal service at the final disposition of cremated remains. Funeral or memorial services can be held in a place of worship, a funeral home or in a crematory chapel.

Funerals fill an important role for those mourning the loss of a loved one. By providing surviving family and friends with an atmosphere of care and support in which to share thoughts and feelings about death, funerals are the first step in the healing process. It is the traditional way to recognize the finality of death. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show their respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grieving process.

You can have a full funeral service even for those choosing cremation. Planning a personalized ceremony or service will help begin the healing process. Overcoming the pain is never easy, but a meaningful funeral or tribute will help.

Viewing is a part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Many grief specialists believe that viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. Viewing is encouraged for children, as long as the process is explained and the activity is voluntary.

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body. Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

The Federal Trade Commission says, "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 viewing. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement that does not require you to pay for it, such as direct cremation or immediate burial."

With cremation, your options are numerous. The cremains can be interred in a cemetery plot, i.e., earth burial, retained by a family member, usually in an urn, scattered on private property, or at a place that was significant to the deceased. (It would always be advisable to check for local regulations regarding scattering in a public place-your funeral director can help you with this.)

Today, there are many different types of memorial options from which to choose. Memorialization is a time-honored tradition that has been practiced for centuries. A memorial serves as a tribute to a life lived and provides a focal point for remembrance, as well as a record for future generations. The type of memorial you choose is a personal decision.

Yes, cremated remains are safe to handle and pose no risk to a persons health to handle. Places you can scatter in Washington State include:

• Private land with the permission of the landowner.
• State Parks with the permission from the Park Ranger or Regional Manager.
• Publicly navigable waterways (Ex: Puget Sound or Lake Washington).
• Ocean waters of any depth provided that such burial takes place at least three nautical miles from land. You must notify EPA of the scattering at sea within 30 days following the event.
• By air, there are no state laws preventing this but federal aviation laws prohibit dropping objects which could cause injury to a person. 

Yes — Depending upon the cemetery's policy, you may be able to save a grave space by having the cremains buried on top of the casketed remains of your spouse, or utilize the space provided next to him/her. Many cemeteries allow for multiple cremated remains to be interred in a single grave space.

You might choose ground burial of the urn. If so, you may usually choose either granite or a bronze memorial commonly referred to as a headstone or marker. Cremation niches in columbariums are also available at many cemeteries. They offer the beauty of a mausoleum setting with the benefits of above ground placement of remains. Many cemeteries also offer scattering gardens. This area of a cemetery offers the peacefulness of a serene garden where family and friends can come and reflect.

Uncertainty about income tax issues can add to the stress experienced from the death of a spouse. You should meet with your family attorney and/or tax advisor as soon as possible to review your particular tax and estate circumstances. Bring a detailed list of your questions to the meeting. If you do not have an attorney or tax advisor, call the IRS toll-free at 800-829-1040 for answers to specific tax questions.

There are a number of options available, including:

• Determine if the deceased person qualifies for any entitlements. Check with Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans. Many people are entitled to receive reimbursement of funeral costs from these agencies if they qualify.
  
• Review all insurance policies the deceased person has, including life insurance. Some life insurance policies have coverage clauses for funeral related costs.
  
• Find local charities providing financial help for funeral expenses. Search for non profit organizations and for churches in your area.
• Check with the Human Resources Department if the deceased belonged to a union. Some unions offer death benefits.