Cremation Process

The decision of how someone wants to be buried is often left to the person who passes away. The person will usually make arrangements with a funeral home and let the family know of that decision so that the family doesn't wonder about what to do when it comes to buying a casket or preparing for the funeral. Cremation is an option that many people decide on as it's less expensive, and it can offer the family away to keep the person in the home even after death. Some people don't understand the process of cremation. When cremation services in Virginia begin, they usually start shortly after the person passes away. The funeral home will send someone to get the body from the location of death. This could be a nursing home, residence or hospital. The family is notified that the person has been taken to the funeral home. The body is normally not embalmed since it will be cremated, leaving only a short period of time for the family to say any final goodbyes. Once the family has seen the body for the final time, it is sent to a facility that performs cremations.

The cremation process is rather simple. Any jewelry that the person is wearing is removed. Any items that are not removed will be destroyed during the process. Some states require a certain time frame for the body to be cremated after death. A casket can be used during the process, but parts of the casket that are combustible will be destroyed. Most facilities use a box when cremating. The box is placed inside a large furnace. This furnace is set at a high temperature. It is usually around 1,500 degrees. This ensures that all of the remains are cremated except for bone fragments and some of the dental components. The cremation process takes about an hour to complete depending on the size of the person. Once the process is over, the remains are placed in a small container and sent to the funeral home so that the family can keep them in the container or place them in an urn.