Cremation is an ancient form of disposition which only recently has become significantly popular in the United States. In this website, we’ll attempt to clearly define the process of cremation, while pointing out the wide variety of ways in which cremation can be incorporated into traditional and non-traditional funeral services at the Ruggiero Funeral Home.

What is the Cremation Process?
The process of cremation reduces the body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat. It requires several hours and the resulting cremains are small skeletal fragments, not the fine ash sometimes port rayed in the media. The cremains of an average sized adult weigh between 3 and 7 pounds.

Why would someone choose cremation?
People choose cremation for a wide variety of reasons. Their motivation may be environmental, philosophical, religious, or economic. Some are drawn to cremation because of its simplicity.

How does cremation limit my choice of funeral services?
Cremation is a method of disposition, equivalent to burial or entombment, and still allows for a wide range of service options.

What are these options?

1. A complete, traditional funeral ceremony can precede cremation. Visitation, an open or closed casket, services in church or at the funeral home, are available. Cremation caskets are constructed economically and practically to facilitate their destruction in the cremation process.
2. If a family chooses to have services after cremation, this is referred to as a “memorial” service. This service can, again, be held in a church or our funeral home, with or without the ashes present. The scheduling of memorial services can be delayed to accommodate family or friends who may have to travel a great distance.
3. Direct cremation involves the removal of the deceased from the place of death directly to the crematory without any attendant rites. Ashes are returned to the family or scattered. This option may meet your needs in special situations. However, in general, its failure to provide recognition of the need we have to acknowledge our loss in order to deal with our grief, can be problematic.

What can we do with cremains (ashes)?
Ashes can be scattered in areas where this is permitted. They may also be placed in an urn and kept by the family or buried in a cemetery. They may be placed in niches in a structure in the cemetery referred to as a columbarium.

What types of urns are available?
We offer urns in a great variety of shapes and sizes. They can be made of wood, bronze, marble, or ceramic. Ruggiero Funeral Home has a wide selection of styles and prices to help you find an urn that is appropriate for your needs. We also offer a full line of veterans’ flag cases as well as keepsake jewelry.

What is Ruggiero Funeral Home’s payment policy?
Because we strive to keep our charges affordable, we require either pre-payment or payment-in-full at the time of arrangements. As a service to our customers, we now accept Visa or Mastercard, as well as cash or check.

Can cremations be pre-arranged?
As with all other funeral service options, Ruggiero Funeral Home offers funding through insurance designed specifically for that purpose. This allows families to specify their wishes and to guarantee that the options they pre-fund will be provided with no additional expense to their survivors.

In conclusion, cremation is an option for final disposition which can be carried out in as many different ways as there are different families who choose this option. Discussion among family members and our funeral director can help you determine the best way your family can proceed once they’ve made this choice. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at the Ruggiero Funeral Home so that we can help you make informed and meaningful decisions.