What You Should Know About Reading, PA Cremations

Cremations have increased in popularity because they aren’t as expensive as traditional funerals and allow more freedom and versatility with other services–but all cremations aren’t the same! Some will be more expensive than others, because some kinds of cremation will eschew more traditional funeral expenses than others will. If your family is thinking about Reading, PA cremation for a loved one, but you aren’t sure, understand that the cremation rate statewide is about 50%, which is in line with the national average. You really can go either way and there’s not right or wrong answer overall. There are only right and wrong answers for your particular situation. Take a look at the different kinds of cremation to help you learn more about it.

A direct cremation is a kind of service that avoids all the expenses associated with a traditional funeral. Families won’t need to purchase a casket, gravestone, burial plot, or hold a memorial service if they don’t want to. In a direct cremation, the body is cremated shortly after death, before any kind of funerary service has taken place. The only expense associated with a direct cremation is the price tag of the act of cremating the body. After the procedure, the remains of the deceased will be returned to his or her survivors. The family can then decide what, if any, kind of memorial service they wish to hold and what to do with the remains.

Not all cremations have to be the direct kind, however. It’s quite possible for families to hold a traditional funeral service, with viewings of the body and a gathering of loved ones in the funeral home, and then cremate the body afterward. This procedure will be more expensive than a direct cremation, as the service of the funeral itself and embalming fees will be required, but it might also be more comforting to some families while also permitting them to save on some of the expenses of a traditional funeral, such as a casket or gravestone.

While a direct cremation may shun traditional funerary practices, it can also provide families the comfort of allowing them to customize their memorial services, should they wish it. A direct cremation might not only save families money, but give them the option to fulfill the wishes of their loved ones, who might seek to have their remains spread somewhere in a place that was special to them, as opposed to being buried.

If you are considering Reading, PA cremations, for a loved one who has passed on, look into the details and don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Bean of the Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home, Inc. With decades of experience in serving Pennsylvania families at this vulnerable time, he’ll answer whatever questions you have with professionalism. You need to know about the different options so you can make an informed decision for the best of your entire family. Contact us at (610) 374-0962. The Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home, Inc. is located at 444 N 9th St. Reading, PA 19601.