People often ask if they can have a viewing before cremation. The answer to that question depends on the individual and their wishes. Some people choose to have a private viewing before cremation, while others choose not to have a viewing at all. If you are interested in having a viewing before cremation, it is important to speak with your funeral home about their policy on viewings. Every funeral home has different procedures, so be sure to ask what is available to you.
If you are interested in having a viewing before cremation, it is important to speak with your funeral home about their policy on viewings. Every funeral home has different procedures, so be sure to ask what is available to you. Viewing before cremation can be a meaningful experience for those who choose to do so, and it can give family and friends a chance to say goodbye in their own way.
What is Cremation?
Cremation is the process of reducing a body to bone fragments using heat. The resulting ashes are typically stored in an urn or scattered in a special place. Many people choose cremation because it is a simpler and more affordable alternative to traditional burial.
Can You Have a Viewing Before Cremation?
The answer to that question depends on the individual and their wishes. Some people choose to have a private viewing before cremation, while others choose not to have a viewing at all. If you are interested in having a viewing before cremation, it is important to speak with your funeral home about their policy on viewings. Every funeral home has different procedures, so be sure to ask what is available to you.
With cremation services in Erie, PA, many options are available to honor and memorialize your loved one. Until cremations began to surge in popularity as an end-of-life option, many cremations were direct cremations, where the deceased was cremated with 24-48 hours after death. No services were held beforehand, and families decided whether they wanted to do some kind of memorial service or another type of service privately or publically at a later date.
With cremations now accounting for about half of funerals in the United States, cremations services have expanded to offer a wide range of choices for family and friends to pay their respects to the deceased and to honor their memories.
One of these services is having a viewing (and a funeral service, if families decide they want that option) before cremation takes place. While the misconception abounds that people who are being cremated can't be embalmed, that is simply not the case. They will need to be embalmed for a viewing.
For the actual viewing, either a cremation casket can be used (the entire casket is fully-combustible and is cremated with the deceased) or a casket can be rented from the funeral home. What this consists of is an exterior shell that looks like regular casket, while the interior is a cremation container that holds the deceased. After the viewing, the interior container will be cremated with the deceased, and the exterior shell can be reused.
If there is a viewing and a funeral service, the viewing will be held before the funeral service (typically a couple of hours beforehand). Friends and colleagues will pay their respects to the deceased and offer condolences, support, and comfort to the bereaved family. Then the people who are staying for the funeral will find a seat and sit quietly as they wait for the funeral service to begin.
After the viewing (and funeral service, if there is one), the deceased will be transported to the crematorium.
There are a lot of procedures that take place before cremations. One of the procedures is to make sure the deceased is accurately identified and tagged with a non-combustible tag that stays with the remains throughout the cremation process, which ends with the cremated remains (cremains) being returned to the family.
Another procedure is the removal of jewelry, hearing aids, glasses, and any medical devices that use lithium batteries, such as pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators (lithium batteries can cause extensive damage to cremation chambers).
Jewelry, hearing aids, and glasses are returned to the family of the deceased. There are many worthwhile non-profit organizations that the hearing aids and glasses can be donated to. These organizations will refurbish them to provide hearing and sight for people who would not be able to afford these life-changing items on their own.
Pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators are either melted down at the crematory or donated to organizations that specifically refurbish those items, which can then be used again.
Cremation takes about two to three hours. All that remains are bone fragments and any metal that may have been in the deceased's body (screws, plates, etc.). Once the remains are cooled, a strong magnet is used to remove the metal. The bone fragments are then pulverized until they are about the consistency of sand. They are place, with the tag, in a plastic bag and delivered to the family in a temporary container or the urn the family chose, if they purchased one in advance.
If you like hear more about available cremation services in Erie, PA, our compassionate and experienced staff at Brugger Funeral Homes & Crematory, LLP can help. You can come by our funeral home at 845 E 38th St., Erie, PA, 16504 or you can contact us today at (814) 825-2500.
Cremation FAQ
How long after death can you view a body?
If you need to prepare a body for burial, dry ice is an effective and efficient way of doing so. The process only takes 48 -72 hours after death with this method!
Is it normal to have a viewing before cremation?
Many people are under the impression that you cannot have visitors or an informal service before your loved one's cremation. This is not true! Visitations, wakes and other services may be appropriate choices for some families in this situation - especially if they want more traditional forms of celebration with flowers etc.,
How is a body prepared for viewing before cremation?
The body is prepared before cremation by being bathed, cleaned and dressed before identification. Next the technician removes any jewelry or personal items you would like to keep which can be handed over with your loved one's remains following this service at their convenience when they arrive home from work/school etc..
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