National Cremation Society

What is Cremation?

Cremation is the disposal of human remains by incineration at very high temperatures. The corpse is put into a container which is placed inside of a cremation unit. It is then heated to 1,400 degrees to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. After about 2 1/2 hours, the process is done and remaining fragments are processed into fine pieces and placed inside of a temporary container or urn.

Depending on your religious background or cultural traditions, cremation may not be the right choice for you since religions such as Orthodox Jewish and Muslim forbid it. But if it is right for you, then you should seek out as much information as you can. National Cremation can help.

About the National Cremation Society

The original company was founded in 1973 and has helped more than 160,000 families with cremation needs. The group owns and operates most of its crematories in North America and has locations in parts of Canada, as well as:

• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• Texas

National Cremation's services include (but are not limited to):

• Transferring the deceased person's remains to the nearest National Cremation provider
• Caring for the remains
• Preparing death certificate
• Preparing permits
• The cremation of the body
• The cremation container
• Temporary urn for ashes
• Coordinating the pickup of ashes
• Any administrative services that may be needed

National Cremation is owned by Service Corporation International, a company whose aim to help families with funeral and burial arrangements. Besides the former National Cremation Society, the company owns:

• Dignity Memorial: For help in planning a memorial service
• Making Everlasting Memories: A place to post online memorials
• Funeraria del angel: To help Spanish-speaking people make the funeral plans, they should look for funeral homes with this name in the title

Why Choose Cremation?

According to its Web site, National Cremation states that by 2025, "nearly 50 percent of families in the North America will choose cremation." Why? "It's appealing because it's simple, affordable, and ecologically sensitive. In addition, cremation provides you with a greater variety of choices." With cremation, a person can:

• Be buried in a plot
• Have his or her ashes kept in an urn
• Have his or her ashes scattered
• Choose to have a memorial service (planned or not) instead of a burial
• Save money on funeral and burial expenses; urns tend to be less expensive than buying a casket

A Final Note

While more and more people are beginning to choose cremation as a means disposing of their remains, many will still choose the traditional funeral and burial. Whatever choice you make for yourself or a loved one, make sure it is thought-out first, and the company you choose to handle the arrangements is well-researched.