Monthly Archives: June 2019

funeral home services in Levittown, PA

Cremation Vs. Traditional Funerals

Whether you’re preplanning for your own passing or dealing with a more recent loss, choosing between cremation and more traditional funeral home services in Levittown, PA can be tough. The decision involves balancing the deceased and other family member’s wishes, religious concerns, budget, and many other factors. The best way to make the right decision for you and your family is by having all the information, so read on to learn more about the differences between cremations and more traditional funeral home services.

First of all, many religions require a traditional burial. Burials can also help bring family, friends and members of the religious community together during a time of loss. Burials are also traditional for a reason, and lots of families have long histories of burial. Honoring that tradition is a wonderful way to bring the family together.

Also, burials offer a lot of closure through viewing the body and witnessing it put to rest. This process can be comforting and may feel natural to some people for moving through the grieving process. In addition, a body buried in a family plot or cemetery allows for a specific memorial location, allowing for family and loved ones to return to honor the deceased’s memory.

Do keep in mind, though, that burials can get expensive, depending on factors like embalming, dressing and preparing the deceased for viewing, a casket, a hearse, visitation, funeral ceremonies, and more. Also, burials require a lot of planning, and that can be time consuming and emotionally draining during a time of loss.

The most important thing to remember with burials is that they need to happen within a few days of death, potentially making it hard for out of town guests to make it in time.

When thinking about funeral homes and cremations, it’s important to remember that cremations can be lot less expensive than burials. Burials also take up space in the ground, and embalming is bad for the environment.

Cremated ashes do not decompose, so if you’re having a memorial after the cremation its much easier to schedule and plan for out of town guests. In addition, there are tons of options for planning a personalized, unique and special memorial with cremated remains.

However, some religions and cultures are against cremation, and some people feel that cremation might lead to a lack of closure, as a formal funeral provides a specific time to say goodbye and a permanent burial spot allows for grief to be localized. Also, cremation cannot be undone, while buried bodies can possible be exhumed if necessary.

Choosing between cremations and more traditional funeral home services and burials is a personal, so be sure to talk to your family and loved ones about how you’re feeling regarding the choice, and get feedback.

If you want to learn more about Levittown, PA funeral homes, please contact J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel. You can visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725 for more information.

cremation services in Yardley, PA

Post Cremation Service Options

Whether you’re planning for your eventual passing or dealing with the recent death of a loved one, one big choice is body disposition. If you choose to go with cremation services in Yardley, PA, you have even more choices coming your way. There are quite a few options when it comes to what to do with cremated remains after the cremation itself is over.

Just because you chose a cremation service doesn’t mean you can’t also have a burial. In fact, many people have both as you cane easily bury or entomb cremated remains. This option helps you stay more on track with traditional burials and funerals while also using cremation services. There are a few options for burial or entombment after cremation including:

  • Columbarium: Columbarium are spaces specifically dedicated to housing and interring cremated remains Most often found in churches, there are also a few freestanding columbarium options as well as those attached to cemeteries.
  • Memorial Object: A non-traditional burial method for cremated remains is in a special memorial object like a bench, grave marker, rock or even in a tree. This method and special objects help loved ones memorialize and celebrate their lost in more personalized ways.
  • Crypt or Mausoleum: Go more religious or familial with a crypt or mausoleum. These options are usually preferred by Roman Catholics, but can get pretty expensive.
  • Family Plot: The most traditional burial for cremation remains is in the family plot or cemetery. Burial in the family plot is an easy way to use cremation services while still enjoying classic burial and funeral traditions.

The most common, and traditional, way to inter cremated remains is by scattering. The options for scattering are almost limitless, but some widespread choices are:

  • Casting: Casting ashes simply means tossing the cremated remains on the wind, usually in a special location. Be sure to check the wind direction to avoid uncomfortable moments.
  • Raking: Raking ashes happens when a family member or loved one by pours the ashes over loose soil and rakes them to combine the two. Local ordinances and laws generally prevent raking at any old spot, so make sure to check with the authorities before raking in a public garden or park.
  • Water Scattering: You can also scatter ashes into any body of water, again with permission from the local authorities. Another version of water scattering is to sink a water-soluble urn into the lake, river or ocean.
  • Ringing: Ringing involves more of a ceremony than other post-cremation choices. It involves forming a ring around an object like a house, tree or other special thing with the ashes, almost to compound the idea that the deceased is always with you and protecting you.

Do you want to learn more about Yardley, PA cremation services or post-cremation options? J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help. You can visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725 for more information.

funeral homes in Langhorne, PA

Veterans and Funeral Homes

Serving the United States through the armed forces is a truly remarkable and generous sacrifice. All veterans deserve to be honored for their service, even after death. One way our country shows thanks to its veterans is through funeral services. Many funeral homes in Langhorne, PA offer special veteran’s services, but the majority of veteran funeral services are covered or subsidized by the United States federal government.

The United States has laws that provide eligible veterans with military funeral services honors as no cost if the family requests. Some of these honors include:

  • Flag Folding and Presentation: All eligible veterans will have at least 2 Armed Forces members serving as an honor guard during the funeral service. At least one of these guards will be from the deceased’s service branch, and this guard will present a traditionally folded American flag to the next of kin or designated person.
  • “Taps”- “Taps” is a bugle song long associated with military and patriotic funerals. Though live bugle performances are rarely seen these days, military funeral honors require that a high-quality recording of the song be played at any eligible funeral services if no live bugle is available.

Another veteran’s funeral service funeral homes offer is a flag burial. A flag is provided at no cost to the family to drape the casket or accompany the urn of the deceased. The flag will be folded and presented to eligible family members including the next of kin or requested friends. Family members may donate their flags to national cemeteries with Avenue of Flags so the flag can be flown on patriotic holidays to honor the deceased.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can also furnish a headstone at no cost. These veteran’s headstones are available for any veteran regardless of date of death. The headstones are available in bronze, marble and granite in various styles to match existing headstones in the place of burial. This same service is available for cremated remains in the form of niche markers for columbariums. While the headstone itself is free of charge, the family is in charge of all installation fees.

Military funeral service honors are given to members of the United States Armed Forces that consist of the Marines, Army, National Guard, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. The individual must also meet one or more the following requirements:

  • Died in active duty or Selective Reserve
  • Completed at least one term of enlistment or initial obligated service in the Selective Reserve, and were not dishonorably discharged
  • Served on active duty, or in the Selected Reserve, and were not dishonorably discharged

If you have more questions about veteran’s funeral services, or about Langhorne, PA funeral homes, J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel. Please feel free to pay us a visit at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or to give us a call at (215) 295-7725 to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.

cremation in Levittown, PA

Memorial Service Tips

While a cremation in Levittown, PA might seem clinical or impersonal, it’s actually a great way to give your lost loved one a unique, meaningful and respectful memorial or service. In fact, cremations make it simple to make sure your deceased loved one’s memorial service is unique to him or her.

Memorial services are for both the living and the dead, as they help honor the deceased while providing a healthy and constructive place for the living to grieve. An ideal service helps you and your loved ones mourn the loss while bringing together those that cared for the deceased so that everyone can pay tribute in a positive way.

It can be overwhelming to plan a memorial service for after a cremation, especially when you’re grieving a loss. Use these tips to help you plan a memorial service for your lost loved one after a cremation:

  • Date and Time – One nice thing about cremation services as opposed to burials and funerals is that you don’t have a deadline or specific timeline. With a burial, you need to have the funeral service within a few days of death because of decomposition. With a cremation service, however, you have as much time as you want since the body is already broken down. You can easily plan memorial services at later dates to allow people to come from out of town, or to have it be on an important or meaningful day.
  • Creativity – Once you’ve chosen a day, you can start planning the specifics. There are practically zero restrictions on what services should or need to be, so feel free to get creative. Think about the deceased and what he liked, stood for, or is most remembered for and expand on that. Have a theme party, make video tributes, scatter ashes in a ceremony, or even do things the deceased liked to do. For example, if the deceased loved golf, have a golf themed cremation service. You can order a golf ball urn for the ashes, and have guests take turns at a driving range. If the deceased really loved one specific park, hold the service in the park and scatter his ashes there (with a proper permit.)
  • Ask for Help – While planning memorial services can be bittersweet or even exciting, they also happen during a time of loss and can bring up stressful feelings. You might need help with the planning, and that’s OK. Ask for help from other family members or loved ones, or hire professionals. Find a funeral home nearby that has experience with memorial services to help you plan your event with compassion and attention.

The sky really is the limit when it comes to planning memorial services for after cremations. If you want more inspiration or guidance for a memorial service, or want to learn more about your options for Levittown, PA cremations, contact J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel. Please visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or call (215) 295-7725