Services for Cremations

As you’re discussing cremation services offered in Oakwood, OH, one of the questions you may have for your funeral director is what kind of services are available for your loved one who is being cremated.

One of the questions that you may have is whether you should plan a visitation for your loved one. Visitations are one of the funeral rituals that helps you, your family, and other mourners pay their respects and say goodbye to your loved one.

First, you should understand the difference between a visitation and a viewing. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are different things. A viewing means that your loved one’s body is present. With the visitation, however, your loved one’s body does not have to be present.

A visitation is simply a period of time set aside for friends, family, and neighbors to stop by and share their comfort, their love, and their support for you and your family. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, many families are choosing to have drive-by visitations.

A drive-by visitation is coordinated by the funeral director. What happens is that you and your family or stand outside in front of the funeral home, and each car of people who want to offer their condolences drives up and rolls the windows down so that each person can talk with you.

You should be aware that you can also have a viewing and a funeral service for your loved one who is being cremated. If you choose this option, then you’ll need to have your loved one embalmed before the viewing.

With a viewing, friends and family are able to personally show honor to and pay their respects to your loved one.

Another service that you can have for your loved one is a funeral service. Usually this takes place after the visitation or the viewing. Funeral services have a fairly formal and traditional format, although you have plenty of options for customizing them to meet your loved one’s wishes and those of you and your family.

Funeral services typically are divided into readings, eulogies, spiritual comfort, and music. However, you can customize the funeral services to have whatever readings you want and whatever music would best pay tribute to your loved one. The cremation will take place after the funeral.

More typically, memorial services are held after your loved one has already been cremated. Memorial services can be held at any time, so you have time to plan the kind of service you want, and friends and family have time to plan to attend the memorial service.

Memorial services are much less structured than funeral services. You can have a memorial service anywhere and you can have any format that you choose. Some people have memorial services where friends and family just share stories and memories about the person who has died. They may include a tribute video that remembers the life of the person who died. They may also set up memorial tables where elements that were important to their deceased loved one are highlighted.

Another common service that can be held for your loved one when they are cremated, if they were a military veteran, is military honors. This is a ceremony that is performed by a local reserve military unit or a veterans’ organization that includes a 21-gun salute, the playing of “Taps,” and a flag folding ceremony, after which the folded flag is presented to a family member.

For more information about cremation services offered in Oakwood, OH, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Glickler Funeral Home & Cremation Service is here to assist you.