FAQ
1.What is a cremation society??
Cremation societies grew as an alternative to a funeral home. Cremation societies most generally positioned themselves in a market as a less expensive alternative to a funeral home.
2. How are cremation societies different than a funeral home?
They do not offer all the services you would normally find at a funeral home such as embalming, funerals, and large buildings with chapels.
They only offer cremation as a final disposition; you would not be able to have a cremation society bury a person in a cemetery, as an example.
There are instances in which a cremation society is not the correct solution for a family. It may not offer the services or amenities that the family is searching for and a funeral home would be the correct option.
3. How much does cremation society cost?
Of course, each cremation society has its own pricing schedule. Most have a philosophy similar to ours. That is, we start with a price to take the deceased into our care, meet with the next of kin, perform the cremation, file the Iowa Death Certificate, and notify Social Security. If that is all the family wishes to do, that is the only price they incur, resulting in a very low price to do what is necessary.
After that is ala carte pricing, meaning if you request an additional service, such as an immediate family final goodbye, you pay additional fees. Choosing additional services is entirely at the discretion of the family.
There are some additional fees that are required, an example would be a pacemaker. If the deceased has a pacemaker, that must be removed by our funeral directors prior to the cremation taking place.
4. Can a cremation society help with a celebration of life?
It depends. Some cremation societies do not offer that option. Our cremation society will assist with a celebration of life for a fee if there is a church or other facility to hold the ceremony and the celebration of life will be held in or near the greater Des Moines metroplex. With a cremation society, the celebration would be held with a photo or an urn. We do not offer the ability to have a deceased present in a casket.
5. Where does our cremation society operate?
We have an interactive map on our home page that highlights the areas we serve and the cost for those areas. Our funeral directors are stationed in the Des Moines area, so the change in cost reflects travel time.
6. What is the “Designee for Final Disposition?”
Under Iowa Law, a person cannot pre-determine their own cremation. Even if you have a pre-planned and pre-paid cremation, in order for the cremation to take place, the deceased’s next of kin must sign the cremation authorization document after death has occurred.
We have created a document that you can print out that will help you determine if a “Designee” is in your best interest. We encourage you to read it HERE.
Prearrangement Questions
1. Why “preplan” your cremation wishes?
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Prearrangements provide a record of your wishes that will be accessible to surviving family members
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Relieves surviving family members of some of the emotional burdens associated with making
funeral arrangement decisions. -
Allows for a less stressful environment, without time constraints, to make important decisions
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Allows for surviving family members to concentrate on the memories of a lifetime rather than the details surrounding death.
2. Although it is possible to make these arrangements without pre-paying, many families choose to take care of the final expenses in advance. Why?
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Prepaying relieves surviving family members of the financial burden associated with final expenses.
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Allows you the opportunity to determine exactly how much to spend for your cremation end-of-life wishes.
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Protects assets from confiscation due to long-term care expenses.
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Relieves your loved ones of the financial responsibility.
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Guarantees your family will never have to pay more for your cremation - no matter what happens with inflation.
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Shows you care.
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Offers the opportunity to pay for the final expenses in installments.
3. What are my payment options?
That is an important reason to do a pre-payment of your cremation end of life expense. A pre-plan allows you to take advantage of payment options, many interest-free. If you do not have a pre-plan, the end-of-life expense is due at the time of arrangements. There is not a payment plan available after death has occurred.
4. How do I begin?
We provide trained and licensed Family Service Advisors to assist you with making arrangements in advance. There is no cost or pressure associated with making advance plans. We strive to inform you about all options available so you can make intelligent decisions regarding what is best for you and your family.