Getting the Process of Planning Started with Funeral and Cremation in Smithsburg, MD

As you face the acutely pain-filled period after losing a loved one and before they are laid to rest, you will likely be experiencing numerous emotional states. Approaching plans for services such as a funeral and cremation in Smithsburg, MD, may be daunting. However, as you partner with professional experts to find the most appropriate solutions for final arrangements, you can be supported through one of the most challenging experiences life could ask of you.

After death occurs, especially if it happens outside of a hospital or hospice situation, the first call you will need to make will be to emergency services and the local authorities. Legal clearances must be handled before your chosen funerary provider can retrieve the deceased’s body and begin preparing them for final arrangements. There can be extensive alterations to the remains or very minimal preparations. Your loved one’s body should be held in cold storage while these decisions are made. More on those options will be described a little later.

Suppose you know that death is approaching, either through the process of getting older and advancing in years or with the occurrence of a terminal health situation. Did you know that you can make plans for final services well before the time they will be necessary? Often, you can work through this process in the privacy of your own home with online worksheets and preplanning tools. However, if having the support of an appointment and professional expertise to explain your options more fully is appealing, your funeral home can also meet with you to make these pre-need arrangements.

Your closest surviving family members will most acutely feel some benefits of the preplanning method. Having some of the decision-making already handled can bring relief to those experiencing the early stages of grief from loss. As your final days and years pass, you could also experience greater peace of mind, knowing that your last wishes are recorded. Prepayment of services now will help secure the best possible pricing on services. You will be offered the opportunity to lock in today’s rates to be delivered whenever needed.

Preparing for the final disposition of your loved one with services connected to funeral and cremation in Smithsburg, MD, can be as elaborate or simplified as you need them to be. Funeral service options offer closure as they are held soon after the death and with the deceased remains present for the ceremony.

Embalming involves removing the blood and body fluids and adding in a solution of chemicals that will act to sanitize and preserve the body for a time. This process is usually necessary if you have a public viewing of the corpse. The body may also be cremated. Cremation involves scorching heat in a secured chamber, which will incinerate all of the softer tissues and fluids of the body. The remaining pieces are ground into just a few pounds of granularized bone material called ‘ashes.’

Cemetery services can be utilized as a part of funeral events, with the burial of the casket closing out the honoring ceremonies. Cremated remains can also be buried if desired. Mausoleum structures are available to entomb the casketed or shrouded remains of deceased bodies. In addition, columbarium houses or walls are designed to hold cremated remains in individual niche spaces. 

Healthy Grieving, Healing Support

Though grieving looks a little different for each person, here are just some of the ways you and those close to the loss may process the emotion associated with death. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and the order of emotional states could vary. A sense of shock and denial is a common reaction after someone dies. As that disbelief wears away, intense pain and possibly guilt may set in. The anguish of loss, the what-ifs, and actual physical pain could all be part of this.

You may experience seething anger and a sense of bargaining at some point. You’ll do almost anything to have the pain lifted and may try to make deals with your higher power on this topic. Depression and profound loneliness are also often experienced. Eventually, the cycles of emotion may give way to a need to move forward with acceptance and hope. As you walk through the pain of losing someone so close to you, many healing supports can be accessed in your local community and digital resources. No one needs to walk the lonely path of loss utterly alone.

Work with Experienced Professionals and a Historic Provider

If you require services related to death care needs like a funeral and cremation in Smithsburg, MD, please reach out to the experienced professionals at Rest Haven Funeral Home and Cemetery. With a historical community presence dating back more than a century, you can rest assured that your family and your departed will be in good hands. 

Funeral Home and Cremations FAQs

• Do the Cremation Ashes Harden Over a Certain Period of Time?
• Over time, the cremation ashes will not harden. They will remain in the same condition as when they were first cremated. The funeral ashes you receive from a cremation are very fine and soft and loose -similar to beach sand. They are able to be sifted through your fingers. If you put pressure on them, they will compact- but again, when released, they go back to their original state. Here are some planning insights for those who experience a loss of a loved one.

• What is the Usual Color of Cremated Ashes After Cremation?
• Funeral cremations usually result in cremated ashes that are bone white, although the color may vary depending on the type of fuel used during the cremation. If a person has had a particularly heavy metal load (from things like dental fillings), those metals can be released into the atmosphere and cause the ashes to be a slightly darker color. However, unless there was something like that causing an abnormally high metal load, cremated ashes typically have a very light ivory or bone white color. If you’re having trouble with the death of your beloved, here’s where to begin.

• Can Funeral Homes in Smithsburg, MD Dispose of Ashes?
• Yes, funeral homes in Smithsburg, MD can dispose of ashes. In most cases, the funeral home will work with a crematorium to handle the ashes. The funeral home will also work with the family to create a memorial service or other personalized services to commemorate the life of the deceased.