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Cremation

No casket is legally required for cremation, just a simple combustible container, which is strong enough to hold the body. This could be a box of rough boards, pressboard, or heavy cardboard.

Cremation Choices

If the body is cremated:

  1. The remains can be stored by the family
  2. You may take the remains in the simple cardboard box supplied by the crematory and distribute ("scatter") them over the land or water.
  3. The remains can be placed in a niche within a columbarium.
  4. The remains can be buried in the ground in a regular plot or in a smaller cremation plot.
  5. The remains can be entombed in a crypt within a mausoleum.

Here are some other reasons you might choose cremation:

Cremation is traditional in your family, religious group, or geographical area

You prefer the body to be returned quickly and cleanly to the elements

Many people believe that a cremated body becomes one with nature more quickly.

You have environmental concerns

Perhaps you are worried about the use of valuable land for cemetery space, or believe it is wrong to fill the ground with materials that won't erode ... metal coffins and concrete vaults.

You want to keep the costs down

  • Selecting cremation does not mean, however, that you will have an inexpensive funeral.
  • You might still choose an expensive casket and/or a viewing, and/or decide to have the cremated remains buried in the ground or placed in a columbarium. These choices can bring your costs up to those of a traditional funeral.

Decisions you must make if you choose cremation

  • Who will do the cremation (a funeral home or a firm that specializes in direct cremation)
  • Whether to use an urn or container
  • What to do with the remains

If you are distributing the remains

Some jurisdictions have laws prohibiting the scattering of remains; others require a permit. Ask your funeral director.

Also, ask if there are any firms in your area that specialize in unique ways of distributing the remains, such as a plane to spread them over a mountain, or a ship to scatter them at sea.

Think of places that were especially loved by the deceased, close to home or far away. You can walk in the woods, by a favorite lake, or on the old family farm.

Be sure to ask permission if you want to use private property.

What about using the remains to create new life, by planting a tree? Some survivors choose to mix the remains with the soil in flowerbeds and rose gardens at home. Every time the roses bloom, you will be reminded of your loved one.

If you decide to do this, however, consider what will happen if, some day, you move away.

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Obituaries & Tributes

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Pre-Arrangement

Dying is one of the few events in life that's certain to occur, yet one we rarely plan for. Should we spend more time preparing for a two week vacation than we do our last days on Earth?

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850-623-2243 Lewis Funeral Home
6405 Highway 90 West
Milton, FL 32570
Email: lfh@lewisfuneralhomes.net
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(850) 995-5702 Lewis Funeral Home
4777 West SpencerField Road
Pace, FL 32571
Email: lfh@lewisfuneralhomes.net
850-623-2243 Lewis Funeral Home
6405 Highway 90 West
Milton, FL 32570
Email: lfh@lewisfuneralhomes.net