However, I remember Barbara Kemmis, the spokesperson for the Cremation Association of North America, telling me that while operators do their best to remove recoverable remains, it’s possible that minute amounts of one person’s cremated remains could inadvertently wind up in someone else’s. Another part of the process that’s perhaps best not to think about.
With the passing of my mother on January 31, all I really knew was she had pre-paid for her service with National Cremation Society. After making a few calls to various areas, I finally got an answer in their Tampa office who immediately told me that New Smyrna was in the Oviedo area. With one answer of the phone, NCS took over the entire situation with speed and professionalism. Stephen and his entire staff handled everything from pickup to shipment of the remains to Pennsylvania. My wife and I couldn't be more grateful and are now considering having NCS handle... Read More

Suzanne Blanks is a licensed funeral director with a passion for helping people. She grew up in Central Florida and has also lived in London, England, Atlanta, GA and Key West, FL. Before her 10 year career in funeral directing she was a pre-school and elementary teacher. She enjoys art, spending time at the beach, traveling and volunteering at church.
The magnitude 9.0–9.3 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake triggered a series of lethal tsunamis on 26 December 2004 that killed almost 300,000 people, making them the deadliest tsunamis in recorded history. The tsunamis killed people over an area ranging from the immediate vicinity of the quake in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, and the northwestern coast of Malaysia), to thousands of kilometers away in the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives), the Horn of Africa (Somalia), and the African Great Lakes (Kenya and Tanzania).
Our affordable plans have helped 100,000’s of Americans during one of life’s most challenging moments. We are proud to serve in Florida and to offer our families options to pre arrange with us. and residents can now make arrangements from the privacy of their home. Our simple 4 step process makes it easy to plan ahead. If at any point you have questions or would like to speak with one of our licensed funeral directors, just call our local office. We are here to help.
During World War II (1939–45) Nazi Germany used specially built furnaces in at least six extermination camps throughout occupied Poland including at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chełmno, Belzec, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka, where the bodies of those murdered by gassing were disposed of using incineration. The efficiency of industrialised killing of Operation Reinhard during the most deadly phase of the Holocaust produced too many corpses, therefore the crematoria manufactured to SS specifications were put into use in all of them to handle the disposals around the clock, day and night.[33][34] The Vrba–Wetzler report offers the following description.
In the Netherlands, the foundation of the Association for Optional Cremation[31] in 1874 ushered in a long debate about the merits and demerits of cremation. Laws against cremation were challenged and invalidated in 1915 (two years after the construction of the first crematorium in the Netherlands), though cremation did not become legally recognised until 1955.[32]

Cremations can be "delivery only", with no preceding chapel service at the crematorium (although a church service may have been held) or preceded by a service in one of the crematorium chapels. Delivery-only allows crematoria to schedule cremations to make best use of the cremators, perhaps by holding the body overnight in a refrigerator, allowing a lower fee to be charged. Delivery-only is sometimes called west chapel service in industry jargon.[citation needed]
When my mother passed away unexpectedly, my siblings and I were shocked and devastated. She had previously said, "If anything happens to me, look in the hall closet." No one wants to hear or think about that, so the response was always "Nothing is going to happen to you!". Then one day it did. When we went in the closet and found a box with paperwork and an 800 number, the relief was immense. Now we knew, based on a contract signed by her, what her last wishes really were with no second-guessing.

In Europe, there are traces of cremation dating to the Early Bronze Age (c. 2000 BCE) in the Pannonian Plain and along the middle Danube. The custom became dominant throughout Bronze Age Europe with the Urnfield culture (from c. 1300 BCE). In the Iron Age, inhumation again becomes more common, but cremation persisted in the Villanovan culture and elsewhere. Homer's account of Patroclus' burial describes cremation with subsequent burial in a tumulus, similar to Urnfield burials, and qualifying as the earliest description of cremation rites. This may be an anachronism, as during Mycenaean times burial was generally preferred, and Homer may have been reflecting the more common use of cremation at the time the Iliad was written, centuries later.
^ Robert Pasnau, in the introduction to his translation of Summa Theologiae, says that Aquinas is "...quite clear in rejecting the sort of substance dualism proposed by Plato [...] which goes so far as to identify human beings with their souls alone, as if the body were a kind of clothing that we put on," and that Aquinas believed that "we are a composite of soul and body, that a soul all by itself would not be a human being." See Aquinas, St. Thomas (2002). Summa Theologiae 1a, 75–89. trans. Pasnau. Hackett Publishing. p. xvii. ISBN 0-87220-613-0.
If a friend or loved one is seriously ill and expected to die in a matter of days or weeks, consider making funeral arrangements in advance. Preparing ahead of time puts you in control and allows you to explore all your options. It will make your meeting with a funeral director more productive and is likely to save you money. Our online planning tools and forms can help you make funeral arrangements in advance. You can also try the Wise Planning System.
Civil suits were filed against the Marsh family as well as a number of funeral homes who shipped bodies to Tri-State; these suits were ultimately settled. The property of the Marsh family has been sold, but collection of the full $80-million judgment remains doubtful. Families have expressed the desire to return the former Tri-State crematory to a natural, parklike setting.[citation needed]
The staff at the National Cremation and Burial Society Oviedo is actively involved in the community, working closely with local hospice organizations, hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. They participate in various church affiliations and have maintained a AAA rating with the Better Business Bureau. We are a full service funeral home, providing cremation and burial services, and serve Seminole, Orange, Volusia, Polk, Brevard, Lake, and Osceola counties.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, and even more so in the 18th century and later, rationalists and classicists began to advocate cremation again as a statement denying the resurrection and/or the afterlife,[86] although the pro-cremation movement more often than not took care to address and refute theological concerns about cremation in their works.[87] Sentiment within the Catholic Church against cremation became hardened in the face of the association of cremation with "professed enemies of God."[87] When some Masonic groups advocated cremation as a means of rejecting Christian belief in the resurrection, the Holy See forbade Catholics to practise cremation in 1886. The 1917 Code of Canon Law incorporated this ban, but in 1963, recognizing that, in general, cremation was being sought for practical purposes and not as a denial of bodily resurrection, the choice of cremation was permitted in many circumstances.[88][89] The current 1983 Code of Canon Law, states: "The Church earnestly recommends the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching."[90]
Some people turn to cremation over burial or entombment because of the convenience, finding it more practical or cheaper to handle ashes instead of a body. Others might be squeamish about the idea of decay and are attracted to the "sanitizing" effect of flames, while some people find it fitting with their spiritual beliefs. Whatever the reason, more and more people are choosing cremation.
I brought a really good friend here and met Chris he took us in and help her every step of the way. Also gave both of us his cell phone and told us day or night if we needed anything to call as I was the one taking care of it for her as we all know its a hard time for everyone. If anyone needs anything I you say go by the National Cremation as they make you feel very special as did they staff. I just want to thank Chris and his staff for there kindness at this time of need. Thank you again.

The ash remaining represents very roughly 3.5% of the body's original mass (2.5% in children). Because the weight of dry bone fragments is so closely connected to skeletal mass, their weight varies greatly from person to person. Because many changes in body composition (such as fat and muscle loss or gain) do not affect the weight of cremated remains, the weight of the remains can be more closely predicted from the person's height and sex (which predicts skeletal weight), than it can be predicted from the person's simple weight.
I brought a really good friend here and met Chris he took us in and help her every step of the way. Also gave both of us his cell phone and told us day or night if we needed anything to call as I was the one taking care of it for her as we all know its a hard time for everyone. If anyone needs anything I you say go by the National Cremation as they make you feel very special as did they staff. I just want to thank Chris and his staff for there kindness at this... Read More
My father had a massive stroke while on vacation in California. With one phone call, he was taken care of, delivered back to a local funeral home in Brevard County, Florida. We were kept in the loop every step of the way. 5 years later my mother passed at home. The central Florida office came to the house and took care of everything. They removed my mothers jewelry, which I hadn't even thought of, and took my mother away. Before leaving, he asked me if there were any questions. He stayed and answered all my questions. And, again, they kept... Read More

Though many people want their cremated remains (or "ashes") to be scattered in a personally meaningful place, and some families keep ashes at home, more and more people are finding that a designated place in a cemetery is a lasting alternative to help bring healing and lasting remembrance. Cremation cemetery options include in-ground urn burial, mausoleum entombment, cremation niches, cremation benches and pedestals, columbaria and scattering gardens.
We use a variety of flowers in our funeral arrangements, like:●       Daisies●       Lilies●       Orchids●       Roses●       HydrangeasThese are popular funeral flowers because they have symbolic meaning pertaining to loss. However, any arrangement of flowers may be appropriate at a funeral. Although white flowers are most commonly associated with loss, colorful flowers may be helpful in brightening up the atmosphere. Flowers with springtime colors are optimal because spring is often associated with rebirth and hopefulness.
The box containing the body is placed in the retort and incinerated at a temperature of 760 to 1150 °C (1400 to 2100 °F). During the cremation process, the greater portion of the body (especially the organs and other soft tissues) is vaporized and oxidized by the intense heat; gases released are discharged through the exhaust system. The process usually takes 90 minutes to two hours, with larger bodies taking a longer time.[citation needed]
Cremated remains can be scattered or buried. Cremation plots or columbarium niches are usually cheaper than a traditional burial plot or mausoleum crypt, and require less space. Some religions, such as Roman Catholicism, require the burial or entombment of cremated remains, but burial of cremated remains may often be accomplished in the burial plot of another person, such as a family member, without any additional cost. This option is charged for in England in an Anglican church where the fee is set by the Table of Parochial Fees (£36 to incumbent and £78 to church council) a total of £114 in 2010 with a marker charged as extra. It is also very common to scatter the remains in a place the deceased liked—such as the sea, a river, a beach, a park, or mountains, following their last will. This is generally forbidden in public places but easy to do. Some persons choose to have a small part of their ashes (usually less than 1 part in 1000, because of cost constraints) scattered in space (known as space burial and offered by companies such as Elysium Space, Celestis and Ascending Memories). Cremated remains can now also be converted to diamonds.
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What does a dead body smell like?

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