Monthly Archives: May 2020

cremation services in Spanaway, WA

Common Misconceptions About Spanaway, WA Cremation Services

Our cremation division is just as client-focused as our funeral services at Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, and we’re always evolving to better serve you. Many clients have common misconceptions about cremation services in Spanaway, WA, and our team is here to clear them up at our first consultation. Here are five ways that cremation services may surprise you as you plan the perfect memorial.

Cremation Services Are a Bare-Bones Option?

It’s true that cremation services are an effective and efficient way for families to lay a loved one to rest, and we offer a basic cremation package for those who don’t want any of our funeral services. But if you’re looking to host a memorial at our facilities, our cremation services packages make that easy to achieve with an option for every budget. With our cremation packages, you’ll get full use of all our facilities just like our funeral packages.

Cremation Services Come With a Basic Urn?

When you choose any of our cremation packages, you’ll receive a classic cremation container to keep the remains safe. However, that’s just the beginning – you’ll have your choice of hundreds of unique artisan urns that feature customized designs. These urns are also designed to be spill-proof, to keep your loved one’s urns safe long-term. And if you choose to have your loved one’s ashes interred in a grave or mausoleum, we offer a selection of cremation vaults.

Ashes Stay in One Central Location?

It’s common to keep the ashes in a large urn, often on the mantle at the home of the person closest to the deceased. But in large families, it’s becoming increasingly common to divide the ashes among multiple people. This can be done with a selection of smaller sharing urns, or with a smaller vial or pendant that can hold a pinch of the ashes and be worn on the person. This also allows a single person to divide the ashes for multiple purposes.

Cremation Memorial Services Are Held Shortly After Cremation?

One of the biggest pluses of cremation services today is that it gives the family more flexibility in developing a memorial service on their schedule. It’s common to have the cremation performed immediately, followed by the family taking the remains home in their chosen urn. Then the family and friends reunite weeks or even months later at our facilities to pay tribute and share their memories, often with the final interment of the ashes at a nearby cemetery.

There’s Only One Type of Cremation?

Standard cremations take place in a cremator, a powerful oven that heats up to 1,400 degrees fahrenheit and burns the remains down to bone ash. But for clients who want a more eco-friendly approach, we offer aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis. This method uses a heated alkaline solution to break down the body by accelerating the natural decay process, with the same result in only eight hours.

If you’re considering cremation services in Spanaway, WA, the first step is to set up a consultation. Contact Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary for more information on our service packages today.

Spanaway, WA funeral homes

Advantages of Pre-Planning Services at Spanaway, WA Funeral Homes

Have you ever thought about how you’ll be remembered when you’re gone? It’s crossed all of our minds, but the only way to ensure you have a say in it is with a new service offered at Spanaway, WA funeral homes. At Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, we offer extensive pre-planning services that allow you to work out every detail of your funeral and memorial service years or decades in advance. Here are the top five reasons you’ll want to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Big Details

When a death happens, especially unexpectedly, there are a lot of decisions to make in a short time. The best way to take that stress off your family’s shoulders is to make the big decisions now. The key choices you’ll make when pre-planning services include choosing burial or cremation, picking major elements like the burial plot, casket, or urn, and assembling any necessary documents and proof of membership for special cases like military funerals.

The Little Details

Once the big details are sorted out, there are hundreds of small elements that give a funeral that personal touch. These can be marked down in your advance file and fulfilled to the greatest possibility, including things like flower arrangements or music to be played at the memorial service. You can also designate the people you want for key roles including the officiant, speakers, and pallbearers and we’ll reach out to them when the time comes.

Meticulous Record Keeping

One concern we often hear from clients considering pre-planning services is that they want to know their records will be kept for the many years or decades they have left. We specialize in accurate record-keeping, and our pre-planning system can even incorporate plans coming from outside funeral homes if you’ve pre-planned with one in your hometown and then move. And if you move and choose to be buried there, we can transfer your plan to another home at your request.

Fast Action

Planning a funeral on short notice can often overwhelm the family members, and that leads to delays. When you pre-plan with us, we’ll have a long time to organize all the details and can guide your family through the process of honoring your wishes. As soon as we get the notice to begin, we’ll start arranging the details, preparing our memorial hall, and reaching out to all the people you’ve picked to play a role.

Less Financial Stress

A funeral can be a major unexpected expense for family members, which is why we offer our pre-planners the chance to pay in advance either in full or via an installment plan. This means your family will have no financial burden with everything pre-planned. If you choose an installment plan, it’ll either be paid off in full when the time comes or leave your family with only a greatly reduced balance.

There’s no time like now to get your wishes in writing at Spanaway, WA funeral homes. Contact Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary to get started with our pre-planning services today.

cremation services in Tacoma, WA

New Trends in Cremation Services to Better Serve Our Families

Did you know that cremation is now the most popular choice for memorializing the departed in the United States, passing earth burial in numbers? That’s partially because of cost, but also because providers, including cremation services in Tacoma, WA, are evolving with the times to create a better experience for our families. At Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, here are some ways we’re embracing new trends to create a better experience for families who choose cremation.

More Memorial Options

Cremation used to be seen as a budget option that skipped the frills of a traditional funeral, and that’s still possible with our basic cremation package that puts the next step in your hands. But for families who want cremation but also want to celebrate their loved one’s life in style, cremation is commonly packaged with a full menu of memorial options. These offer full use of all our funeral home facilities and the memorial service can be scheduled before or after the cremation.

Greater Time Flexibility

One of the biggest challenges of planning a funeral on short notice is that there are a lot of decisions to make while emotions are high. With cremation, the process can be completed within days of us getting notice, but the scheduling of the funeral or memorial service is in your hands. It’s common to schedule a celebration of life weeks or even months after a cremation, once all family members can attend.

A Better Urn

We’ve all seen those old movie clips of cremation mishaps – someone trips and the urn goes flying, scattering grandma across the living room. No more thanks to modern artisan urns. Coming in hundreds of designs ranging from classic brass to modern art, they’re designed to be break-resistant and harder to spill thanks to a self-sealing lid. We also offer scattering urns for those who want to arrange their own goodbye ceremony outdoors.

Aquamation

Many of our clients are concerned about the environmental impact of cremation, which uses a powerful oven to reduce the remains to bone ash. The same results are now possible with a new process called alkaline hydrolysis, or Aquamation. It uses a heated alkaline solution to speed up the natural decay process and break the body down, with the same results as traditional cremation in only eight hours, just over twice as long as a traditional cremation.

Creative Division of Ashes

One of the biggest requests we get from our clients is to find a way to ensure several family members can have a piece of their loved one with them. This is possible with a set of smaller urns, or a collection of vials or pendants that can hold a pinch of ashes and be worn on the person. For those looking for a more creative method, third-party companies can transform ashes into gemstones that can be worn as jewelry.

For more information on these trends and how they can be worked into your plans, or more information about Tacoma, WA cremation services, contact Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary to set up a consultation today.

Tacoma, WA funeral homes

Exciting New Trends at Tacoma, WA Funeral Homes

Our clients often come to us at a time of great difficulty, and at Tacoma, WA funeral homes we’re always trying to figure out how we can ease the challenge of planning a funeral. At Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, that includes listening to our clients and figuring out which new trends and evolutions in the funeral planning process can help. Here are some of the biggest new trends in planning funerals that the public is embracing.

Pre-Planning Services

The best way to ensure your family has an easier time planning services is to take care of all the details while you’re still around. That’s why many people, both old and young, are arranging pre-need services with a chosen funeral home. That makes it possible to take care of major details, personal arrangements, and even payment via a long-term installment plan so that your family can celebrate memories and pay tribute in peace.

Green Funeral Traditions

Many people are becoming more eco-conscious as concerns about climate change and human impact on the environment increase, and that’s extending to how we plan funerals. People are choosing caskets made out of recycled wood, biodegradable urns, and sustainable choices for memorial decorations and dinners. For those who choose cremation, it’s also common to opt for Aqua-mation, a more eco-friendly option that uses a heated alkaline solution instead of a furnace.

Digital Support

One of the biggest challenges of planning a funeral is getting all the friends and family of their loved one in one place for a proper memorial. With people living around the country and world, it’s now possible to pay tribute to the deceased remotely. This can include sending in video messages to be played at the memorial service, and a virtual guestbook where people can post memories and photos as a permanent memorial.

Delayed Services

Alternatively, if you want to get everyone together but need time to organize it, it’s becoming increasingly common to split the burial and the service. A small graveside service is done for the family and those who live close by, and then the family and funeral service work closely to organize a larger service when friends and family live further away can fly in. This increased flexibility is essential in giving family members the best chance to memorialize their loved one properly.

Memorials for a Good Cause

Many families are choosing to use their loved one’s funeral and memorial service to raise awareness and often money for a good cause. It’s common to ask friends and mourners to donate to a chosen charity in lieu of sending flowers or gifts. A common choice is to raise money for medical charities close to the family’s heart, but larger causes like environmental issues are popular as well.

These trends are available at Tacoma, WA funeral homes, and at Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary we can help you arrange a fitting tribute. Visit our offices or contact us by phone or e-mail to set up a consultation today.