Cremation with Memorial Services

Cremation with a Memorial Service is a cremation with a service without the human remains present.  This service includes picking up your loved one from the place of death, bringing them to the funeral home, completing all of the legal paperwork needed to acquire a death certificate and cremation permit, the crematory fee, the fee the Medical Examiners Office charges for authorizing the cremation process, the simple container for your loved one to be placed in for the cremation process, transportation to and from the crematory, and the cremated remains returned to the family in a simple, hard plastic urn, which is suitable for shipping, scattering, burial, or storing. 

In addition to the cremation process, a “Memorial Service” or “Celebration of Life”  can be held in our chapel, your church, home or place of your choosing.  Some families choose to officiate the service themselves, while others will choose a clergy member to perform the Memorial Service/Celebration of Life.  It is customary to give the clergy an honorarium, (financial gift) for preparing and officiating the service.  This “gift” ranges from $100-$200.  This service can be very personalized by doing a video of your loved one throughout his/her life, displaying pictures on picture boards, bringing in momento’s that reflect your loved ones passions, hobbies, or simply their favorite things.  The service may also include personal stories shared by family members and friends, reminiscing about favorite times and experiences shared, lessons learned, and what one treasured most about the individual.  Services for this can take up to an hour or more, contingent on your wishes and your guests participation.   Some families choose to have the cremated remains on display, while others choose to focus more on the memorabelia brought in for the service.  There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do it.  Remember, services are for the living, so it’s important to do what makes you feel most comfortable.  These services also include 100 memorial folders, (with a picture of your loved one above a poem or prayer, and service information) as a keepsake, a guest book and a box of 25 “Thank You” notes. 

Shipment of cremated remains to a designated residence or cemetery, is at an additional charge.  Those families that chose to have the cremation container on display may decide to purchase an urn more suitable for display.

In the State of Arizona, the law reads that only the legal next of kin can authorize the cremation process if the deceased did not sign their own “Cremation Directive”.  The first would be the spouse.  Should there be no spouse, it falls to all of the surviving children.  Should there be no children, it falls to the parents, then the sibblings, then the cousins, aunts, or uncles.

Certified Copies of the Death Certificate are $15 each in the State of Arizona.  You get one free for Social Security purposes and one free if you were a Veteran.  Certified copies are needed if there is a financial gain.  For your information, we have provided a list of things you will need Certified Copies of the Death Certificate for.  We have also provided some valuable information for survivors, see our Survivors Checklist.