Direct Cremation

Direct Cremation is a service of which cremation is the only request by the family.  It does not include a memorial service or a service with a viewing of the human remains.  It is as it states; Direct Cremation.  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.  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.