CREMATION
Cremation Services Customized for You
Many families don’t realize that they can choose where to be cremated. A funeral director might make recommendations, but you should make the final decision. We encourage you to tour our modern, clean crematory and learn about the many services and options available to families.
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More and more families request to be present for cremation, while some religious or cultural rites call for a family member to be directly involved with cremation in various ways. Somerset Hills provides a dignified, comfortable seating area for loved ones, and our chapel is available for services of up to 60 people. We go out of our way to accommodate the customs of any faith or culture as long as it complies with our standards for safety and integrity.
Understanding the Language
A cost-effective alternative to traditional ground burial, cremation is the process of burning the physical body down to ashes. Cremation typically lasts about two hours. Keep in mind that someone who is cremated can still have a traditional funeral, viewing, and/or religious services. These decisions are made by the individual or family.
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A crematory is not just the unit used for cremation. Managed by four certified crematory operators, our crematory is a facility that includes a viewing area and provides access to a chapel and other facilities for services. Ashes are held in an urn, which can be laid to rest in a niche, an above-ground burial compartment. We have niches in our mausoleum and in one of our outdoor urn gardens. An urn can also be buried in the ground, turned over to the family, or memorialized in a columbarium, which is a space where urns are respectfully displayed.
Memorializing Loved Ones
After cremation, the general assumption is that you’ll take the ashes home. An urn often sits on the mantle or some other display in your home. Have you considered what will happen to the ashes when you pass away? Will you make additional arrangements or pass those ashes down to the next generation?
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For families of those who have been cremated, we offer the option to memorialize their loved ones at Somerset Hills, where future generations can visit. When family members live in different areas of the country, urns can be delivered to us for memorialization in our columbarium rooms. Family and friends can then visit loved ones as they would visit a traditional grave site or mausoleum.
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Urns of all shapes, sizes and colors are respectfully and securely housed in niches as large as 24 inches by 24 inches. Niches are often enclosed with marble fronts, while glass-front niches allow you to display something special with the urn, such as a photo, heirloom or flag. Small medallions can be purchased from Somerset Hills to personalize your niche front.
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In our beautiful urn gardens and along the outer wall of our mausoleum, outdoor niches with marble and bronze fronts are available for those who prefer to be closer to nature. Regardless of where or how your urn is laid to rest, our Maintenance and Preservation Fund ensures that all Somerset Hills grounds and facilities will be properly maintained without charging fees to lot owners.