Cremation with a Viewing?

By: Dan Ciha
Saturday, April 2, 2016

Question: 

I’m dealing with cultural differences. My family believes in cremation. My spouses family believes in a funeral with a casket.
Is it possible to have cremation with a viewing?

Answer:

You can do both.

Yes, you can have all that tradition that your husband’s been looking for and that they are used to. The preparation of the deceased, a viewing, and a visitation.  And instead of taking you in a casket to the cemetery, the cremation takes place and then your cremated remains can still be buried at the cemetery. Or they could be scattered.

Cremation offers a lot of options that traditional caskets and burial does not. Those options are really beneficial to family members when they are dealing with that death. They like the idea that you know what, “I can take a little bit of mom with me to California” or “Mom and Dad used to hike the Appalachian hills, and I’m gonna take them out there.”

So yes, you can do both. You can have a traditional funeral with a visitation and a viewing and still be cremated.

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