Many people have asked the question: what’s the better choice— traditional burial or cremation?

For one family, the answer was both.  And here’s why.

The family’s patriarch passed away quite suddenly, and it was a huge shock to the family. They hadn’t planned any funeral arrangements in advance, but the family had fairly good idea of what their father would have wanted. He was a traditional kind of guy: served his country as a Marine, worked hard to make ends meet—a real salt of the earth fellow.

In fact, when his parents passed away, he was the one who handled the arrangements. Both funerals were traditional, with nice memorial service held in a church, and burial in the local cemetery.

So in this case, a memorial service with a traditional burial worked very well for the family.

The situation was different with their mother. She and their dad had gotten divorced years earlier, so when the father passed away, they didn’t buy cemetery property for two. The suddenness of the loss also sparked several conversations within the family about what she would want when she passed.  She told her family that because her three children lived in different parts of the country, she wanted to be cremated so that her remains could be part of keepsakes for each of her children.   When she passed away after a brief illness her family carried out her wishes.

In both cases, the family chose what was best in each situation. So what’s best for you? It’s something worth thinking about and discussing with your family.  If you have questions, feel free to call us at 1-800-2-Forest  or send us a message here and we’ll be glad to answer whatever questions you may have as well as send you a free information kit.

Whatever you choose, you can be assured with over one hundred years of experience, Forest Lawn can assist in planning every important detail with unparalleled care and compassion.