Human Composting as a New Death Care Alternative (Updated 2024)

A Guide to Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) Our death care rituals are moving through an epoch of change.  Traditional funerals are in decline, and cheap direct cremation is in high demand. But, as the cremation rate grows exponentially in the U.S. (expected to reach almost 80% by 2035), it seems others are seeking out more … Read more

Who is Service Corporation International (SCI)?

Service Corporation International (SCI) was initially founded in 1962 and has its company headquarters in Houston, Texas. They own 1,471 funeral homes and 488 cemeteries in the U.S. and are the largest funeral and cemetery services company in the world. SCI provides any and all funeral-related services mainly in the United States and Canada, but … Read more

Finding a low-cost cremation

Dealing with a death & making funeral or cremation arrangements Dealing with a bereavement that has recently occurred, or is imminent, is an extremely distressing time.  For those who have not had to deal with making the necessary arrangements following a family death, this can be additional stress, especially with the need to take care … Read more

How to Protect the Deceased from Identity Theft

With our lives so documented in a digital world today, the deceased are even easier victims of identity theft than ever. It can be extremely distressing to discover that your loved one’s identity has been stolen following their death. Not only can it be very emotionally tormenting, the financial implications to the good-standing of the … Read more

Traditional Funeral or ‘Life Celebration’: How modern attitudes to death rituals and a lean to life celebration is changing how we face the inevitable

“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” — John Lennon Have you created a ‘bucket list’? Have you consciously thought about all the things you want to do before you die? Urgh, no, you may say, that’s very distasteful! Why? Because in our culture the “D”words are still rather … Read more

Homegoing Funerals: An African – American Funeral Tradition

‘Homegoing’ funerals have gained some notoriety of late, first The Learning Channel (TLC) aired a feature reality show based in a funeral home in Dallas where elaborate and unusual homegoing funerals were staged. Now, Christine Turner, a filmmaker in New York has made a documentary centered around an African-American funeral home in Harlem, NY that … Read more

Green – Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn: A National Historic Landmark

Last month whilst on a trip to New York City, I took the time to visit Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. As I stepped off the noisy, chaotic streets of Brooklyn into the acres of quiet tranquility sitting above Brooklyn, it was like stepping into the ‘Secret Garden’. The history of Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood cemetery originally … Read more

Glossary of Funeral Terms: How to Understand the General Price List

Understanding the terminology used by funeral directors can sometimes be confusing. By law all funeral homes need to be able to provide you a general price list (GPL). The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established this rule to ensure that consumers were given clear information about pricing when negotiating with funeral homes. Unfortunately the ‘al la … Read more

Funeral Potatoes – A Mormon Tradition!

Typing ‘Funeral’ into a Google search recently, I was completely surprised when Google suggested ‘Funeral Potatoes’ as a searched phrase. Curious, I clicked on the suggestion to find out more. What I discovered is that “Funeral Potatoes” is a term given to a dish, made largely from potatoes, that is traditionally served at Mormon funerals. … Read more

Funeral Home Ordered to Cease the Liquid Cremation of Bodies

America’s first funeral home to cremate bodies by liquefying them has been ordered to stop performing the process. The process called alkaline hydrolysis, or also known as resomation, uses lye and heat, to speed up the natural process of a human body breaking down. In an age where ecological and environmental policies are rife, and … Read more

Funeral Glossary of Terms

Funeral People Explained Funeral Service Terms Cremation Terms Explained Burial Terms Funeral Home Terminology Explained Funeral Merchandise Terminology Death Care Legal Terms explained Funeral People Explained – the different roles you may encounter when dealing with a death We have listed below some of the people you may encounter when you visit a funeral home, … Read more

Federal Trade Commission – Undercover Investigations – Funeral Law

Federal Trade Commission ‘Funeral Law’ conducts Undercover Investigations The ‘Funeral Law’ is a federal law that protects consumers. The Funeral Industry needed to be governed by trade laws just like any other retail industry, as funeral homes can take advantage of consumers and exploit them. Grieving families who don’t know their legal rights are vulnerable … Read more

FAQ’s Relating to Funerals and Cremations

Preplanning a funeral or cremation Visitor 77116313 04 Apr 2014, 02:31 PM My mother, perhaps unfortunately, signed up for direct cremation with PRENEEDS Family Service Eastern Region. The rate they charged her in 2006 is double what you cite here. Now they want to charge for death certificates. Is this a fee I can get … Read more

Economic crisis puts the Funeral Industry in a ‘Grave’ state!

The old cliché resonates “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” and I have heard many talks about the ‘death’ industry as a “recession-proof” business. Yet the Funeral Industry is now feeling its own pinch as the current troubling economic times continue. This once very traditional industry has to move out of the dark ages … Read more

Drive – thru Viewing at Funeral Homes

Bizarre, or just a sign of the culture of our times: Drive-thru Viewing at Funeral Homes The funeral industry that has often been criticized for being something of a ‘dinosaur’ is certainly now demonstrating some assimilation of modern cultural trends. The introduction by some funeral homes of web-casting of funeral services, was viewed by many … Read more

Capturing a DNA Sample Before a Cremation

Securing your DNA: A wise step to take before cremation! I was first introduced to the concept of securing DNA by a funeral director earlier this year. DNA has become a household word these days, one that we generally think of in terms of genealogy, genetics or paternity. This was the first time I considered … Read more

African – American Funeral Homes in the USA

In the United States there is a rich cultural heritage of black owned and operated funeral homes. Indeed black funeral parlors were some of the first businesses to be set up by African-Americans after the abolition of slavery. How do you locate an African-American owned and operated funeral home? Often at US Funerals Online we … Read more