A SHORT GUIDE TO FUNERAL TYPES AND COSTS
THIS INFORMATION IS OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH: Rutherford Cremation and Funeral Services / 804 Ontario St., Stratford, Ontario N5A 3K1 / [email protected] / www.jarfh.com / 519-271-5062
It is important to keep in mind that the cost of a funeral has nothing to do with the depth of honour you hold for that person! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the more money you spend – the greater the honouring. There is flexibility within every funeral type in order to keep it within the amount you imagined and very specific ways to do that without sacrificing the service you want.
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When looking at a funeral home price list, the packages themselves are usually broken down into three main categories. You will see costs listed for:
PROFESSIONAL & STAFF SERVICES: meaning professional fees, coordinating rites and services, documentation, preparation of remains, transport of remains, staffing, facilities, vehicles, etc.
SUPPLIES: meaning things you purchase like a casket or an urn, cremation jewellery, vault, stationery, etc.
DISBURSEMENTS: meaning things the funeral home pays for on your behalf, that go to second parties and are put into the funeral home contract, like the cost of the cremation fee that gets paid to the crematorium, or the cost of a newspaper notice that gets paid to the newspaper, or the municipal death registration fee to register the death at the city. Others might be a clergy honorarium, or flower costs, etc.
Here is a list of funeral types that most funeral homes provide from most to least costly:
TRADITIONAL SERVICE: A body is present in a casket and there is a visitation and service. A burial, cremation or aquamation will happen afterward. (approximately $8,000 – $12,000)
MEMORIAL SERVICE: A body has been cremated or aquamated and then a service is held. (approximately $6,000 – $8,000)
CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE: This is a very loose term that usually focuses on a gathering of friends and family either at a funeral home or another location. A body in a casket or remains in an urn may or may not be present. If there is no casket, the funeral home may or may not be involved. (too many variables to give an approximate cost)
GRAVESIDE SERVICE: A body is in a casket or has been cremated or aquamated already and placed in an urn and the service is held at the graveside. (approximately $3,000 – $5,000)
BASIC DIRECT AQUAMATION: An aquamation is carried out. There may or may not be an urn purchased for the remains, but there is no visitation or service held that the funeral home is involved in. Aquamation is the most environmentally friendly option there is at present in Canada. (approximately $3,000 – $3,500)
BASIC DIRECT CREMATION: A cremation is carried out. There may or may not be an urn purchased for the remains, but there is no visitation or service held that the funeral home is involved in. (approximately $2,000 – $2,500)
BODY BEQUEATHAL: A body is donated to a healthcare facility for education or philanthropic reasons. The family has the option of collecting the cremated remains from the facility after approximately one to three years. (approximately $1,500 – $1,900)
Rutherford Cremation & Funeral Services is a “teaching” funeral home. We believe funeral homes should be a source of information regarding all things related to estate and end-of-life concerns. We also believe that a funeral home is a service provider, not a retail store.
GET YOU QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
What are the answers I need to know for the funeral home paperwork when someone dies? How can I make things as easy as possible for my family? What are the options for my TFSA when I die? What happens when someone dies in a hospital? In a hospice? In a long-term care facility? At their residence? What are the three types of wills that are recognized in the Province of Ontario and what are the pros and cons of each? How do I read a funeral home contract? What are the ways I can keep costs down and make my funeral more affordable for my family? How in control am I? What are the two types of prearrangements I can make and how do they work? Why is it a good idea to prearrange my wishes? What is aquamation and how does it work? What are the benefits of doing an aquamation and what are the benefits of doing a cremation? What do I need to update at the cemetery regarding my burial? What are the costs for purchasing a plot? A niche? What are the costs to be paid when someone dies and is buried? What is the procedure for obtaining permission for MAiD? How is MAiD done? What are the safeguards in carrying it out? What is probate? Is it necessary for my estate? What are the rules? How and why would I donate my body and for how long? Can my family still have my remains after the time period is up? What is the cost for body donation and is it the same thing as organ donation? What is a “Death Doula” and what do they do? What should I know to make my own end-of-life decisions? What are some of the myths and truths about funeral service that I’ve heard concerning costs, urns, vaults, aquamation, obituaries, caskets, etc… What does the funeral home do for me regarding paperwork and what is it that I have to do?
INFORMATION IS EMPOWERING. IT WON’T KILL YOU. LIVE WELL.
