Doherty Funeral Homes

Cremation Options

Cremation services are as unique and personal as the person you are honoring. Our staff provides many different services which are innovative and personal. We also have a dedicated "Cremation Options" room with over 50 memorial urns, keepsake jewelry, and ceremonial containers on display. Offering families the opportunity to arrange and choose services specially designed for them will help create a more meaningful tribute.

Visitation or Gathering
Visitations play an important role in the healing process. It provides a time for family and friends to gather, share memories and to show their support for one another. The ceremonial container or memorial urn may be present with memorabilia items and pictures displayed. Visitations can be facilitated at a church, funeral home or personal residence and usually precede some type of service.

Memorial Service
A memorial service is held when the family does not desire to have a traditional service. When this option is selected, the casketed remains are not present. If you choose, the cremated remains may be present in the memorial urn of your choice, which can be personalized if desired. Memorial services may be held at a church, the funeral home or other setting of your choice.

"Every person with whom I had contact was pleasant and accommodating. At this time of loss, it was difficult to make decisions. Thank God Doherty Funeral Homes was the one I chose. You were wonderful!"
Mary K. (Elkton, MD)

Direct Cremation
This option is available to families who do not want a memorial service or visitation. After the completion of the necessary authorizations, the cremation is performed and the cremated remains are returned to the family. You may select a memorial urn in which to place the cremated remains for your retention, scattering or burial.

Memorial Urns
Families who choose cremation have the option of selecting a memorial urn in which the cremated remains would be placed. Our "Cremation Options" room has a wide variety of memorial urns, most of which can be inscribed with personal text such as names and dates, a favorite picture or hobby or a custom design. For a more personal touch, keepsake jewelry and keepsake urns are available if you wish to keep a small portion of cremated remains with you at all times.

Ceremonial / Alternative Containers
Ceremonial containers are designed to be suitable in appearance for visitation and service. They are constructed of environmentally friendly materials which make them also suitable for the cremation process or, if you prefer, a rental casket can be utilized.

Alternative containers are used when a visitation or service will not take place prior to the cremation. They are simple, inexpensive containers that provide an enclosure for the remains throughout the cremation process.

Final Disposition
The final disposition of the cremated remains can take place several ways. Burial in a family plot or placing the memorial urn in a niche is most common. You may also wish to scatter the cremated remains. A complete scattering is possible or a partial scattering is an alternative. If partial scattering is chosen a portion of the cremated remains would be retained by the family.

We offer Scattering at Sea at no additional charge. Our staff will personally scatter the cremated remains in the Atlantic Ocean and will provide the family with a certificate which identifies the exact location of the scattering.

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