Learn More About Cremation

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Cameron Naugle under Cremation
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cremation in Jacksonville, FL

Cremation has been around for thousands of years, but began making a come back in the United States recently. If you’re deciding if a cremation in Jacksonville, FL is right for you, the first step is to learn more about cremation. Read on to learn more.   

Read also: Outdoor Cremation Urns

The cremation process can be broken down to three main parts: body preparation, the actual cremation, and processing the ashes.   

There are a lot of steps that need to take place before a body is cremated. First, a funeral director needs to obtain a cremation authorization document, usually signed by closest surviving family members. The funeral director then goes through a series of checks to ensure proper body identification.   

Next, the body is processed to remove any items that the family doesn’t want cremated with the body, or things that cannot be cremated with the body like jewelry and medical devices, especially pacemakers.   

Once prepared, the body is put inside a cremation casket and checked again for proper identification. A metal identification tag that won’t burn or melt is also placed inside the cremation casket to ensure the remains end up with the right family after cremation.   

Cremation chambers are usually heated with fire and built from fire resistant bricks and special masonry compound designed to stand up to extremely high temperatures. The cremation casket holding the body is placed directly into the cremation chamber.  

At the height of the process, the chamber reaches over 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. It usually takes 2 hours for a body to be reduced to bone fragments and ash, but the time can vary depending on factors such as the size of the body, type of cremation casket, or even the percentage of body fat to lean muscle.   

Read also: All About Direct Cremation

After the incineration, the remains are left to cool inside the chamber for about 30 minutes. They are then processed and checked again for any remaining medical debris and identification.   

The cooled bone fragments go through a processor that grinds them down into fine ash. This final ash is what is returned to the family for funeral services or interment.   

There are many different ways families deal with their loved one’s cremated remains. Some of these include:  

  • Casting, or tossing the cremated remains into the wind.  
  • Raking, a process in which the ashes are poured over loose earth and raked into the soil.  
  • Trenching, or burying the ashes in a shallow grave.  Sometimes performed on a beach so the ashes are eventually carried out to sea by the tide.  
  • Aerial scattering, an expensive option, is when a professional pilot takes the ashes into the air and scatters them from the sky.  
  • Water scattering, or simply scattering the ashes into a body of water.  
  • Ringing, a ceremony in which a loved one places the ashes in ring around a tree or home.  

If you want to learn more about cremation itself or about Jacksonville, FL cremations, contact Naugle Funeral Home & Cremation Services by visiting 808 Margaret St Jacksonville, FL 32204, or calling (904) 683-9288.

Cameron Naugle

Paul (Cameron) Naugle, Jr., a fourth generation funeral director was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from Wolfson High School and then went on to graduate from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Services in Atlanta, Georgia where he was part of the National Mortuary Honor Society (Phi Sigma Eta). He then graduated from The University of North Florida with a degree in Business Administration. He is a licensed funeral director as well as a licensed embalmer. He took over the position of President and CEO of Naugle Funeral Home and Cremation Services in 2012, following in his father’s, grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s footsteps. Cameron is married to Katherine Schnauss Naugle, an estate planning, probate and elder law attorney in Jacksonville and has two amazing children. He enjoys spending time with his family. He also enjoys his hobby of restoring and showing his antique cars. Cameron is a member of the Southside Businessmen’s Club of Jacksonville, as well as a member of the Florida Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association (FCCFA).

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