Why Preplan Cremation Services?

While it’s never easy to think about your eventual passing, preplanning your cremation in Clarksville, TN is one of the best things you can do for your family, and for yourself. After all, preplanning for your cremation can help both you and your loved ones in many different ways.

The first step to preplanning a cremation service is to make some choices. Think about what you want for your cremation, and be prepared to make choices such as:

Choose what to do with your remains, from burial and scattering to more non-traditional methods of body disposal like a biodegradable urn or water internment.
Pick out your memorial theme, like military, religious, or non-traditional.
Decide between a funeral home or crematory for your cremation and service.
Detail memorial or funeral specifications like preferred music, desired readings, special decorations and video displays.
Choose your final resting place. There are a ton of options, but the main ones include: a family plot or mausoleum, columbarium, or cremation urn.

But why should you preplan for your cremation service? These are just a few of the ways preplanning your cremation can help both you and your family:

Financial Responsibility: You can plan for how to cover the cremation costs in advance to make it easier for your family’s bank accounts and stress levels. Look into cremation insurance or funeral trusts to help ensure financial ease for your cremation and service.
Easing Your Family’s Burden: Let your family know exactly what you want for your cremation so they don’t have to guess what to do after you’re gone, or spend time making painful decisions when they should be grieving with loved ones.
Creating a Meaningful Service: Memorial services are an important part of the grieving process, but your loved ones might miss out on the important benefits if they are too busy planning the event. Preplan so they don’t have to.
Making Sure Your Wishes Are Met: Make sure you get the exact cremation and memorial service you want by taking care of the details and clearly laying them out for your friends and family. This way they won’t be able to argue or disagree.
Maintaining Self-Reliance: Taking charge of your memorial services and cremation allows you to maintain control and independence when you might otherwise lose them. This is good for your mental health at the end of your life and gives you more self-reliance.

Preplanning your cremation isn’t as hard or overwhelming as you would think once you get started, and it can only help you and your loved ones after your death.

If you do need more assistance with preplanning, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. We offer a wide range of Clarksville, TN cremation services and have years of experience ready to put at your disposal. Please stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562 for more information on what we can do for you in your time of loss.

How Do You Choose the Right Funeral Home?

There are tons of funeral homes in Clarksville, TN. How are you supposed to know which one to use, either for your future passing or for the recent loss of a loved one?

It’s never fun to think about and plan for death, but it’s better to start looking for a funeral home now before you need one. This way, you won’t be scrambling to find one if you lose a loved one, or your family won’t be stressed out looking for one for your funeral after you pass. You don’t want to be stuck with the easiest or most accessible funeral home when the time comes because you don’t have the time or money to find a better one.

This choice may seem especially difficult because most funeral homes seem to be very similar in services and costs at first glance. However, choosing a funeral home is very personal, as you need to make sure the one you choose matched with your preferences and needs. When looking for a funeral home, you need to take the following into consideration:

Reviews – Research other customer’s experiences with funeral homes to gauge efficacy, pricing, compassion and more.
Location – Sometimes this doesn’t mean closest to your home, as oftentimes funerals take place in different towns where the deceased wants to be buried, or where other family members live.
Service Prices – You’d be surprised how much funeral home prices vary. Be sure to shop around and get quotes from different homes to make sure you’re getting the best prices for services.
Product Prices – Caskets, urns and other funeral accessories and products can get pricey. Compare funeral home’s product prices as well.
Services Offered – Make sure your funeral home offers the services you want. Such services include burial options like cremation, traditional burial, or green burial. They also include different technology like online obituaries, digital guest books or live streaming.
Veteran Services – If you or your loved one served, that should be recognized in a special way. Check that funeral homes offer veteran services if applicable.
Cultural and Religious Needs – Make sure the funeral home you choose is able to provide you with your cultural and/or religious funeral needs.

Start gathering information on funeral homes in your area to get a head start on choosing one. When researching, look for things like price comparisons, as every funeral home is required, by law, to have and make accessible a general list of prices for their offered products and services. Make a note of service fees, as what is and what is not included in services fees varies greatly from funeral home to funeral home. Don’t forget to add funeral insurance to your current life insurance policy.

If you want to learn more about Clarksville, TN funeral homes, just reach out to Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory. You can stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562.

After Cremation Services

One major benefit of choosing a Clarksville, TN cremation service is that cremations offer lots of opportunity for creativity and personality after the cremation is over. There are an almost unlimited number of ways you can inurn or dispose of cremated ashes, each one more unique and special than the last.

While the classics, like scattering, inurnment, burial, and entombment, are always good, there are a lot of extremely creative things you can do with cremated remains. Don’t forget to take inspiration from your lost loved one, and what his or her interests or unique qualities were. This will make the cremation even more respectful and special. Looking for more inspiration? Check out this list:

Fireworks – Help your loved one go out with a bang with a fireworks display. Some pyrotechnics companies help you scatter your loved one’s ashes by placing them inside fireworks. These incorporated ashes scatter when the fireworks go off, making for a memorable end to a memorial service, or a unique way to remember the deceased at a later date.
Jewelry – Keep your loved one close by placing ashes in cremation or memorial jewelry. People have been placing memories of deceased loved ones in jewelry for centuries. However, modern technology makes it easy to order personalized pieces like lockets, pendants, rings and more filled with small portions of ashes. You can order pre-made pieces online, or have a jewelry maker custom make a piece for you.
Plant a Tree – Really go green with cremation, and help your deceased loved one continue to give back long after he or she is gone. Buy a biodegradable urn that’s specially made to be buried without any harmful impact on the environment. Plant the Bio Urn with some ashes and seeds inside. The ashes will help nourish the seed until it grows into a beautiful tree people can enjoy for generations to come.
Glass Art – Cremation ashes can be transformed into glass with the help of professional glass blowers. These artists can take small portions of the deceased’s ashes, combine them with glass, and create glass art in a range of shapes, colors, and sizes. You can display the art at home on your mantel, or somewhere else special.
Create A Diamond – While expensive, this memorial will really last forever. Special companies can extract carbon particles from the cremated ashes and grow a real diamond. You can personalize the color, shape or cut to make the diamond even more unique for the deceased.

These are just a few of the creative ways you can memorialize a loved one after cremation service. Do you want to learn more about cremation services in Clarksville, TN and what to do after? Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. You can stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562 for more information on what we can do for you in your time of loss.

From Death to The Funeral Home

Death is never easy, but it becomes especially difficult when you’re faced with all the steps between your loved one’s death and the Clarksville, TN funeral home. Use this list of 8 steps to help guide you through the process and make your lost loved one’s funeral go smoothly.

Report the Death – The first step is to report the death to the proper authorities. If the death is at a hospital, nursing home, or hospice, the officials there will know what to do and will make the report for you. If you are at home, or have no other options, call 911.
Prepare to Work With A Funeral Director – You will need the assistance of a funeral director to complete the death certificate, transport and store the body. Take note if the deceased made pre-arrangements for his or her funeral and be prepared to relay these wishes to the funeral director.
Pick a Type of Service – There are several service options you need to be prepared to choose from:
- Funerals, in which the service is held before the body is cremated or buried and the body is present
- Memorials, in which the service is help after the body is buried or cremated and therefore not present
- Graveside services in which the funeral takes place at the grave
Make Cemetery Arrangements – If you choose a burial rather than a cremation you will need to make cemetery arrangements. Decide where the burial will take place, and if necessary, purchase a plot. If you’re unsure where to start, your funeral home will most likely be affiliated with a cemetery and can help you find a plot. You could also check with your church, synagogue or other place of worship for further guidance.
Make Funeral Arrangements – Feel free to get creative when making funeral arrangements to make the service personal and meaningful. Flowers, music, pre or post service events and other special touches help make the service personal for you and the deceased.
Plan Formal Transportation – If you choose to do a burial, you will need a hearse to move the body from the funeral location to the burial location. Most funeral homes have one available for use and will include that cost in the overall funeral bill.
Inform the Family and Write Death Notice – Personally inform all close family, friends and loved ones of the death, ideally over the phone or in person. If you’re nervous, take the time to write a script to help you make key points. Don’t forget to write and release a death notice to notify the rest of the friends, coworkers, associates etc.
List Pre-Funeral Tasks – Make a list of what you need to accomplish before the funeral to help you stay organized and not forget anything important. This list could include your attire, personal items or collecting photos.

If you want more information on Clarksville, TN funeral homes and their services, just reach out to Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory by visiting 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or calling (931) 647-1562.

All About Direct Cremation Services

If you’re looking into cremation services in Clarksville, TN, you might have heard about direct cremation. Direct cremation is when the body is cremated immediately following death without a funeral or service beforehand.

Direct cremations differ from regular cremations in many ones, but one major one is that the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule made mandates that direct cremation rights for consumers. Some of these rights include that consumers are not required to purchase a casket and the funeral home or crematory must return the remains to the bereaved either in an urn provided by the bereaved or in a basic container furnished by the company.

Direct cremations are also oftentimes easier and more convenient for the bereaved. Typically, crematory staff takes care of almost everything involved with a direct cremation. This includes transporting the body to the crematory, completing a death certificate form and inspecting the body before the cremation. You can also work with a traditional funeral home for direct cremations. In this case, the funeral home will fill out the death certificate and bring the body to the crematory, which is often onsite at the funeral home.

There are a lot of benefits that come with this type of cremation. One benefit of direct cremation is that it’s a lot less expensive than other funeral or cremation options. This is for a few reasons. The first is that since the body is cremated right after the death without a service, the deceased’s family or loved ones can use a crematory rather than a funeral home, which often ends up being much cheaper.

There is also no funeral, wake, visitation or viewing with a direct cremation. This also allows the family to skip the embalming process, again saving money. Family, loved ones, or executors can also choose to have the body cremated in a simple container rather than a traditional and more expensive casket, as there is no need for ornamentation for a funeral. That’s three ways direct cremation can save money. Another direct cremation benefit is that it allows family more flexibility in planning a memorial service later on. Not only does having a service after the cremation give more time for saving and planning, but it also gives the family more scheduling flexibility so people from out of town can attend.

If you’ve recently suffered a loss, or are planning for your own passing, direct cremation might be the way to go, especially if you’re looking to save money on preparing the body, casket, extensive transportation, or funeral services.

If you want more information on direct cremations or Clarksville, TN cremation services, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. We offer a range of services and have years of experience in the funeral and cremation industry. Please stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562 to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.

How to Pay for Funeral Home Services

Funeral homes in Clarksville, TN and, in fact, the rest of the world, can be very expensive, and if you don’t do some planning right now, you’re going to leave your family and loved ones with a very big bill when you die. However, setting aside money to pay for funeral services isn’t as simple as just putting money aside in a savings account. When someone dies, his or her money is usually frozen for at least a month. So, your family can’t access any money you had in an account for your funeral until long after the funeral is over.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can easily and properly set aside money to pay for your funeral home needs such as:

Low-Cost Options – If you don’t have money to set aside right now, and feel like you won’t later on either, you can plan for low-cost funeral options. From direct cremations and at-home funerals to green burials, or even donating your body to science, there are definitely low-cost options out there. If you do plan to donate your body to a medical school or other institution be sure to enroll in advance.
Insurance – Most life insurance policies will pay out a lump sum of money to a beneficiary when you die. This lump sum can go a long way towards paying for your funeral or memorial service. These insurance payments are made almost directly after death so your loved ones can pay for the funeral right away. There are also special insurance policies for death related costs like burials, funerals, cremations and more.
Veterans Benefits – If you served in the military you may be eligible for veteran’s benefits, including burial and funeral at no cost. The Veterans Administration will pay a burial allowance to your loved ones to cover funeral expenses. Check the VA website to see if you’re eligible.
Payable-on-Death Account – Payable-on-death accounts, or PODs, allow you to set money aside specifically for funeral and other death-related expenses. Your beneficiaries simply have to present a death certificate to the bank in order to obtain the money. They will not have access to the money until after your death.
Borrowing – Banks also offer loans specifically for funeral expenses. However, as these loans are personal and unsecure, they can get expensive. Interests range usually from 16 to 35 percent on these kinds of loans. Since the FCA recommends that you do not go into debt for a funeral, be sure to only take out a loan you can easily pay back.

These are just a few ways you can put aside money for your funeral. If you want to learn more about your funeral payment options, or want more information on Clarksville, TN funeral homes in general, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. Please feel free to pay us a visit at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562.

Onsite Crematories for Cremation Services

A lot of funeral homes and cremation providers offer cremation services in Clarksville, TN. However, the majority of these cremations are subcontracted to third parties that are offsite. In other words, a lot of funeral homes hire third party crematories to handle the funeral home’s cremation needs. While this isn’t always a bad thing, it can lead to potential issues or inconveniences.

These third-party crematories are oftentimes in warehouses or other industrial areas, so the funeral home has to transport the body of the deceased to the other location. Also, the funeral homes relinquish care of the body to the third party, leaving the return of the cremated remains to in third party hands. Usually all this back and forth does off without a hitch, but sometimes things go wrong. Unless a funeral director is around to supervise the cremation from start to finish, he or she simply can’t assure you that the process was performed correctly and ethically.

This is never an issue with funeral homes that have onsite crematories. Onsite crematories allow funeral homes to have full control over every aspect of the cremation, allowing the funeral director to make promises such as the deceased will never leave their care, and every step will be handled personally, the cremation will be culturally and religiously respectful to you or your cultural/religious leader’s specifications, only one body will be cremated at a time, and that the deceased will be held in a controlled and clean environment until the time of cremation and service.

Clearly there are many benefits to working with funeral homes that offer onsite cremations. However, not every onsite crematory is created equal. Look for onsite facilities that offer:

Beautiful and tasteful decoration
State-of-the-art cremation equipment that is diligently maintained for safety and environmental consciousness
Easy connection between the service area and cremation witnessing space
A clean, well-maintained, dignified and secure space
Fully trained, certified and insured cremation staff

Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory has an onsite crematory that’s ready to serve you. We offer:

Unique Memorial Services – Our team is skilled and helping plan and carry out unique and respectful memorial services in conjunction with a cremation.
Timely and Respectful Completion – All of our cremation operators are certified and fully trained, and ready to provide compassionate and thorough care.
Comprehensive service – We handle all the details of the cremation, including help filling out and filing permits and notifications.
Safekeeping of Remains – You deserve to rest easy in the knowledge that your loved one’s cremated remains are property cared for and returned to you as soon as possible.

To learn more about what Clarksville, TN cremation services we offer or more about the benefit of onsite crematories, just reach out to Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory. You can stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562. We are happy to give you more information about what we can do for you in your time of loss.

Funeral Home Services for Veterans

Serving in the United States armed forces is a great sacrifice, and all of our veterans deserve to be honored. One such way our country honors veterans is with veteran funeral services at funeral homes in Clarksville, TN. There is a range of post-humus benefits available to veterans to ensure they get the honor and respect they deserve. All you have to do is submit a formal request.

The United States has laws that provide eligible veterans with military funeral services honors. If an eligible service member’s family so requests, the government must provide no-cost honors including:

Flag Folding and Presentation: All eligible veterans have the right for to have at least 2 Armed Forces members serving as an honor guard during the funeral. At least one of these guards will be from the deceased’s service branch, and this guard will present a traditionally folded American flag to the next of kin or designated person upon the funeral’s completion.
“Taps”- “Taps” is a bugle song traditionally associated with military and patriotic funerals. Though live bugle performances are rarely seen these days, military funeral honors require that a high-quality recording of the song be played at any eligible funeral services if no live bugle is available.
Flag Burial – A flag is provided at no cost to the family to drape the casket or accompany the urn. The flag will then be folded and presented to eligible family members such as the next of kin or requested friends. Family members may donate their flags to national cemeteries with Avenue of Flags so the flag can be flown on patriotic holidays to honor the deceased, or they may keep the flag as a keepsake or at-home memorial.
Headstone – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can furnish a headstone at no cost to the family. These veteran’s headstones are made available for any veteran regardless of date of death. These headstones come in bronze, marble and granite in various styles to match existing headstones in the place of burial.

Military funeral service honors are given to members of the United States Armed Forces, or those that served in the Marines, Army, National Guard, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. The veteran must also meet one or more the following requirements:

Passed away while in active duty or Selective Reserve
Completed at least one term of enlistment or initial obligated service in the Selective Reserve, and was not dishonorably discharged
Served on active duty, or in the Selected Reserve, and was not dishonorably discharged

If you would like to learn more about veteran funeral services or eligibility, please contact the department of Veteran’s Affairs. For more information on Clarksville, TN funeral homes, please reach out to Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory. You can stop by and visit us at 424 Franklin St Clarksville, TN 37040 or give us a call at (931) 647-1562 to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.

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