Monthly Archives: November 2020

Why Do We Have Funerals for Veterans?

Funerals at funeral homes in Clarksville, TN have been around for a long time. These traditions may seem random, but in reality, funeral homes are very important, especially for veterans.

Funerals are part of the grief and healing process for any family going through a loss, but especially for a family that has lost a veteran. Funerals and all associated services have five main benefits:

Honoring the Deceased: Your deceased veteran deserves respect, care and dignity in death. The entire funeral event is a tribute and celebrates her life in a positive and healing way. By hosting a funeral, you can feel you’ve done right by the deceased by remembering her and her sacrifice in a meaningful way.
Connection: Funeral services bring loved ones together. The support of family and friends is imperative to a healthy grief and healing process, and funeral services provide the chance for people to lend that support.
Healing: Funerals provide the opportunity for expressing grief in a healthy and supported way, which is crucial to the healing process. Grieving openly with others who understand and are probably feeling what you are feeling is encouraged at funerals. This sharing helps you begin to heal after a loss.
Saying Goodbye: Funeral services allow family and loved ones a chance to say their final goodbyes. This provides a small amount of closure, which can greatly help the healing. Funeral services offer a way for you to say your piece and begin to move on from the death.
Ritual: The formal funeral service is a ritual that holds cultural and religious significance. It helps family and friends deal with loss in a safe and stabilized way while also providing an opportunity to honor the deceased and help support the family, community and friends.

These benefits, however, don’t come with any old cremation or funeral service. Hosting a meaningful ceremony makes a big difference, so when planning funeral services, you must take time to remember, reflect and carefully choose details that will help make the service one to remember.

Personalization will make your loved one’s funeral meaningful, special and memorable. Making the service a unique and special tribute to the deceased is the best way to get the most out of a funeral. Meaningful funerals can have lots of different aspects, from music and poems to special locations, flowers, photos, and everything in between. As long at the funeral is a tribute in some way to the deceased’s life and impact, anything goes. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong if you put a little thought in.

Funeral services are an important part of the healing process and can have a great impact on your ability to move forward after a death. If you want to learn more about funerals, how they benefit the healing process, or about your Clarksville, TN funeral home options, especially services for veterans, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. Please visit us or give us a call for more information on what we can do for you in your time of loss.

Do You Need a Burial Vault for After Cremation Services?

Some bereaved choose to bury their loved one’s remains after cremation services in Clarksville, TN. However, many of these families are unaware that they might be required to purchase a burial vault for said burial.

Burial vaults are outside containers that hold a coffin or casket for burying full body in the ground. Their primary function is to protect the casket, and to help maintain the gravesite’s integrity so the surface doesn’t sink in. Most active cemeteries do require burial vaults to keep the cemetery ground intact and safe. However, this requirement is not the law in most states. The majority of states to not have laws requiring burial vault containers for buried cremation urns, rather, it’s only the cemeteries that have the requirement.

According to Tennessee state law, graves using a non-permeable container, like a vault, must be buried at least 24” below the surface. Meaning, if the container is 12 inches high, then the hole is 36” inches deep. Some cemeteries allow a cremation urn to be buried in an existing grave and allow the urn to be place on top of a previously buried vault. Some families prefer this, as it allows them to place loved ones together even in death.

Cemeteries can choose to require burial vaults for both caskets and urns to preserve the safety and beauty of their cemetery grounds, and to make sure their maintenance equipment is protected. Vaults offer more protection to the ground because as caskets and urns naturally break down and decompose over time, the earth on top of them settles and sinks. Although buried cremation urns cause this settling on a much smaller scale than caskets, most cemeteries do still require burial vaults for urns. Burial vaults for both urns and caskets are made of durable materials that do not decompose, like metal, concrete or plastic. You can even find solid metal burial vaults.

Like most things in life, the quality of the burial vault you choose mostly depends on the price. You can find basic, affordable burial vaults on websites like Amazon for less than $200, but the price only goes up for thicker, heavier, higher quality containers. If you want an ornate, decorated burial vault, you need to be prepared to shell out some serious cash. If you desire a cemetery burial for your loved one but don’t have a big budget, you can save money by choosing a simpler urn and less ornate burial vault. As both will be buried, they don’t have to be ornate. If you desire, you can also buy a decorative urn to memorialize the deceased above ground.

Do you have more questions on burial, burial vaults, and Clarksville, TN cremation services? Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. We would love to help you learn more about burying cremated remains, as it is a great way for families to enjoy the flexibility and affordability of cremation while still creating a permanent resting place in a traditional cemetery. Please visit us or give us a call today.

Do You Need an Estate Planning Attorney for a Military Service?

No one wants to think about funeral homes in Clarksville, TN, especially those that have serviced in the military. However, it’s important to plan and protect your family in case anything should happen to you before your time, or in the event of your eventual passing. An estate-planning attorney might be able to help you do that.

Estate planning attorneys help guide you through the process of deciding how you want to divide your assets, gathering and preparing necessary post-life documents, and making sure your wishes are carried out after you’re gone. These lawyers are important because sometimes, without proper legal advice, affairs are left up to family members that are unsure of your wishes, or, in the worst case, might fight over the decisions. Estate lawyers can help you draft, review, and authorize important documents such as last will and testament, trust, durable power of attorney, medical durable power of attorney, and beneficiary designations.

These documents are especially helpful for military service members. However, like all other lawyers, estate-planning attorneys charge fees. They generally charge a flat rate for prepping your desired documents and a per hour rate for more complicated tasks like handling disputes or carrying out the will. The exact rates depend on where you live and what caliber of lawyer you wish to procure. Be sure to decide on rates up front with your lawyer to protect yourself from getting over charged.

But do you really need an estate-planning lawyer? For most people, the answer is generally no. You don’t really need an estate planning unless:

Your net worth is more than $5 million. If you have a large net worth, your estate might be subject to estate tax. In that case, it’s a good idea to consult a lawyer to make sure that your beneficiaries get what you wish as opposed to it being taken by taxes.
You have special circumstances. From being a military service member and having children with disabilities to foreign property or heirs, special circumstances and finances are tough to navigate. A specialized estate-planning attorney can show you the way to get through such special circumstances.
You own large or many properties. Dividing up property can be tricky as titles are held in many ways and there are often confusing technicalities that you might be unaware of. In some cases, you might not even have the right to bequeath certain properties. An experiences lawyer can help guide you through these confusing laws to make sure your property is dealt with appropriately.

If you’re unsure if you need an estate-planning lawyer, it couldn’t hurt to get a consultation. Remember, most lawyers do charge fees even for consultations, but sometimes peace of mind is worth the small cost.

If you have more questions about estate planning or want to know more about preplanning for your passing, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory would be happy to help. We offer Clarksville, TN funeral home services with a specialty in military services. Please give us a call to learn more about what we can do for you.

Tips for Planning Cremation Services

How do you go about arranging cremation services in Clarksville, TN? No matter if you’re preplanning for your own cremation, or planning for a loved one’s recent death, it’s helpful to know what steps you need to take to arrange a cremation.

The following tips are key to planning a cremation:

Choose the Services You Want– There are a few different types of cremations, and the first step is to choose which one you want. The two main types of cremation you can choose from are traditional cremation and direct cremation. Traditional cremation involves a funeral before the cremation. The body is embalmed and put in a casket for a funeral service, then cremated afterward. Direct cremation happens before any type of service, so the body is not embalmed or put in a casket.
Get a Death Certificate- You will have to furnish a death certificate in order for a facility to process the body. If you don’t already have one, some funeral homes and crematories may help you get one for an extra charge. Be sure to get extra copies, as you will need a death certificate copy for many stops along the way. If you need copies after you’ve already submitted the original, contact your local county records office.

Complete Important Forms- Before anyone can be cremated it needs to be held and examined by the county coroner or medical examiner. The examiner must fill out and sign a cremation authorization form showing information such as the Date of birth, pacemakers or other implants, infectious diseases, and time, place and cause of death. Many cremation authorization forms also include fingerprints or other body identifiers.
Organize Body Transportation – Most funeral homes and crematories provide transportation for the body from the place of death, medical office or storage to the crematorium. In some cases, the family must arrange separate transportation.
Choose a Cremation Casket – Even if you choose a direct cremation, you will still need a cremation casket for the body to be cremated in. Some facilities provide a cremation casket free of charge, but you may purchase one if you wish.
Establish Post Cremation Plans- The cremated remains will be returned to you after the cremation, and you must make plans for what to do with them. Some common options are scattering, burying or interring, displaying or storing the remains. Scattering is very common, and is when loved ones, friends or family scatter the remains in a special place, or even into water. Be sure to check for local laws about scattering and get any necessary permits. Others choose to bury or inter the remains in the ground, a mausoleum, or a columbarium. You can also display the remains in an urn at home or some other special location.

Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help if you would like more guidance on arranging Clarksville, TN cremation services. Please stop by and visit us or give us a call to learn more about what we can do for you.

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