Your Local Source for Cremation Services
Funeral Service with Cremation as Final Disposition
Similar to a traditional funeral service, the body of the deceased is placed in a cremation or rental casket for the funeral service. After the service, our staff will perform the cremation on-site, and return the cremated remains to the family. As part of our cremation services, the team at Daniel R. Smolarek Funeral Home is proud to offer several beautiful and unique urns. Once an urn has been selected, you have the choice of bringing it home with you to display or you can have the urn stored in our columbarium. If you would like more information about our cremation services and options, please contact us today.
Committal Services
Healing ceremonies that pay tribute to your loved one.
A beautiful service that is held at the cemetery, following a funeral at mortuary chapel or your place of religious worship. Gather around your loved one's cremated remains to commemorate their life and honor the memories shared. This symbolic service is a beautiful step forward in the healing process, and can accompany many end of life options.
Ash Scattering
We can help you memorialize a loved one when scattering ashes.
This act can be an important way to begin to let go. And it can be a creative, thoughtful reflection of your loved one. From sending remains in to space to letting them go at sea, we can help you plan a unique way to memorialize a life through scattering cremated remains.
Common Areas to Scatter Ashes
National Parks - When ash scattering at a national park, you must ask for permissions and get a permit. Ashes must be scattered away from trails or developed areas.Private Property - If you are scattering ashes on your own property, you don't need to ask anyone for permission. However, you must ask permission if it's someone else's property and you may want to record the arrangement for future reference.Sports Stadiums/Amusement Parks - These are areas of private property, so you must ask for permission.At Sea - The Environmental Protection Agency permits you to spread your loved one's ash by sea, as long as you follow their rules including: scattering 3 nautical miles from land or more, scattering from a boat or airplane, using biodegradable urns, and reporting the burial to the EPA within 30 days. Pet cremains may need a special permit. Also, most rivers, ponds, and lakes are not subject to federal regulation, but permission may be needed depending on the land it is on.In a Graveyard - You may want to scatter ashes in a graveyard, near other loved ones. Permission must be given before you do so.
Our funeral home serving the Buffalo, Depew, and West Seneca, NY area can offer guidance during this time. Whether your loved one pre-planned the location in which they would like their ashes scattered, or you are choosing a space that meant a lot to your family, we can help you find a final resting place for your loved one. Contact us today for more information.
Selecting An Urn
Instead of a casket, cremation services can hold your loved one through an urn. In addition to being buried, urns can also be stored in a columbarium or even at your home. Displaying an urn in your home is a perfect way for you and your loved ones to constantly remember those who have passed away. Dividing the ashes between loved ones is also common and it allows multiple family members to have urns of their own displayed in their homes. Like caskets, there are several styles and materials that urns can be made from. A few can be found below:
Companion Urns: This option allows two cremated individuals to be memorialized together. Depending on the design style, the companion urns can be made with two separate compartments or one large compartment.
Keepsake Urns: These urns are generally smaller than regular urns and are often used when the ashes of a loved one are being divided amongst family members. As with regular sized urns, there are numerous styles and themes that can be chosen when selecting the keepsake urn.
Religious Urns: A religious urn has some sort of design that reflects the spiritual realm of the faith practiced by the deceased loved one. This is a way to acknowledge that the deceased loved one is now in a better place.
Military Urns: We can pay a patriotic tribute to our loved ones who’ve served our country through a Military or veteran style urn. They can also display the military insignia that pertained to your loved one.
With so many options, your loved one is sure to be honored in a way that’s unique to them. To learn more about our cremation services, contact the Daniel R. Smolarek Funeral Home today.