1.  Someone may be cremated without any viewing or services, and that is called a "direct cremation".  If someone has been cremated, you may still have a "memorial service" for them at any time.  A person's body is not present for a "memorial service" which means "service in their memory"...though, their urn or "cremated remains" may be present for the memorial service.  Personalization is ideal for a memorial service.  Photographs, momentos, personal objects, and favorite music CDs are some suggested items for the family to bring to the Chapel before the memorial service.  We will assist in arranging those items for you.

2.  If a cremation is planned, you may still have a full traditional funeral - viewing and services with the body present.  The only difference is that after the Chapel or Church services we will continue (usually privately) to the crematory for the cremation instead of to the cemetery for burial.  Everyone who is to be cremated is required to be in a combustable "cremation container" for the cremation.  In the case of a full traditional funeral, the casket will be the "cremation container".  Since the casket will be cremated, you will need to select a casket made of wood.  We have a selection of caskets for you to choose from which are approiate for services and also for cremation.

Funerals are an important part of our lives and we can not only learn about the people who's Funeral's we attend, but also about ourselves.  Everyday we prepare for for school, work, dinner, and we also prepare for holidays, vacations and our retirement.  Why are we timid about preparing for our Funerals?  Because it is not really something we want to happen...but it will happen to us all and it is wise for us to prepare.

Preparing for our Funeral will not only finalize our wishes with regard to our Funeral or Cremation, but can also help our surviving family or loved ones deal easier with the necessary plans, paperwork and costs involved at the time of our death.

If you call us and ask to set up a pre-need arrangement, we will go over important details with you such as Death Certificate and Obituary Information, type of services and or cremation, casket selection, signatures on necessary documents, among other items, and these can all be taken care of ahead of time.

You may also arrange to "pre-pay" by putting funds for the total Funeral costs away into a California Master Trust account.  This will lock-in the Funeral costs at today's prices and will help to avoid any financial burdens on your surviving family.  The funds will be held in trust until your death and only at that time will they be used for the cost of your funeral.

Whether you are planning Funeral arrangements for yourself, for a family member or someone close to you, it is always wise to be prepared for the future.  This page will help you to organize important information that we will need for pre-planing a Funeral or Cremation Service with you.  Please fill it out carefully and when you are finished, feel free to send it to us by clicking at the bottom.  We will be glad to go over all necessary items with you and will do our best to help.  You may also click here to watch a Pre-Planning video.