Funerals and Burials
Funeral Homes and Funeral Directors
Most funeral directors provide preplanning services, and many do so free of charge. Some directors charge a fee so ask about costs before requesting this service. The funeral director may provide forms for letters of last intent with spaces for listing of doctors, lawyer, location of insurance papers and companies, bank accounts, location of will, and names of next of kin. The funeral director has all the information on types and costs of caskets, funeral, cremation, and all other professional funeral services. An individual’s primary concern in choosing a funeral director will probably be his character and reputation. Comments from relatives and friends, and personal observations of funerals arranged by various directors will be especially helpful in making a choice.
The funeral director may belong to the National Funeral Directors’ Association and Alaska Allied Funeral Services Association, and subscribe to these groups’ code of ethics. Though membership does not guarantee reliability, it is a good yardstick of professional reputation. Funeral directors welcome public inspection of their facilities.
Since January 1977, under Alaska Statute AS.08, morticians and funeral directors must fulfill certain educational requirements, undergo apprenticeship training, and be licensed by examination before they are allowed to practice in Alaska. Each year, funeral establishments must obtain a permit to operate from the Department of Commerce and Economic Development and display this permit in a prominent place in the funeral establishment.
Section 45.45.120 of Alaska Statutes AS.08 states that any person performing or arranging for services or providing merchandise relating to the disposition of a body must provide the information and costs before the services. They must include the price and what is included with specific prices for at least each of the following: Transfer of remains to the funeral home; Embalming; Use of facilities for viewing; Use of facilities for funeral service; Caskets; Hearse; Limousine; Services of funeral director and staff; Outer interment receptacles, and the price of each supplemental item of service or merchandise. They must spell out the method of payment and fees for counseling, consulting, or arranging for future services relating to the disposition of the dead body.
Disposition of the Body
The disposition of the body or what to do with the deceased is one of the most basic decisions in funeral planning. There are several options to choose.
Embalming is necessary if the body is held over 24 hours without burial. Embalming is draining arterial fluid from the body and injecting preserving fluid in its place. Embalming leaves the skin with no color since the blood is absent. This lack of color may be objectionable to the viewers.
Cosmetology is necessary if the body is in an open casket during visitation and/or funeral services. It may involve dressing the body, arranging the hair, makeup, etc.
Clothing is necessary to dress the deceased. The clothing may be new or used (a favorite dress or suit) depending on the cultural or religious traditions. Some traditions address what color the clothing should be. The clothing should include underclothes, outer clothes, and socks or stockings. Some of the clothing may not be required for a half-casket viewing. The clothing may include coats, shoes, and hats.
Earth burial is the most common method. The deceased is in a casket and set in a grave. It requires buying a cemetery plot, a grave liner or vault, a casket, and a marker or monument. The grave liner is made of concrete, metal, or fiberglass installed directly into the ground. The casket goes into the vault, which may or may not be sealed to preserve the contents.
Entombment is the burial method in which the deceased is placed in a casket and laid to rest in an above-ground tomb, or mausoleum. Entombment requires purchase of a tomb or section of a mausoleum, a casket, and a marker.
Simple disposition is when the deceased goes directly (within 24 hours) to a cemetery or crematory with a memorial service afterwards. Embalming, viewing of the deceased, and a casket may not be required.
Cremation is a heat process that reduces the remains to ashes and particles of bone. Embalming is not necessary with cremation within 24 hours after death, but may be necessary if the body is present before cremation for a funeral service with. The casket or a container used in cremation is made of combustible material and may be suitable to contain the body for funeral services. After cremation, the remains (cremains) are buried, stored in a vault or columbaria niche, kept at home, or scattered on private property. Spaces in an urn garden are usually less expensive than a regular cemetery plot. A ceremony or memorial service can still take place, with or without the deceased or remains present. Cremation may involve additional costs for shipping the body to a crematorium (located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Seattle). These expenses should be included in the cost of the funeral arrangements. Ashes may be scattered in a special place. Alaska has no law specifying where the remains may be scattered, except that they may not be scattered near a fresh waster source, lake, stream, well, etc.
Final Resting Place
Cemetery Plot. When choosing a plot, important decisions include: (1) Location – near home or place of birth, (2) Veteran’s or other type of cemetery, (3) religious or ethnic factors, (4) space for spouse and/or family (may be more economical in a private cemetery), (5) the purchase price and any related costs for upkeep (“perpetual care”), (6) costs of opening and closing the grave, (7) restrictions on marker size, shape or placement, and (8) if the plot can be resold.
A columbarium is a niche in a vault that holds an urn containing remains. There is a charge for the niche and for any lettering.
A cemetery garden is a special garden for burying or scattering of cremated remains. There are charges for burying cremated remains.
A mausoleum is an above-ground building where remains are kept. Some have drawer-like compartments (vaults) in the walls for internment above ground. When the casket is in the vault, it is sealed with a special door made of marble or other material to protect the contents. Inscriptions are put directly on the vault door or a plaque installed. Some have crypts with aisles or rooms for visitors. This usually costs more than a cemetery plot.
Burial on private property must first be approved by the Department of Environmental Health (DEH). When the requirements are met, the DEH issues a letter to the coroner who issues a burial permit. Current requirements are: (1) deceased may not have had any communicable disease at the time of death, (2) burial shall be a minimum of six (6) feet below the ground surface, (3) grave sites are to be a minimum of one hundred (100) feet from any stream or lake, (4) deepest depth of the grave shall be a minimum of four (4) feet above the ground water table except in areas of continuous permafrost, where the grave site bottom shall be six (6) feet below grade, (5) burial plots shall be used for the family and friends of the family and shall not be used as a commercial cemetery, (6) the grave site be recorded on the deed to the property, reducing the possibility of legal entanglements should the property be sold, and (7) person requesting the burial must own the property that the body will be buried on and the person must have an attorney cordon (mark) off the burial area on the property deed.
Funerals, Burials, Memorials
There are many options for funeral and memorial and burials. This is when the family can make the experience a memorable one for themselves and the deceased.
 | Visitation or viewing at funeral home or deceased’s home |
| Religious services in a house of worship |
| Services at the funeral home |
| Simple graveside services at cemetery |
| Burial and services on private property |
A funeral usually includes preparation of the deceased, if the deceased is present for the visitation period and a funeral service. Funeral directors will arrange with the church pastor or rabbi for funeral services at the deceased’s place of worship, a private home or other place as the individual and/or the family chooses. A memorial service is a gathering of relatives and friends without the deceased present. This usually takes place after burial or cremation especially when burial is in another town, state, or country.
The director may ask that the family assist in making church arrangements, securing vocalists, flowers, and arrangements for the donation to the church for services. The family should keep the director aware of the family’s wishes in this regard so that he can coordinate all activities to ensure that events run as smoothly as possible. If the funeral director handles such arrangements, he pays for them with a cash advance from the family.
There may also be visitation (also called a “wake”, shivah, or “calling hours”) when the family receives friends (the casket may be open or closed). Those who may not be able to attend the funeral service may want to pay their respects during this time. The funeral home usually has viewing rooms. Many people feel more comfortable holding viewing services in the home of the deceased. This eliminates the cost of viewing rooms at the funeral home, but may add to the cost of transportation of the body.
The least expensive form of traditional
ground burial is a simple graveside services. A donation is necessary if clergy
perform graveside services. Other costs may include transportation, death
certificates, cemetery plot and marker, plus charges for the funeral director’s
professional service.
Fraternal or military service, members of a civic group, fraternal order, or veteran’s organization may honor the deceased at the funeral or memorial service.
Pallbearers are usually family and friends of the deceased. Typically, there are six pallbearers. For those who may not be able to serve, there can be as many as six honorary or alternate pallbearers. Other features and options may be included in the funeral or memorial service. They may be supplied by family, friends or arranged through the funeral director. These features may be according to traditional funeral services based on culture and/or religious preferences of the deceased: Flowers, Music – a recording, singers, and/or musicians, Guest Book – for visitation and/or service, Prayer Cards, Acknowledgment Cards, and Programs. Click here for an Expense List for funerals and burials.
Funeral and burials honor the deceased. Family and friends sharing in the planning and carrying out of arrangements are often the most memorable. These activities provide family and friends with an outlet for grief and time to mourn.
A casket is the oblong receptacle the body is placed directly into for burial: generally made of wood or metal and lined with satin or velvet. This item may be any style or price the family wishes. Before the family visits the casket room, the funeral director provides the family a list of caskets available and the costs. Caskets come in all price ranges so select one that fits the budget. Family and friends can make caskets or urns. Some cemeteries have certain requirement size and shape of the casket. If a grave liner is required, the casket must fit into the liner. It is important to contact the cemetery before staring construction of the casket.
Headstones and plot markers may be of bronze or other metal, wood, marble, granite, concrete, or a combination of metal and stone. They may be upright or flush with ground and purchased from funeral homes, cemeteries, or monument dealers. There may be additional charges for lettering and installation. Family or friends can make markers for private or family cemeteries, which do not have restrictions on types of markers. Headstones and markers usually include shipping only to the funeral home. Further shipping costs to burial place would then have to be added.
Transportation from site of death to funeral home for the body is in a hearse. The basic transportation cost is usually limited to within 20-30 miles radius of the funeral home. If there is to be a church service, the cost of transporting the body and family to the church is included. Limousines are to transport the immediate family from home to any funeral service.
Winter burials, in some areas of the state the ground freezes for many months and can present problems and additional costs. The cemetery holds the body in special vaults until spring. If burial arrangements are with the cemetery holding the body, there may be no additional charge for this service. If survivors have not selected a burial site, or decide to bury the body in a location other than the cemetery storing the body, there may be charges. Some may wish to have the body buried during the winter. This involves specialized equipment to thaw the ground and plow the approach to the burial site. These costs could become prohibitive if the family is not able to provide the equipment and/or the cemetery makes no provisions for winter burials.
