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What is embalming? - Embalming is preserving deceased human remains with chemicals in order to retard natural decomposition of a deceased person. The chemicals replace blood and other body fluids.
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Why is embalming necessary? - Embalming helps to stop the spread of contagious diseases. Even though a person is deceased, germs, bacteria, and viruses may continue to live. Embalming helps in killing some of these pathogenes and delays decomposition so that plans for a funeral may be completed.
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Why is embalming so costly? - The embalmer's life is always at risk when performing the embalming operation. Professional skill is required in order to accomplish good results. Risks to the embalmer are quite great.
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How long does embalming last?
- Embalming can be effective for many years; however, factors such as weather, soil type, the method of embalming, type of casket, and type of vault can determine the effectiveness
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What is the purpose of a funeral? - A funeral is to celebrate a life that has lived. The funeral gives relatives and friends a chance to show love, respect, and support to the family of the deceased.
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What is a traditional funeral? - A traditional funeral generally consists of viewing, chapel or church service, and committal services at the grave site.
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What is the average cost of a traditional funeral?
- The average cost of a traditional funeral is about $5500.00. This includes basic service fee, professional services, casket, vault, hearse, limousine, staff, and transfer charges.
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What are the methods of payment for a funeral? - Most funeral homes accept insurance policies, society payments, cash, money orders or cashier checks.
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What are protective caskets? - Caskets that have a rubberized seal to help give added protection to the casketed remains. This seal helps to prevent outside elements from entering the casket.
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What are non-protective caskets? - Caskets that lack a protective rubberized seal.
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What are vaults? - Vaults are containers that the casket is placed in at the grave site.
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What is the purpose of vaults? - Vaults give added protection to the casketed remains and they also support the earth when burial is below ground level.
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Of what materials are vaults composed?
- Vaults are mainly made of cement, steel or poly-plastics.
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What is cremation? - Cremation is a process where extreme heat is used to remove all material from the remains. This process leaves the remains in an ash-like consistency which is called cremains.
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What is the cost of cremation? - The average cost of cremation is about $2000.00.
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What is opening and closing? - Opening is digging the grave in preparation for burial. Closing is covering the grave after burial.
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Do the complete funeral home charges include the cemetery charges? - In most cases the funeral home charge does not include the cemetery charge; however, arrangements can be made to include those charges.
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Is it legal for hospitals, doctors, ministers, or others to refer deceased human remains to a funeral home? - It is not legal to refer deceased human remains to a funeral home.
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What is solicitation? - Solicitation is referring deceased human remains to a certain funeral home by the agents of the funeral home, or anyone referring a deceased human body to a funeral home for a fee or for personal gain.
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Why should I purchase merchandise from a funeral home rather than from a casket store?
- Funeral homes can guarantee the merchandise that they sell and funeral homes can purchase their merchandise at a more competitive rate because they buy in large quantity. Funeral homes can provide all services and merchandise at one location.
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Why choose Van Hoose and Steele Funeral Home over other funeral homes? - Van Hoose and Steele Funeral Home has a history of professionalism dating back to 1923. The four embalmers employed at Van Hoose and Steele Funeral Home are National Licensed embalmers. Van Hoose and Steele has four National Licensed Funeral Directors and two State Licensed Funeral Directors.
