When a death occurs, a call is placed by a family member or health care professional to The Cremation Center of Indiana to notify us of the death. Our professional staff will make arrangements to transport your loved one into our care.

Once your loved one arrives in our care and it is determined that they will be cremated, a metal identification tag is placed around their ankle and logged into our records. This ID tag will remain with your loved one throughout the cremation process.

Since cremation is final, we require the family make a visual identification before the cremation. The Funeral Director will schedule a day and time with the family to make the visual identification. If the family does not wish to make the identification, you may appoint someone to make the identification on your behalf. If the family choses a public viewing and service prior to the cremation, that would fulfill the requirement for identification.

The State requires a 48-hour waiting period before cremation can take place. It is also required that we have a completed cremation authorization form signed by the next of kin, a completed Burial Transit Permit and a Death Certificate signed by the Physician and filed at the county Board of Health or a Coroner’s Release to Cremate. Often times the arrangements, family identification and the completion of the final paperwork usually fall within the 48 hour waiting period and the cremation can proceed after the 48 hour period, providing all of the requirements have been fulfilled.

When all of the State requirements are met and the family ID is completed, your loved one is ready to be cremated. At this time your loved one is brought into the cremation area and our crematory operator does a final check before the cremation. The crematory operator checks the ID tag and confirms the name and number assigned to your loved one. Your loved one is then checked for any items that cannot enter the cremation chamber with them such as jewelry, pain pumps, pacemakers, PVC pipe (used in donors) or any items placed with your loved one by family and friends that may contain batteries. Once this final inspection takes place your loved one is ready to be cremated.

Once the cremation is complete, your loved one’s cremated remains are removed from the cremation chamber. Any foreign material is removed, such as metal from bridgework, prosthetic devices are discarded. The cremated remains are then processed down to a consistent size and shape. Our staff will then place your loved ones cremated remains into the urn that was selected by the family. Your loved ones cremated remains are then delivered by our staff to the cemetery or returned to you to the final destination of your choice.

Most often, families that choose cremation have a special place in mind to place their loved one’s cremated remains.  They may choose a grave, niche, mausoleum or scattering garden located in a cemetery. Or they may choose to scatter in the ocean or a lake. However, there are times when the family is unsure on what they want to do. Often in those times, a loved one’s cremated remains will end up on a shelf of a closet or left in the trunk of a car. Hardly the way anyone should or want to be remembered!

When uncertainty or differences as to where to place the cremated remains, we can offer an alternative compromise. A portion of the cremated remains, usually a half a cup full, can be permanently placed in a cemetery “ossuary”, which is an in ground scattering receptacle. This would allow the family to have a permanent location to come and visit the memory of their loved one, while giving the family the time needed to make the best decision for the final resting place. The name of your loved one can be placed on a small bronze plaque and installed near the ossuary or carved into a natural stone at the site to memorialize their life.

Your Funeral Professional will discuss these and other options with you to help you determine what may be the best for your needs.