What is the significance of a funeral ceremony or memorial service?

How much does a funeral or memorial service cost?

Can I make my funeral arrangements before I die?

How many types caskets exist and why are some more expensive than others?

What is embalming and is it necessary before services are held?

Can a funeral home assist me with Social Security benefits and Veteran death benefits?

What is involved in the cremation process?

Are special cremation containers and caskets available?

Are the services held before or after cremation?

What happens to the cremated remains?

I have already made arrangements and funded mv funeral in advance. What if I move or use another Funeral Home?

What do funeral directors do?

What is the purpose of embalming?

What should I do if the death occurs in the middle of the night or weekend?

What if death occurs away from my home city?

What is the significance of a funeral ceremony or memorial service?

From the beginning of recorded history, societies have honored those who died with a ceremony of some sort. According to beliefs at that time, the purpose of the ceremony was to send the deceased on his or her journey into the after life.

Today, however, many experts agree that the benefits of a ceremony are for those who are left behind after a death. A "closure" of sorts must occur to help survivors adjust to their loss and recognize that a death has occurred. A funeral or memorial service provides the opportunity for friends and family to celebrate the life that was lived, and allows the healing process to begin.

How much does a funeral or memorial service cost

Funeral costs vary depending on the funeral home and type of service selected. There are three types of costs associated with a funeral: (1) services, facilities and automotive equipment provided by the funeral home (2) merchandise such as a casket, alternative container, burial vault, urn, printed funeral folders, acknowledgement cards and a grave marker or monument (3) services provided by other vendors. For example, minister honorarium, soloist and organist honorariums, fees for cemetery/cremation expense, paid obituary notices and any other services requested that are provided by other vendors.

All charges involving the funeral home's services and merchandise are available from our professional staff. Upon request the Nitardy Funeral Home will provide a General Price List of our services, a Casket Price List and an Outer Burial Container Price List.

We can also provide estimates of costs for services provided by other vendors.

Can I make my funeral arrangements before I die?

Yes. Today, pre-arrangement and prepayment of funerals are becoming more common. Prearranging will provide you with more time to review your options and give you a chance to plan your own funeral service. Pre-funding will relieve financial burden and provide your family’s peace of mind that everything has been put in order. Pre-funding may be done in three ways: (1) depositing money at your bank into a funeral trust (2) utilizing an insurance funded burial agreement through Pekin Insurance Company (3) depositing money into the Wisconsin Funeral Director’s Master Trust. Each option has benefits we will explain so you can make an informed choice, and paperwork we will walk you through.

How many types of caskets exist, and why are some more expensive than others?

Caskets are made of either metal (bronze, copper or steel) or wood. Prices vary depending on exterior and interior materials used. For example Bronze, a semiprecious metal, is more expensive than steel. Mahogany, a rare hardwood, is more expensive than the readily available Oak or softwood pine.

What is embalming and is it necessary before services are held?

Embalming is the temporary preservation of a deceased's remains. It is not required by law but is common practice and may be required by the funeral home when a viewing is planned.

Can a funeral home assist me with Social Security benefits, Veteran death benefits and Insurance death claims?

Yes. In fact, the Nitardy Funeral Home will do more than just assist you with securing these. Our staff is trained to complete all necessary paperwork to begin the benefits process and to follow through to ensure that the benefits are secured in a timely manner.

What is involved in the cremation process?

Before cremation occurs, the death certificate must be completed and signed by the attending physician or medical examiner, and all civil and medical authorities must have issued all permits. In addition, necessary authorizations to cremate must be obtained from the necessary authorizing person. The cremation then takes place and the cremated remains are placed in a temporary container or urn selected by the authorizing family member. The cremains can be directly sent to the authorizing family member or the Nitardy Funeral Home.

Are special cremation containers and caskets available?

The Nitardy Funeral Home offers a wide variety of cremation containers and caskets to meet the selecting family's needs.

Are the services held before or after cremation?

Services are held at the discretion of the family. Many choose to have a visitation (viewing) and a traditional service followed by the cremation .

What happens to the cremated remains?

For individuals and families choosing cremation a decision regarding a final resting place must also be made. A cemetery with its many options for final disposition and memorialization provide permanency. A place for family to visit and remember their loved one on important family occasions such as special holidays and anniversaries.

URNS : Usually cremated remains are placed in some type of permanent receptacle, or urn, before being committed to a final resting place. An urn is a container designed to hold cremated remains permanently. It can be constructed from a variety of materials including: hardwoods such as oak, cherry and mahogany; metals such as bronze, copper, brass and pewter; or stone such as granite, marble or cultured marble. An urn should be approximately 3,277 cubic centimeters (200 cubic inches) in capacity. Some families choose to provide their own urn. It is important that such urns be of an appropriate size.

EARTH BURIAL OF THE URN: Among the many options available, a very common choice is burial. If another member of the family has, or does not choose cremation, burial of the cremated remains offers families the flexibility to still be placed to rest near each other.

COLUMBARIUM: A columbarium is an above-ground structure, usually in a cemetery, where an urn is placed in a small compartment called a niche.

SCATTERING: Cremated remains also may be scattered in cemetery gardens especially created and dedicated for this purpose. The location where the cremated remains have been scattered in the garden can be identified by name on a special memorial plaque or marker. Some cemeteries have rose gardens that are designed specifically for the scattering of cremated remains.

You may wish to check with your local city hall to ensure that scattering is not prohibited in your area. Once you have checked and you have decided to scatter the cremated remains, it is highly advisable that a site be chosen with a permanent member that will provide a place of pilgrimage for immediate and future generations who want to remember and celebrate the life of their loved one.

The decision to scatter should be chosen carefully. Although the act of scattering over land or water may have idyllic appeal to some, it is an irreversible decision. Already we are starting to see the emotional results this has had some years later on the survivors, who have come to regret no permanent memorial site. The emotional value of establishing a permanent site is worthy of consideration.

I have already made arrangements and funded my funeral in advance. What if I move to another city or want to use another funeral home?

By making arrangements in advance, you were able to express your own wishes and removed the emotional burden from your family. By funding your funeral in advance, you also relieved the financial burden from your family. Usually, these arrangements can be reestablished with another funeral home and nearly all funding vehicles are transferable by the owner.

What do funeral directors do?

Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body.

Funeral directors are listeners, advisors, and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.

What is the purpose of embalming?

Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and may enhance the appearance of the body disfigured by a traumatic death or illness.

Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

What should I do if the death occurs in the middle of the night or weekend?

Please give us a call. Nitardy Funeral Home is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

What if death occurs away from my home city?

If the death occurs away from either Fort Atkinson on or Cambridge, you should contact the Nitardy Funeral Home as soon as possible. Due to our memberships in world wide professional organizations we are able to handle all of the details involved in returning the remains to the Nitardy Funeral Home for burial or cremation services. Competent personnel answer our phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.