Cremation Service Options

Cremation Services in Ringtown, PA

At Stauffer-Breznik Funeral Home, we are the only funeral home in Schuylkill County that owns and operates our own crematory. This means your loved one never leaves our care throughout the entire cremation process, providing families with the peace of mind and trust they deserve during this difficult time. Our commitment to dignity, transparency, and compassionate service has made us the trusted choice for cremation services in Ringtown, PA and surrounding communities since 1951.


Whether you choose direct cremation, cremation with a memorial service, or a traditional viewing followed by cremation, our licensed funeral directors will guide you through every option with patience and respect for your family's wishes and budget.

Black cremation urn with silver leaf design, sitting on a wooden table, greenery in the background.

Pennsylvania Cremation Requirements

In Pennsylvania, cremation requires specific documentation including a signed death certificate, state-issued cremation permit, authorized permit from the county coroner, and authorization from next of kin. State law mandates a 24-hour waiting period after death before cremation can occur. Our experienced staff handles all paperwork and permit requirements, ensuring compliance with Pennsylvania regulations.

The Cremation Process

Your loved one is placed in a cremation container and introduced into the cremation chamber where temperatures reach approximately 1800°F. After about three hours, the organic matter is consumed, leaving bone fragments that are then processed into fine particles called cremains. These are placed in your chosen urn or a temporary container.

Urns and Cremains Care

We offer a beautiful selection of urns in wood, ceramic, marble, and precious metals to honor your loved one's memory. Cremated remains can be kept in your home, interred in a cemetery plot, placed in a columbarium niche, or scattered in a meaningful location. Our staff will notify you promptly when ashes are ready and safeguard the urn until you are prepared to receive it.

The Benefits of Cremation

While there are many reasons a family in  might choose cremation over traditional burial, the decision often comes down to six main factors: cost, simplicity, flexibility, environmental concerns, cemetery space availability, and evolving religious views. Cremation can be a more affordable option, especially for those looking to reduce funeral expenses. It also offers greater simplicity in planning and allows for more flexible memorial services, which can be scheduled at a later date to accommodate loved ones. Additionally, as people become more environmentally conscious, cremation is often seen as a greener alternative. With limited cemetery space in some areas and many faiths becoming more accepting of cremation, it continues to grow in popularity as a meaningful and practical choice.

Two egg-shaped black urns on a wooden table, decorated with silver doves. A small keepsake urn sits next to a larger one.

Cost

As with most major purchases today, money is almost always a deciding factor for most people. When you look at the general price list for most funeral homes, you will often find that the cost of a cremation service is less than a burial service. On average, the price of a cremation service is around 45-50% cheaper than a burial service. Because there is no need to purchase items like a casket, vault, or headstone, families can use these savings to help the surviving family or offset the costs of the service. These savings can also be used to plan a more meaningful celebration of life or memorial service.

Environmental Concerns

Many see cremation as a greener option for caring for their loved one's remains. Burial often uses harsh chemicals to embalm the remains for a funeral service. This leads to concerns that those chemicals can contaminate the environment. Burial also takes up land space and disturbs the earth by bury the casket. While a crematory does release emissions, new equipment is constantly being developed to reduce the pollution and environmental impact.

Cemetery Availability

If a particular cemetery is a popular or desired place to be buried, eventually it will become full. More and more cemeteries are becoming completely full, and due to short supply of spaces the price of burial plots is in turn, increasing. Cremation allows you to avoid the trouble and stress of finding a burial plot.

Simplicity

Simplicity is another reason why cremation is better for most families. When planning a burial service for a loved one, you must spend time away from your family to select a cemetery, organize pallbearers, purchase a casket, and complete many other tasks. Cremation services in Ringtown, PA offers a more simplified process which requires less of your time away from your family. This means you can spend the days following your loved one’s passing with family and friends as you comfort one another and mourn together.

Flexibility

A cremation service also allows for more flexibility. Since you can host a celebration of life or a memorial service weeks or even months after the cremation, you are not constrained by time. This means you can take your time to plan a more meaningful service and ensure guests can plan ahead and schedule themselves to be there. Furthermore, celebrations of life and memorial services do not operate on common traditions and rituals that traditional funerals do. Celebrations of life and memorial services give you the flexibility to make the ceremony much more personal and unique. They can take place almost anywhere and can take any type of format and style that you want.

Religions Becoming Less Strict

Many people are starting to move away from tradition due to religions having a more relaxed stance on cremation. Catholics believe that the soul is immortal and does not depend on the physical body. Since cremation of the deceased's remains do not affect his or her soul, according to the Church, there are no doctrinal objections to the practice (Bryner, 2016). The less strict beliefs of the Catholic church are becoming another reason that people are choosing cremation rather than burial. 

A small, ornate silver and tan urn rests on a patterned, square platform against a green background.

Types of Cremation Services We Offer

At Stauffer-Breznik Funeral Home, we offer three main cremation service options to meet your family's needs. Direct Cremation is our most affordable option where cremation occurs promptly after death with ashes returned to the family. Cremation Followed by Memorial Service allows families to hold a meaningful ceremony after cremation at our facility, a church, or location of your choice. Viewing Followed by Cremation is our most popular option, providing families the opportunity for a traditional viewing before cremation takes place.

Cremation Costs Explained

Cremation service costs include professional service charges, selected merchandise such as urns, and cash advancements for items like death certificates and newspaper obituaries. At Stauffer-Breznik Funeral Home, we offer flexible payment options including insurance policy assignment (the most common form), pre-arranged and pre-paid funeral plans, cash or check payments with discounts for prior arrangements, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover). We work with every family to tailor services that fit their budget without compromising on dignity.

Schedule a Cremation Consultation Today

Our experienced funeral directors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to discuss your cremation options. We provide the same attention to simple preplanning discussions as we do to funeral service arrangements. Call us at (570) 889-3804 or visit our fully handicapped-accessible facility at 412 W Main St, Ringtown, PA to speak with our caring staff. We offer daytime, evening, and weekend appointments to accommodate your schedule.

FAQ

  • How long does the cremation process take in Pennsylvania?

    Pennsylvania law requires a 24-hour waiting period after death before cremation can occur. The cremation process itself takes approximately 3 hours, after which the cremated remains are processed and returned to the family in an urn or temporary container, typically within a few days of the service.

  • Can we still have a viewing or funeral service if we choose cremation?

    Yes, absolutely. Many families choose to hold a traditional viewing and funeral service before cremation, which is actually our most common cremation arrangement. You can also hold a memorial service after cremation with the urn present, or schedule a committal service at a cemetery or meaningful location.

  • What documents are required for cremation in Pennsylvania?

    Pennsylvania requires four documents before cremation can proceed: a signed death certificate, a state-issued cremation permit, an authorized permit from the county coroner where the death occurred, and written authorization from the legal next of kin. Our staff handles all of this paperwork on your behalf.

  • What can be done with cremated remains after the service?

    Families have many options for cremated remains. You can keep them at home in a decorative urn, inter them in a cemetery plot or columbarium niche, scatter them at a meaningful location (with landowner permission for private property), or choose our ocean scattering service in Key West, Florida. There are no Pennsylvania laws restricting what you can do with cremated remains.