Helpful Terms
Basic Services Fee
a fee charged by the funeral home that the consumer has to pay
Bereaved
the immediate family of the deceased
Burial
a common choice for disposition of a body; remains are put into a casket
and buried in the ground, usually in a cemetery
Burial Insurance
a special type of insurance that pays for funeral services
Burial Liner
encloses the casket in the grave; used to keep the casket from sinking;
made of reinforced concrete and lowered into the grave prior to burial;
a less expensive option than a burial vault; also called grave liner
Burial Vault
encloses the casket in the grave; used to keep the casket from sinking;
also called vault
Cash Advance Fees
fees charged by the funeral home for goods and services it buys from
outside vendors on your behalf
Casket
the term now used for the older term coffin; a receptacle to house
the body
Casketing
placing the body in the casket upon completion of embalming (if chosen
by the consumer), dressing and makeup
Catafalque
a stand on which the casket rests while "in state" and during the funeral
service
Cemetery
a business that offers to sell a person the right to bury or entomb
or scatter a body on their property
Cemetery Deed
the legal document from the cemetery which establishes your right
to bury the deceased in the plot for which you contracted and paid
Cenotaph
an empty tomb or monument erected in memory of a person buried elsewhere
Church Truck
a collapsible catafalque used for funerals
Columbarium
a type of vault with spaces for storing urns containing ashes
Consumer or Customer
the person purchasing the services of a funeral home or crematory or
cemetery
Coroner
a public official who investigates the cause of death if it appears to
be from other than natural causes, or if the deceased had no family
physician
Cortege
the funeral procession
Cosmetology
using cosmetics to restore a life-like appearance to the deceased
Cremains
the cremated remains of the deceased
Cremation
the process of reducing a body to tiny bone fragments through intense
heat; ashes may be scattered, buried, kept at home, or put in a columbarium
Cremation Authorization Form
a form signed by the family or agent authorizing cremation; includes
other information such as disposition of ashes
Crematory
the place where a body is cremated
Crypt
a vault or room used for keeping the remains of the deceased
Custodial Care
fee the funeral home may charge for days that the body is being held
with no other services being provided
Death Certificate
a legal document usually issued by the attending physician; declares
that the death occurred and presenting other pertinent information; authorizes
burial or cremation; in cases where the legal system is involved, the medical
examiner would issue the certificate; a county health director may also
sign; provides proof of death for the family related to the estate
Deceased
the person who has died
Designation of Intentions
a form that the funeral director will complete if you select cremation
stating how the ashes will be handled and notifying the customer that
the funeral home has the right to dispose of the ashes if you do not
claim them within "x" number of days
Disinter
to dig up or remove the remains from the place of burial
Embalming
the process of replacing blood in the body with an antiseptic and preservative
to delay the decay process
Entombment
burial in an above-ground crypt in a mausoleum or in a lawn crypt
Eulogy
a brief speech that celebrates the character and services of the person
who has died
Family Car
the limousine in the funeral procession set aside for the use of the
immediate family
Family Room
a room in the funeral home reserved for the family
Final Rites
the funeral service
First Call
the visit of the funeral director to the place of death for the purpose
of removing the deceased and to secure certain information needed to
proceed with arrangements
Funeral Director
a professional, often licensed, who supervises the burial or cremation
of the deceased and maintains a funeral home to provide these services;
previously called mortician or undertaker
Funeral Home
a building used for the purpose of arranging and conducting funerals;
may include cremations; some allow for tissue donation procedures at
the home; previously called mortuary
Funeral Service
a service, religious or other, conducted in honor of the deceased
General Price List
a list of prices for services and goods that the funeral home is required
by law to provide to a consumer
Grave
an excavation in the earth for the purpose of burying the deceased
Graveside Service
the final service, religious or other, made directly before interment
Green Funeral
one that honors the environment as well as the dead
Hearse
a vehicle designed and used for transporting a casket to the cemetery
Honorary Pallbearers
friends or members of a religious, social or fraternal organization who
act as an escort or honor guard for the deceased; they do not carry
the casket
Immediate or Direct Burial
the disposition of human remains by burial without a formal viewing,
visitation, or ceremony, except for a graveside service
Immediate or Direct Cremation
the disposition of human remains by cremation without a formal viewing,
visitation, or ceremony
In State
the custom of having the deceased presentable for viewing by relatives
and friends prior to or after the funeral service
Interment
the ritual of placing a person in a grave or tomb
Inurnment
the placing of cremated ashes in an urn
Itemized Statement of Services and Merchandise
a list of the specific goods and services you have chosen, the price
of each item, and the total cost (also includes an estimate of the
cash advance fees); this serves as your contract
Mausoleum
a building especially designed to receive entombments; permanent
above ground resting place for the dead
Memorial Donation
a contribution specified to a particular cause or charity in honor of
memory of the deceased
Memorial Service
a service, usually religious, conducted in memory of the deceased
without the remains being present
Monument
the current term for what used to be called a tombstone; sometimes called
a memorial marker
Niche
a space in a wall of a columbarium or mausoleum made for placing urns
containing cremated remains
Obituary
a public notice of the death of a person, usually placed in a newspaper,
that contains information about the person, and may indicate funeral
plans and preferences for memorials
Pallbearers
individuals who carry the casket during funeral service; may be hired
or may be close friends and relatives of the deceased
Perpetual Care Fee
the fee charged by the cemetery to maintain the grave site and grounds
Plot
a specific area of ground in a cemetery purchased by a family or individual
for the right to bury or be buried; usually contains two or more grave
sites
Pre-need Funeral Contract
a contract or agreement that identifies services and goods to be provided,
including the cost, before the services and goods are needed; payment
may be through a trust and/or insurance
Private Service
an invitation only service to honor the deceased; may be held at a place
of worship, a funeral home or a family home
Procession
the process of attendees of the funeral service going, by vehicle, to
the cemetery; usually has a police escort; also term used to apply
to mourners at a church service following the casket as it is brought
into and taken out of the church
Refrigeration Fee
a fee charged by some funeral homes for cooling the body when embalming
is not selected; can be declined by the customer
Register
a book for recording the names of people visiting the funeral home to
pay their respects to the deceased; may be used by the family to record
other meaningful information
Remains
the body of the deceased
Reposing Room
a room of the funeral home where a body lies "in state" from
the time it is put in the casket until the time of the funeral service
Slumber Room
a room equipped with a bed upon which the deceased is placed prior to
being put in the casket on the day of the funeral; the body, appropriately
dressed, lies "in state" on the bed
Tomb
a place for the burial of a body, usually considered underground
Topical Disinfection Fee
external cleansing of the body; can be declined by the customer; included
in the cost of embalming
Transfer of Remains Fee
a fee charged for transporting the body to the funeral home or crematory
Urn
a container into which cremated remains are placed
Visitation
an opportunity for family and friends to view the deceased in private,
usually in a special room within the funeral home
Wake
a vigil (devotional watch) kept over the deceased the night before the
funeral
