cremation
Cremation Options
If your family has chosen cremation, we offer affordable services that help celebrate the life of your loved one while giving you several options for a public gathering, and a final resting place.
Traditional Funeral Service Followed by Cremation
Many families find meaning and beauty in a traditional funeral service. With a traditional service combined with cremation, you can still choose to have a final viewing, visitation or wake, and a funeral service. However instead of in-ground burial, the funeral will be followed by cremation. Depending on your wishes, the cremated remains may be either returned to your family in an urn, scattered, or interred in a columbarium. This option will include fees for the funeral services as well as the fees associated with the cremation itself.
Memorial Service
The memorial service can be held in one of our indoor or outdoor gathering spaces, a church, or any other venue the family chooses. We work with our families to design a service that honors their loved one with stories, music, or scripture. We also have celebrants that lead services when clergy is not available or desired. Our celebrants are trained in creating experiences that help start the healing process.
Graveside Service
Graveside services following cremation offer a meaningful way to honor your loved one with a final act of remembrance. This intimate gathering at the burial site of the urn provides a quiet moment for family and friends to reflect, share memories, and say goodbye in a peaceful setting. Whether simple or ceremonial, it’s a heartfelt way to bring closure and lay your loved one to rest with dignity.
Direct Cremation
Direct cremation involves the transportation of the deceased from the home, hospital, nursing facility, or coroner's office to our crematory facilities. It also includes the completion of all required paperwork. There are no formal memorial services and your loved one’s ashes are promptly returned to the family.
We maintain a fleet of white vehicles suitable for many service options.
Creekside Crematory
Family and friends can be present for the cremation if they choose. Please call and speak with one of our work family members. We can answer any questions that you have about cremation and Creekside Crematory.
Creekside Crematory is a clean, calm and thoughtfully designed space. It overlooks trees and sits alongside Mitchell Creek.
Some families have wanted to have a service at Creekside Crematory. Ask us about your options.
7 Questions To Ask Regarding Cremation
- Who owns your crematory? We own our crematory property. Your loved one never leaves our care. We believe in complete transparency and you can accompany your loved one to the crematory.
- Is your crematory in Traverse City? Yes - our crematory is located off Three Mile Road in Traverse City. Many other cremation providers in our area have to go to another county for cremation.
- Can I visit or tour the crematory prior to, during or after the cremation? Yes, we would be honored to give you a tour and answer any questions. We will schedule a time to meet that works for you.
- How do I know the cremation will be done with care and respect? Our crematory manager has been trained and certified through the National Funeral Directors Association Certified Cremation Specialist program. He has also been trained specifically to use our state of the art equipment by Facultative. He treats each person with care and respect and is honored to help with this process.
- Is your crematory clean? Yes. We believe that a clean facility is indicative of the level of care provided. We built our crematory in 2020 and selected what we believe to be the best, most efficient equipment in the world. We maintain all of our equipment to the highest standards. We do not cut corners. Period.
- How do I know the cremated remains are that of my loved one? The best way to know is to accompany your loved one to the crematory. You can spend time with your loved one at the crematory, start the cremation process and even wait while the process takes place and then immediately take the remains home if you would like. This ranges from 3 - 6 hours, but if it gives you peace of mind, we want you to do so. Peace of mind is so important.
- If you do not wish to stay or go to the crematory, rest assured that we have several steps in place to ensure that the cremated remains of your loved one will be returned to you. We utilize a tracking system and each step is verified by at least two people to ensure accuracy.
- How fast will I get the cremated remains back after the death has occurred? Good question. This varies based on a few factors. For cremation to take place we must obtain a death certificate from the physician caring for your loved one and a cremation permit from the county medical examiner. The county medical examiner reviews every death certificate to make sure an autopsy is not needed. In general, cremation will take place within 12 hours to 5 days after the passing. We do everything we can to expedite the cremation process if this is important to you. Please share with your funeral director if expedited service is important to you.
