Cremations are one of our cremations services. While many people choose to have their loved one’s cremations remains placed in a decorative urn to be displayed in their home, some choose to have their loved one’s cremation remains buried.
While this may sound odd, because we usually think of burial in terms of a body and a casket, there are many reasons why someone would want to bury their loved one’s cremation remains.
First, burying a loved one’s cremation remains in a graveyard or a cemetery gives the deceased’s family a permanent place to visit. It may be that a family already has a family burial plot that was purchased so that all the family members could be buried there.
It may be that the individual is being buried next to a spouse who predeceased them and was buried there. Additionally, it may be that the individual got the burial plot earlier in life and then decided to be cremated later.
Whatever the reason for the burial of cremated remains, most graveyards and cemeteries can accommodate this request. Some cemeteries have designated areas, known as urn gardens, where the urn of a loved one’s cremation remains can be buried in a small plot, while other cemeteries and graveyards bury urns next to caskets.
Regardless of how the cemetery or graveyard, you will need an urn vault for the burial. First, you’ll need to make sure that the urn you choose is an outdoor urn. The funeral director can help you with this selection to ensure that the urn can withstand the elements. Then they will also help you select the urn vault.
There are several reasons why you need an urn vault to house your loved one’s urn. The first reason is because an urn vault will protect the urn. If your loved one’s urn is buried without being placed in an urn vault, it will eventually be damaged or collapse entirely. When an urn is buried, just as with a casket, the earth will settle around it. As heavy equipment – mowers, back hoes, etc. – moves through the graveyard or cemetery, the dirt will shift with the weight and cause the earth around the urn to collapse on it.
For this reason, most cemeteries and graveyards require that urns be buried in an urn vault. If you’ve ever been in a very old cemetery or graveyard that’s still in use, you’ll likely see very uneven ground where many of the earliest caskets are buried. Some of the graves may have collapsed to the point where the outline of the casket, while still covered with earth and grass, is visible.
Not only does the uneven ground make the graveyard or cemetery less attractive, but it also makes it hazardous for people walking through it. This creates a potential premises liability issue for the graveyard or cemetery if someone is injured because the grounds are uneven.
A final reason why an urn vault is needed is if the possibility arises that you want or need to move the urn of your loved one in the future. Although removing urns or caskets from a grave site is rare, there are rare situations why you might need to. The urn vault will protect the urn of your loved one while it’s being relocated. Providing urn vaults is one of the many cremations services we offer. You can depend on our compassionate and experienced team at Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home to help you.