1. Embalming is required by law. Embalming is NEVER required for the first 24 hours. In many states, it’s not required at all under any circumstances. Refrigeration is almost always an alternative to embalming if there will be a delay before final disposition. 2. Embalming protects the public health. There is NO public health purpose served by embalming. In fact, the embalming process may create a health hazard by exposing embalmers to disease and toxic chemicals. In many cases, disease can still be found in an embalmed body. A dead body is less of a threat to public health than a live one that is still coughing and breathing.3. An embalmed body will last like the “beautiful memory picture” forever. Mortuary-type embalming is meant to hold the body only for a week or so. Ultimately, the body will decompose, even if it has been embalmed. Temperature and climate are more influential factors affecting the rate of decomposition.4. Viewing is necessary for “closure” after a death. When the death has been anticipated, family members have already started their “good-byes.” There is relatively little need to see the body to accept the reality of death. In fact, according to a 1990 Wirthlin study commissioned by the funeral industry, 32% of those interviewed found the viewing experience an unpleasant one for various reasons.5. “Protective” caskets help to preserve the body. While sealed caskets may keep out air, water, and other outside elements for a while, the body will decompose regardless. In fact, a sealed casket interferes with the natural dehydration that would otherwise occur. Fluids are released from the body as it begins to decompose, and the casket is likely to rust out from the inside.6. “Protective” or sealed vaults help to preserve the body. Nothing the traditional funeral industry sells will preserve the body forever. If there is a flood, however, such vaults have popped out of the ground and floated away.  7. Coffin vaults are required by law. NO state has a law requiring burial vaults. Most cemeteries, however, do have such regulations because the vault keeps the grave from sinking in after decomposition of the body and casket, reducing maintenance for the cemetery workers. Grave liners are usually less expensive than vaults. 8. Vaults are required for the interment of cremated remains. Alas, with the increasing cremation rate, many cemeteries are making this claim, no doubt to generate more income. There is no similar safety reason as claimed for using a casket vault. Any cemetery trying to force such a purchase should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission for unfair marketing practices: 877-FTC-HELP.       9. What is left after the cremation process are ashes. When people think of “ashes” they envision what you’d find in the fireplace or what’s left over after a campfire. However, what remains after the cremation process are bone fragments, like broken seashells. These are pulverized to a small dimension, not unlike aquarium gravel.10. Cremated remains must be placed in an urn and interred in a cemetery lot or niche. There is no reason you can’t keep the cremated remains in the cardboard or plastic box that comes from the crematory. In ALL states it is legal to scatter or bury cremated remains on private property (with the land-owner’s permission). Cremation is considered “final disposition” because there is no longer any health hazard. 11. It is a good idea to prepay for a funeral, to lock in prices. Funeral directors selling preneed funerals expect the interest on your money to pay for any increase in prices. They wouldn’t let you prepay unless there was some benefit for the funeral home, such as capturing more market share or being allowed to pocket some of your money now. Prepaid funeral money is NOT well-protected against embezzlement in most states. Furthermore, if you were to move, die while traveling, or simply change your mind—from body burial to cremation, perhaps—you may not get all your money back or transferred to a new funeral home. The interest on your money, in a pay-on-death account at your own bank, should keep up with inflation and will let you stay in control. 12. With a preneed contract, I took care of everything. There are over 20 items found on many final funeral bills that cannot be included in a preneed contract because these items are purchased from third parties and cannot be calculated prior to death. Extra charges after an autopsy, clergy honoraria, obituary notices, flowers, the crematory fee or grave opening are typical examples. All such items will be paid for by the decedent’s estate or family, in addition to what has already been paid for in the preneed contract.13. Insurance is a good way to pay for a funeral. Interest accrued by an insurance policy may be outpaced by funeral inflation and is generally less than what is earned by money in a trust. When a funeral is paid for with funeral insurance, either the funeral director will absorb the loss (and many reluctantly do)—OR figure out a way for your survivors to pay a little more: “The casket your mother picked out is no longer available. You’ll have to pick out a new one, and the price has gone up.”If what you have is life insurance, not funeral insurance, it may be considered an asset when applying for Medicaid. In that case, you’ll have to cash it in, getting pennies on the dollar. The same may be true if you’re making time payments on your funeral insurance, and, in hard times, you decide to stop making payments. In fact, the company may be able to keep everything you paid, as “liquidated damages.”14. If you have a Living Will you won’t linger on with a lot of feeding tubes and extraordinary measures. One of the findings from a major study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was that hospitals often fail to comply with Living Wills. The Living Will is more likely to be honored when there is an aggressive family member to intercede, especially if that person also has a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.

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(NAPSA)—When a loved one dies, grieving family members and friends often are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral—all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress.  Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars arranging more than two million funerals for family members and friends.  The increasing trend toward pre-need planning—when people make funeral arrangements in advance—suggests that many consumers want to compare prices and services so that ultimately, the funeral reflects a wise and well-informed purchasing decision,  as well as a meaningful one.  The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) offers seven steps to help shop for funeral products and services pre-need: 1. Shop around in advance.   Compare prices from at least two funeral homes.  Remember that you can supply your own casket or urn.  2. Ask for a price list. The law requires funeral homes to give you written price lists for products and services.  3.  Resist pressure to buy goods and services you don’t really want or need.  4. Avoid emotional over-spending.  It’s not necessary to have the fanciest casket or the most elaborate funeral to properly honor a loved one.   5. Recognize your rights.  Laws regarding funerals and burials vary from state to state.  It’s a smart move to know which goods or services the law requires you to purchase and which are optional.   6. Apply the same smart shopping techniques you use for other major purchases.  You can cut costs by limiting the viewing to one day or one hour before the funeral, and by dressing your loved one in a favorite outfit instead of costly burial clothing.  7. Plan ahead. It allows you to comparison shop without time constraints, creates an opportunityfor family discussion, and lifts some of the burden from your family.  In addition, if you are planning your own service, it’s a good idea to review and revise your decision every few years.  The FTC also offers a consumer guide to funeral planning, complete with a price checklist, glossary of terms, a description of services, information sources and a list of questions to ask. To request a copy of Funerals, A ConsumerGuide, or for additional information,call 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit the Web site at www.ftc.gov

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              When we think of pre-need, we tend to shy away from this topic altogether, because it pertains to our death.  Nobody likes to think of death.  The finality of it is astounding, but if we will be a realist, we must think of it.  Many wait until we die and left with the responsibility, are our loved ones.  They are the ones who will make the decision for your monument, your caskets and all the details concerning your funeral.  They will assume they knew what you had wanted, be it just plain or elaborate.  Pre-arranging also spares your loved ones the stress of making these decisions especially when under pressure with time and when strong emotions are prevalent. 

      When you choose to go with pre-need, the burden is lifted off of the ones we love.  You can be confident in us for helping arrange your pre-needs.  We offer not only monuments, but caskets, urns, urn vaults, cemetery accessories.  We do home visits at your convenience, to the surrounding area.       We offer a variety of different packages that consist of caskets, monument, urn and urn vaults.  Prices would include the storage of the casket or urn and vault if needed.   When the time comes, we will deliver it to the funeral home in a timely fashion (this option is available to the surrounding area).   We are dedicated to our customers and will fulfill their wishes.   If unable to get to us, you can call for an appointment and we will be happy to come to your home.  (This option is available to the surrounding area only)

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Did you know that the average funeral is costing NOW an average of $4,000—$10,000.  There is NO reason for a funeral to cost no more than $3,500 with same amount of respect, dignity and compassion for the one lost and their families.

Why don’t we let the funeral homes do what they are trained to do—Care for the remains of your loved ones with respect and dignity.  Let Sheboygan Monument Co. provide you with the funeral/cemetery products of the highest quality at the best prices.  COMPARE AND SAVE.

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It’s all About the Dash…Inspired by the book Soul Cravings, written by Erwin McManus         Have you ever taken a walk through a cemetery?  I know, many of you will think that, that’s not their first choice of a destination to go for a walk.  Well, if you have, you probably enjoyed looking at the different monuments and of course the dates.    You begin to ponder on what their life was like.   You will see the year they were born –“dash”, death year:  You start to contemplate about the years they lived, the DASH years, what they must have seen and done during that time.  What were they like (personality)?  What did they like to do?  Did they accomplish what they wanted in their lifetime?  The point is, if you did not know the person on a personal level, you’ll never know them.          This is a perfect way to memorialize this person.  Imagine having a loved one remembered for what they were like, what they accomplished, what they enjoyed, their family, character/personality, and the list goes on.  Think of how you remembered that person.  You will want others to know what they were all about.  To memorialize someone is to show your love for them.  When you take your time in picking out the memorial and/or online to personalize an everlasting memory, others will be able to feel this love you have for this individual.          You will have opportunity to honor them the way you see fit.  You can tell of those “dash” years in your words.  Others who knew of them will see the kind of person they were and if they have any memories of the individual, they will have the opportunity to add to the memorial.  You can create their life history in a matter of words and pictures.   

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Sheboygan Monument serves the needs of families who choose a monument after burial, and also supports the needs of the growing population of people who choose cremation and cremation memorial products.

Families that choose cremation do not differ from families who choose burial in the need to memorialize their loved one.

For families who choose cremation we carry a wide selection of columbariums, cremorials, urn vaults, memorial benches, cremation urns, and keepsake urns.

A columbarium serves as a niche to house the cremains of one or more loved ones in a freestanding unit. A columbarium is placed at the cemetery as the final public resting place of your loved ones cremains.

An example of a double columbarium.

An urn vault is just that- a concrete or metal vault that houses cremains and then is buried. Most cemetery lots will facilitate the burial of two urn vaults in a single plot. A memorial or monument can then be selected to mark the place of final resting.

A bronze and granite individual cremorial.

Cremorials come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some cremorials are made to blend into the natural surroundings and may look like a natural rock or boulder. Another type of cremorial is a bronze and granite flat marker that can house single or double cremains. Not only is this type of cremorial cored to house the cremains, but it also serves as a memorial marker.

A cored memorial bench that can house up to two cremains.

Cored memorial benches are becoming a popular selection for families that choose cremation. Memorial Benches can be personalized with the family name, up to two personal names, and dates of birth and death.

A bronze and granite cremation urn.

Sheboygan Monument has a large selection of cremation urns. Cremation urns come in a large variety of shapes, designs and sizes. Cremation urns can be crafted from marble, metals such as bronze and other cast metals, and granite.

Keepsake urns are smaller sized urns to be shared with family.

Keepsake urns are not full sized urns; rather they are a smaller size that is meant to be shared with family and friends as a keepsake of your loved one. Some keepsake urns can be personalized with a name plate as the ones seen above.

Sheboygan Monument carries a large selection of memorial products and monuments to insure you find the exact Last Tribute you desire. If you do not see something in our online catalog that you are looking for please feel free to give us a call.

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The Sheboygan Monument Company has been in business for fifty-two years and is a trusted name in cemetery monuments and memorial products. We strive to meet our customers every expectation in providing a lasting tribute to their loved ones that have passed away.

The Sheboygan Monument web site.

Sheboygan Monument has recently established our catalog of cemetery monuments, memorials, and cremation products online at www.sheboyganmonument.com - to facilitate a need for customers to be able to shop for memorials in the privacy and comfort of their own home.

Many myths abound in the purchasing of cemetery monuments and headstones. Consumers in the market for a monument may believe the only options available are the options provided by the funeral homes at the time of their loved ones passing. It is often at the time of grief, that a customer makes a decision about the memorial of their loved one that later on may not prove to be the desired tribute they initially intended for their loved one.

Sheboygan Monument can help with preplanning and purchasing of a memorial and making sure that the tribute you select and personalize is as close to perfect now as it will be in the future. We believe that memories are precious and that the memorial monument you select for your loved one is a lasting tribute to the unique qualities and extraordinary life of your loved one.

Selecting a monument should be done with careful consideration and in a setting that allows the buyer to feel relaxed and not rushed into a sale or choice that they may not have made had they not felt pressured. We at Sheboygan Monument believe that you know best what type of monument should be the lasting tribute that showcases the special qualities of your loved one. We will not rush or pressure you into buying a monument or memorial that does not best meet your needs.

The name you can trust.

Not only do we believe that our customers should feel comfortable when selecting memorial products, we also believe in providing as much information as possible to our customers to insure that they are able to make an informed decision. Since, a marble or granite monument is made to last for generations. It is important that just the right monument is chosen and carefully personalized.

Not only do we provide the information needed for pricing and personalization considerations, but we can help you in every step of the way regarding cemetery regulations and the maintenance of your monument.

Shopping online for a memorial or monument is not an impersonal experience at Sheboygan Monument. We are always happy to answer your questions and speak to you directly regarding the selection of a cemetery monument.

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