Though it may be difficult to consider, you may benefit from thinking about how you would like your body to be handled after you pass away. This helps to ensure your funeral services are handled the way you want and also helps to alleviate loved ones’ stresses. Here are a few of the reasons why you should consider funeral pre-planning:

Have Things Your Way Regardless of whether you wish to be buried or cremated, planning your funeral services in advance gives you the freedom to choose how you want your services handled. You can make as few or as many specific decisions as you would like—either way, you can ensure that your funeral services are the way you want them to be.

Spare Your Loved Ones Emotional Stress Pre-planning your funeral spares your loved ones the stress and uncertainty that come with making critical and permanent decisions at a time of emotional duress. Even if you do not make comprehensive plans for your funeral, your few decisions could go a long way toward helping to alleviate your loved ones stresses. Additionally, your loved ones will not be left wondering whether the decisions they make are in line with your wishes.

Provide Financial Certainty When you pre-plan your funeral, you typically have the option of paying for it in advance. If you are in a position to cover your own funeral expenses, you will spare your loved ones another burden and feel even more at ease about what will happen to you after you pass.

Are you ready to make advanced arrangements for your funeral? If so, a funeral service provider at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland can help you. To find out more about the full range of funeral services from which you can choose, including cremation, call us at (510) 654-0123.

When planning a loved one’s funeral , there are a number of factors to consider. In addition to reflecting the personality of the individual whose life you are commemorating, you should think about the person’s background and how this may play a role in the funeral options you choose.

Watch this video to learn how religious affiliations, family tradition, and ethnic heritage can affect decisions about funeral services. Funeral location, ceremony, method of handling the body, and even the time of day at which the funeral is held can all be affected by culture and tradition.

If you are looking for a full-service funeral home and crematory, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123. Our beautiful and historic buildings are the perfect place to lay your loved one to rest.

Chapel of the Chimes has been honored to serve the Cynthia Rodriguez family.  If you would like to make a donation for Cynthia’s cemetery arrangements please contact Karee Korell the Location Manager at Chapel of the Chimes at 510-228-3214 or you can mail in your donation to the address below.  Cynthia’s family would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words during this difficult time.

Chapel of the Chimes

Attn:  Karee Korell

4499 Piedmont Ave

Oakland, CA 94611

Visitation will be held at Chapel of the Chimes, Friday, August 24, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Funeral Service will be held, Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick Church 1023 Peralta St. Oakland, CA 94607

Cremation has been practiced in some parts of the world for thousands of years. In the United States, however, the choice of cremation as part of the funeral process has only recently become prevalent. If you are pre-planning your funeral or making arrangements for a loved one who has recently passed away, educate yourself about cremation to help you make the important decision between burial and cremation.

• Benefits of Cremation
  Depending on your preferences and priorities, cremation may offer several advantages over a traditional burial. When the most basic options are chosen, cremation is generally cheaper than burial. Cremation is also typically a more environmentally friendly way to handle of a loved one’s body.
• Cremation Process
  During cremation, a body is inserted into a cremation chamber, where it is exposed to temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This intense heat reduces the body to bone fragments, often referred to as cremated remains or ashes.
• Ceremony Options
  Before a body is cremated, a family can choose to hold a viewing, just like the viewing that can be held for a full-body burial. Individuals can also choose a direct cremation. With both options, a funeral service or memorial can still be held.
• Cremated Remains
  You can choose to scatter some or all of the cremated remains in a place that held some sort of significance to the loved who has recently passed away. Any ashes that are not scattered can be stored below the ground, in an above-ground urn, or in columbarium.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland provides a full range of funeral and cremation services. Our historic chapel is a beautiful place to honor your loved one with a special ceremony, and our cemetery and columbarium are idyllic places for the storage of your loved one’s remain. If you are in need of funeral planning assistance, call (510) 654-0123 to speak with a dedicated and compassionate funeral service provider.

The times following a loved one’s death can be extremely difficult. If you’ve found our recent posts helpful, take a look at some of the resources below.

• If your loved one was a veteran, learn about military funeral honors from this page from VA.gov.
   
• If you aren’t sure whether your loved one’s veteran’s benefits extend to you or your family, this guide from Funerals.org can help.
   
• This article reviews the Chapel of the Chimes grounds and exhibits.
   
• JazzWest.com gives you a look at Jazz at the Chimes , a popular concert series that is hosted at Chapel of the Chimes.
   
• Learn a bit more about our beautiful funeral facilities in this blurb from the San Francisco Chronicle .

For more information about any of our end-of-life services , call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland today at (510) 654-0123.

Choosing a place for your loved one to reside after death can be an emotional challenge. At Chapel of the Chimes, we provide a wide array of funeral, burial, and cremation options so that you can choose what is right for your family. Our facilities extend over one and a half blocks, and our buildings are considered to be some of California’s most beautiful and historic due to their gothic, romantic décor.

Cremation Chapel of the Chimes is the most desired cremation facility in the Bay area. Our original structure contained the first electric crematorium in the world. Since then, our columbarium—a location dedicated to the placement and memorialization of cremated remains—has expanded to include both indoor and weather-resistant outdoor niches. We offer placements for a single urn, couples, or entire families. Choosing cremation does not limit your funeral service options—we offer memorial services either before or after the cremation.

Entombment Our mausoleums, which were added by architect Aaron Green in 1959, make Chapel of the Chimes one of the most comprehensive end-of-life services providers. The mausoleum additions to the original columbarium structure allows for the above-ground entombment of casketed remains.

Traditional Burial In addition to entombment and cremation services, Chapel of the Chimes also provides traditional, in-ground burial services. You may pick the location, custom headstone, and service options for your loved one.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland was founded in 1909 and has strived to provide the most comprehensive end-of-life services for our customers ever since. Our buildings and grounds are praised for their design and beauty. We also offer pre-planning services, and we can discuss all of your options with you to help you make the right decision. Call us today at (510) 654-0123 to find out more.

When choosing a resting place for your deceased loved one, it’s important to consider the facilities and the services available. At Chapel of the Chimes Oakland, we offer a wide variety of end-of-life services, including cremation, above-ground entombment, funeral services , and traditional burial.

This video provides a virtual tour of our grounds. It allows you to see our mausoleums, columbarium, and funeral service locations, as well as the rest of our décor and grounds.

Chapel of the Chimes  in Oakland is a beautiful location for your deceased loved one to reside in. If you have questions, or if you would like to tour the grounds in person, call us today at (510) 654-0123.