Caskets

Whether you are preplanning for yourself or choosing for a loved one, a casket selection is a very personal decision and an expression of your feelings. A casket that reflects the personality and taste of your loved one can be your final tribute to their life. We understand these needs and offer a wide variety of caskets that can help you make your decision.

Vaults

A burial vault is a protective outer container that the casketed remains are placed in at the grave and sealed closed. They protect the casketed remains, keep the grave intact, and add beauty to the funeral committal setting.

The vault is usually made of two pieces of molded concrete with a liner bonded to the inside of the top and bottom. Some variations of vaults have been in use throughout the 20th century. Cemeteries started requesting them for functional and economic reasons, primarily to reduce maintenance costs. Other reasons for their use are to reduce the disturbances of existing graves by heavy machinery the cemeteries now use, and to have the use of a grave for double and triple deep burials.

In most areas of the country, state or local law does not require that you buy a container to surround the casket in the grave. However, many cemeteries require that you have such a container so that the grave will not sink in.

Advances in vault technology have yielded protective liners that are bonded to the cement and made of asphalt and, more recently, polystyrene plastic. Modern vaults also use much stronger concrete than in the past; tongue and groove designs with butyl sealing compounds to better set and seal the top and bottom pieces of the vault together; and wire mesh or fibers added to the concrete for additional strength. Vaults are so well made that they can carry warranties of up to 100 years, depending on the quality of the vault.

As with the caskets, vaults are made from a variety of materials:

Premium vaults are the finest vaults made. They are usually triple walled with an outer concrete wall, inner reinforced plastic liner and a metal liner. The plastic liner is often made of an ABS fiber-filled plastic. The metal liner is made from bronze, copper or stainless steel. The metal and plastic liners add strength, beauty and shock absorption qualities to the vault. Premium grade vaults normally carry a 75-100 year warranty.

Mid range vaults are double walled with an outer concrete wall and a plastic inner liner. The liner in the Standard range vault is usually non-fiber filled ABS plastic. These vaults often carry a 65 year warranty. They may also have an inner polystyrene plastic liner. This liner is thinner and not as technologically advanced, or as visually appealing, as the ABS liners.

Basic vault models often come with a 50-55 year warranty. These are plain, lined, minimum vaults. If a minimum vault that meets the requirements of the cemetery is all that is desired, this might be an option.

Urns

Memorial Urns are permanent containers for the cremated body. We offer a wide range of styles and prices appropriate for burial, niches, scattering, keepsakes or discreet placement in a home. Your personal plans for the final placement of the urn can play an important part in you selection process. Some urns are ornately designed for display purposes while others are very basic in style. Many of the urns can also be personalized with engravings or laser designs.  The urns we offer come in a variety of natural materials, such as bronze, wood, cultured marble and stone. We also offer smaller keepsake urns, mementos and jewelry.

Urn Vaults

Urn Vaults are protective containers in which urns are commonly placed. In many cases, where families desire to bury the urn-encapsulated remains of their loved one, cemeteries will require the use of an urn vault. Much like burial vaults for caskets, urn vaults protect the urn from being crushed, and protect the ground above them from caving in over time.