In the middle of Wilton, NH, lies a gem of quality cremation providers – Compassionate Cremation Services of New Hampshire (located in Michaud Funeral Home). Upon arrival, I was met at the door by the owner Carl Michaud, and newly licensed funeral director Michaela Griffin.
As I learned about the history of the funeral home, it was easy to see Carl has a deep passion for helping his community and providing families with genuine empathy and care in their most sensitive time of need. Being a family owned and operated crematory, they are able to provide personalized care to each family they serve.
As I toured Carl’s Crematorium, I was impressed to see how he was able to utilize his background in HVAC design to modify his cremator to reduce the carbon emissions footprint! The thorough set of modifications made by Compassionate Cremation Services of New Hampshire to their cremator prevents heat loss and reduces fuel consumption. This fact also makes him one of the most eco-friendly cremation options available. Compassionate Cremation Services of New Hampshire strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible with their approach to deathcare. Michaud Funeral Home is the first funeral home in the nation to provide Life Forest’s Wool Cremation Burial Shrouds for their families. Life Forest’s Cremation Burial Shroud have received product certification from the Green Burial Council, and upholding standards such as these is an important factor for consideration when Carl brings in products to Michaud Funeral Home.
What is Cremation?
According to The Cremation Association of North America, or CANA, defines cremation as “the mechanical, thermal, or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments. Cremation also includes processing and pulverization of the bone fragments into pieces that are usually no more than one-eighth inch in size.”
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and is an alternative to full body burial. Cremated remains may be buried or interred in memorial sites or cemeteries, or they may be legally retained by next of kin and dispersed in various ways
What is the Cremation Process?
As described by Dr. Caitlyn Hauke, “First the body is prepared and placed in a cremation container. This could be a cardboard container or other rigid, leak-resistant combustible box or casket. After confirming identification, the container is placed inside the cremation chamber, also called a retort. The cremator is essentially an industrial furnace and is heated to temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1800 degrees F. Cremation is an energy consumptive process, with modern cremators typically fueled by oil, natural gas, or propane. The combustion process, the conversion from solids to gasses, takes an average of 2-3 hours for cremation of a typical adult. During the cremation, organic materials are burned off, and the cremated remains leftover are primarily bone fragments, made of dry calcium phosphates. When the cremated remains are removed from the cremator, they are not the fine ash consistency that people associate with cremated remains. This result is achieved after the remains have cooled and are further processed in a device called a cremulator. Any metals left over from the cremation process are removed, and the cremulator grinds the remains using blades to reduce the ashes to less than 1/8 inch in size. Then the remains are bagged and placed in an urn or temporary container to be returned to the family, if desired. The final remains weigh approximately 4-6 lbs.”
Why Choose Cremation?
According to Life Forest’s sponsored class, “Cremation Guidebook”, there are many reasons why people choose cremation for themselves or their loved ones after death. One reason may be cost. Typically, the average cost of cremation tends to be thousands of dollars less than a traditional funeral service and burial. To that end, cremation can also be a simpler process. For example, a person could select direct cremation, in which the body is not embalmed or displayed, and no additional services are selected prior to cremation. Having to make decisions at the time of a loved one’s death can be difficult. To overcome some of that challenge, a direct cremation without a lot of fanfare may be preferred while a family is contending with their grief. Many people choose cremation as they believe it is a more environmentally-friendly option compared to burial. It is true that cremation overall requires less energy input and has less carbon footprint than a traditional, modern burial, with its casket materials, metals, and concrete use. There’s also the thought that cremation has less of a negative environmental impact because it doesn’t require the use of land space like a burial would, so that’s another consideration. People also may choose cremation due to the portability of cremated remains. Today, we live in a society of transient populations that tend to no longer stay in one place like the families of decades ago. Cremated remains can move with family members, or even be split among family members and travel to multiple locations. Related to this, families may choose cremation due to the flexibility of this option. For instance, a cremation can be performed and then funeral services or a celebration of life can be scheduled at a later date that may be more convenient for family members to join together and honor the deceased. The flexibility of having cremated remains also gives families the option to take their time as they work through their grief before having to decide if and what they would like to do with the cremated remains. This affords loved ones the opportunity to explore in more depth the many ways they can choose to honor their loved one using their cremated remains. And with the cremated remains, there is the additional advantage of not having to choose just one way to memorialize a person.
How Do I Plan for the Cremation of a Loved One, or even My Own Cremation?
All cremations are completed by licensed funeral directors, who are also licensed crematory operators. Carl has worked hard to create an environment where families can feel assured that their loved one will be treated with the utmost respect on their journey to their final resting place.
Michaud Funeral Home and Compassionate Cremation Services of NH help support the communities in Merrimack, Hillsborough, Rockingham, Cheshire, Sullivan, Belknap, and Strafford County. To schedule an appointment visit Compassionate Cremation Services of New Hampshire.
Author Credits:
Sayr Rivera works as the Director of Educational Outreach for Life Forest Cemetery. Sayr is also a licensed Funeral Director, Licensed Nursing Assistant and a mom to Bennett, a spry young boy who loves dinosaurs!
Caitlyn Hauke, PhD is President of the Green Burial Council International Board of Directors and Director of Strategic Planning and Development for Life Forest Cemetery in Hillsborough, NH. Caitlyn has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Dartmouth College and serves on the board of her local municipal cemetery.
Image Description:
The photo was taken by Sayr Rivera of Carl Michaud owner of Compassionate Cremation Services of New Hampshire, and licensed Funeral Director Michaela Griffin standing in front of the cremator in which Carl modified to be eco-friendly by reducing the carbon footprint by over 70 percent.
