Frequently Asked Questions
Trusting your loved one to someone for cremation, an irreversible process, is a very serious decision, and these questions should be easily answered. If you prepay your cremation, then question #2 is very important – and almost impossible for a business to answer unless the business owns their own crematory.
With Cremation Advocates by Putnam, your loved one never leaves our expert and loving care. What sets us apart from most funeral homes is that the Putnam team owns and operates the only crematory in the Highland Lakes area, and reserves its use exclusively for Putnam client families. As there are only around 150 crematories to serve the approximately 1,350 active funeral homes in the state of Texas, and cremations exceeded 80,000 in 2015 (data provided by the Texas Funeral Service Commission), most crematories in Texas have turned into industrial or warehouse operations that service several different funeral homes at once, raising questions of quality control and accountability. Consumers are usually unaware that their loved one has left the care of the chosen funeral home and sent elsewhere to be cremated. In many cases, the sending funeral home has not inspected their chosen cremation facility or does not bother to conduct ongoing inspections. Cremation Advocates by Putnam provides client families the peace of mind that their loved one will be cremated in our private facility exclusively reserved for our clients.
We are happy to schedule a tour of our facilities and answer any questions regarding cremation, identification procedures, and routine operations of our crematory.
Unlike other cremation providers, Cremation Advocates by Putnam will personally deliver your loved ones remains to you if you reside within a 150-mile radius of Marble Falls. We will only ship the remains of your loved one by your request or if delivery falls outside of the 150-mile radius.
If a business does not answer these questions to your satisfaction, then follow your intuition and place your trust in Cremation Advocates by Putnam.
Where do you contract your cremations?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: Our on-site crematory is reserved exclusively for our client families, thus eliminating the need for an intermediary. We are the only crematory in the Highland Lakes area and the only non-commercial crematory in the Texas Hill Country. Our cremations are local and your loved one never leaves our care. Most businesses selling cremation services act as an intermediary between their customer and a warehouse crematory, which provides cremation services for multiple funeral homes.
With whom will your firm contract cremations five years from now?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: This is a good question especially if you are pre-paying for a cremation with a firm that does not own a crematory. You might be comfortable today with an intermediary’s selected commercial crematory in a distant town, but they may choose to use a different industrial site when the relationship is no longer amicable. We at Putnam will remain consistent with our local, private crematory.
How many funeral homes use the same crematory as you?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: We reserve the use of our crematory exclusively for our client families, which is in sharp contrast to other area funeral home and cremation businesses. Amazingly, most intermediaries selling cremations have no idea – or never think to ask – how many other businesses utilize their selected crematory. This is an especially important question, as a combination of multiple and different funeral homes coupled with a lack of standardized identification procedures can create ambiguity and more room for error.
How many cremations does your crematory perform each year?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: Putnam Crematory performs around 100 cremations per year, which is in sharp contrast to a commercial or warehouse crematory, which could do this number in a few weeks. Texas cremation statistics are available by request from the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
Why does Putnam not cremate for other Funeral Homes and Cremation businesses?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: We take pride in the personal care we provide to each of our client families and believe in providing the piece-of-mind via a transparent and standardized identification process and keeping our client family’s loved one on-site. Putnam maintains the integrity of our identification system by not taking possession of someone from another funeral home for cremation.
How often do you inspect your crematory and when was your last inspection?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: We inspect our private crematory daily and gladly schedule showings based on staff availability. On the other hand, we understand that the intermediary selling cremation services rarely, if ever, inspects their selected commercial crematory.
Where is my loved one placed from time of death to time of cremation?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: We use our private refrigerated facility to maintain the modesty and privacy of our client family’s loved one. On the other hand, several cremation intermediaries provide the impression that a family’s loved one is in their facility, but in reality, the loved can be moved from place to place when an intermediary must rely on off-site commercial refrigeration facilities and/or a commercial crematory.
How long is my loved one under your direct care?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: Your loved one is under our direct care from the moment we pick up your loved one until the moment at which we honorably return your loved ones cremated remains to you. The exception is if your loved one needs to be seen by the medical examiner.
How are my loved ones cremated remains returned to you from your crematory?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: As we have our own private, on-site crematory, your loved one’s cremated remains stay in our care at all times. Typically in this industry, warehouse crematories mail the cremated remains, via the postal service, either directly to the family or back to the contracted funeral home, with little thought to the emotional impact this has on families.
How will my loved one’s cremated remains be returned to the family?
PUTNAM RESPONSE: We have found that the acceptance of cremated remains to be an emotional time and we reverently and personally deliver your loved one’s cremated remains to any Putnam client family living within a 150-mile radius of Marble Falls, TX, unless you choose to pick them up in person or request shipping. We believe that when our client family chooses to ship their loved one’s cremated remains via the postal service, then it is acceptable. However, when shipping is hidden and selected for the convenience of the intermediary or commercial crematory, then it is not proper.
Trusting your loved one to someone for cremation, an irreversible process, is a very serious decision, and these questions should be easily answered. If a business does not answer these questions to your satisfaction, then follow your intuition and place your trust in Cremation Advocates by Putnam.