Sacred Crossings Alternative Funeral Home

A home funeral is a family or community-centered response to death and after-death care. Depending on state law, families and communities may prepare the body for burial or cremation, plan and carry out after-death rituals or ceremonies, file death-related paperwork, transport the deceased, and facilitate final disposition.

A vigil or wake is a period of time, usually 1-3 days, when the body is laying in honor while family and friends visit to pay their respects and say goodbye. The funeral service most often takes place in the home on the 3rd day of the vigil before the body is taken to the crematory or cemetery.

Home funeral guides are advocates for family-centered and family-led funerals. They impart knowledge that families may need to exercise their right to care for their own dead. Guides educate and minimize involvement of anyone other than family and friends in after-death care. They serve as guides and educators rather than directors, encouraging minimal, non-invasive, and environmentally-friendly care of the body.

In almost all 50 states, families have the legal right to care for loved ones after death, including taking the body home from hospitals, nursing facilities or coroner provided necessary permits are in possession. Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey and New York have various restrictions. Consult funerals.org for state-specific information.

A death midwife assists an individual and their family through the transition of death, just as a birth midwife assists through birth. A Sacred Crossings death midwife incorporates roles of spiritual counselor, death doula, home funeral guide, funeral planner and celebrant, shepherding individuals toward conscious dying and empowering families to create personal, deeply meaningful funerals at home.

The body is carefully washed, dressed or shrouded, and preserved with dry ice to prevent decomposition. Caring for an intact body naturally at home using gentle, non-invasive techniques poses far less potential hazards than a chemically treated body at a funeral home.

A home funeral guide conducts in-home consultation to assess needs. Upon death notification, the guide arrives within 3 hours, educates and supports family with bathing and dressing, the body is laid in honor on a bed or table, body is preserved with dry ice during 1-3 day vigil, cremation casket or pine box is delivered and decorated by family/friends, family completes necessary paperwork, funeral service is held as desired, and body is transported to cemetery or crematory for final disposition.

No. In almost all states you have the legal right to act as the funeral director on behalf of your loved one, including responsibility for completing and filing necessary paperwork. A Sacred Crossing Guide can support you through the entire process.

Yes. Children naturally look toward adults for guidance in embracing death. Having the body prepared by caring relatives in the natural setting of home is comforting for children and helps them accept and integrate death. Decorating the cremation box can be profoundly therapeutic for children, providing creative outlet for feelings and words.

Although Sacred Crossings can assist a family at any time, it is advisable to make an appointment for a home consultation a few weeks or months before death is expected. A Home Funeral Guide will discuss wishes, answer questions and help prepare for creating a personal, deeply meaningful funeral.

Yes. Sacred Crossings offers Pet Crossing Guide services to assist during each stage of the pet death journey, including pet hospice counseling, veterinary referrals, euthanasia support, preparing body for vigil, funeral or memorial service, and burial or cremation.

Sacred Crossings Alternative Funeral Home lists direct cremation at $850. Prices are estimates and can change — under the FTC Funeral Rule you can request a current itemized price list and pay only for the items you choose.