Our Services
About Cremation
The number of people choosing cremation has increased significantly in the past few years, yet cremation carries a long tradition and remains largely unchanged.
Cremation simply expedites the process of reducing a body to bone fragments through application of intense heat.
What is done before or after the cremation is up to the survivors, or up to you. You can relieve the burden of these decisions by pre-planning your arrangements in advance of need so that your wishes will be honored.
Contrary to what some people believe, Cremation does not limit choices, but, in fact, increases one's options. It is a process which is performed in a respectful and dignified manner and can be memorialized in many ways.
Cremation and Funerals
Choosing cremation neither eliminates nor does it require a funeral service. Traditional or contemporary services are often planned before or after the cremation process. A funeral service followed by cremation may be exactly the same as a funeral service followed by ground burial. They can be elaborate or simple and traditional or nontraditional. Arrangements and ceremonies tend to be as individual as the persons for whom and by whom they are made.They may be personalized specifically to reflect the life of the deceased, and thus have a special meaning. We are able to assist in any and all of your Funeral Service needs.
The Traditional Cremation Service will be just like a Complete Funeral Service except cremation will follow instead of the casketed burial. This can be accommodated by the use of a cremation casket (casket that is designed to be cremated) or the use of a rental casket. Following the viewing, service or ceremony, and eventual cremation, the cremated remains can be buried and memorialized. Urns are used to hold the cremated remains. Urns can be constructed out of basic materials like cardboard or plastic, or constructed out of more protective materials like basic and semi-precious metals, ceramics, and woods.
The Memorial Service/Commemorative Gathering Cremation Service can be arranged as an immediate disposition of the body, but is most times followed by a memorial service at the church, funeral home or other location. A Memorial Service is one where the body is not present. We recommend that if you select an immediate cremation that you are allowed a time, if possible, to privately view the body as a family. If the viewing can be done in a matter of a few hours after the death then embalming will not be necessary. If there is to be a long delay (more than 8-12 hours) then embalming would be encouraged. If the viewing could not be done within 48 hours then embalming may be required. Viewing of the deceased is a very important step in acknowledging that the death has occurred. Having some type of service or ceremony is also a key ingredient to a healthy recovery of a loss due to a death.
A Non-Ceremonial Cremation refers to a cremation being provided, while limiting funeral services to the removal and transportation of the deceased into our care.
Cemetery Options for Cremation
Memorialization provides a permanent, secure place for cremated remains to be placed, and for family members and descendants to honor the lives of the deceased.
Cremation allows families many choices for memorializing a loved one. Some families choose to keep the cremated remains with them at home, or to scatter the remains over land or water. We allow the following memorialization options, among others, for cremated remains:
Memorialization Options for Cremation
Outdoor Niches - The cremated remains of your loved ones may be safely held in one of our many above ground columbarium niches.
Scattering – Your loved one's remains may be scattered freely within a dedicated, natural environment. There are also certain services which offer scattering among the sea or the stars.
Traditional Burial – In ground burial on a family plot – Urns may be buried at the head or foot of a grave site.
Personalized Memorialization – Inscribe your family member's name and a special saying on a tree plaque, park bench or other special memorial. We also have custom, unique urns and keepsakes, perfect for displaying inside your home. For an overview of these items, please visit our Merchandise pages, or contact us directly and we will help you with your needs.
Temple Garden of Memories provides one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the entire country. This has been brought about by the mutual understanding and cooperation of all those interested in Temple Garden of Memories, especially the cemetery space owners, the persons holding the right to be interred therein and the families of such persons.
To maintain the beauty and dignity of the cemetery, it is necessary to have rules and regulations to guide the operation of the cemetery grounds. Every Certificate of Title issued by Temple Garden of Memories contains a provision that the purchaser takes his cemetery space subject to the rules and regulations then in force and also those, which may be adopted in the future. These rules and regulations are as binding upon purchaser as though they were incorporated in the lot owner’s Certificate of Title.
No rule or regulation has ever been or will be made which is not designed to benefit the persons interested in Temple Garden of Memories individually and collectively. Experience has shown that it is only by a strict observance of these necessary rules and regulations by all persons that the standards, which people have come to expect of Temple Garden of Memories, may be maintained. All persons are required to observe the rules and regulations. In order to maintain uniformity and preserve the beauty of Temple Garden of Memories we reserve the right to change or modify the rules and regulations, which are designed in the best interest of Temple Garden of Memories and its lot owners.
The general maintenance of the cemeteries and grounds, designed to improve and maintain their appearance and condition, shall be the responsibility of the Cemetery. It shall include such items as the upkeep of drives, buildings, fences, spring and fall cleanup, raking of leaves, and the general mowing of grass pursuant to the published mowing schedule.
Family Estates – An individual or family can design the perfect private "garden" estate to accommodate as many or as few people as desired. This can be burial space, cremation space, a private mausoleum-or a combination of any or all of these forms of memorialization.
Traditional Ground Burial – Our cemeteries have a plentiful selection of traditional ground burial sections in several locations throughout the cemetery.
Entombment - A mausoleum provides an affordable alternative for those who prefer above-ground placement.
Options for placement and memorialization of cremated remains at our cemeteries include the following.
Columbariums —Beautiful and serene, columbariums offer the option of bronze or glass-front niches. The glass front niches allow for visible creative and personalized memorialization for individuals or multiple family members. Sheltered and handicapped-accessible, columbariums provide comfort and convenience.
Mausoleum Niches —A peaceful location surrounded by nature, this option is available for those preferring outdoor, above-ground placement of cremated remains. This granite columbarium contains niches that can hold either single or companion placements.
Tree-Ring Cremation Gardens —A new concept in cremation memorialization, Tree-Ring Gardens is a small, elegantly landscaped garden providing for economical individual placement of cremated remains.
Traditional Cremation Gardens —We offer several traditional cremation ground-burial options including all gardens in the park surrounded in the beauty of nature.
Complaints concerning perpetual care cemeteries should be directed to: Texas Department of Banking, 2601 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78705; 1-877-276-5554 (toll free); www.dob.texas.gov
These regulations are designed to preserve the appearance and dignity of garden and mausoleum areas that mean so much to so many people. Grave and niche decorations should honor our loved ones. When they lack beauty, order and neatness, they fall short of this goal.
For the safety of all parties, please review the following.
Fresh cut flowers may be placed at the gravesite in ground level cemetery vases throughout the year. For special requests concerning birthdays, anniversary or important dates, contact the cemetery office for any exceptions.
Placement of artificial flowers (plastic & silk) is permitted only in company approved vases. Exceptions are made for Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, Armistice (or Veteran's Day). These decorations will be removed within 10 days following the holiday. Christmas wreaths will be removed at Spring Clean-up.
We encourage the use of fresh flowers in the mausoleum areas. When placing an arrangement on the floor of the mausoleum, care should be taken not to create a trip hazard for other visitors or cemetery staff. If an arrangement is determined to be a hazard by management, the items will be removed by the cemetery staff.
Click here to download the Temple Garden of Memories floral brochure
