Cremation Service

Once you contact Cress and request that we bring your loved one into our care, they will never leave the safety of our direct care. We own and maintain two crematories, one at the Cress Center on the west side of Madison and one at our Cress Sun Prairie location.

At Cress, we are specialists in cremation. Our cremation facilities are staffed by licensed funeral directors certified in the cremation process. We are people you know and trust, conducting ourselves with professionalism.

We strictly adhere to the Cremation Code of Ethics and are proud members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association of North America, and a Licensed Crematory Authority.

Cress ensures the security and dignity of your loved ones by placing a personal identification band on your loved one when they are placed into our care. We promise that your loved one’s cremation will be carried out individually and with the utmost respect.

At Cress, we understand there may be family members who want to be with their loved one every step of the way. We have state of the art “family viewing rooms” that allow for gathering, reflection, and engagement in any way that is comforting and supportive of the healing process each person will go through.

Cress is the only cremation service provider in Dane County that has facilities designed to allow families to participate and care for their loved one as much as they feel comfortable.

The cremation documentation is reviewed to ensure all of the proper authorizations and permits have been secured. Generally, allow 5 to 7 business days to complete all of the documentation and permits before the cremation will take place.

Once documentation is verified, the cremation order will be signed by the funeral director working with your family and a final check of the identification band before the cremation will take place.

Your family will be offered the opportunity to witness the start of the cremation. We understand the need to care for your loved one in this way. Cress has invested in welcoming facilities for families to be there for your family member when their time comes. It is a healthy choice to make. Somehow in participation, surviving family members find connection and healing.

Every individual cremated at Cress is assigned a personal identification number which is entered in our Cremation Log along with pertinent information. The identification number is stamped on a stainless steel disk which goes with the cremated remains for identification. All identifying information, permits, and certificates are held in our permanent files.

The crematory checklist and documentation are placed outside the cremation chamber during cremation. During cremation, we also complete identification labels, the Certification of Cremation and Receipt of Cremated Remains forms. The entire cremation process takes approximately five hours.

The cremated remains of your loved one are diligently removed from the cremation chamber. They are then processed and securely placed into the urn your family has selected, along with the personal identification disk.

At the time your family is ready to receive your loved one’s cremated remains, we will ask for identification from the person receiving them to ensure we carry out your wishes.

For families planning memorial services, we will care for the urn and present at the time of service or graveside according to your wishes.

Another option available to your family is our staff will call you to schedule a time for receipt of your loved one’s cremated remains in one of our private setting or possibly, you would prefer that we arrange for personal delivery.

We can also assist your family to arrange sending the cremated remains to a more distant location according to the established travel guidelines.

We can assist in planning a funeral or memorial service to honor the life of your loved before or after the cremation.

A meaningful gathering provides an opportunity for family and friends to pay tribute to your loved one and to share the memories of a lifetime.