Simple Cremation Services and Price Information

What is the bottom-line price?

              The best price we have is $985 to have the simplest of cremation completed. An itemization of what is included is shown on this web site. This price is for cremation when only one staff is required for the transfer from a local healthcare facility and the deceased is not over 350 pounds. The cremation itself will take place on a weekday with arrangements on a weekday.

Does the $985 package include an urn?

              A simple cardboard box is included in the package. The name of this box is called a Temporary Container which many people use for scattering or shipping. For burial many people do upgrade to an urn.

Does the cost include death certificates? How many do you give me?

              We do give you a” working copy” of the death certificate. Many people want what are called Certified Copies of Death. A certified copy comes from the town of death, the state, or the town of residence and surviving families will need to get these on their own. It is not included in the Simple Cremation price. 

Will you pick up my loved one from the place of death before paying us at Simple Cremation of Maine? 

              We will pick up a loved one before payment. The time of passing is not the time to worry about payment. We will ask for payment in full when we meet to make cremation arrangements. We do require payment in full before we complete the cremation. We accept credit cards, checks, or cash.

If I have no means of paying for this right now; how do I make the cremation possible? 

              We work with all cities and towns in Maine through their General Assistance Dept. for cremation services. The family has to apply with the General Assistance Administrator of the town of residence to see if the surviving family is eligible for payment of cremation services. The General Assistance benefit only covers the cremation itself and does not include any memorialization, obituary or place of burial. If any next of kin such as spouse, domestic partner or children have the ability to pay then there is no benefit. We will work with the Town of Residence when a situation like this happens and we have 2 days to inform the town of need. 

Will Simple Cremation of Maine take Life Insurance as payment for services?

              Yes – we do require that the beneficiary assign us the ability to work directly with the insurance company to verify payment. If there is any overage it goes back to the original beneficiary. We do need to complete the cremation where most insurance companies require a death certificate to claim the funds. On the death certificate we are required to fill in the date when the cremation takes place so we need to complete the cremation before certified copies of death can be issued. We do charge an additional $125 for this service where there are more administrative responsibilities, and we have to wait to be paid.

Can Simple Cremation of Maine get the $255 death benefit from Social Security to help pay for the cremation?

              No. The $255 Social Security benefit goes directly to the surviving spouse or dependent children. This is all handled through the Social Security Administration. Simple Cremation of Maine does notify the Social Security Administration when the death certificate gets electronically registered on the State Website. The surviving spouse must contact Social Security to obtain any surviving benefits.

Can I view the body before the cremation?

              We do prefer that family members view the body of their loved one at their place of death when at all possible. We offer two types of viewing at an additional fee. One is a simple identification of the remains to make sure it is indeed the right person to be cremated. This is customarily for 1 or 2 family members for 15 minutes and is at an additional cost. The other is more of a structured viewing and gathering, usually for immediate family and friends for up to an hour. This is at an additional cost and will take place only at Brookings-Smith, 133 center Street, Bangor. 

Where do I go to make cremation arrangements for Simple Cremation of Maine?

              You will come to the Simple Cremation of Maine office located at 159 Center Street, Bangor. We do not make arrangements at home, hospital, or nursing home with the Simple Package. We do offer to complete the required disclosures via DocuSign, a web passed document processing company and pay with a credit card. 

Do you help compose an obituary? Can you host this on your web site? 

              It is up to the family to compose an obituary and e-mail it to us at Simple Cremation as a Word document. If you like a photo it needs to be in a jpeg format and emailed. We will host the obituary and photo on our site after we received them in the above format. The web site does have functionality for expressions of condolences and can be linked to social media. It is up to the family to email the obituary to the paper if they want it published and pay the paper directly for printing the obituary.

Simple Cremation Military Services:

Do you give a military discount? If so, how much?

              We do offer a discount for any military person that was honorably discharged. We do ask for either a copy of the discharge papers or a DD-214 to get this the discount. We give a $35 dollar discount to the package price for a Simple Cremation to $950. This discount applies to the veteran only.

Does the military cover my cremation?

              No. There is a benefit called the Burial and Plot Allowance benefit. They can give up to $2000 to survivors if the deceased was getting 100% disability – or a portion there of. We will complete the required paperwork and get it to the Veterans Administration for review after our bill is paid in full. They will then work directly with the family for any benefits and the check will go directly to the family. This process does take quite a bit of time to determine if survivors are eligible and Discharge Papers or a DD-214 is required to complete the paperwork. The burial at a VA cemetery is free and we can help with required paperwork. If the veteran is active duty, the VA Administration does pay for most of the costs.   

Do you help with getting a military flag?

              Yes. We will process the Application for the United States Flag for Burial Purposes for you as part of our services. You will need to provide us with a copy of the separation paperwork of DD214. We will give you the flag when picking up the cremated remains.

Do you help with getting a Honor Guard Detail to a service?

              Yes. We will need verification of serving and at least 3 days’ notice to have the branch of service provide a 2-man detail to fold the flag, play Taps, and present the flag at any location where the memorial service will be located. 

Do you help with obtaining a military marker?

              Yes. We do need proof of service and we will apply for a veteran’s marker. They are free for the veteran who passed. If burial is local, we will have the stone delivered to our facility at 165 Center Street, Bangor. We do leave it to the family to either have a monument company or a designated person pick up the stone at our facility. If interment is in a Veterans Cemetery, we will have the marker delivered directly to that cemetery. The VA does also offer medallions and we can apply for it as well. Please note that you cannot have both a marker and a medallion, you have to choose one or the other.

Do you help with making arrangements with a Veterans Cemetery for burial?

              Yes. If eligibility has not been accomplished for the veteran, we will assist with that procedure so to get a place of burial at a VA Cemetery. Once that has been achieved, we will make arrangements at the VA Cemetery for burial or placement in a columbarium. This process can take 2 to 3 weeks, so we recommend to plan in advance.

Pine Grove Crematorium and Remembrance Center

Where does the cremation take place?

              We own and operate Pine Grove Crematorium and Remembrance Center located at 1347 Hammond Street in Bangor. We see the process all the way through with our professional staff.

Where do I pick up the cremated remains?

              Families are asked to pick you their loved ones cremated remains directly at Pine Grove Crematorium and Remembrance Center, 1347 Hammond Street, Bangor and to a make an appointment with the crematory staff between Monday through Friday from the times of 7:30 AM – 3 PM.  We can ship cremated remains via US Postal services at an additional cost.

If I don’t get an urn during arrangements, can I get one at the crematory?

              Yes. Pine Grove Crematorium has urns and keepsakes in stock that you can select later if you like.

Is there a place I can have a Memorial Gathering?

              Yes. Pine Grove Crematorium has a nicely appointed Remembrance Center that can be added to the Simple Cremation package. It is a small room and can handle 40-50 people to gather with the family. It is unstructured and not a place for a service but is more open and can have food and flowers with the urn present.

Can I be present for the cremation process?

              Yes. Family can be present for the beginning of the cremation process. You will not view the body of your loved one – but more witness the cremation and see the container that is required to hold the body go into the cremator. The crematory operator will disclose all the guidelines of the facility and explain what you will witness. Most people are there for this and later come back to the crematory to pick up the cremated remains. There is an additional charge for this service.