Oak Ridge Cemetery

What is burial planning?

Pre-paid burial planning is one of the most thoughtful and considerate gifts you can give to your loved ones. It relieves the burden of making difficult and expensive decisions at the time of grieving, and allows you to set your own legacy. This is a gift that will endure for generations. Planning your burial arrangements in advance gives your family the much needed time to connect during a difficult time while leaving them the warm and tender memories you shared together.

Benefits of pre-planning

• Spare your family from making hard decisions at an emotionally stressful time
• Alleviate additional grief at the time of loss
• Ensure your decisions are informed and thoughtful
• Choose the specific items you want at today’s prices
• Preserve family harmony
• Plan your legacy

Step 1: Choose Your Burial Plan Option

A. Traditional - (Interment or entombment) are the most common which involves a funeral home, embalming of the body, and public, in-ground ceremony at the cemetery.

Burial products for a traditional burial:

• Vault- outer burial container. Provides additional security for remains. Oak Ridge Cemetery requires a vault for all in ground traditional burialsVault- outer burial container. Provides additional protection for remains.
  *Oak Ridge Cemetery requires a vault for all in ground traditional burials.
• Interment- the act of opening and closing the grave space.

B. Cremation (Inurnment) Allows cremains to be kept with a loved one, inurned in a columbarium, mausoleum or buried in-ground.

Burial products for a cremation burial:

• Urn
• Vault (optional) or combo
• Interment- opening-and-closing

Step 2: Select Your Area

After deciding the type of burial, the next step is to decide the area you would like your final resting place. Options are; in-ground (upright or garden), in a columbarium or in a mausoleum.

Oak Ridge Cemetery has four options for outdoor burials.

• Upright are a- Visible monuments designed to give a customized memorial for loved ones.
• Garden area - flat area designed for an affordable way to memorialize a loved one.
• Public Columbarium - a public resting place for urns and cremation vaults.
• Private estate - designed to keep families together. (purchases range from 6-48 grave spaces)

Oak Ridge Cemetery has two options for indoor burial spaces.

• Abbey- The Abbey was constructed in 1910. It does not have any air conditioning or heat. Limited cremation spaces are available.
• Memorial Chapel- The modern mausoleum, also known as the Chapel. Built in the 1990's. Both full body (entombment) and cremation (inurnment) spaces are available.

Step 3: Design your memorial

Memorialization is a way to honor, respect, and remember the life lived by the person memorialized. The stone lasts forever, creating a generational connection for future loved ones.

Choose the type of memorial.

• Flat, flush, or garden marker – These markers sit flush with ground and create a serene park like view of the area.
• Upright marker – Upright markers stand upright and can be seen from further away. They can be made for multiple individuals and cover several grave spaces.
• Benches or specialty markers – Allow for a unique and more customizable way to memorialize.

Choose your style

• Granite - Elberton, Barre, Canadian Mahogany, Mountain Rose, Salisbury Pink, Dakota, FlashBlack, American Black, Colonial Rose, Grey St. Cloud, Impala, Missouri Red, Rainbow, India Red,Jet Black, Prairie Green, Blue Pearl, Canadian Pink, Rib Mountain
• Bronze

Design your marker

• Sit down with one of our advisors to help you design a marker that fits you or your loved one personal style.

Benefits of purchasing your memorial from Oak Ridge Cemetery

• Oak Ridge Cemetery is a city owned public cemetery. Rest assured, the gates will always be open.During regular hours.
• Oak Ridge Cemetery has experienced advisors who will provide professional advice and help you customize your purchase.
• The advisors at Oak Ridge are knowledgeable of the grounds and know the type of material that will maintain its appearance forever.

Step 4: Choose your payment option

Oak Ridge Cemetery offers multiple ways to pay for your burial arrangements.

Pay outright.

For individuals that would just like to take care of their final arrangements and not have to think about them again Oak Ridge takes cash, checks and credit card payments in person or over the phone.

• By ACH – Oak Ridge can automatically withdrawal the funds from your personal checking or savings account. This withdrawal happens on the 25th of each month and is not available to change. There are no additional charges for this service.
• By Coupon Slip – A coupon book is offered for those wishing to just mail in a check to our office at a time that is convenient for you. All monthly payments are due by the end of the month, when you choose to send it in can be determined by your financial needs.
• By Credit Card – Oak Ridge offers the ability to pay for your monthly payment by phone if you are out of town and need to make a payment. We will soon offer the ability to make these payments through our website at oakridgecemetery.org. Please note there is a 2.2% convenience fee for any credit or debit card transactions. These fees are not subtracted from your account balance.