Our mother passed away at home recently in CT and desired a simple cremation with no services. When we called the local funeral homes, the minimum charge was $2500, which seemed high. So we checked online and found All State Cremation in Hamden, CT offering direct cremation for less than half that amount. We called and spoke to Scott Demarco, the funeral director. Scott confirmed the price and said it included transport of the remains to the funeral home & crematory, medical examiner's fee, completing the death certificate and filing it with Town Clerk's office. We were initially skeptical, but he was straightforward and answered all our questions sincerely, so we decided to put our trust in him.
Scott arrived at our home some 30 miles away within an hour of calling him to pick up our mother's remains. He spent 2 hours answering all our questions and filling out the necessary paperwork. He never rushed us but took the time to make us feel comfortable and gain our trust. He was very respectful and professional in removing the body. As it was late in the day, he had to drive back next day to obtain our doctor's signature on the death certificate. He did so and then filed it at the Town Clerk's office.
As required by law, he held the body for 48 hours at his funeral home, then transported it to Walnut Grove Crematory in Meriden, CT. We wanted to attend the cremation so we arranged a time with crematory Supt. Michael Kroll. Walnut Grove has a reception room in the crematory building for mourners. Michael received us graciously and explained in detail the cremation process. He gave us time with the remains to say our last goodbyes. After cremation, which takes 3-4 hours, he provided the ashes in a black plastic container at no charge, and we went home.
This experience turned out much better than we could have hoped at this particularly sad and vulnerable time. Both Scott and Michael are true professionals. They did everything they promised to do, and more. Never for a moment did we feel we were being taken advantage of. On the contrary, they went out of their way to give us a high comfort level and gain our trust. We recommend them both very highly. read more