Cremations America

My family and I found ourselves with the incredibly difficult task of having to deal with my father’s remains, after his quick passing. This is never a positive experience, but we needed to tend to reality and make a decision quickly, as he passed early on a Sunday afternoon. The hospice care staff recommended Cremations America, and we spoke to Mr. Gus Camacho, the owner. He patiently explained our options and how they could quickly come over on such short notice and take care of everything for us. We agreed to their services, as my father had told us before his passing that he didn’t want to burden us with a high burial cost and would prefer to therefore be cremated.
We came in the next day to meet Gus and he took down some information regarding my father, such as his date of birth, place of birth, etc. He also explained to my mother several things that we were unaware of, such as the fact that her social security benefits would end and she would now receive only one check, how to report his death to the social security administration, and he provided us with some information about the national cemetery and what my father was entitled to, due to the fact he was a war veteran. We felt that in doing this, he went above and beyond his duty. My mother called him a few times, as she was so absent-​minded that she forgot some of the things he told her, and he patiently responded to her questions (sometimes, responding more than once to the same question, just on separate occasions, with kindness).
The price Gus offered us included the cremation service, as well as a box to hold the ashes. Other places seemed to not offer a box or urn, obligating you to purchase one. You do have the option of purchasing fancy urns, should you want to keep the ashes at home, but since we were burying the ashes, we felt that it was unnecessary. Gus took care of the death certificate providing us with a digital version and an original hard copy for our records, and offered to order us more copies should we need them. When my mother said she did not want to have the ashes at her home because she felt uneasy and afraid, he offered to hold them at his office until my father’s plot was ready, and then we could come pick them up. He coordinated with the veterans’ cemetery to get the plot readied, alerted us when the plot was available about 3 weeks later, and told us to choose a date of our liking for the burial service. We did not feel pressured in the least when it came to picking up the ashes, which was a relief.
The company has been operated since 2009 and is family owned, and according to their website, Gus has over 20 years of experience working in the funeral industry in New York City and Miami. Our experience with Cremations America was positive and we found everyone we encountered, including Carlos the undertaker, who took the body out of my mother’s home, to be very professional, courteous and solemn. While we hope to not deal with any further deaths in our near future, should we resort to cremation (or are asked to provide a recommendation of a funeral home that specializes in cremations), we would not mind calling again on Gus for assistance.