May I make the necessary arrangements in advance?
Yes, usually all arrangements may be made in advance. When you plan ahead, you will be able to consider the many options available. You will have the opportunity to make an informed decision about your cemetery arrangements and the form of memorial you prefer. You will be able to make choices that are meaningful to both you and your family, and you will gain peace of mind knowing your family and friends will be relieved of the emotional and financial burden often associated with making arrangements when a death occurs. By prearranging your cemetery services, you benefit by purchasing at today's prices, free from inflationary pressures in the future. Rose Lawn Memorial Park can help you preplan.

How much do graves cost, and why aren't they priced the same all over?
Grave prices can really vary. Grave prices are normally set based on their location. Normally, graves in urban centers are more expensive than in rural centers because of the replacement value of land. In addition, within the cemetery, grave prices can vary by the section in which the grave is located. For example, graves in a "feature" section -- where there is a central feature such as our running creek in the Celestial Estates Garden for the benefit of lot owners in that section -- may be more expensive than in non-feature sections. The number of interments permitted in a grave may also affect the price, as may the size of the grave. Graves which allow for a monument are more expensive due to the space required for the monument. Remember that cost of graves, although it will vary across the country, doubles or triples every seven to ten years.

What are burial vaults and grave liners?
These are the outside containers into which the casket is placed. Burial vaults are designed to protect the casket and may be made of a variety or combination of materials including concrete, stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, bronze, plastic or fiberglass. A grave liner is a lightweight version of a vault which simply keeps the grave surface from sinking in.

Must I purchase a burial vault?
In most areas of the country, state or local law does not require that you buy a container to surround the casket in the grave. However, Rose Lawn Memorial Park does require that you have such a container so that the ground will not sink and become unsightly. Either a grave liner or a burial vault will satisfy these requirements.

What is opening and closing and why is it so expensive?
Opening and closing fees can include 50 or more separate services provided by the cemetery. Typically, the opening and closing fee includes administration and permanent record keeping (determining ownership, obtaining permission and the completion of other documentation which may be required, entering the interment particulars in the interment register, maintaining all legal files); opening and closing the grave (locating the grave and laying out the boundaries, excavating and filling the interment space); installation and removal of the lowering device; placement and removal of artificial grass dressing and coco-matting at the grave site, leveling, tamping, re-grading and sodding the grave site and leveling and re-sodding the grave if the earth settles.

In a hundred years will this cemetery still be here?
We think of cemetery lands as being in perpetuity. There are cemeteries throughout the world that have been in existence well over a hundred years. In recent years state and local governments have created perpetual care funds so that the maintenance of cemeteries can insure that they will still be here in a hundred years. These maintenance funds also will maintain the appearance.

What is perpetual care?
Perpetual care is a Texas state regulator fee for the upkeep of the cemetery grounds.

How do I know that Perpetual Care will take care of the cemetery?
The Texas Banking Commission regulators our perpetual care fund. Perpetual care funds are very conservatively managed. Income from the fund can only be spent on care and maintenance of the cemetery -- the capital is not touched. Endowment care funds are governed by the laws of Texas for your protection.

When I buy a grave do I receive a deed just like when I purchase other types of real estate?
When you purchase a grave you are in fact purchasing the right to designate who may be interred in the space, rather than purchasing the grave itself, which remains the property and responsibility of the cemetery. You also have a right to place a memorial where permitted.

What happens if I buy cemetery property here in advance and later move to another area?
Rose Lawn belongs to a credit exchange program which allow for a dollar-for-dollar transfer of services and merchandise between participating cemeteries.

Can I resell my grave?
Rose Lawn Memorial Park allows for the resale of burial property.

Why is having a place to visit so important?
Because it provides a focal point for memorializing the deceased. To remember, and be remembered, are natural human needs. Throughout human history, memorialization of the dead has been a key component of almost every culture. The Washington Monument, Tomb of the Unknowns and Vietnam "Wall" in Washington, D.C., are examples of memorialization which demonstrate that, throughout our history, we have always honored our dead. Psychologists say that remembrance practices, of permanent memorialization, serve an important emotional function for survivors by helping to bring closure and allowing the healing process to begin. Providing a permanent resting place for the deceased is a dignified treatment for a loved one's mortal remains, which fulfills the natural human desire for memorialization.

Will a cemetery ever be used for something else? Can the bodies be moved and buildings built?
Communities afford respect to cemeteries and to the memorialization which cemeteries provide. In order to protect interment rights holders, strict rules govern the use of cemetery lands. Graves are considered to be sold in perpetuity which restricts possible re-development.

What does the government give a veteran in regards to a marker?
The United States government provides headstones and markers for the graves of veterans and eligible dependents anywhere in the world which are not already marked. Flat bronze, flat granite, flat marble and upright marble types are available to mark the grave of a veteran or dependent in the style consistent with exiting monuments at the place of burial. Bronze niche markers are also available to mark columbaria in national cemeteries used for internment of cremated remains. For the National Cemetery System at http://www.cem.va.gov.
 
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