Your loved one is immediately transported to our closest partner cremation facility. Our partner cremation facilities are located in Kent, WA and Portland, OR. Each cremation facility maintains licensed holding facilities which are secure and climate controlled. Your loved one is taken care of there until all required paperwork and documents are completed, at which time we will proceed with cremation.

We must obtain a signed death certificate from the deceased's attending physician or the medical examiner prior to filing the cremation permit electronically with the county health department. While some doctors are good at signing a death certificate immediately, others take several days. On average, the cremated remains should be ready in about 7 to 14 days.

Once the death certificate is completed and electronically filed with the state, certified copies may be obtained at the health department in the county where death occurred. If you paid for copies at the time of arrangement we will order them on your behalf. Death certificates filed by Western Cremation Alliance may be ordered online using this form for up to one year from the date of death. If it has been longer than a year since your loved one’s passing you may also order online via VitalChek.com (Shipping & handling may apply). 

We have strict controls and monitoring in place to ensure that every person in our care is tracked properly. From the second your loved one is brought into our care, they’re identified with an ankle tag including their name and date of death. Before cremation, an ID number is assigned and stamped on a metal disk – this then accompanies your loved one throughout the cremation process, so we always know who is who.