Personalized Cremation Services in Lebanon County, PA
If your family has chosen cremation in Lebanon County, you can still have a burial and a funeral service. Or, you don't have to have a service at all.
Cremation comes with many options, from affordable direct cremation with no service to a full memorial service with a burial. It can even include a viewing of your loved one, with a cremation to follow.
We offer a wide range of personalized services that help celebrate the life of your loved one while giving you several options for a public gathering and final resting place.
Unique Cremation Options
Cremation Memorial Service Ideas
Unlike a traditional funeral, a memorial service is a gathering where a casket is not present (although the urn with the cremated remains may be on display). A memorial service can be held weeks or even months after the death and cremation or burial.
A memorial service can be held in a local Lebanon County church, our funeral home, a community offering like the Quentin Grove, Warehouse435, or somewhere of importance to the deceased and family. There is usually music, selected readings, and a eulogy. Memorial services can be further personalized as a celebration of life.
Our experience has shown us that many of today's families want more than a traditional memorial service or gathering. This can be done by bringing more of the personality and lifestyle of the deceased into the arrangements. By displaying photographs or staging the event around a favorite pastime, a memorial service can become more personal and meaningful.
If a personalized memorial service suits the needs of your family, we suggest you consider the following questions:
- What did your loved one like to do?
- What was he or she like as an individual?
- What was their profession and how did that shape their life?
- Was your loved one spiritual?
- Was he or she proud of their cultural or ethnic heritage?
Cremation Solutions Guide
Cremation Service Options
Direct Cremation
If you don't want any type of service, we offer direct cremation as an affordable option.
Traditional Funeral Service followed by Cremation
Many families find meaning and beauty in a traditional funeral service. With a traditional service combined with cremation, you can still choose to have a final viewing, visitation or wake and a graveside funeral service. However, instead of in-ground burial, the funeral will be followed by cremation.
Depending on your wishes, the cremated remains may be either returned to your family in an urn, scattered or interred in a columbarium. This option will include fees for the funeral services as well as the fees associated with the cremation itself.
Memorial Service
The memorial service can be held in our chapel, a church or any other venue you choose without or in conjunction with a graveside service. We work with our families to design a service that honors their loved one with stories, music or scripture.
Graveside Service
A graveside or committal service is typically held immediately following the funeral service but it can also be a small intimate gathering of those closest to you.
Permanent Memorialization for Cremation Ashes
Keeping an Urn at Home
This is a common choice and families can select the perfect urn for their loved one.
Placing the Urn in a Columbarium (aka, a “niche”)
Many families find comfort in having a final resting place that they can visit.
Burying the Urn
Similar to a casket, the in-ground burial of the urn allows for a final resting place.
Scattering of the Cremated Remains
Some families find comfort scattering the cremated remains in a place that was special to their loved one.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cremation in Lebanon County, PA
Families considering cremation often have questions about cost, services, viewing options and what can be done with cremated remains. Christman’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services helps families throughout Lebanon, Annville, Myerstown, Cleona, Cornwall, Jonestown, Fredericksburg and surrounding Lebanon County communities understand their cremation options and make choices that are right for their family.
1. How much does cremation cost in Lebanon, PA?
At Christman’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services, direct cremation in Lebanon, PA currently ranges from $3,200 to $4,150, depending on the cremation arrangements selected. Our basic direct cremation is $3,200 and includes local removal and sheltering of your loved one with refrigeration, transportation to the crematory if local, the cremation, necessary services of our funeral home staff, and required authorizations.
Families may also choose additional services or merchandise, including a family farewell viewing for $150, a funeral or memorial service for $610, or an urn, with various styles currently ranging from $35 to $3,000.
We believe families in Lebanon and throughout Lebanon County deserve clear information about cremation costs and available options. Our funeral directors will explain the services available, answer your questions and help you choose cremation arrangements that are appropriate for your family and budget.
Prices are based on Christman’s Funeral Home’s current General Price List, effective December 1, 2025, and are subject to change.
2. What is direct cremation?
Direct cremation is a simple cremation option that takes place without a formal viewing, visitation or funeral ceremony beforehand. It can be an appropriate choice for families who want a simpler or more affordable alternative to a traditional funeral. After the cremation, the family can receive the cremated remains and decide whether to keep them in an urn, bury them, place them in a cemetery niche, scatter them where permitted or arrange a memorial service at a later date.
3. Can we have a funeral or viewing before cremation?
Yes. Choosing cremation does not mean giving up the opportunity to have a traditional funeral, viewing or visitation. Families in Lebanon County can choose to have a viewing or visitation followed by a funeral service, with cremation taking place afterward. This provides family and friends with an opportunity to gather, say goodbye and honor their loved one while still choosing cremation as the method of final disposition.
4. Can we have a memorial service if we choose cremation?
Yes. Cremation provides families with considerable flexibility when planning a memorial service or celebration of life. A memorial service can be held at Christman’s Funeral Home, a Lebanon County church, cemetery, community venue or another meaningful location. Because the cremation may take place before the memorial service, families can also have additional flexibility when selecting a date that allows relatives and friends to attend.
5. What can we do with cremated remains after cremation?
There are many options for cremated remains. They can be kept at home in an urn, buried in a cemetery, placed in a columbarium or cemetery niche, or scattered in a meaningful location where permitted. Some families may also choose keepsake urns or other forms of permanent memorialization. Christman’s Funeral Home can explain the available options and help your family choose a final resting place that feels meaningful and appropriate.
6. Can cremated remains be buried in a cemetery?
Yes. Cremated remains can be buried in a cemetery just as a casket can. Families may choose an individual cremation grave, an existing family cemetery plot when permitted, or another designated cremation burial option. A graveside or committal service can also be held when the urn is buried. Cemetery rules and requirements vary, so it is important to check with the cemetery when making arrangements.
7. Can a veteran be cremated and still receive military funeral honors?
Yes. Choosing cremation does not prevent an eligible veteran from receiving military funeral honors or being buried or inurned in a national cemetery. Cremated remains can be placed at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery when eligibility requirements are met. Christman’s Funeral Home has extensive experience helping Lebanon County veterans and their families understand available veterans' funeral and burial benefits and coordinate appropriate military honors.
8. Do you provide cremation services for families throughout Lebanon County?
Yes. Christman’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Lebanon, PA serves families throughout Lebanon County and surrounding communities. We regularly assist families from Lebanon, Annville, Myerstown, Cleona, Cornwall, Jonestown, Fredericksburg, Schaefferstown, Mt. Gretna, Fort Indiantown Gap and nearby communities with direct cremation, funeral services followed by cremation, memorial services and other cremation arrangements.
9. Can I preplan and prepay for cremation in Lebanon, PA?
Yes. Cremation arrangements can be planned in advance. Preplanning allows you to document your wishes, select the type of cremation and memorial services you prefer and reduce the number of decisions your family may have to make later. You can discuss direct cremation, a funeral followed by cremation, memorial services, urns and options for the permanent placement of your cremated remains as part of the preplanning process.
10. How do I arrange cremation after a death in Lebanon County?
If a death has occurred, contact Christman’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services at 717-272-7431. Our funeral home is available 24 hours a day to help families in Lebanon and throughout Lebanon County. We can guide you through the next steps, including transferring your loved one into our care, completing necessary authorizations and paperwork, obtaining death certificates, discussing cremation and service options, and helping your family create arrangements that honor your loved one.
