FAQ

Reputation
Serving greater Cincinnati since 1845, more families have chosen Spring Grove than any other funeral and cemetery establishment. Thanks to its long heritage as a non-profit cemetery and the careful responsibility with which its endowment is managed, the property you purchase today will look just as beautiful tomorrow and in the decades ahead.

Spring Grove owns the Spring Grove Funeral Homes and manages Oak Hill Cemetery, so great care is taken to ensure that our cemeteries and funeral homes operate under the same high principles and values on which Spring Grove was founded.

Experience
We have been part of your community for over 160 years. Therefore, you can trust our staff of caring people to treat you with warmth and compassion when you need it most.

Convenience
We offer funeral services and products, cremation services, cemetery options, chapel options, and a reception center where friends and family can gather – all in one location. You are spared from spending hours on the phone talking with several different entities. In addition, we have two cemetery locations and two funeral home locations to best fit your needs.

Interestingly, no one owns Spring Grove. Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum (its formal corporate name) is a nonprofit corporation originally established by an Act of the Ohio legislature in 1845. In Ohio, nonprofit corporations do not have owners or stockholders. Spring Grove, like other nonprofit corporations, is managed by a Board of Trustees. Spring Grove's Board members are unpaid volunteers and all are residents of the greater Cincinnati area. They elect the officers of the Cemetery and make policy decisions for the organization, much as a Board of Directors does in the case of a for-profit corporation. The remaining members of the Board of Trustees fill vacancies in the Board as they occur. Neither Spring Grove Cemetery nor Spring Grove Funeral Homes is owned or controlled in any way by any national chain of cemeteries or funeral homes.

If you will not be having any memorial services in another state, Spring Grove’s Funeral Home can simplify the process for you by making all of the transportation arrangements for the transfer of your loved one from another state to Spring Grove for funeral services and burial. You only need to make all of your arrangements with the Spring Grove Funeral Homes. Please call our funeral home, the Spring Grove Funeral Homes at (513) 853-1035. We will arrange for you to meet with one of our funeral and cemetery advisors either by phone or in-person to make the arrangements to have your loved one transferred to Spring Grove for burial.

If you will be having church or memorial services outside of Ohio, you will need to contact the local funeral home in your town to provide you with the mortuary services that you will need. Your funeral home will then make arrangements to ship your loved one to our funeral home for burial at Spring Grove.

Spring Grove does not have a formal assistance program for low-income families. We make every effort to provide a wide variety of options for every budget. And when you plan in advance, we have many affordable payment options with low down payments. Contact us to meet with one of our advisors to discuss your special circumstances for further consideration.

Ohio State law does not require a vault or outer burial container. However, we require a vault at Spring Grove Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery to maintain the integrity of the ground and to prevent the ground from sinking. Ensuring that the ground stays level keeps the cemetery safe for staff and visitors. 

An honorably discharged veteran may be eligible for Veterans Administration Benefits which may include an American flag, a two-person honor guard at graveside to play taps and fold and present flag, possible reimbursement for a portion of the service and transportation fees, burial in any national cemetery, and a granite headstone or flat granite or bronze grave marker.

Spring Grove Cemetery does have a veterans section. A cemetery advisor can provide you with the detail and benefits for this section as well as assist you in making arrangements for a government marker.

The Spring Grove Family welcomes all faiths and religions. Your advisor can assist you in arranging a funeral ceremony and final resting place that honors your affiliation. Our commitment is to provide you with quality services that are right for you, regardless of affiliation or non-affiliation.

We celebrate the ethnic diversity of our community by offering a wide variety of options to meet the special religious and cultural traditions of families. Whether your family wishes to observe longstanding traditions, create new rituals, or blend both together, our staff can help.

We've arranged services in our funeral homes, private homes, chapels, churches, temples, mosques, cemeteries, crematory chapels and other places meaningful to the person being honored. A funeral is more than a way to mourn a loss -- it is also a collective celebration of a life well-lived.

No. What you own is the right to determine who may be buried in your lot. These rights are called "interment rights." The land remains the property, and the responsibility, of the cemetery.

You and your heirs will own the interment rights to your space forever. A percentage of the purchase price of each interment right sold is placed in a care and maintenance trust fund to underwrite this.

Yes. Spring Grove Cemetery has land available. As the second largest cemetery in the United States, Spring Grove is comprised of 733 acres. With almost 350 acres still undeveloped, Spring Grove Cemetery will have space available for many generations to come.

Yes, even when you are unable to visit the cemetery, you can make sure your love is expressed.
Our convenient Everlastings Floral Placement Program ensures that your loved one will be remembered with flowers on the special days you designate, or you may choose from one of our custom packages. For more information, visit our Everlastings Floral Program.

Preplanning simply records final wishes in regards to Funeral Planning, Cemetery Burial Options and Memorialization (Granite Options). This is handled by a fully trained and State Licensed Family Service Advisor. 

Spring Grove’s State Licensed Family Service Advisors are fully trained and knowledgeable in handling all 3 of the Preplanning considerations; Funeral, Cemetery and Granite Memorialization. This process is not difficult at all as we will guide you through each very important step including your funding options. 

Yes! Preplanning affords the opportunity to make payments. Many of our Cemetery and Granite plans come with zero interest as well! Plus, with our expansive and affordable cemetery inventory, there are many pricing options affordable to everyone.   

Absolutely! Since we handle every item, no need to travel to multiple locations or different businesses. We provide you with complete service options and more experience than any other business in Greater Cincinnati. One place… Spring Grove… and everything is handled.  

Absolutely! At any time that you may need to make changes or need more information, our Management and staff are always available to help. It is our empathic approach to all that we do in Preplanning that truly sets us apart at Spring Grove. 

At Spring Grove Cemetery and Funeral Homes, we have more options and personal detail offerings than anyone. From Cremation Celebrations and Gardens, to Private Family Estate areas, to incredible Funeral Service Reception Facilities. We can handle any size gathering. And we can personalize your remembrance event better than anyone. 

Generally, embalming is not required by law. However, many states do require a body to either be embalmed or refrigerated within a certain time period after death has occurred. The funeral home may also have an embalming requirement for certain types of arrangements, such as when there will be a public viewing of the deceased. You always have the option of selecting an immediate disposition arrangement that does not require embalming. 

Funeral directors work together every day to coordinate the shipment of human remains between different cities, states and countries. If someone dies while travelling out-of-town, contact the funeral director in your home town. He or she can work with a local funeral director and the authorities where the death occurred to make arrangements to bring your loved one home. If the death occurs in a city where you or someone you trust is familiar with a local funeral home, you can also contact them for assistance. 

The cost of a funeral is determined primarily by the type of services and merchandise selected. Your funeral director will provide you with a copy of their General Price List prior to your making any selections. This price list will detail the various types of services available and the cost for each. In addition, if your arrangements involve the selection of a casket or outer burial container, you will be shown the price list for each prior to making a selection.

Prior to completing the funeral arrangements, your funeral director will prepare an itemized list of all of your selections for services, merchandise and any charges from outside parties that are being paid through the funeral home. Be sure to ask any questions you may have; your funeral director is there to help ensure you are comfortable with your selections. 

 Cremation is simply the process of reducing the human body to particles and bone fragments using high heat and flame. It is not the scattering or burying of the ashes, and it is not a type of funeral service. 

 That depends on the weight of the deceased, but cremation usually takes between two and three hours. 

 We carry out the cremation approximately 3 to 5 business days after taking the deceased into our care as long as all paperwork and legal requirements are met. State law requires us to hold a body for no less than 24 hours before it is cremated. 

 No, you don’t. State law does not require it. All that is needed is a rigid, combustible container, which is called an alternative cremation container. Our basic cremation package includes a cardboard cremation container. 

 At the end of the cremation process, we process the bone fragments to a consistent size and place them into a temporary or permanent urn.

Once the ashes are ready, we’ll contact you to collect. We can also have them mailed to you by U.S. Priority Mail Express for a charge.

At some point you may want to consider the permanent placement of the ashes. We offer you several options, including communal or private inurnment above or below ground. We can also have them delivered or packaged and mailed to you by courier for a charge.

 Cremated remains (or cremains) resemble coarse sand. They range in color from white to gray. Cremains weigh between four and eight pounds. 

 We use a sturdy plastic urn as a standard container. However, a variety of beautiful and personalized urns are also available. A variety of keepsakes and mementos are also available, some that hold a portion of the ashes. 

 Our crematory has strict procedures that all personnel must follow: only certified personnel can operate the equipment and everyone must use our positive identification system for the whole cremation process. Only one body is cremated at a time, in compliance with the law. We operate our own crematory and your loved one never leaves our care. 

 Once the ashes are ready, usually two to three days after the cremation, we will contact you. At some point you may want to consider the permanent placement of the ashes. We offer several options, including communal or private inurnment above or below ground.