Cemetery Terms Explained

Cemetery establishments use many terms and phrases that people outside the industry don’t understand. This can lead to problems when they use a cemetery’s services because they’re not fully aware of what they’re paying for. At Willowbrook Cemetery, we ensure our clients are informed and answer all questions promptly. Here’s a look at some essential cemetery terms so you know what to expect:

1. Cemetery Services

This term includes all the services an establishment will provide or include in their basic cost plan like opening/closing graves, niches, or crypts, setting vaults, setting markers, long-term maintenance, and other such services.

2. Crypt

A space reserved to hold human remains.

3. Mausoleum

It is a building specifically designed to hold human remains. Humans are entombed in crypts inside a mausoleum.

4. Entombment

A burial in a mausoleum or crypt.

5. Niche

A small space in a columbarium or cemetery establishment set aside to store ashes of cremated individuals.

6. Columbarium

This is a specially designed structure to house a deceased person’s ashes. It has small niches where you can store urns and a single structure has many niches.

7. Cremated remains

These are the pulverized bone fragments that remain after cremation is complete.

8. Urn

A small container to hold a deceased individual’s ashes.

9. Casket or Coffin

A box used to display the body during visitation, for transporting it, and during burial.

10. Outer Burial Container

Our cemetery requires casketed remains to be encased in a concrete enclosure. There are several varieties that include:  a basic liner; an entry level sealer vault all the way up to elaborate models that your funeral service provider will offer you. In our LCM section of the cemetery, double-vaults or underground ‘crypts’ have been pre-installed and are offered for free to our families.

11. Grave

A space dug into the ground for burying human and cremated remains.

12. Perpetual Care Fund

Money reserved for care and maintenance of cemetery grounds and graves. This is usually collected from cemetery property buyers.  Here at Willowbrook Cemetery, we have a healthy fund with future proceeds (sales) to build upon it.

If you want to know more about Willowbrook or are interested in calling Willowbrook “home”, just give us a call at
203-222-8646 or contact us through our online form.