Neptune Society of Northern California

Yes, making plans in advance of the time of need ensures that your wishes will be known. Your family will not have the burden of guessing what you would have wanted or how much to spend.

There is a wide selection of choices and price ranges for cremation services and merchandise. As with traditional burial, your family will decide how much or how little to spend on a cremation service. If you choose to preplan and prefund your own plans, you can decide what cost is appropriate in advance of the time of need.

Gatherings of any type (visitations, memorial services, etc.) can be held at your familys discretion. The gathering is a place and time for your family and friends to come together to celebrate special memories of your loved one and to support each other during your time of loss. Many choose to have a traditional service first, followed by the cremation. Others hold a memorial service at some point before or after the cremation.

Before cremation can take place, the attending physician or medical examiner must complete and sign the death certificate. All civil and medical authorities must issue all required permits. The next of kin or other authorized person must provide the authorization to cremate. Your funeral provider can assist you through this process to ensure that all necessary paperwork is completed and authorizations and permits are obtained. Regulations in many states also require that a certain number of hours transpire after the death occurs (usually 24 to 48 hours). After these conditions are met, the cremation takes place. Afterward, the cremated remains are placed in the urn your family selects.

Yes. Cremation (like burial) is a separate event from the funeral or memorial service. Selecting cremation does not diminish the important need for some type of gathering that will honor and celebrate the life of your loved one. A service can be held either before or after the cremation has taken place. A family may choose to have a viewing prior to cremation or a service with or without the cremated remains (ashes) present.

Yes. While funeral and memorial services have traditionally been held at churches, synagogues or funeral facilities, they can also take place at many other locations: a friend or family members home, parks, beaches, reception halls, golf courses or any other location your family wishes. You may also choose to and scatter your loved ones remains from our yacht, the Naiad, and have a gathering on board. In addition to the immediate event, you may also want to consider holding another memorial event at a future date. We can help arrange events at any time and in almost any location.

Always contact the proper authorities to notify them that a death has occurred. Then, please contact the Neptune Society at our toll-free number; we are prepared to respond to your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our professional team will help you every step of the way, starting with making the necessary arrangements and notifications to take your loved one into our care.

Funeral costs may be paid by check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or an assignment of verified insurance benefits. Many families choose easy payment plans available through preplanning. This important decision can limit or eliminate the financial burden placed on a family when the death of a loved one occurs.

Embalming is the temporary preservation of a persons remains using a chemical process. Most families choose embalming when a public viewing is planned as part of the service.

Members of the Neptune Society form a broad and diverse group. People from many different walks of lifedifferent faiths and philosophies, ethnic backgrounds and lifestyleshave joined the Neptune Society of Northern California for the simple purpose of letting loved ones know that, when their time comes, their choice is cremation.

The Neptune Society has 11 locations throughout Northern California. Your prearranged services can be easily transferred to one of these providers should you move or wish to relocate your cremation services to another area.

No, unless refrigeration is not available or you select embalming for a service with a formal viewing or visitation.

Yes. You can come by any time on our regular hours of operation (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM), to speak to us if you have any questions or are interested in learning more.

A death certificate and cremation permit must be signed prior to cremation. Any delays may be out of our control, but Neptune Society of Northern California walks you through every step, helping and guiding you through the process

Neptune Society of Northern California helps families navigate government paperwork and determine available military and social security benefits for cremation costs.

We do offer incentives for companion purchases.

Yes, we handle the death certificate and copies of the certificate as needed.

You can update your payment information under 'Manage My Account' at our customer service page

You can see your account information under 'Manage My Account' at our customer service page

While our physical offices are only open during the weekdays, we are available 24/7 via phone or our online cremation planning

Please contact our Customer Service team as they will be more than happy to assist you with a copy of your contract.

If you purchase a Pre-Arrangement Plan with us, there will be no additional fees or charges when the service is activated as long as your contract is paid in full. Additional charges only happen if your loved ones desire to purchase multiple Death Certificates, other URNs of their preference, or any other services that were not part of your purchased contract. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our customer service team as we will be more than happy to assist you

Simply call us and our staff will assist.

We offer prepaid and immediate need cremation services.

Have someone call our office and they will take care of everything

This can vary depending on a number of factors such as what state you live in, how long the medical examiner takes to sign a death certificate, etc. The average total time is between 7 and 10 days.

Yes, you can still donate organs prior to cremation. We coordinate with all Tissue Banks. However, most organ donations take place at the medical facility where the death occurs, and the hospital arranges for the donation before turning over the deceased to us for cremation

Yes, we encourage everyone to preplan and that includes specific options for memorialization and celebrations of life

Yes, we will work with any cemetery for placing ashes

Yes, we offer jewelry, urns, art glass and other keepsakes for cremation. You can see many of the options in person in our offices and/or see a number of the selections.

Yes, we have travel options that cover nationwide.

Through the Veterans Administration, veterans may be eligible for the following benefits: Reimbursement towards your cremation service, free headstones or markers in granite, marble, or bronze, and presidential memorial certificates

We have a wide range of beautiful and unique urns. Visit our website to check out our catalog

Cremation costs vary on a number of factors such as location, memorialization options, travel, etc. It is best to contact us for a quote

Yes, we do offer Scattering at the Sea services. Please feel free to contact our customer service team or visit our website for more information

Hello we offer multiple routes, for the San Francisco Bay, it largely depends on the weather that day. We always recommend at least a light jacket as well.