Seattle

The seaport city of Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region. Nearly 700,000 people call the city home. Roughly 13 Seattle funeral homes provide this community with funeral arranging services.

Like many major U.S. cities, Seattle has residents of all different ethnicities, nationalities and cultures. Asian communities makes up around 14 per cent of the population of the city, of which the majority are people of Chinese heritage. As a result, Eastern religions such as Buddhism have a significant following with the city, as well as Christian denominations such as Catholicism, Latter-day Saints, and the Pentecostal Church. Therefore funeral homes in Seattle are likely to understand the needs of different religions and cultures.

However, Seattle also has a notably high proportion of residents who have no particular religious affiliation. Indeed, some studies suggest that 10 per cent of Seattleites identify as atheist. This means that some funeral homes in Seattle may have experience arranging secular or Humanist funeral services, as well as ceremonies adhering to specific religious beliefs.

It is vital to note that funeral arrangements in Seattle are governed by Washington state law. As such, the person who has died must be embalmed or refrigerated until the time of the cremation or burial. However, the embalmer must obtain permission from a family member or legal representative before carrying out any embalming procedures.

In addition to these legal requirements, all burials in the state of Washington must take place in established cemeteries. Seattle has several burial grounds distributed across the city, such as Lake View Cemetery near Capitol Hill, a non-profit graveyard established in 1872 with over 40 acres of landscaped grounds. Crown Hill Cemetery, in the Seattle area of Crown Hill, is a privately-owned, non-denominational cemetery, offering burial and cremation services.

There are also several religious burial grounds within Seattle, such as Calvary Cemetery for those of the Catholic faith. Serving the Jewish community is the Bikur Cholim chapel and cemetery in Northwest Seattle and the Herzl Memorial Park to the north of the city.

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