Cremation Services in Des Plaines, IL

Cremation for Des Plaines families, from downtown to the Cumberland area, with up-front prices and help at any hour.

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DIRECT CREMATION STARTING AT
$997
Simple arrangements. Transparent pricing. Exceptional care.
Des Plaines families can reach us any hour, any day of the year
See your estimated total
ARRANGE IN UNDER 15 MINUTES Online or by phone
TRANSPARENT PRICING Every charge listed up front
CARE AVAILABLE 24/7 We answer day or night
FAMILY OWNED Personal care from our family

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Cremation options for Des Plaines families

Illustration of a lit candle at sunset, with the Des Plaines Theatre in the distance MOST POPULAR

Direct Cremation

STARTING AT $997

Simple, dignified direct cremation.

  • Arrange online or by phone
  • No funeral home visit required
  • Our most chosen option
ARRANGE NOW
Illustration of a water drop over calm water, with the Des Plaines Theatre on the horizon ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICE

Water Cremation (Aquamation)

STARTING AT $1,897

A gentle, environmentally friendly alternative.

  • Uses water instead of flame
  • Eco-friendly process
  • Returns approximately 20% more cremated remains
Learn more about water cremation ARRANGE NOW
Illustration of a vase of flowers on a park bench under a shade tree, with the Des Plaines Theatre in the distance FAMILY FAREWELL OPTION

Family Farewell Option

STARTING AT $1,997

A private, peaceful time to gather, say goodbye, and honor the life of your loved one.

  • 1 hour private family viewing
  • Private for family and close friends
  • At our funeral home
  • Everything included with Direct Cremation
ARRANGE NOW

Required with every cremation: the county permit ($200), certified death certificates ($40 for the first, $20 for each additional), the state-required container ($160), a temporary urn ($25) and 10.25% sales tax on the container and urn ($18.96). A simple cremation after a hospital death with four death certificates comes to $1,500.96. See your estimated total.

Milos Djordjevic, owner of Caring Cremations

A personal promise to Des Plaines families

“Many Des Plaines families are visiting a parent at a nursing center on River Road or caring for one at home, and they need clear answers quickly. I’m Milos Djordjevic, a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and my team can carry a cremation in Des Plaines from the first phone call to the last form, by phone or online, at any hour.”
Signature of Milos Djordjevic, Owner and Funeral Director Owner & Funeral Director, Caring Cremations

How cremation works with us in Des Plaines

Three simple steps. We handle the rest, day or night.

Illustration of a home with a warmly lit doorway at dusk

We bring your loved one into our care

We come to the home, hospital, hospice or senior community in Des Plaines where your loved one died, at any hour. Then we file the Cook County cremation permit and the death certificate.

Illustration of an urn on a fireplace mantel beside a candle and a framed picture of the Des Plaines Theatre

Cremated remains returned to your family

Once the cremation is complete, the cremated remains are returned to your family, and we call as soon as they are ready.

Serving families throughout Des Plaines

We serve families in every part of Des Plaines, including:

  • Downtown Des Plaines
  • Cumberland area
  • Lake Opeka area
  • River Road
  • Golf Road
  • Touhy Avenue
  • Lee Street

Des Plaines has a long-term acute care hospital and several nursing and rehabilitation centers, and two large hospitals sit just outside the city. We can come to any of them, including:

  • Holy Family Medical Center 100 N. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016
  • Nazarethville Place 300 N. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016
  • Alden Des Plaines Rehab & Health Care 1221 E. Golf Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016
  • Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (nearby) 1775 Dempster St., Park Ridge, IL 60068
  • Ascension Alexian Brothers (nearby) 800 Biesterfield Rd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

When a death happens in a nursing or rehabilitation center, staff usually call the family first and then ask which funeral home to notify. Give them our number and tell them we will handle the transfer. Personal belongings are released by the facility, not by us, so ask the staff how they would like you to collect them.

Most families in Des Plaines complete arrangements online or by phone, without visiting a funeral home. We let you know as soon as the cremated remains are ready.

Death certificates and cremation permits in Des Plaines

Des Plaines is in Cook County, so the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office issues the cremation permit for any death in the city. The Medical Examiner’s fee is built into our $200 permit charge.

Death certificates are registered electronically with the Illinois Department of Public Health. Certified copies for a death in Des Plaines or Park Ridge come from the Cook County Clerk’s Office. We file everything and order the copies for you: $40 for the first and $20 for each additional.

Cremation permit Issued by the Cook County Medical Examiner $200
First certified death certificate $40
Each additional copy $20
State-required alternative container $160
Temporary urn $25
Sales tax 10.25% on the container and urn only $18.96
Typical total Direct cremation, hospital death, 4 certificates $1,500.96
See your estimated total

Questions about cremation in Des Plaines

Straight answers about cost, timing and paperwork. If your question is not here, call us at (773) 866-2273, day or night.

How much is a direct cremation in Des Plaines?

Direct cremation starts at $997 and includes transportation from a hospital, climate-controlled holding, all filings and an individual cremation. Required additions bring a typical hospital-death total with four certified death certificates to $1,500.96: the $200 county permit, $40 for the first certificate and $20 for each additional, a $160 container, a $25 temporary urn and $18.96 tax. From a nursing center or home, add $295.

Who issues the cremation permit for a death in Des Plaines?

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office issues the permit, since Des Plaines is in Cook County. That office reviews the circumstances of every death before a cremation, which is a standard step and not a sign that anything is wrong. Its fee is included in our $200 county permit charge, and our staff handle the filing from start to finish.

How long until the cremation is complete?

Most cremations finish within 5 to 10 business days. The clock really starts when the family signs the authorization, then depends on how quickly the Medical Examiner’s Office issues the permit and the physician signs the death certificate. If relatives are traveling in for a gathering, optional expedited cremation is available for $150, and we will give you a realistic date.

Do we need to come into a funeral home to arrange a cremation?

No. Families in Des Plaines can arrange everything online in under 15 minutes, or by phone with our team at any hour. There is no extra cost for arranging from home. If you would like to meet face to face, you are welcome at one of our offices in Evanston, Northbrook, Naperville or Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, and we will set a time that suits you.

What sets water cremation apart for a Des Plaines family?

Water cremation uses water instead of flame, and the result is returned to your family as cremated remains, just as with flame cremation. Families who choose it often like that it is easier on the environment, and it typically gives back about 20% more cremated remains. It starts at $1,897, with a typical total of $2,400.96 after a hospital death with four certificates and the standard required items.

What happens if the death was sudden or unexplained?

For a sudden death at home with no hospice involved, call 911 first. Police notify the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, which decides whether your loved one needs to be examined. If they do, the Medical Examiner’s Office brings your loved one into its care first. Once it releases them, we take over, and you can call us at any point to start the paperwork.

What are our options for the cremated remains?

You can keep them at home, bury them in a cemetery plot or place them in a columbarium niche. A cemetery scattering garden is another choice, and private property is allowed with the owner’s consent. In Des Plaines, All Saints Catholic Cemetery on River Road has a garden set aside for cremated remains. The forest preserves along the Des Plaines River, like any public park or waterway, need permission from the agency that manages them before anyone scatters there.

My mother is at Holy Family Medical Center in Des Plaines. What happens if she dies there?

Tell her nurse that Caring Cremations will be handling arrangements. Holy Family is in Cook County, so the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office issues the permit and the Cook County Clerk’s Office issues the certified copies. The hospital will call us when she can be released, and a standard hospital transfer usually carries no removal charge.

LOCAL GUIDANCE

When a loved one dies in a Des Plaines nursing or rehab center

River Road, Golf Road and Lee Street are home to several of the city’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, and many Des Plaines families have spent weeks visiting a parent there. If your loved one dies in one of these centers, the nurse on duty will call you and ask which funeral home to contact. You can name Caring Cremations even if you have not called us yet; we will reach out to you directly.

Because a nursing center is not a hospital, a $295 removal charge applies when we come to bring your loved one into our care. We tell you that up front, along with every other line on the bill.

AT A GLANCE
  • Ask the nurse to call (773) 866-2273 when you are ready
  • Sign the cremation authorization online or by phone
  • Collect personal belongings with the facility’s staff
  • Let us know how many certified death certificates you need
GOOD TO KNOW

Water cremation for Des Plaines families

Some Des Plaines families ask us whether there is a gentler alternative to flame. Water cremation, also known as aquamation, uses water in place of fire. The process is gentler on the environment, and it typically returns about 20% more cremated remains than flame cremation, which some families appreciate when they plan to share keepsakes among several relatives.

Water cremation starts at $1,897. With the same required items as a simple cremation after a hospital death, including the county permit, four certified death certificates, the alternative container and a temporary urn, the typical total is $2,400.96. The paperwork, transportation and timing are the same as for flame cremation, and you can still add a private family viewing or a memorial service.

FOR DES PLAINES FAMILIES

Arranging a cremation when family lives far from Des Plaines

With O’Hare next door, many Des Plaines families have relatives who fly in from other states or other countries, and some cannot make the trip at all. Our process is built for that. The person with the legal right to authorize the cremation can sign online from anywhere, and the rest of the family can follow along by phone.

Every cremation includes an online obituary, which is often the easiest way to share the news with people who cannot travel. If the family wants to gather once everyone can arrive, Cremation with a Memorial Service starts at $2,500, and we can help you set a date that works across time zones. See how online arrangements work, including from out of state.

Everything you need, complete transparency

We believe in clear, upfront pricing and exceptional care. Here’s exactly what’s included and any additional options.

What’s included

IN EVERY CREMATION SERVICE
  • Transportation from the place of death Within our service area, with care and respect.
  • Climate-controlled holding area Your loved one is kept in our secure, climate-controlled facility.
  • Filing all legal documentation We file all necessary paperwork with the county, city and state.
  • Individual cremation Your loved one is never co-mingled. Ever.
  • Online obituary A tribute page to honor their life and share with family and friends.

Additional charges

PRICED SEPARATELY The first four are required for every cremation.
  • Death certificates $40 for the first certified copy, $20 for each additional.
  • County cremation permit $200, covering the Medical Examiner’s fee and our filing.
  • State-required cremation container $160 for the minimum alternative container.
  • Temporary urn $25. Sales tax of 10.25% applies to the container and urn ($18.96).
  • Immediate removal $295, only when needed: from a home, nursing home or hospice, or any removal needed right away.
  • Expedited cremation $150, optional, for a faster timeline.

Only merchandise is taxed; services are not. We explain every charge before any decision is made. See your estimated total or our full pricing and forms.

Questions? We’re here 24/7. Call 773.866.2273 or start arrangements online.

Planning ahead in Des Plaines

A prepaid cremation plan locks in today’s price, records your wishes and spares your family difficult decisions later. You can pre-plan online from home.

Pre-plan online

Nearby communities we serve

View all communities we serve

Contact Caring Cremations

If you need help with cremation services in Des Plaines, or want to talk about planning ahead, call us any time. We serve families throughout Cook County and the Chicago area.

Reviews from families we’ve served

Arranging cremation from Des Plaines

(773) 866-2273 Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Arrange online in under 15 minutes No funeral home visit required
We come to you Home, hospital, hospice or senior community in Des Plaines
Paperwork handled We file the permit and order the death certificates for you

Ready when you are

Start arrangements online now, or call and we will guide you through each step. Our offices are in Chicago, Evanston, Northbrook and Naperville, and you are welcome to visit, but you never have to.