The Step-by-Step Guide To Planning an Online Cremation

If you’re reading this, you’re probably trying to figure out what to do next. Maybe you’ve just lost someone and you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you’re thinking ahead for yourself or someone you love, and you want to understand the process before you’re in the middle of it.

Either way, you’ve likely come across the phrase “planning a cremation online” and wondered exactly what it means. It doesn’t refer to a virtual service or a streamed ceremony.

Instead, it means completing the arrangement process digitally, including choosing a cremation package, filling out the required paperwork and signing legal authorizations. All from home, without having to come into a funeral home.

For families already carrying the weight of grief, an online cremation can be much simpler than handling everything in-person. This guide walks through every step, from the very first phone call to receiving your loved one’s remains, so you know what to expect before you begin.

Step 1: Starting the Online Arrangement

For most families, the process begins with a phone call to a funeral home and crematorium. Immediately after that first call, they arrange to bring your loved one into their care. You can start the online paperwork at the same time, from home. Many families complete the online paperwork the same day.

You’ll start by entering some basic biographical information about your loved one. This is used to prepare the death certificate and other required documentation.

From there, you’ll choose a cremation package, review itemized pricing and confirm your selections. When you work with our team at Adams Mason Funeral Home & Crematory, nothing is finalized without a review from one of our licensed funeral directors, and that same director is available by phone if questions come up at any point.

Step 2: The Cremation Authorization Form

Before any cremation can take place in Ohio, one document has to be signed: the cremation authorization form.

Ohio Revised Code §4717.24 requires that this form be signed by a legally authorized agent before any cremation can take place. It confirms the identity of the deceased, that the person signing holds the legal right to do so and that the body is free of implants such as pacemakers, which must be removed before cremation.

The law sets a clear priority order for who is authorized to sign:

• First priority goes to any person the deceased designated in a written declaration
• If no designation was made, authority passes to the surviving spouse
• Next to adult children (when there are multiple, a majority must agree)
• Then to parents, and further down the line from there

Electronic signatures are legally valid for this document. Adams Mason’s EZSign process allows families to complete and return authorization paperwork without leaving home, at any time that is convenient.

Step 3: What Happens After You Sign

Once authorization is submitted and all documentation is in order, your loved one’s cremation is scheduled.

We operate an on-site crematory at our Akron facility, which means your loved one remains in our care from the time of transportation through the return of remains. We do not outsource any part of the process.

You should also know that Ohio law requires a continuous identification system throughout the cremation process.

Under Ohio Revised Code §4717.26, identifying tags must accompany your loved one from intake through the return of remains, and written receipts are required when your loved one arrives at the crematory and again when remains are released.

If remains are shipped, Ohio law mandates a traceable carrier with a signed delivery receipt. These steps exist to prevent mistakes and mix-ups during what’s already a painful time for your family.

Step 4: Receiving the Cremated Remains

When you work with our team at Adams Mason, cremated remains are returned no earlier than seven business days after all required documents are received, including the signed death certificate.

Remains can be picked up in person at Adams Mason’s Akron location or shipped via USPS Priority Mail Express. As noted above, Ohio law requires any shipment to use a carrier with an internal tracing system and signed delivery confirmation.

You’ll receive your loved one’s remains in a temporary container unless you’ve selected an urn from our cremation packages. What happens after that, whether you scatter, keep or divide the remains, is entirely your family’s decision.

There’s no rush to make a choice—many people wait months, sometimes years, and you’re allowed to take all the time you need.

You Don’t Have To Figure This Out Alone

There’s no question that understanding the step-by-step process to planning an online cremation is helpful. Knowing what to expect—the forms, the legal steps, the timeline—can take some of the uncertainty out of an already hard time.

But ultimately, you’re still grieving and trying to manage this process while feeling exhausted. That’s why the most important thing to know is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

We’ve guided countless families across Akron, Cleveland, Canton and greater Northeast Ohio through this process. We’re here to answer every question, manage the details and shoulder as much of the load as we can.

If you’re navigating loss right now, or still figuring out where to begin, the best next step is simple. Learn more about our process at Adams Mason, or reach us directly at (330) 535-9186.