Cremations

Five Generations of caring

With the loss of a loved one, families must make many difficult decisions. Many families choose cremation with the belief that it is a less stressful and more environmentally friendly alternative than a traditional ground burial. Regardless of your reasons for choosing cremation, we want to assure you that when your funeral director uses Evans Cremation Services, your loved one will be cared for in the most compassionate and dignified manner possible.

We recognize the trust that you place in us, and we are committed to providing the best cremation service possible. Your peace of mind is what is most important to us.

About Us

The Evans Family has been assisting funeral directors in serving local families since 1916. Our crematory operations started in 1982 at our Schafferstown facility and in 1990 at Leola. Over the years, we have completed more than 50,000 cremations. Evans Cremation Services is a division of Evans Burial Vaults, Inc. Our company is owned by Shane W. Evans, Allison Evans-Torres, and Ryan Moyer. They represent the fourth generation of ownership of the company by the Evans Family. Evans Cremation Services began primarily to fill the need of funeral homes that wished to provide cremation services for their families. The majority of funeral homes in this area, as well as across the United States, utilize an independent service to perform cremations. Most funeral homes do not have the facilities or the specialized staff to perform the tasks cremation requires.

Services

We provide complete cremation services for licensed funeral directors, including temporary holding of the deceased in refrigerated storage units, placement of the deceased in the crematory retort, and processing of the remains for an urn or temporary container. We also provide complete graveside equipment for the interment of cremains in a cemetery.

Most cremations are performed privately; however, there are some families who choose to have a service at the crematory. We have family viewing areas available at both of our facilities. Typical services at our crematories include small gatherings of immediate family members, but we can accommodate larger groups when necessary.

Facilities

Evans Cremation Services provides cremation services for more than 50 funeral homes in southern-central Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and northern Delaware. We perform cremations at facilities located in Pennsylvania: Leola in Lancaster County and Schafferstown in Lebanon County. There are four crematory retorts at Leola and two retorts in Schafferstown. At each facility, we have refrigerated storage units where we can temporarily store decedents before performing cremation. We also have comfortable family viewing areas available. Cremation Association of North America (CANA) certified crematory operators are staffed at each location.

We have made a significant commitment to serving the funeral directors and their families who depend on us for cremation services during all types of weather conditions. This is why we have installed a backup generator at our Leola facility, which is capable of running both crematory and refrigeration units. We also have a retort at our Leola facility that is specially designed to handle larger bodies in a safe and dignified manner.

Leola Facility

Schafferstown Facility

Meet Our Crematorium Staff

We have five full-time and one part-time experienced crematory operators. Together, they have over 90 years of experience in funeral services. Each of our staff members is personally committed to following the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) code of cremation practice.

Crematory Operations Manager

Brooks Boyer

Brooks is our Crematory Operations Manager and is responsible for the day-to-day service operation of our service. He has worked for our company since 2010 and has held several management positions. Brooks has developed highly specialized skills in the operation and maintenance of crematory equipment.

Brooks is a very caring and compassionate person who is very detail-oriented. He takes great care in handling decedents and has a significant amount of training through his association with the funeral industry.

Crematory Operator & Manager at Leola

Bill Conrad

Bill is a Crematory Operator and Manager of our Leola facility. Bill has worked for us since 2016, and prior to working at Evans, he had a long career working for local funeral homes and the Lancaster County Coroner’s office. Through his experience, he has developed highly specialized skills in the handling and care of decedents.

Bill is a very kind and caring person. He takes pride in the treatment and care provided to our customers and the families they serve. Bill is often responsible for performing family viewing services at our crematories.

Crematory Operator & Manager at Schafferstown

Dave Salada

Dave is a Crematory Operator and Manager of our Schafferstown facility. Dave has had a long career in funeral service, including cemetery management, burial vault delivery, and other supervisory positions. Through his experience, he has developed skills in the maintenance of crematory equipment and a high level of knowledge of the funeral and deathcare industries.

Dave is a very compassionate and empathetic person. He takes pride in the dignified care of decedents.

Cremation Process

All the cremations are performed individually. Cremation is performed by placing the decedent into a casket or other container, and then placing the casket or container into the cremation chamber. The chamber is where the cremation takes place. Following the cooling period, the cremated remains, which normally weigh around several pounds, are swept or raked from the cremation chamber.

After the cremated remains are removed from the cremation chamber, all the non-combustible materials, such as bridgework, metal hips, and other remaining materials, are removed from the casket or container. This can include hinges, latches, nails, etc. These articles are then separated and removed from the human bone fragments by visible or magnetic selection. This material is then given to a recycling company. All monies received from recycling are donated to various charities such as Hospice, Children’s Miracle Network, Make-A-Wish, and others.

CANA Cremation Practices

We are proud members of the Cremation Association of North America. Every cremation we perform follows their operating procedures and Code of Cremation Practice (see below). A fundamental element of the CANA procedures is the assignment of a unique identification number to each cremation that we perform. This identification number is assigned when the decedent is delivered to our crematory. We also maintain a handwritten log book with the decedent’s name and identification number. A stainless steel tag with the identification number is then placed with the decedent. This tag stays with the decedent at our facility and ends up with the cremated remains, either in the urn or the temporary container.

CANA Code of Cremation Practice:

In the practice of cremation, we believe:

In dignity and respect in the care of the deceased, in compassion for the living who survive them, and in the emorialization of life.
That a Cremation Authority should be responsible for creating and maintaining an atmosphere of respect at all times.
That the greatest care should be taken in the appointment of crematory staff members, any of whom must not, by conduct or demeanor, bring the crematory or cremation into disrepute.
That cremation should be considered as preparation for memorialization.
That the dead of our society should be memorialized through a commemorative means suitable to the survivor.

Our Clients

We are very proud that these funeral homes utilize us to service their cremation needs. If you have questions about cremation services or are interested in arranging a cremation funeral, we highly recommend contacting the funeral home of your choice directly. Please note that only licensed funeral directors can make arrangements for cremations.

Berks County, PA

Hildenbrand Funeral Home
Mull Funeral Home
Cole Funeral Home

Chester County, PA

Collins Funeral Home
Shivery Funeral Home
Stanton Funeral Home
Wilde Funeral Home
Maclean-Chamberlain Funeral Home
Harris-Mountain Funeral Home

Lancaster County, PA

Reynolds Funeral Home
Buch Funeral Home
Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home
Workman Funeral Home
Dewald Funeral Home
Furman Funeral Home
Gravenor Home for Funerals
The Groffs Family Funeral Home
Good-Sipler Funeral Home
Stradling Funeral Home
Roseboro Stradling Funeral Home
Spence Funeral Home

Cumberland County, PA

Parthemore Funeral Home

Dauphin County, PA

Hall & Stone Funeral Home
Knight Funeral Home
Trefz & Bowser Funeral Home
Winfield Funeral Home

Lebanon County, PA

Grose Funeral Home

Schuylkill County

H.L. Synder Funeral Home

York County, PA

Harkins Funeral Home
Wagner-Elfner and Burg Funeral Homes
Etzweiler Funeral Home
Emig Funeral Home
Leber Funeral Home

Hardford County, MD

Zellman Funeral Home