Services

Wolniak Funeral Directors offer a wide range of funeral service options tailored to fit the individual needs and requests of the families we serve. We will present you with all available options. We then work to see that your wishes are carried out to completion while meeting all legal requirements involved.

We Provide

• 24 Hour Staff Availability
• Traditional Funeral & Abbreviated Services
• Cremation & Memorial Services
• Infant Services
• Certified Advance Planning
• Coordination of Anatomical Donations
• Out of State Funeral Arrangements
• International Transportation
• Services in Polish & Spanish
• Assistance with Cremation Urns, Grave Markers & Monuments
• Coordination and Supervision of Disinterment/Disentombment & Re-interment/Re-entombment
• Assistance with Insurance & Veteran Benefits
• Community Presentations
• Additional Funeral Locations Upon Request

As a full service facility, the Wolniak Funeral Home staff will help families through all aspects of the funeral process. And through a working relationship with funeral homes in the Chicago and surrounding suburbs, the Wolniak Funeral Directors can provide visitation and funeral services at other locations. When you contact us, we can arrange for a conference with one of our licensed directors at our chapel or in the privacy of your home.

Family Resources

Complimentary brochures available upon request

• “What Happens When Someone Dies? A Pamphlet For Young People”
• “When Grief Surprises You”
• “Loss” (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide)
• “The Gift” (A Message of Hope and Help During the Holidays)
• “Protecting Your Assets While Grieving”
• “Personal Arrangement Guide”
• “Advance Funeral Planning”
• “Illinois Consumers Guide – Pre-need Funeral and Burial Purchases”
• “Illinois Department of Human Services Funerals”
• “A Guide to Cremation”
• “Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery”
• “A Career in Funeral Service”
• “Why Choose a Family Owned Firm?”

Merchandise

In addition to a variety of professional services, Wolniak Funeral Home offers those entrusted to our care with a wide range of choices in regard to caskets, outer burial containers and urns. These offerings provide specific functions for the care and final disposition of the deceased. Some funeral options do not require the use of any casket, outer burial container, or urn. The final decision in regard to the use of this merchandise is based upon the personal feelings of the deceased, wishes of the family, religious beliefs, community custom and financial considerations.

We will present all available options for your review and then proceed based upon your wishes. At no time will our staff pressure you in regard to these important decisions. We are here to offer options and support your decisions in the best way we possibly can.

Casket Information

The casket serves many important functions as part of the traditional funeral service and disposition. The casket will serve as the final resting receptacle for the remains of the deceased and can reflect the individual’s personal style. Caskets allow us to transport and present the deceased in a respectful and dignified manner for the visitation, funeral service, and disposition.

Caskets are primarily constructed with metal or wood. Wood caskets can be constructed in various wood species including ash, cherry, hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, pecan, pine, poplar and walnut.

Metal caskets are available in stainless steel or basic steel of varying thickness including thin, medium or thick. They are also available in semi-precious metals including bronze and copper. In some situations, when transporting remains into certain countries a metal gasketed casket is required.

Additional options include veneers, pressed wood and fiberboard constructed caskets.

The interior of a casket is made of different materials as well. Fabric of crepe, satin and velvet with numerous styling options and colors are available.

Caskets can reflect an aspect of the deceased’s life. Some options include themed casket corners or personalized panels.

We are knowledgeable about all the available options and can assist you in choosing the option best suited for your situation.

Burial Vault/Outer Burial Container

Outer burial containers and vaults are used when earth burial is requested. An outer burial container is a concrete form with a top cap that houses the casket in the earth and prevents the collapse of the grave over time. Outer burial containers do not have liners or seals that prevent the entrance of water or other elements of the earth into the receptacle.

Burial vaults are similar in form and function in that they are constructed of high strength concrete with a top cap that shelters the casket and the deceased and prevents the collapse of the grave over time. Burial vaults do, however, incorporate liners and sealant materials that are placed to prevent the entrance of water and other elements of the earth into the receptacle.

The use of an outer burial container or burial vault is not required by any state or federal law but each individual cemetery can require the use of this merchandise as a term of burial in that particular cemetery. Today, nearly all cemeteries require the use of at least an outer burial container.

Urns

Urns are used to house the cremains that are left following the cremation process. Urns can be used for presentation of the cremains at a memorial service, for earth burial, for inurnment in an above ground niche, for retention by the family, or to hold the cremains until scattering takes place.

Like caskets, urns are constructed of many different materials in many different styles and designs. Some choices are bronze, cedar, cherry, copper, marbelon, maple, oak, pewter, slate and walnut. Engraving and etching is available to personalize some urns reflecting favorite activities including fishing and gardening or religious beliefs.

Keepsakes for cremains are available as well and allow individuals to retain a small portion of the cremains as a permanent memento. These keepsakes include personalized jewelry, frame urns and keepsake urns as well as a multitude of other options.