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Daniel Szczesniak

Daniel has been working in the funeral industry since 2010, speaking directly to grieving families as they made funeral arrangements. He began researching and publishing funeral articles on this website as part of his role as product and marketing manager at Urns Northwest. Having written hundreds of articles and growing the site to multiple millions of views per year, Daniel continues to write while providing editorial oversight for US Urns Online's content team.

Latest from Daniel Szczesniak

Common inscription ideas and formats

What to Engrave on Your Loved One’s Urn

What is the correct format for an urn inscription? What should you include, and how should you phrase it?

With over 15 years of experience handling cremation urn inscriptions, here are our most helpful examples along with some tips and creative ideas personalizing your loved one’s urn.

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Let’s Make the Headstone Inscription Simple & Meaningful: 40+ “In Loving Memory” Bible Verses for Headstones

Choosing what to say on a headstone inscription is one of the hardest decisions you’ll make.

It’s just so difficult to try and encapsulate a life, everything that person meant to you and others, in a short line or two.

For Christians who put their faith in Christ, it can be a little easier. First, you know that the monument is not their only remembrance—they have an inheritance in heaven! But second, you also have the living and abiding word of God, which is timeless and enduring.

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What are the up and coming funeral trends?

2025 Funeral Trends: Aftercare, Doulas, and Digital Memorials

At US Urns Online, we’ve been observing funeral industry trends for over ten years now.

Our picks for 2025 trends reveal the normalization of some ideas that were once new and are now standard, and introduce other funeral service trends that are on the cutting edge of technology and creativity.

With the new year comes new expectations, and every family engaged in funeral planning this year will be more online, more adept at research, and will have more unique requests than ever before.

If you are in the funeral profession, are you ready?

Let’s take a look at the funeral options that will interest the families you serve in 2025.

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What is Direct Cremation? Is It A Good Option?

What is Direct Cremation?

Q: What is direct cremation?

A: Direct cremation means that the body of the deceased is cremated after death, without a prior memorial service and without the involvement of a funeral home.

Direct cremation is the most affordable disposition option that is readily available. Most funeral homes and crematoriums offer this service.

In this article, we’ll discuss the details, costs, options, and advantages/disadvantages of this service.

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Helpful Sympathy Gift Ideas to Send in Difficult Times

Sympathy gifts provide you with a great way to send a tangible expression of your love to someone who is grieving. As I’m sure you know, there are limitless ideas when it comes to finding (or making) thoughtful gifts for loved ones who passed away. But sympathy gift ideas that are truly helpful, practical, and above all, meaningful, are what we’ll be focusing on today.

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