Burial/Final Disposition
Each year, Wayne State University School of Medicine conducts a committal service for those individuals whose remains are being buried at that time. This service is intended only as an interment service and is conducted by a clergy member representing all faiths. If the family wishes to have the remains returned for burial, the University will return the ashes as directed. However, the expense of this burial must be assumed by the family.
For the traditionally-minded individual, cremation is allowed in both Catholic and Protestant religions. The Office of the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Detroit has issued the following statement: “Catholics are permitted to will their bodies to institutions of medical education and research, since this is an act which will benefit living persons. Burial is not a requirement in these cases, and cremation may be used..."
A special marker is provided by Wayne State University School of Medicine in Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens, 43300 Twelve Mile Road, Novi, Ml 48377. The special marker is inscribed, “In Memoriam, The Dead Shall Teach The Living.”