Choosing a Cemetery in Orange County, NY: A Practical Guide

Choosing a cemetery is one of those decisions most people make exactly once or twice in their lives, usually under pressure, with no experience to draw on. This guide covers what your options actually are in Orange County, what the costs consist of, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything — whether you're arranging a burial this week or planning ahead calmly, years early.

First: the types of resting places

Cemeteries offer more options than most families realize:

• A single in-ground plot — the traditional grave, for one casket. Many cemeteries permit a second interment of cremated remains in the same grave; always ask.
• A companion or family plot — two or more adjacent graves purchased together, often at a better combined price, and the only way to guarantee a family stays together.
• A mausoleum crypt — above-ground entombment in a shared building. No vault is needed, and some families prefer visiting indoors.
• A columbarium niche — a small above-ground compartment for an urn. The most economical use of cemetery space for families choosing cremation.
• An urn plot or cremation garden — in-ground burial of cremated remains, usually in a smaller, less expensive plot.

If your family is Catholic, note that the Church asks for cremated remains to be interred in a sacred place rather than scattered — a niche or urn plot satisfies this fully. Our cremation page covers the details.

What a cemetery actually costs (and why nobody quotes one number)

Cemetery pricing confuses families because the plot is only one of several charges. When you compare cemeteries, ask about each of these:

1. The right of interment — what people call "buying the plot." You're purchasing the right to be buried in that space.
2. The opening and closing fee — the cemetery's charge to prepare the grave and close it after the service. This is a real and separate cost that surprises many families, it's often higher on weekends, and it applies to niches and urn burials too, at lower rates.
3. A vault or grave liner, if the cemetery requires one — most do for casket burials, to keep the ground level.
4. The monument or marker, plus the cemetery's setting fee and any foundation charge.
5. Perpetual care — sometimes included in the plot price, sometimes itemized.

We won't quote dollar figures here because every cemetery sets its own prices and they change — but we keep current pricing for the cemeteries our families use, and we'll tell you plainly, in writing, what each option costs before you commit to anything. That's how we handle all funeral costs.

The cemeteries Orange County families use most

These are cemeteries we work with regularly:

• Hillside Cemetery, Middletown — on Mulberry Street, established in 1861 and designed by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architects behind Central Park. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a genuinely beautiful place to visit — which matters more than people expect, year after year.
• St. Joseph's Cemetery, Middletown — the Catholic cemetery associated with St. Joseph's parish on Cottage Street. The natural choice for many of Middletown's Catholic families.
• St. John's Cemetery, Goshen — on West Main Street, associated with St. John the Evangelist parish; about 15 minutes from Middletown.
• Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newburgh — on Route 9W, serving families on the eastern side of the county; about 30 minutes from Middletown.
• Calvary Cemetery — the Catholic cemetery served through St. Patrick's parish in Newburgh (the grounds themselves sit in New Windsor).

For veterans: there is no VA national cemetery in the Hudson Valley — the closest for casket burial is Calverton on Long Island. But the Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Goshen is a county-operated cemetery for veterans, much closer to home. Veterans may also qualify for VA burial allowances; we help families sort out eligibility as part of the arrangement.

Eight questions to ask any cemetery

1. What does the right of interment include, and what's charged separately?
2. What are the opening and closing fees — weekday and weekend?
3. Is a vault or liner required, and can we purchase it elsewhere?
4. What are the rules on monuments — size, material, inscriptions, and languages?
5. Can cremated remains be added later to a casket grave (and vice versa)?
6. What are the rules on flowers, decorations, and holiday items?
7. Is perpetual care included, and what does it cover?
8. If we buy plots now and move away, can they be transferred or sold back?

That last question matters especially for families who pre-plan — and it's worth knowing that under New York law, money you place with a funeral home for pre-arrangements is fully protected in trust and refundable on demand. Cemetery plot purchases work differently, which is exactly why asking question 8 up front matters.

One more consideration: family in two places

For many of the families we serve, this decision carries an extra layer — a plot here in Orange County, or burial back home in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, or elsewhere. There is no wrong answer, and we've helped families in both directions. If that's the conversation your family is having, we can lay out both paths side by side, honestly, including what each involves.

We'll walk the options with you

You don't have to research five cemeteries while grieving. Tell us what matters to your family — Catholic ground, closeness to home, cost, a place already holding relatives — and we'll lay out the real options with current prices, and arrange visits if you want to stand in the place before deciding. That's part of what a family funeral home is for.

Call (845) 342-0221 any hour, in English or Spanish, or reach us here. More questions? Our FAQ page covers the ones families ask most.