Posts Tagged ‘Cremation’

« Older Entries

Uber-Geek Funeral Ideas

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

TARDIS

TARDIS

Are you a geek? If so, you probably read Slashdot and you learned about the guy who went through the effort to put his brother’s cremains into a SPARCstation. Here is his post:

“I’ve not seen this topic covered here before even though it’s one that will concern us all at some time: what to do with our corporeal remains after we’ve left for that great data bank in the sky. For my recently departed brother (long illness, don’t smoke!), I thought this nice SPARCstation would be a cool place to spend eternity. Yes, he’s really in there (after cremation). I kept the floppy drive cover but for space reasons removed the floppy drive, hard drive, and most of the power supply. I left behind the motherboard and power switch and plugs to keep all openings covered. The case worked quite well at his memorial party. His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-notes. Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot. All notes will be sealed in plastic and placed within the case. There has been one complication. His daughters like the look of it so much they aren’t now sure if they want to bury him. One more thing: the words on the plaque really do capture one of the last things he ever said. Of course as kids we watched the show in its first run.”

Of course, if you read Slashdot, you also need to read any comments made after a story. The comments often hold the real meat of any story in that Web site. In this case, we discovered at least three more stories within the comments – but instead of dragging this story out, we’ll just add some links to help you learn more about some uber-geek funeral ideas.

  • We learned that the “cocoon” is a favorite coffin for some readers, and that design can be found at UONO Coffins.
  • We also witnessed a debate about Cryonics, or the attempt to preserve and protect a body once a person has died in hopes that freezing a body one day will become reversible. Once company mentioned in the comments was Alcor.
  • As a Star Trek fan, how could you pass up an urn or casket designed specifically for Star Trek fans? Eternal Image holds these items at their Web site.
  • If you wonder what a TARDIS is, just read about this object at Wikipedia. For a short description, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) is a time machine and spacecraft in the British science fiction television program, Doctor Who. An image of the TARDIS is shown above.  According to one comment, a Doctor Who fan in the UK was buried in a coffin that resembled a TARDIS.

Finally, we had to include this comment, as it fairly wraps up some geeky thoughts about designing your own geek funeral: “My father actually has it written that he wants bagpipe music and Admiral Kirk’s speech about Spock from Wrath Of Khan at his funeral.”

Tags: ,
Posted in Alternatives, Cremation, Funeral Arrangements, Plan Your Own | No Comments »

Germany’s Burial Traditions

Sunday, September 13th, 2009
The Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery, with the remains of the Berlin Wall in the background.

The Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery, with the remains of the Berlin Wall in the background.

Deathcare.com already offered a short article on American-German funeral traditions, which have become assimilated – for the most part – in American traditions based upon religious beliefs. But, in Germany, burial traditions often are different than those in other parts of the world, and have been so for generations. But, changes are in the works, and some of the following traditions also contain explanations of changes when known.

  • Cremation and embalming have, traditionally, been handled by the state rather than by funeral homes and survivors had no choice on what to do with cremated remains as they had to be buried in a cemetery. Germany has relented in some cases recently, as ashes may be scattered in cemeteries or taken out to sea beyond the three-mile limit and scattered.
  • Almost half of eastern Germany’s burials are what is known as “anonymous burial,” something unknown in the U.S. outside the Potter’s Field. Although the Catholic Church believes that anonymous burials are a trend away from religion, most opinions lean toward the expense of a grave marker and other funeral expanses as a reason to avoid traditional markers and other burial accouterments.
  • With the above said, German cemeteries now set aside a grassy plot for anonymous burials with one monument that states the purpose of this field without headstones. In opposition to the purpose of saving money through an anonymous burial, these cemetery plots cost more than the average plot, as it include perpetual care by employees rather than surviving family members.
  • Germany does allow two to four urns in a space that is required for one casket. In the U.S., you would be hard pressed to find a cemetery that would allow more than two urns in one burial space. Additionally, unlike the U.S., most German cemeteries currently do not require precautions to prevent contamination of groundwater by cremains.
  • German cemeteries are almost exclusively state- or church-operated, though exceptions are occasionally made for people with special religious needs. Muslims groups, for example, are permitted to have their own cemeteries. However, Germany has some of the strictest burial laws, many of which clash with Islamic burial rituals.
  • Plots are usually rented for a certain period of time, usually 20 to 30 years, with the possibility of an extension. Eventually the plot will be used for another burial, once the mourners themselves have passed away. In other words, don’t expect to remain buried in Germany for more than a generation.
  • Finally, German corpses seem to be obtaining revenge for re-using graves…the corpses are not rotting in some cases. The corpses are turning into mummified artifacts or grave wax, otherwise known as “adipocere.”

Sources:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cemeteries, Cremation, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Law, History of Funerals | No Comments »

The Differences Between Organ and Full-Body Donations

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Proud organ donor - but, is that all you can give?

Proud organ donor - but, is that all you can give?

Are you planning to donate your body to science when you die? Or, are you planning to be an organ donor? While both plans are noble, there is a vast difference between full- or whole-body donations and organ donations. The difference may be enough to foil your death care plans for yourself, and it may cost your family some money in the long run. To that end, the following information may help you make more detailed plans for the disposal of your body once you die.

Organ donors can donate organs while alive (see news about kidney transplants) or upon declaration of death. Each state carries different laws about donating organs, and you will need to check out those laws in your state or if you move. In many instances, a simple notation on your driver’s license will mark you as an organ donor, and your organs – the ones that still work, of course – may be harvested and sent to someone who needs them. See United Network for Organ Sharing for more options.

Full body donation, on the other hand, may require that you have all your parts and pieces for acceptance into a donor program. For instance, BioGift – a medical research and education full body donation program,which helps you to donate your body to science – states:

“It is important to let your family know of your wishes as they will be asked for consent if the appropriate conditions occur for donation of your organs and tissues for transplant. If you reside in Oregon or Washington, you are acceptable for BioGift’s full body donation program regardless of what was recovered for transplant. If you reside outside of Oregon or Washington, we cannot accept donors who have donated for transplant with the exception of eye donation.”

Although BioGift accepts bodies from across the nation, that paragraph above means that if you reside outside Oregon or Washington, you cannot donate your organs for transplant and then expect BioGift to accept the rest of your remains.

While organ donors may make a decision to donate organs or tissues for transplant without family consultation, the full-body donor – in most cases – must discuss their plans with relatives and/or friends to finalize those plans. If an accident occurs, for instance, the trauma nurse may look at your license and call for a doctor to note time of death or to sustain life to a degree until your organs can be harvested. When you plan a full-body donation, however, the card for that service (hopefully) will be in your wallet so the trauma team can notify the next of kin and the company you signed with to donate your body. The family also will know that this full-body donation is part of your wishes and should help safeguard that wish if possible.

The organ donor, once harvested, then is handed over to the family or the funeral home to complete the burial process. The body can be buried or cremated to the deceased’s wishes or to the family’s desires. Once a person has consented to a full-body donation, however, the bodily remains are cremated and either sent to the family or not, depending upon the company’s policies. Some institutions also may retain bones for further study.

Compared to ten years ago, you now have a wide choice of companies for full- or whole-body donation services. You can choose among state-run facilities or nationwide businesses. You can choose how you want to use your body once you’ve died in some cases, or you can leave your body’s fate to the company you choose. In all cases, however, be sure to read the company’s goals, motives, services offered and any other documents before you make a decision. You don’t want to die in Arizona on a hunting trip after you’ve donated your body to an institution that ships bodies only within the state of your residence – which may not be Arizona. Such a decision would be costly to the survivors, as they would need to plan a funeral when you planned to donate your body.

If you plan to donate your body to science, be sure to understand your options completely. Then, be sure to talk about your options with your family and friends so they know what to do when you die. Understand that you may not be able to make organ donations if you want to donate your body to science. This may mean a change on your driver’s license and in other paperwork. Finally, you might make alternate plans in case your body is rejected for some reason, so your family won’t need to face making funeral plans at the last moment.

For a list of body donation programs in the United States, visit the list maintained by the University of Florida State Anatomical Board.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Alternatives, Cremation, Funeral Arrangements, Other Legal Matters, Plan Your Own, Wills & Estate Planning | 1 Comment »

Current Funeral Home Fiascos

Friday, July 31st, 2009
Are they human bones or shells?

Are they human bones or shells?

Are you worried about receiving ashes (as in wood ashes) instead of your loved one’s cremains? Or, are you fighting for a body to be released from a funeral home? You wouldn’t be alone in both cases, as funeral homes in this country throughout July played some morbid and damaging games with clients. In other cases, some funeral directors and homes were sentenced to pay for damages this month for their parts in previous schemes.

  • The Unrefridgerated Corpse: The Hanley-Shelton Funeral Home in Marietta, Georgia was sanctioned by a state board for leaving a corpse unrefrigerated for five months. Although the funeral home had reason for revenge, as the client did not pay, their actions were illegal. Henry Shelton’s license was suspended for a month, he was placed on three years’ probation and will pay a $1,000 fine.
  • Seashells in the Urn: Marisol Villarreal discovered that her mother’s body had never been cremated and was instead left to decompose in a Gary, Indiana funeral home. Former funeral director Darryl Cammack of Chicago has been under investigation since May, when four extremely decayed bodies – including Rosa Villarreal’s – were found inside what had last been his Serenity Gardens Funeral Home. The Villarreal family filed a lawsuit against Cammack in Lake County, Ind., seeking damages for breach of contract, fraud, theft of services, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
  • Dirty Habits: Unsanitary conditions and improper body storage has led to stripping a funeral home of its directors’ and embalmers’ licenses. The Warren Funeral Chapels in Columbia and Fulton, Missouri, have been shut down since July 2008, and the charges have been settled this month.
  • The Case of the Shortened Legs: This month, a South Carolina judge revoked the license of Cave Funeral Home and owner Michael Cave for cutting the legs of a corpse because the body would not fit in the casket. The body was that of James Hines, a soul and funk guitarist who planed with J. Hines and the Boys in the 1970s.
  • Milking the Prearranged Funeral Plan: Douglas Darling’s mortician’s license was suspended for 15 days and he was ordered to pay a $500 fine. Darling was also ordered to pay $1,150 in investigative costs and attorneys fees, according to a stipulation and consent order. His crime? Soliciting older women for prearrangement services through Lakeview Funeral Home when he already sold them plans when he worked at Coffelt Funeral Service. Additionally, Idaho law prohibits licensed morticians from making uninvited solicitations.
  • Embezzling Ex: An arrest warrant was issued this month for former funeral home director John W. Hodge, who stole nearly $200,000, possibly from a prepaid funeral fund at Hodge Funeral Homes in Elgin and Fletcher, Oklahoma. The state Funeral Board stripped him of his funeral director and embalmer license and revoked the establishment licenses of both facilities after he acknowledged he failed to properly file annual accounting in 2004 and 2005.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Cremation, Death & Dying, Death Investigation, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Law, Other Legal Matters | No Comments »

Six Methods for Scattering Cremains

Saturday, June 27th, 2009
Beach Flower

Scatter on a beach.

Do you wish to have your remains scattered after a cremation? If so, make your wishes known now to friends and/or loved ones so no one is taken aback by your request once you’re gone. Once you’ve made your decision and informed loved ones, you still need to decide how you’ll want your cremains (remains after cremation) scattered.

There are six basic ways to scatter remains and each one has benefits and problems, which are listed below. No matter which method you decide, just know that scattering cremains is legal in every state; however, scattering on public property needs a property owner’s permission and scattering on public property needs permission and often permits as well.

  1. Aerial Scattering: After scaqttering ashes at home, this is the most popular method for scattering cremains. But, despite the popularity (or perhaps because of it), many people experience sometimes traumatic issues if a professional is not hired to help with this method. There are stories of cremains blowing back into a plane, wrong locations pointed out and more. A coordinated effort with the weather can bring joy and closure to those on the ground, as on clear days you actually can see the cremains falling from the plane like a cloud.
  2. Water Scattering: A boat can be as interesting as a plane when scattering cremains over water. Watching for wind patterns is essential to keep cremains from blowing back on mourners or onto the boat. One way to remedy this situation is to use a water-soluble urn. These urns are designed to degrade in water, which helps to spread the cremains into the water body easily. This type of urn usually floats for a few minutes before it sinks slowly. Once again, you might want to hire a professional for this service so everything goes smoothly.
  3. Casting: This method of scattering cremains involves tossing cremains to the wind. Once again, wind patterns are important, as while some cremains are heavy and dense like sand, other portions may fly into the wind and fly back onto mourners.
  4. Trenching: This method involves digging a trench, depositing the cremains in the trench, and then raking back over it to cover the cremains. One burial site mentions a beautiful idea that involves digging a trench in sand on a beach during low tide, then waiting for the high tide to come in to wash the cremains out to sea.
  5. Ringing: This method involves pouring the cremains in a circle on the ground, with or without a trench. Usually, the cremains are used to circle a bush (perhaps a rose bush), trees or memory tables.
  6. Raking: A cemetery that contains a scattering garden may offer this opportunity, where a loved one’s cremains are raked into the earth. This method also is used by many who choose to leave their cremains on an old homeplace or in a public location like a park.

If you choose to scatter your cremated remains, you might learn that some family members may want to keep a piece of you with them. The individuals who have the legal right to authorize a cremation usually have the right to determine the disposition of remains as well. These decisions usually are easier to make while you are still alive.

Tags: ,
Posted in Alternatives, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Law | No Comments »

Tips on Choosing a Funeral Home

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Be careful about choosing a funeral home at the last minute.Did you know that you don’t need to work directly with a funeral home or a funeral director when you are dealing with a death in the family? But, unless you or your loved ones plan ahead for a burial, working with an experienced professional can smooth the path for a well-run funeral. A funeral home and its director can walk you through the entire funeral process, including obtaining copies of the deceased’s death certificate, writing an obituary, contacting Social Security and more.

If you or your loved ones haven’t chosen a funeral home to help with these processes, you may end up choosing a home under extreme emotional duress. Although you may receive a recommendation from a friend or a clergy member, you still should understand your rights and your privileges when entering into a contract with a funeral home.

  • Although you do not need to choose a funeral home near your location, this may be the right choice…convenience often is a logical deciding factor.
  • Shop around. Although friends, family or other trusted references may provide you with ample choices, you can shop by phone for funeral prices and options.
  • Cost is a consideration, and funeral homes must provide transparency for these costs, even over the phone. Ask for a GPL, or General Price List, from the funeral home. This list will include the cost of embalming, other body preparations (such as hairstyling, etc.), services and facilities for viewing the body, for the funeral ceremony, memorial service and graveside service and more.
  • Visit the funeral home to view their accommodations. Is it large enough? Comfortable? Friendly? The funeral often is for the living, not for the deceased, so make sure the funeral home will provide comfort to those who might attend the funeral.
  • When you visit a funeral home to view their accommodations or to choose a casket, ask to see other options that aren’t in the showroom. You may learn that the funeral home has less expensive caskets available.
  • If you were intimately connected to the deceased, don’t shop for funeral homes alone. Allow yourself time to grieve and let a trusted friend handle negotiations. Do not trust the funeral home (or any other complete stranger) to handle your decisions for you at this time of loss.

You also can use this checklist below (from Mahalo) to learn more about what you may need to deal with at the last minute, if you don’t help your loved ones prepare for a funeral now:

Disposition of Remains Costs:

  • Immediate burial
  • Immediate cremation
  • Donation of body to medical school or hospital

Traditional Full Service Burial or Cremation Costs:

  • Basic services fee
  • Pickup of body
  • Embalming
  • Other body preparation costs
  • Least expensive casket
  • Visitation/Viewing staff and facilities
  • Funeral or memorial service staff and facilities
  • Graveside service staff and equipment
  • Hearse

Other Services:

  • Forwarding body to another funeral home
  • Receiving body to another funeral home

Cemetery-Related Costs:

  • Cost of cemetery plot or crypt
  • Perpetual care
  • Opening and closing of grave or crypt
  • Grave liner or burial vault (Required by cemeteries to prevent the ground from sinking after the burial.)
  • Marker or monument

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Homes, Funeral Law | No Comments »

Cremation Urn Basics

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Have you opted for cremation after death? If so, you may enjoy picking out your urn now. Even if death makes you feel squeamish, you can be entertained by the options available – anything you can imagine may be available or possibly created just for you or your loved ones.

With that said, cremation urns are permanent memorials, so choosing a suitable urn is an important decision. There are several options for urn placement, so you might consider the following before you make a choice:

  1. The cremated remains are placed in a cremation urn and are buried in a plot or niche in a cemetery or mausoleum.
  2. The cremated remains are placed in a temporary receptacle or urn that opens for scattering ashes.
  3. A decorative urn is chosen to display the cremated remains at a home or other significant sanctuary.
  4. The cremated remains can be divided and placed in small keepsake urns for family members.

Once you have made a decision about how to dispose of cremated remains, then you can choose the urn. That decision can be based upon hobbies and interests and type of urn material. You can choose among any number of woods, metals and even biodegradable materials. You also can have the urn personalized.

Purchasing an urn today is easy. Many funeral homes and Web sites offer urns for sale, even at discounted prices. When you visit a funeral home for your options, remember that the Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule requires the funeral director to show a general price list (GPL) of merchandise that the company sells, along with descriptions and prices before showing the urn.

Other laws may apply to your urn purchase and disposition. There are many options, and laws vary from state to state for disposition of cremated remains, or “cremains.” However, an urn is not required by law, and if you cannot make a decision about an urn, the cremated remains can be placed in any container that is firmly sealed (such as a plastic or cardboard container). If you have questions about containers and disposition laws, contact a cremation service provider in your area to learn more.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Cemeteries, Funeral Arrangements | No Comments »

Cheap Caskets: What are the Options?

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

Do you want a traditional funeral, but are you forced to purchase a traditional coffin? Are you forced to purchase what the funeral home has to offer? Will a funeral home accept your alternative low-cost option?

The answers to the above questions are no, no and yes. In the past, the only way to purchase a coffin was directly through a funeral home. Today, under a U.S. federal law, 16 CFR Part 453 (known as the Funeral Rule), if a family provides a casket they purchased elsewhere, the establishment is required to accept the casket and use it in the services. If the casket is delivered direct to the funeral home from the manufacturer or store, they are required to accept delivery of the casket. The funeral home may not add any extra charges or fees to the overall bill if a family decides to purchase a casket elsewhere.

The following list provides you with some options for cheap caskets. This list is in order by cost, from least expensive to most expensive.

Cardboard Coffins: While some companies focus on developing cardboard coffins for cremation or natural burials, the cost is unknown (most of these companies won’t post their prices on the Internet). But, if you want a simple cardboard coffin for someone who wants to be cremated, why not choose something from a list like this? Cost: About $50.00

Before you make the decision to purchase a Halloween coffin for cremation, make sure you purchase a coffin that is somewhat sturdy and that doesn’t contain plastics, metals or other materials.

Attar Burial Shroud: This shroud was designed by a woman who has assisted with burials for over twenty years. This shroud is meant for use for woodland or traditional burial or for cremation. Cost: $245.00

Burial shrouds are becoming more popular, and they are acceptable for any funeral service. However, some graveyards may not allow a shroud-only burial, depending upon their rules and regulations for burials.

Ark Wood Caskets: Absolutely no metals, plastics, stains, varnishes, or oils are used in these casket kits, and their glue contains no formaldehyde. To help restore America’s forests, this company plants a tree for every casket purchased. Unknown if a funeral home would assemble an ordered casket. $599.00 plus shipping.

This company is just one of many that makes simple wood caskets, even the age-old pine box. The prices across the board are very similar to Ark, so you might want to find a company near you to lower shipping costs.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Funeral Arrangements | No Comments »

Your Body for Some Land

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. ~ John Muir

Green funerals are becoming more popular, and not just because they’re environmentally sound. They’re also less expensive in most cases. But now the living can make a decision to become one with nature in death with a plan to increase land for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Ted Hollingsworth, the agency’s director of land conservation, said. “If tens of thousands of people want to take advantage of this opportunity annually, it could easily double the rate at which we’re adding lands to state parks.”

This news article states that a new embalming fluid will be introduced this month that also is environmentally-friendly, and that cremation services are working to lower the pollution levels. Additionally, shrouds and cardboard caskets are becoming more popular, as people choose cremation as their death care option.

But, in Texas, the Parks service is going one step further by seeking to offer land for ash-scattering in exchange for a small fee. The Texas division plans to become the first government agency in the United States to let families lay cremated remains in protected forests for a fee to help the state buy more land for conservation.

If you truly want to be part of nature’s plan when you die, Texas may have the solution. If you don’t want to end up in Texas, you might have the option in the future to become one with a man-made reef located about three miles off Key Biscayne. Prices will depend on whether ashes are placed in “premium” or “standard” locations 40 feet below the surface. Both plans are the ultimate in “life after life” options.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Funeral Arrangements | No Comments »

Downsizing the Traditional Funeral

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

People expect the liquor industry, films and other forms of ‘entertainment’ to do well during a recession. These businesses offer individuals a way to escape reality, even if it’s for just an hour or two. But, who knew that the funeral industry would receive attention during this economic turmoil? A brief look through recent news articles brings some interesting perspectives to this death care field.

Some articles listed below point to the fact that funeral homes are feeling the pinch as much as anyone during this recession. So, the focus seems to be about people choosing cremation over traditional burials, as cremation seems to be the less expensive option for funerals. But, as with any commodity, will the law of supply and demand begin to affect cremation costs?

The answer might lie in location (some places are more expensive than others to conduct funeral services) and in funeral options (will you bury the ashes or take them home?). Also, funeral homes need to make a profit, too, so if more people are turning to cremations, expect more options to be available to help that funeral bill escalate. On the other hand, look for some funeral homes to provide sales and incentives to bring business in during this recession.

The following articles all deal with recent economic woes and the funeral industry. The articles are arranged in alphabetical order to show that we do not favor one article over another:

  • A Real Kick in the Ash: This article, out of New York, provides current costs at the Green-Wood Cemetery: “A no-frills cremation will set you back about $400, or less than your economic-stimulus check…Meanwhile, a low-end crypt will typically run a family about $8,500, and a plot of land to bury two people – double-decker style – will set you back about $5,000.”
  • Another Sign Of The Recession — Cremation On The Rise: This article, which covers the funeral industry as a whole, points to gravesites as the culprit behind funeral costs, not caskets. “Sheri Richardson Stahl, who runs Island Funeral Home in Beaufort, S.C., said there are no public graveyards in the Hilton Head area, so plots at the nearest semi-private cemetery start at $2500 and ‘can easily reach $10,000.’”
  • Business is Cooking at Local Crematories. Thank the Recession: “In the St. Louis area the average burial cost ranges between $8,000 to $10,000, while the cremation fee, which includes transporting the body, the urn and a copy of the death certificate, hovers between $1,000 and $1,200.”
  • Funeral business is not immune to recession: Funeral industry profit has dropped from nine percent at the beginning of this decade to four percent, according to Peter Stefan, owner of Graham, Putnam, & Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Massechusetts. “A cremation can cost $2,500, said Stefan, while an average funeral will run $6,000, not counting cemetery rates.” On the other hand, “Bill Duckett, who manages funeral homes in Sudbury and Framingham…declined to connect the economic recession with an increased interest in cremations, which had been on the rise before the economy tanked last fall.”
  • Funeral costs not recession proof: Cremation versus traditional funerals in Spokane, Washington: “An individual cremation, you’re looking at less than $1,000, and with the average full body burial with cemetery property you’re looking at $8,000 to $9,000.”
  • Funeral industry feeling pinch of recession: If you’re looking for a woman who understands the cost of death yet who also believes in celebrating a life lived, look no further than Wiggen & Sons located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Carol Sauers, who represents that funeral home, “knows not everyone can afford full-service plans. Occasionally, she encourages money-conscious clients to consider a home memorial,” which costs little for the family.
  • Hansen: The business of death turns to discounts: The Merle Hay Funeral Home and the Sunset Funeral Chapel on Fleur Drive in Des Moines, Iowa, is offering 50 percent discounts on all his merchandise during these trying times. “I have a lot of inventory,” owner Blair Overton says. “Taking a little off now helps the customer and it helps me.”
  • Recession-Friendly Rites: This article, also generated out of New York, quotes the Maloney Funeral Homes: “The typical bill for a burial ranges from $8,000 to $12,000…Cremation costs between $4,000 and $8,000. The actual process costs about $400, which is added to the cost of an urn, a service and possibly a niche or burial plot for the ashes.”

Although it seems that funeral homes are feeling the pinch, at Nassau Community College in New York, inquiries about their mortuary science program are up fifteen percent in recent months, and enrollment for last fall’s class was nearly double the year before. According to this article in Newsday:

At the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Education, a private program in Manhattan, enrollment has jumped to 270 students for the spring semester, compared with 200 a year ago. The school attributes the rise to the economic downturn and the addition of an online program.

Maybe these students are forward-thinking entrepreneurs who see a silver lining for traditional funerals in the future?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Alternatives, Death Care News, Funeral Arrangements | No Comments »

« Older Entries