Nearly Half of Californians Choose It

San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer has given his approval to plans by a Dominican parish to build a columbarium with 320 niches for the cremated remains of parishioners, the archdiocesan newspaper Catholic San Francisco reports.

The newspaper described the plans at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church as “a first for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and a sign of how things have changed from the past when the Catholic Church banned cremation except for extraordinary circumstances such as an outbreak of the plague.”

“A columbarium is a building or portion of a building where niches are placed to house cremated remains to honor and remember our deceased family and friends,” says the parish website.

“It is estimated that niche prices will vary from $4,200 to $15,200 depending upon location of the niche,” according to St. Dominic’s website. “This price is for up to 2 persons per niche. There will also be opening fees.”

“St. Dominic’s proposed columbarium is an example of how prevalent cremation has become, particularly in California, the state with the highest number of cremations in the country with 107,769 in 2009,” reported the Dec. 9 edition of Catholic San Francisco. “Forty-six percent of Californians chose cremation over whole body burial in 2009, according to the Cremation Association of North America. Nationally, cremations rose from 33 percent in 2004 to 38 percent in 2009, according to the association report.”

Some observers have concluded that the rise in cremation can be attributed in part to the bad economy. In an example provided in a Dec. 9 New York Times article on the subject, the family of a 54-year-old woman who died from cancer spent a total of $1600 when it opted for cremation -- compared to $10,000 to $16,000 for a traditional burial and funeral.

Archbishop Niederauer’s approval for the parish columbarium “was specific to the circumstances at St. Dominic, which is owned by the Dominican Order,” the archdiocesan newspaper reported. “In general, the archdiocese recommends burial or interment at Holy Cross or one of the other Catholic cemeteries in the archdiocese.”

“This is not a precedent,” the archbishop was quoted as saying by Catholic San Francisco. “If there are other parishes that want to proceed with this in the future, we need to approach those requests on a parish by parish basis, judging the situation individually.”

The niches in the columbarium at St. Dominic’s will be available only to registered parishioners. Holy Cross Cemetery -- the archdiocesan cemetery in Colma -- already provides for cremated remains either by traditional burial, above-ground indoor and outdoor marble niches, and glass-front niches in the cemetery’s All Saints Mausoleum.

Other dioceses in California also operate cemeteries designed to handle cremated remains. In the Oakland diocese, the Mausoleum at the Cathedral of Christ the Light includes 1850 niches for cremated remains, which can cost as little as $1500 or as much as $110,000. The mausoleum below the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles includes 4794 niches for urns containing cremated remains.

In the dioceses of San Jose, Orange and Sacramento, Catholic cemeteries provide burial, mausoleums and niches to handle cremated remains.

Permitting cremation is relatively new to the Church, which forbade it -- except in rare circumstances -- until 1963. In 1997, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments further refined the Church’s position, authorizing local bishops to set their own policies on whether cremated remains may be present at funeral Masses. Canon law on the subject has also changed, with the 1983 edition lifting a ban on cremation that had been in the 1917 Code.

“While the Church favors traditional burial, it now allows cremation,” explains a section on the Sacramento diocesan website about cremation. “In the past the Church prohibited cremation because the practice had been associated with a denial of the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul. The Church removed this prohibition in 1963 and now forbids cremation only if it is done ‘for reasons that are contrary to Christian teaching.’”



SOURCE: http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=e23be521-0b61-4afd-8001-a369fa8fd6f1

I-Team: Pet Cremation Business Accused Of Operating Without License

Recently, pet cremation business Heaven’s Pets said they began getting an influx of business.

Out of sight, in the back of the Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, under the sound of an incinerator, Jen Melius was hard at work.

Melius owns Heaven’s Pets and said she has been flooded with phone calls lately.

“Why? I'm not 100 percent sure, but we have had some calls from other vets on the Northshore who in the past have not called us for service,” she said.

The calls came after one Northshore-based pet cremation business, the Pet Stop, shut down.

A flyer obtained by the WDSU I-Team said the business is located in Albany, La., and run by Jean Carpenter. Prices were listed on the flyer for regular and private cremations.

Dr. Susan Strain with the Claiborne Hill Veterinary Clinic said she used the Pet Stop for more than a decade. However, that all changed about two weeks ago.

“She gave us a call and said that part of her cremator wasn't working and she brought back the bodies they collected,” Strain said.

The call Strain received came after the WDSU I-Team called Carpenter. The I-Team discovered that Carpenter’s business wasn’t registered with the state. There wasn’t any record in Livingston Parish of any occupational license to operate, either.

Carpenter told WDSU that she had been out of the business for "a while" when asked about operating without a proper license.

However, numerous clinics from Hammond to Covington said they have used Carpenter and the Pet Stop in recent months.

Carpenter said the Pet Stop has been closed for 10 years, but said she has a man who “picks up the dogs and takes them to the dump, but my cremation business does not go with it.”

Strain said that Carpenter's closed business was news to her.

“It was more of a working relationship and we never questioned it,” Strain said.

Now, the doctor is questioning it. Strain is the wife of Dr. Mike Strain, the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

He worked with his wife until his election to state office in 2007.

“I'm sure Mike will speak with secretary (Tom) Schedler about this to see if he has any concerns, and there needs to be,” Strain said.

Schedler is the Secretary of State. All limited liability corporations and businesses have to register with the Secretary of State’s office.

Businesses that handle pet remains are required to have state and parish business licenses to operate, but don’t need a special license to handle dead pets.

Businesses are supposed to be following the official rules laid out by the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Cremators.

SOURCE: http://www.wdsu.com/mostpopular/30363265/detail.html

Dumping Of Remains Shameful

It is such a macabre story that many people might have tried to avoid it, but its scope demands it get a full hearing so that it may never happen again.

While the rest of the country was noting the solemn 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the U.S.’s entry into World War II, the truth behind the military’s shameful, unofficial practice of incinerating body parts of fallen warriors and then dumping them in a Virginia landfill was coming to light.

The body fragments were entrusted to the military “to dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner,” according to a report in The Washington Post, which has led reporting on this issue.

Instead, the remains, often body parts recovered after a fallen warrior’s formal memorial and cremation or interment had occurred, were cremated, then incinerated with medical waste and dumped into the King George County Landfill in Virginia.

The Post reports that military records show the partial remains of at least 274 American troops were handled this way. It also reports that although the practice was halted three years ago, there is no effort now to try to determine how many troops may have been involved or to notify families. When senior Pentagon officials reviewed cremation practices at the Dover mortuary in 2008, they were not told of the practice, according to the Post.

We know that terrible things happen when human beings are involved in anything: Corners are cut, supervisors are left out of the loop and unthinkable actions go unreported.

But once the facts begin to come to light, there must be full inquiry; there must be full disclosure; there must be accountability.

Still, in November when the Post reported the problems at the base, Air Force and Pentagon officials said it would be just too much trouble to search through the records of 6,300 dead troops to find out how many and who were disrespected.

“It would require a massive effort and time to recall records and research individually,” wrote the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel to Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., who is pressing for answers on behalf of constituents.

After The Washington Post requested information from the Dover Air Force Base mortuary’s records, these preliminary numbers emerged. From 2004 to 2006, 976 fragmentary remains linked to 274 specific men and women were cremated, incinerated and dumped. Another 1,762 fragments that could not undergo DNA testing were treated the same way.

We have written before about the meticulous care taken with fallen troops about to be returned to families for honored burials. We know that the vast majority of those who handle the early remains are respectful and sober about their duties.

We admire the military practice of scouring battlefields and the sites of explosions and plane crashes to retrieve remains, often at danger to those doing the work.

But we are dismayed and astounded that, faced with this horrific practice of disposing of remains, which some evidence traces back into the 1990s, the military is not moving heaven and earth to discover everything it can about the practice and to notify families involved.

What is done cannot be undone, and some families may rest better not knowing a loved one was involved. But that should be their choice. Families who surrendered their loved ones to the military for respectful treatment should be able to request and to receive full and accurate information about this shameful business. It is the very least we owe those who died and those who suffered their loss to know what happened and to ensure such a thing can never happen again.

SOURCE: http://www.swtimes.com/opinion/we/article_3f0160fc-2415-11e1-84e1-001871e3ce6c.html

Death Goes High Tech

If all goes according to plan for Remco Memorials, cemeteries will soon be new technology hubs.

Dave Quirring scans a QR code on the grave marker

In a first for Saskatchewan, possibly Canada, the Regina company has introduced QR (quick response) codes onto their memorials. That means when family or friends visit a grave, they will be able to scan the code on their smartphones and bring up the dearly departed's online obituary.

Remco president Dave Reeson got the idea from a Seattle-based memorial company and figured he'd give it a try in Regina.

"Memorials are getting more and more personalized with photographs, symbols, all kinds of things," he explained. "They tend to reflect in some way the life of the deceased, such as their hobbies, work, family connections."

That story, he said, can be added to through the use of QR codes — bar codes which, when scanned through a mobile device, will direct the user to a website.

"A lot of funeral homes already have obituaries online," Reeson said. "If you can go directly to an obituary, it tells an even more in-depth story."

The process is simple: For a $75 charge, a unique QR code is printed on a small square of plastic, which is guaranteed for 10 years, then affixed to the headstone.

The idea is that over time, families will be able to add to an obituary, building on the life of the deceased through photographs and stories.

"That already happens in some cases, where families get a password they can use to access an online obituary to make changes, add to it, whatever they want to do."

It may seem macabre, but Reeson says there has already been a positive response to the week-old pilot project.

"We had a 70-year-old gentleman into the showroom who said, to use his words, 'that's really cool,'" he said.

"He knew all about QR codes and was intrigued by the possibility of having one on a gravestone.

"It really changes what a memorial is about, and it's really exciting to be a part of this new technology."

While a grieving family might not be too sure about their loved one's wishes when it comes to a QR code, Reeson says more and more people are pre-planning their memorials.

"That's a big part of this," he said. "And if they would prefer to link to a more personalized site, like a Facebook page, they can do that as well."

In the U.S. the idea of having a bar-coded grave isn't totally out of the ordinary, with companies such as Quiring Monuments in Seattle implementing the system back in May and dubbing it the Living Memorial.

But in Canada, Reeson said he hasn't heard of anyone else doing it.

So who does he think will go for a little black and white QR code on their grave?

"We're targeting everyone, " Reeson said.

"I think older folks are less likely to be up to speed with this newer technology, but then people aged 50 to 70 who're planning their own monuments are more and more Internet savvy, so you never know."

SOURCE: http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Life+stories+going+digital+memorials+death/5832670/story.html

Honoring the Dead: Inside A Body Farm Memorial Service

When Dr. Bill Bass founded the Body Farm back in the 1980's it was the first of its kind.

Since then, hundreds of people have donated their bodies and law enforcement and researchers from across the globe have traveled to East Tennessee to gather information they can't find anywhere else on earth.

Now after three decades of saving, fundraising and planning, UT's famous anthropology department has a new place to call home. The department's new building, the Bass Forensic Anthropology Building has everything students need including stainless steel autopsies tables, a walk-in cooler, separate work areas, even a laundry facility and locker rooms.

That is pretty impressive when you consider the anthropology department started with a few left over rooms in Neyland Stadium. "And we started with eight rooms in the second floor, and we know have probably 160, 180 rooms - We've gone from a three person department to I think, there's 22 PHD's in the department right now," said Bass.

The multi-dollar project took several years to complete. It is paid for in part by Bass' own money, the profit he made from his Body Farm Novel's written under the pen name, Jefferson Bass.

In the last few weeks, students and staff started moving into the building. Dr. Bass said the first lesson in the building could be the most important lesson the anthropology department will ever teach. A lesson of compassion, of appreciation and of respect for the dead.

As part of the Bass Building's official christening, Dr. Bass planned a service to respectfully pay tribute to the other men and women who made the building possible. However, those people are not the financial donors, but the people who gave something money can't buy.

With a bible worn from years of prayer and praise, a UT chaplain recited holy words so many hold dear. At first it looks like any other memorial service, but in fact it is UT anthropology students sitting in for grieving family members and a red rose and a lace draped cardboard box to replace a traditional coffin.

Inside of the box rests the remains of a single Body Farm donor. One of many who chose to give their last worldly possession all for the greater good of those still living. "It's not the traditional end of life that a lot of people offer, but this is offering so much more to the future of science - and hopefully will help a lot of families with a lot of unknowns," said UT Undergrad student Jake Smith.

"Individuals who have contributed their bodies to this collection, really are serving science," said Dr. Bass.

The single set of remains represent the hundreds of Body Farm donors from over the years and it is their sacrifices that Bass said make the facilities one of a kind, world renowned research possible. "We have one staff member now who's major research is in DNA and we are now getting samples from these individuals when they come in that we can do DNA and look at body types and things like this that is, absolutely cutting edge, it's brand new research that has never been done and it can only be done here. I hate to say it like that, because it's sounds like I'm bragging but I'm not, this is a very, very important collection these individuals needs to be reward for their gift," said Bass.

For that priceless gift, those at the ceremony offered one final word of appreciation in the form of a prayer for the families of the dead.

As well as a simple explanation from the man who's work started it all. "These are people who, dedicated their life to helping other people, and there are a few of them, of us, who have said, well, why should I stop when I die?" said Bass.

The ceremony itself dates back to the Body Farm's early days. "Dr. Bass came to me and said, we have this, these bones and we've had a number of these bones for years, and we've never done a service for them," said George Doebler, UT Medical Center Chaplain.

With the souls on his heart, Dr. Bass set up a ceremony modeled in a way he believes the donors would want. "This being a Christian nation, and most of the people we get would be Christian faith - I didn't pick a Baptist or a Methodist or a Presbyterian - I picked a hospital Chaplin - who tend to be non denominational I reckon you'd say," said Dr. Bass.

This is something he is proud of and plans to continue for years to come within his department. When it is time, he said he will also pass along that final gift like so many Body Farm donors have. "I may in my case, do this as a cremation, we have a cremation collection also," said Bass.

Helping another generation of students, learn, remember and say thanks.

SOURCE: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/192467/2/Honoring-the-dead-Inside-a-Body-Farm-memorial-service

Crematorium Filter will Halt Pollution Hazard

A £650,000 filter system is being installed at a crematorium to stop potentially harmful fumes entering the atmosphere.

The government has ordered all crematoria to halve the amount of harmful gases given off by cremations before 2013 — but Overdale Crematorium in Overdale Drive, Heaton, is going one better.

Bosses at the crematorium have asked Bolton Council for permission to install the new system which stops mercury — from dental fillings for example — and acid going into the atmosphere.

Exposure to high levels of mercury can damage the brain, nervous system and harm fertility.

Government figures show 16 per cent of mercury pollution in the UK is caused by crematoria.

The state-of-the-art system aiming to eradicate emissions works by transferring gases from the cremation to a water-cooled tank where a powder is added to turn them into a solid.

The mercury is then filtered out and stored in a sealed drum before it is disposed of under highly controlled conditions.

A Government scheme will pay for the new system in instalments once it is in place.

Bolton Council’s cleaner, greener, safer representative, Cllr Elaine Sherrington, said: “This is a fantastic idea. It is great that the crematorium is going for an eradication as opposed to just the required reduction.

“Anything to make people’s lives healthier in Bolton gets our support.”

Only two other crematoria, in Nottingham and Derby, have this system in place.

In order to make the changes, the crematorium needs the council’s permission to extend its yard area.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “The new equipment will allow Overdale to meet the Government’s minimum requirements to reduce mercury emissions from national cremations by 50 per cent by January 2013.

“As well as meeting government targets, this will allow the crematorium to become more environmentally friendly.

“The cost of the installation, which commences in January 2012, is £650,000.”

The council is aiming to reach a decision by January 1.

SOURCE: http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/9379418.Crematorium_filter_will_halt_pollution_hazard/

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to... Cufflinks and Rings: Bizarre but Lucrative Solution Burial Plot Shortage

It's a bizarre but lucrative solution to the growing problem of where to bury the nation's dead.

Britain's richest local authority is helping bereaved families to turn the ashes of their loved ones into signet rings, cufflinks and even paperweights rather than bury or store their cremated bodies in urns.

The City of London Corporation is encouraging relatives to buy £495 gold signet rings, £395 sets of cufflinks and £195 paperweights containing the ashes of the dead.

Using molten glass heated to 1,100 degrees Celsius and coloured effects, the ash-filled memorials are made at a glassworks in Billericay in Essex and shipped on to relatives.

Using the slogan 'Keep your loved ones close to you always,' the Corporation, which runs the wealthy Square Mile in the City of London, advertises the service at its vast cemetery in Epping Forest on the outskirts of London.

A glossy brochure advertising the service has been produced, with a price list that also includes memorial earrings – £195 in silver or £245 in gold – and neck pendants priced between £295 and £345, with cheques made payable to the Corporation.

The brochure explains: 'Your loved one's cremation ashes are added to crystal glass to create memorial jewellery and paperweights.'

It adds: 'We only use a small amount of ashes for each item so all the members of your family can have a personal memorial.'

The move comes as a survey earlier this year revealed that Britain was fast running out of space to bury its dead.

A survey of 300 local councils showed that on average our cemeteries will be full in 30 years with an average of just 15 years before London's cemeteries are full, forcing the Ministry of Justice to consider granting nationwide permission to re-use old graves.

Julie Dunk, technical services and events manager at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said: 'It is about offering choice to families.

'People these days like to memorialise in individual ways.'

The City of London Crematorium's Superintendent and Registrar, Garry Burks, said 75 per cent of people who died in Britain were now cremated rather than being buried in coffins.

He said a private firm made the jewellery and they took an administration fee from the price towards the upkeep of the 200- acre Epping Forest cemetery.

He added: 'We provide the service and charge an administration fee. 'It's not everyone's cup of tea, but some people like it.'


SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055229/Ashes-ashes-dust--cufflinks-rings-Bizarre-lucrative-solution-burial-plot-shortage.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Saying Farewell to Fido

So there she was — a 57-year-old Benedictine nun-turned-chemist-turned Protestant pastor — sprawled on her belly in a 4-foot-deep closet conversing with Simon.

The 13-year-old Scottish terrier had lived a long life, often relaxing in the shade among the backyard hostas. But now he was having problems, and the Rev. Karen Clarke sensed he was afraid — that he knew the end was near.

His cancer spreading, Simon retreated to the closet corner and huddled beneath a rack of blue jeans and plaid shirts. During thunderstorms, he often hid there. But this time, he wasn’t there because of the rain.

“Simie, I know it’s time for you to go,” Clarke whispered in the dark closet as she scooted past the long dresses, inching closer to the terrier. “Will you come out so I can help you?”

Simon obliged.

***

When animals like Simon die, they often leave behind human companions trapped in a complex grieving process that Omaha-based psychotherapist Teresa Freeman said is the same as when a human loved one dies.

That’s why Freeman leads a pet loss support group at Omaha’s Humane Society, where a dozen or so grieving animal lovers gather twice a month to share tips on moving past their companions’ deaths. Some bereaved owners plan thousand-dollar burials for their gerbils or cats. Others struggle to move on without their horse or dog, like the woman who had a bench installed next to the graves of her Great Danes.

The sorrow is normal and healthy, Freeman said, but it surprises some pet owners and can lead to serious psychiatric issues such as depression and anxiety disorders if ignored.

“People don’t automatically assume that they are going to feel this kind of grief for an animal,” she said. “Our culture doesn’t really allow us to acknowledge how deep our relationships are with our pets.”

Resources for grieving pet lovers include an online network of support websites that allow bereaved owners to light virtual candles in honor of their dead pets or post suggestions on when it’s appropriate to adopt new companions.

This month, The New York Times published a story about the proliferation of pet ministries, and USA Today wrote about the success of pet-centric charities in a recent fundraising drive.

The attachment between pet and master isn’t a modern phenomenon. Archaeologists in Egypt have found domestic monkeys and dogs mummified and buried alongside their ancient owners. For centuries, a Lakota warrior’s favorite horse was shot and placed near the burial site, helping ease the journey to the spirit world.

And when Oblio the harbor seal died a couple of years ago, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo sent his remains to Whispering Pines Pet Cremation in Martell and had his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

***

Meathead has a beautiful office.

There’s ample shade under sprawling pines. The perpetual trickle of customers keeps him occupied, but not swamped. And his bosses are never far away if he wants company.

But, of course, there’s another perk: When the teenage feline dies, he won’t have far to go.

The silver-coated cat spends his days wandering between the headstones at Rolling Acres pet cemetery. Surrounded by bronze corn stalks on three sides and a winding gravel road on the other, the 35-year-old enterprise is tucked off O Street between Lincoln and Eagle near Crooked Creek Golf Course.

Meathead’s favorite spot isn’t far from the graves of Gene and Dorothy Bush — and their 19 deceased pets.

The Bushes fell in love with Rolling Acres back in the cemetery’s early days. Dorothy, an elementary school teacher for 40 years, was a lifelong animal rights activist. She lobbied governors and newspaper reporters to support neutering campaigns, and she started burying her beloved bichons at Rolling Acres in the 1970s on a sprawling family plot.

Today, headstones pay tribute to Misty Doll, Sweetie Pie, Odie, Jack and 15 others. Artificial flowers mark the ground around the ashes of Gene, who died decades ago, and Dorothy, who died of a brain bleed in 2007 while planting pansies.

“Whether I go to heaven or hell,” she said shortly before her death at age 87, “my pets are all going to be there to meet me.

“And I plan on going to heaven.”

***

Rolling Acres started in the 1970s when Oakie the dachshund died. Founder Pat Strnot didn’t want her pet tossed in the garbage or cremated with other animals, but couldn’t find a resting place she found suitable. So she made her own.

In the decades since the cemetery between the cornfields opened, hundreds of dead cats, horses, dogs, gerbils, rabbits and other critters have signed long-term leases.

Even as Lincoln grows eastward — and the frequent sounds from the golf course public address system confirm that steady sprawl — a special zoning permit means Rolling Acres will remain untouched. That allows Strnot to accommodate people like the Bushes, who can’t imagine separating from their pets — even after death.

The site includes two crematoriums, (although humans buried at Rolling Acres are cremated elsewhere) and a so-called feline resort for cats not yet on their 10th life.

Pat Strnot still works the phone, but she sold the business to her son a few years ago. After a career as a pilot, Tom Strnot said tending to the gravesites and running the crematoriums is a fulfilling job.

But Rolling Acres hasn’t dodged the effects of a lagging economy. Tom Strnot said people who would have buried their pets a few years ago now are opting for cremations.

The Strnots, however, have been known to turn away business. The owner of a boa constrictor once called to inquire about cremation. While mammals are Rolling Acres’ specialty, Pat Strnot was open to the possibility if a vet would certify the snake was actually dead.

Turns out, the reptile coroner found a heartbeat. The snake was in a dormant phase, but still very much alive.

People without their own golden retriever — or boa — sometimes get the wrong idea about Rolling Acres, Tom said.

“They say, ‘It’s just a dog.’”

That’s why if a stranger asks him what he does for a living, he either says he’s a mortician or works in the pet industry.

But he thinks those skeptics don’t appreciate the deep bonds that form between human and animal, and the desire — perhaps even obligation — to honor those pets in death.

The Strnot family pets have a row of their own at the front of Rolling Acres. One day, Meathead will join those other dogs and cats with his personalized headstone.

But most dead pets in Lincoln are disposed of with much less fanfare. Veterinarians often cremate animals in groups and then dispose of the ashes. A private grave at Rolling Acres costs about $210.

“They spent 10-15 years of their life with you,” Tom said. “I think finding a nice place for them to be buried is a lot better than them being put out in a Dumpster.”

***

Karen Clarke is the pet pastor at Lincoln’s First-Plymouth Congregational Church.

After a dozen years as a nun and then a high school chemistry teacher and researcher, her health began to fail.

At one point, doctors called in her son from Wisconsin to say goodbye. Besides Crohn’s disease and kidney failure, she had a brain bleed and was in a coma.

She wasn’t supposed to make it, but a few days later, she woke up.

Clarke credits her Scottish terriers, McTavish and Fergus, with seeing her through the illness. In the years she spent homebound, at least one always kept vigil at her bed.

“They were my primary companions. They never left my side.”

So when she started visiting First-Plymouth a few years ago while recovering, she wanted to do something to honor animals like her Scotties. The church was starting an animal ministry, and Clarke’s theology degree qualified her to lead it.

Through Faithful Friends, Clarke comforts pets and owners. She blesses puppies and kittens. It’s important work, she said, that often leads her to inconsolable pet owners in animal hospitals and family rooms.

When Simon’s owner called, Clarke told her it was time for him to go.

“I know,” the owner said. “Will you come over?”

Simon had barricaded himself in the closet and wouldn’t budge. Clarke promised both dog and owner to see them through the next few hours.

Then she crawled through the closet to the dog. She whispered to him nose-to-nose and scratched his left ear. The right one was bleeding from cancer.

Simon eventually crawled out of the closet, and Clarke held him tight while his owner drove to the vet.

The trip was only a few miles, and he wanted to look out the window. So Clarke rolled it down and allowed Simon to rest his bloody right ear on her T-shirt.

When the vet gently pushed in the needle, Clarke prayed over Simon’s soul. Simon’s owner drove him back home for a private burial. Clarke went home to change her shirt.

Before wrapping him in a towel and placing him in the ground, they laid Simon on the patio so the family’s three other dogs would know their friend died. One sat vigil outside the box where Simon lay, another peeked once and sat solemnly alone in the backyard with his back turned. The other dog took one glance and went back inside.

Then they dug a hole, and Clarke said a prayer.

And Simon was laid to rest underneath the shade of the hostas.

SOURCE: http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_d825c7e4-ed49-554f-a238-bed46c954c2c.html

A New Way to A Smoking Sendoff

An Alabama company wants to help you go out with a bang -- literally. Holy Smoke, a business launched by two game wardens, is offering to load cremation ashes into shotgun shells or rifle cartridges so that a hunter's last act on Earth can include blasting a hole in their favorite prey.

News of their venture tends to garner one of two reactions: Non-hunters think they're joking, while hunters can't wait to sign up.

"The response we've gotten has been huge," said co-founder Thad Holmes. And that's without any advertising. The company was launched in July, but Holmes and business partner Clem Parnell have been so busy with their day jobs that promotion of the business has been limited to creating a website, www.myholysmoke.com. That turned out to be more than enough.

"We're getting e-mails from all over the world," Holmes said. "The other day, we got one from Bosnia-Herzegovina."

To the best of his knowledge, they have not heard from anyone in Minnesota, but they expect to. "We know there are a lot of hunters up there," he said.

The notion of an avid hunter having his or her ashes scattered via a gun blast is not out of step with what other enthusiasts do, the company argues. Surfers have had their ashes scattered from the top of waves. Golfers' ashes have been sprinkled into sand traps on their favorite course. Backpackers ask to have their cremains left along a beloved hiking trail.

Beyond the company needing to be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, "we couldn't find any laws about this except when it comes to firing the gun," Holmes said. "You have to do that someplace where you have the right to fire it."

The company's website includes a quote from Parnell that when he dies, he wants his ashes loaded into a shell used to kill a wild turkey. "I will rest in peace knowing that the last thing that turkey will see is me screaming at him at about 900 feet per second," he says.

That sentiment, while colorful, isn't entirely accurate, Holmes said. Only a small amount of ashes is loaded in a shell along with the buckshot, and those ashes dissipate in a cloud -- envision a puff of talcum powder -- within inches of the shell leaving the gun barrel.

"The ashes never reach the target," he said. "Every now and then, we'll have someone say, 'Ooh, I don't want to end up eating Grandma.' It doesn't work like that. If you shoot a duck, none of the ashes end up on the duck."

Prices start at $850 for 250 shotgun shells, 100 rifle cartridges or 250 pistol cartridges. An order typically requires about 15 percent of an average-size person's cremation ashes; unused ashes are returned. The process takes two days.

In addition to providing a fitting farewell for a hunter, the company argues that in designing its business, an "important need was for the end result to be ecologically friendly and sound. There is a much smaller ecological footprint caused by our service as opposed to most of the current funeral interment methods," its website says.

Parnell and Holmes toyed with the notion of putting ashes in ammo for four years before they got their company going. Now they're working on variations, including offering symbolic shotgun shells in which there is no buckshot.

"We have a client who wants a 21-gun salute," Holmes said. "We're working on a way to mix the ashes with red, white and blue powder. We figure that would be a pretty neat sendoff."

SOURCE: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/132797838.html

Dutch Company Turns Cremation Remains into Global Charity

When a body is cremated, if it has any metal parts, like a titanium hip, those metal parts are left behind. For years it was either buried in graves or sent to the dump. But a Dutch company, OrthoMetals, has a business that gathers those materials and processes them for industrial reuse, sending the proceeds to charity.

OrthoMetals Co-Founder Ruud Verberne

Advances in medical technology, combined with the fact that people are living longer, means more of us pass away with some kind of surgical implant.

For some, it’s a steel pin, others a titanium hip. But what happens to them after death? For almost 15 years, a Dutch company called OrthoMetals has been recycling the metals leftover from cremation, and giving the bulk of the proceeds to charity.

OrthoMetals’ recycling facility sits in a nondescript building in an industrial area on the outskirts of the Dutch city of Zwolle. Giant sorting machines twirl and clank as tiny bits of metal run through them. Co-founder Ruud Verberne points to a big plastic container full of knee implants.

“These are the knees that we have to separate,” Verberne yelled as the machinery whirred on. “We take it apart so that the right metal gets into the right recycling area."

OrthoMetals recycles the metal implants from bodies that have been cremated.

Verberne had a long career in aluminum recycling. But in 1987 he met Dr. Jan Gabriëls, an orthopedic surgeon. Gabriëls asked Verberne what happens to the metal implants after cremation. Verberne had no idea, but he started doing research.

“The metals either ended up in the scrapyard, or in the case of France, Belgium, the U.K., and partly in Holland, they were put in old graves on the crematory premises. So, they were burying all of it.”

But the metals, Verberne knew, had a lot of value.

A decade later, in 1997, Gabriëls and Verberne founded OrthoMetals, and took their idea to cremation facilities.

“We told them that we would collect the metals for free, sort them, and then sell them back to the market. We take care that it’s being recycled, and not reused.”

This is an important point. These metal parts do not end up back in other people. Instead, they are melted down and resold for industrial purposes, like in cars, planes or even wind turbines.

It turns out it’s a lot of scrap metal. Verberne says OrthoMetals recycles more than 250 tons a year from cremations.

“We deduct the costs we have for the collection, the sorting, the administrative costs, the fees, and the remainder is given back to the crematoria, and they spend it on charity.”

To be clear, OrthoMetals does make a profit. But it tries to give 70 to 75 percent of what it brings in back to the crematoria for charitable purposes.

Henry Keizer oversees a memorial fund named after the first Dutch person ever cremated, back in 1913. He said the fund has helped crematoria distribute thousands in OrthoMetals donations to everything from cancer research groups to school libraries in the Netherlands.

“I think the recycling of implants, and artificial joints, etc. is an excellent idea,” said Keizer. “Now we get to use them for good purposes, for funds for people that do social things that are extremely important.”

OrthoMetals is now working with crematoria in more than 15 countries, including the United States.

The Donohue Funeral Home in Upper Darby, Pa., has been in business since 1898. Michael Donohue, a fourth generation funeral director, said cremation is becoming more popular in the U.S. So much so, he said, that the funeral home decided to build its own facility a few years ago.

“Before we actually started to get up and operating, our biggest thing was — what are we going to do with the metal remains that are left at the end of the process?” he said.

He did a Google search and found OrthoMetals.

Donohue said the funeral home is up front with loved ones about the recycling program.

“We are honest with them, and tell them that whatever money is given to us goes to the local organizations, and they love knowing that something from their loved one is being used in a great capacity.”

Verberne said his kids are now working for the company, as are his business partner’s kids.

Verberne has no metal implants himself, but he said his partner’s wife, who was helping sort out bits of metal in the factory on this day, has two titanium hips.

“She was asked once, 'Isn’t it strange that you know that one day your hips will run through this conveyor belt?’"? Verberne said. “And she said, ‘No, it’s just a part of life. You’re going to die, and I know that reusing metals is a very good thing, because I have worked for years in this business, so it is no problem at all. And my mother’s hip was on there too!’”

SOURCE; http://www.pri.org/stories/science/technology/dutch-company-turns-cremation-remains-into-global-charity-8198.html

Cremations on The Rise

Fifty years ago, cremations were almost non-existent in the U.S.

"Cremation to most families was something that they just didn't go for. It just wasn't in their tradition. They wanted to keep the person intact. They wanted to bury the person. Some religions frowned on it," said Jan Maloff, the funeral director at A. DeWitt Memorial Funeral Home.

In 1985, fewer than 15 percent of people who died in the U.S. chose cremation. Now that number is over 40 percent. A large driving factor is economics.

"With the average cost of a funeral being well over $6,000, even to cut that cost in half, that's a big expense, especially with the economy today and people's view of that and how much they want to spend," said Kevin Mathewson, the funeral director at Cremation Services of CNY.

Maloff added, "We have people who value what they can leave behind for their descendants financially more than they value what they can be done for them at the time of funeral."

Besides economics, there's been a changing attitude in the U.S. that's more accepting of cremations and funeral directors have had to adapt to accommodate the increase.

"It helps people provide closure when they memorialize the person. So, this is why there's memorial services. This is why there's rental caskets now. People can have all the affects of a tradition funeral, with a lot less expense," said Maloff.

Experts say they anticipate the popularity of cremations will continue to increase.

"The more you see this generation turning to cremation, now you've got future generations seeing that as being a family choice," said Mathewson.

The Cremation Association of North America predicts that by 2017, cremation will surpass traditional burial.

SOURCE: http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/572176/cremations-on-the-rise/

BBB Warns Area Veterans of Questionable Sales Pitches by casket company

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) has been alerted to an out-of-state casket and funeral supply company, which claims to be a veteran’s group.

The company, U.S. Patriot Services, lists addresses in Kansas City, Missouri and Rossmoor, California, and a motto on their paperwork claims they are ‘Veterans Serving Veterans.’ Recently, the BBB contacted the company’s national headquarters – in Rossmoor – to learn more about this claim. However, the company has failed to respond to our inquiry.

From a report the BBB received recently, the company seems to be focusing on elderly veterans in the Twin Cities metro area, going door-to-door and selling caskets and funeral urns. Based on how their paperwork is drawn up, the company makes it seem as though they’re offering interment in National Cemeteries free of charge as part of their sales package. However, all U.S. veterans who are honorably discharged from the military are eligible for free interment in National Cemeteries, meaning this is not a benefit U.S. Patriot Services or any other funeral service company can offer.

The BBB is advising area veterans to ask the company to verify that they’re actually a veteran’s organization. In addition, the BBB reminds everyone to always request multiple quotes prior to making any purchase. The report the BBB received regarding U.S. Patriot Services indicates the company may have attempted to charge an area veteran more than double for funeral urns, compared to another funeral service company. According to this report, the veteran was able to get the company to refund his money after being made aware he’d been overcharged.

U.S. Patriot Services’ General Manager, Shawna Estrada, has been linked to other funeral supply companies, including a company called American Veteran KCA. In 2010, that company reached a settlement agreement with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. As part of the settlement with the attorney general, all customers of that company received a letter stating the company was not affiliated with the VA, nor any National Cemetery or governmental agency. In addition, all customers who had purchased caskets from the company were entitled to a full refund as part of the settlement, provided they made that request before a certain date. The company also had to pay a $20,000 fine.

The BBB offers the following tips to families and individuals looking to make funeral arrangements:

• Be an informed consumer. Take time to call and shop around before making a purchase. Funeral homes are required to provide detailed price lists over the phone or in writing. Product mark-ups can be significant. Ask if lower priced items are included on the price list.

• Check out the funeral service. Contact the BBB for a report on the funeral home. Check whether the funeral services director or embalmer is licensed.

• Be wary of outrageous claims. Sellers who claim to have a product or service that will preserve human remains over the long-term are misleading you. Funeral providers cannot determine how long a casket will preserve a body, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to purchase the more expensive “sealed” or “protective” casket. Also, a casket is not legally required for a direct cremation.

• Research funeral home service fees when shopping for products elsewhere. The Federal Trade Commission’s Web site at www.ftc.gov has information on charges that are prohibitive.

• Embalming is not always required. You are not required to have embalming if you choose direct cremation or immediate burial.

• Resist high-priced sales pitches from funeral industry vendors. They should treat you with compassion; not pressure you.

• Consult a friend or family member. It might be a good idea to take along a friend or relative when you visit the funeral home or talk to a funeral service representative. Someone who is not as emotionally invested as you are can assist with difficult decisions.

• Get everything in writing. Compare the posted prices and any oral promises with those listed in the contract. The contract should itemize all prices and specify any future costs. Check the contract for any restrictions.

• Carefully read contracts and purchasing agreements before signing. Ask if the agreements you sign can be voided, taken back or transferred to other funeral homes.

•Remember, prepaying for a funeral has advantages, as well as risks. If you choose to prepay, make a well-informed decision, carefully research your options and know your rights (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro19.shtm). You can always make plans in advance, without prepaying. Be sure to share your specific wishes with those close to you.

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public.

SOURCE: http://hometownsource.com/2011/12/20/bbb-warns-area-veterans-of-questionable-sales-pitches-by-casket-company/

Plants to Dispose of Dead Pets

When his beloved dog Xiaoqi died earlier this year, Liu Jiang did not know what to do with the body, so he dug a 50-centimeter grave for his pet beneath a tree in his community.

"I couldn't find any better solution for my pet," said the 29-year-old living in the Shijingshan district of the capital.

"I really miss him and didn't want him to sleep far from me," he added.

Liu is not the only resident who has buried their pet in this way.

However, Wang Bin, director of the veterinarian management department at the Beijing municipal bureau of agriculture, said that this could be a health risk.

"Since how to cope with dead pets is still a blank in the relevant regulations, few pet hospitals take responsibility for animals' funerals and most residents just throw their dead pets away like daily garbage. But the bacteria on dead animals can pollute the soil, which might be harmful to people's health," he said.

More than 60,000 registered dogs die in the city each year, according to statistics from the bureau, but the total number of dogs that die each year is more than that, because at least 1 million dogs haven't been registered, and there are other animals besides dogs that are kept as pets, Wang said.

To try and limit the practice of people burying their pets in communities, the municipal government is establishing nine disposal plants next year that will be able to dispose of 12 tons of dead animals a day.

"Not only pets in the central city will be sent to the plants, but also the dead animals on rural farms," he said. "The bodies will be disposed of using an advanced technology that does no harm to the environment and people's health."

The new plants will be located in the outskirts of the capital, such as Shunyi, Changping and Fangshan districts.

But some pet owners are unhappy with the plan as the disposal treatment used at the plants chemically dissolves the bodies, which means they will not be given their pet's ashes.

"I would want to take my pet's ashes home. After all, it's a big comfort for most pet owners," said 24-year-old He Yimeng, a resident in Xicheng district, who buried a cat last year.

Liu said that he would only use the disposal plants if they provided the ashes, but if they did he would be willing to pay a reasonable fee.

Both He and Liu considered using a private cremation company when their pets died, but both found the service too expensive.

Chen Shaochun, 42, manager of Baifu Pet Heaven Burial Center, said a cremation is 400 yuan ($60) for each pet, while a burial is about 1,200 yuan.

Up to now, his company has buried more than 3,000 pets since it was established in 2005.

At another pet crematorium, Boaibanlu in Changping district, an employee surnamed Wang said they cremate dead pets in line with their weight.

"Pets over 20 kilograms cost 800 yuan and the lighter ones 500 yuan," she said, adding the all-round service, including the cremation, cemetery and some flowers, is 1,850 yuan.

SOURCE: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-12/19/content_14284237.htm

Bodies Switched by Colorado Funeral Homes

The bodies of two men who died on the same day at a Denver hospice were picked up by the wrong funeral homes even though one was white and one black.

Robert Mitchell of Denver was cremated as Perry Heath of Aurora, KUSA-TV reported. His ashes, which have been exhumed, were buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

Staff members at Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services of Aurora realized a few days before Mitchell's viewing they had the wrong body.

The TV station suggested the reason for the confusion was that Taylor and 5280 Cremation and Funeral Services of Aurora, which was to handle arrangements for Heath, used subcontractors for much of the work. Both bodies were picked up after the men died Nov. 10 by subcontractors and the body believed to be Mitchell's was sent to another subcontractor for embalming. The cremation was carried out by the company that had picked up what was thought to be Heath's remains.

Both transportation companies apparently assumed The Denver Hospice had identified the bodies correctly.

SOURCE: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/12/15/Bodies-switched-by-Colorado-funeral-homes/UPI-20561323986049/?spt=hs&or=tn

New App Can Arrange Cremations

Virginians will be able to set up a cremation on their smartphones, thanks to an app from the Cremation Society of Virginia.

"They can go through their phone via the app to arrange the cremation," said Sally Briggs, the company's general manager.

"Some people don't have computers or might not have access to a computer," she noted.

And an increasing number of consumers are using smartphones, she said.

The Richmond-based service believes it is the first cremation society to have such an application for mobile devices.

Its new app is designed to educate family members, caregivers such as hospice workers, and clergy about the cremation process, the Cremation Society said. It is available on iPhone, Android and Windows operating systems.

"The best service we can offer those interested in cremation is to provide information in a timely and professional manner that helps them through a very difficult period in their life," Briggs said in a statement.

"The public is expecting to have their information needs met in various ways, and our industry is no different from others in that we need to respond to what people want," she said. "We will continue to offer our traditional personal service but are responding to the needs of a tech-savvy public."

The app walks individuals through the steps necessary at the time of an individual's death, the Cremation Society said, as well as providing information on Virginia rules regarding cremations and funeral services.

It allows families to plan cremations online, either in advance or at the time of death. The app also offers directions and contact information.

Using the program, clients can even buy cremation services through the company's online store and read the latest national obituary news via RSS webfeed.

The free app was created by Award Web Service of Richmond using AppSoEasy.

Though the Cremation Society does not release the number of cremations it performs, the firm considers itself to be the largest provider of cremation services in the state.

More than a quarter of Virginians choose cremation rather than burial, the company said.

SOURCE: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2011/dec/22/tdbiz03-biz-to-go-new-app-can-arrange-cremations-ar-1560908/

Tips for Choosing Cremation Urns

There is never a good time to start looking at cremation urns because whether you are planning in advance for a death or dealing with a death that has brought you to a funeral home your emotions are likely to be running high. However, there are a few factors that you should consider when you actually start to look at cremation urns that can help make your final decision a little bit more appropriate.

Palermo Brass Keepsake Cremation Urn

For instance, one thing that you will need to think about is where you are going to place the urn once you purchase it as this will influence which of the cremation urns is going to be the best fit. As it is something that you are likely going to hold onto for the rest of your life, or something that someone else will hold onto in remembrance of you it is important to make sure that you make the best choice. By taking this matter into account you will be able to narrow down your options.

You will also want to think about the spirit of the person that you are browsing through the cremation urns for because you want your final choice to embody their spirit. Many cremation urns now have inscriptions on them which are a perfect way to remember those you have loved while others may feature angels, butterflies, or similar patterns making it easier to pick out one that will remind you of your loved one every time you catch a glimpse of it.

SOURCE: http://www.cremationurn.com/tips-for-choosing-cremation-urns/

Crematorium Eases Burden of Last Rites

Hindus in Sharjah will be able to observe last rites for their dead when the emirate's first crematorium is completed by the end of 2012.

This is the fourth crematorium to be built for Hindus and Sikhs. However, expatriates had not been allowed to cremate or bury their dead at facilities in emirates where they did not have a residency visa. That restriction has now been partially lifted in Dubai.

"A crematorium has been a longstanding need," said Nissar Thalangara, secretary of the Indian Association Sharjah. "Earlier a dumping yard was used in the emirate for burning and we strongly felt the need for a better place for families to cremate bodies in a more dignified manner."

Officials estimate that more than 350,000 expatriate Indians live in the emirate. In 2010, 1,332 Indians died in the UAE. This year, between January and October, 1,053 died.

Ten acres of land in an industrial area were gifted to the Indian Association Sharjah by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, Ruler of Sharjah, for the purpose of building the crematorium. Although land was gifted to the community three years ago, officials say approvals and permits only came through recently, and the first phase of building began last month.

Known as the Hindu Sikh Crematorium, it will cost more than Dh9.5 million to build. When complete, it will house two incinerators that each can cremate up to three bodies a day.

A separate burial ground will also be allotted within the facility for children below the age of five to be buried according to Hindu customs.

Mr Thalangara said funeral grounds in the UAE were used mostly by Indians who had lived in the country for several years and had family here, and blue-collar workers whose relatives could not afford to repatriate bodies home. In case of accidents, where the body is disfigured and cannot be shipped back, cremation must be completed here.

The oldest crematoriumis in Dubai. It opened more than 65 years ago, followed by a second in Abu Dhabi a decade ago and another multi-faith facility set up earlier this year in Al Ain.

Cremation in Dubai initially took place in Bur Dubai. It was then moved to three other locations before being established in Jebel Ali almost a decade ago, said Vasu Shroff, a committee member of the New Sonapur Hindu Cremation Ground in Jebel Ali. Other communities also use the facility, he said.

Between eight to 12 cremations - mostly of Hindus - take place every month at the Dubai facility.

Cremation costs about Dh3,500, whereas shipping the body back can be twice as expensive. This includes the cost of a ticket for the accompanying passenger.

"It is definitely cheaper to cremate here," said Vivian Albertyn, managing partner of Middle East Assistance. His company facilitates cremation in Dubai and repatriation to different countries including India after completing local formalities, at an additional cost of about Dh3,500.

"Repatriation charges largely depend on the weight of the person and the coffin used," said Mr Albertyn, adding that the cause of the death also determined rates, as it would mean completing more formalities.

When a body is cremated here, the time spent obtaining clearances from various government departments is also considerably reduced. The committee that overlooks the Dubai facility often reduces or waives charges for workers. But social workers say the exorbitant repatriation costs may not always be a deterrent.

"People want to be buried or cremated wherever they have relatives, that is the most important thing for them," said Sarvotham Shetty, former president of the India Social Centre. "It's not a question of money or whether it's more expensive to cremate here or send the body to India. If the person has relatives in India, they will want the body back at any cost but when the entire family is here, then the UAE will be their choice."

SOURCE: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/crematorium-eases-burden-of-last-rites

New Flameless Cremation Process Could Be Legalized In Illinois

For 20,000 years, people have been using fire to cremate their loved ones. Now, for the first time, there’s a new way to do cremations and, if Gov. Pat Quinn signs a measure approved by the legislature, it could be available in Illinois by march.

A flameless cremation process

But, as CBS 2′s Mike Puccinelli reports, some say it should be investigated first.

It’s a way to cremate human bodies without flames.

Illinois Funeral Directors Association President John Humes III said, “I think alkaline hydrolysis is the first major innovation in funeral service in probably the last 100 years.”

It’s a flameless process that’s been available commercially for just months. It achieves the same result as fire with just water and chemicals, but its backers say what’s not the same is the amount of pollution.

Steve Schaal, President of Matthews Cremation North America, said, “It’s better for the environment, because we are eliminating the greenhouse gases that are associated with traditional flame cremation. And we’re able to reduce the carbon output by over 75 percent.”

That’s because alkaline hydrolysis creates no smoke. It does, however, generate more than 100 gallons of waste water.

“Our concern is the byproduct. What chemicals are in it and how do they interact with the normal system of water treatment that exists now?” Humes said. He said it’s possible human remains could be in any water byproduct from the new cremation process.

Humes said state environmental regulators should look at the process to make sure it’s greener than traditional cremation.

Under the alkaline hydrolysis procedure, a body would be placed on a tray and pushed into a chamber filled with liquid, which would be heated to 300 degrees. After about four hours, all the soft tissue would be liquefied.

The skeleton would remain, as in a typical cremation, and would be similarly pulverized to ash.

“If a family were to choose alkaline hydrolysis or cremation, they would go home with an urn holding their loved one’s remains,” said funeral home owner Steve Dawson.

He said he’s thinking about using the technology if it becomes legal in Illinois, but is concerned about the possible stigma.

If the governor signs the measure, Illinois will become the eighth state to legalize alkaline hydrolysis. Ohio has put the procedures on hold.

State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka released a statement saying her office will study the process to see if any additional regulation is necessary.

SOURCE: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/12/28/new-flameless-cremation-process-could-be-legalized-in-illinois/

Soldiers complete documentation of Arlington National Cemetery

Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) soldiers, photograph and document every tombstone, grave marker and cremation site in Arlington National Cemetery, Va.

Day or night, rain or shine, these men had a mission to complete.

Soldiers with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), finished photographing and documenting the location of every tombstone, grave marker and cremation site in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Dec. 23, 2011.

"We are calling ourselves Task Force Christman, after Pvt. William Christman, who was the first soldier buried here," said Maj. Nate Peterson, commander, Delta Company. "The primary purpose of this process is to establish an accountability of all remains in Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery dates back to 1874 when the cemetery was run by Union soldiers who just had bad record keeping practices over the years. What we are doing is verifying what's on record and correcting anything that's not."

Peterson added the detailed information will be housed in a large electronic database. Over a period of a few months, the task force dedicated numerous hours to cover the more than 259,000 sites spread across 624 developed acres of the cemetery.

"Our unit walked over every inch of the cemetery taking pictures of the front and back of every tombstone. We also tagged every site with a GPS locator with its section and grave number," said Spc. Al Carney, an infantryman with Delta Company.

It was evident for Carney the importance of the completion of this task.

"What we are doing here is for the families of the fallen because it helps pay respect and keeps track of where they lay," said Carney.

Like Carney, the demeanor of every Soldier involved in the documentation process was very focused and solemn.

"This mission is taken very seriously by the Army," said Peterson. "How we conduct ourselves as professionals in the military is the same attitude we carry here taking pictures."

With the process now over, Peterson said he is proud to have honored our nation's heroes in such an exceptional way.

"This is an unprecedented mission because it has never been done before and it probably will never be done again," said Peterson. "What we are doing is paying tribute to our fallen comrades."

SOURCE: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/81858/soldiers-complete-documentation-arlington-national-cemetery#.TyhuEvlQE4k

Burial and Cremation Fees To Rise

The cost of burying loved ones in Preston is due to rise, it was revealed today.

Council bosses will hike the cost of burials and cremations as part of efforts to plug a £2.5m budget black hole over the next five years.

While the fees will stay the same for the next year, they will go up in 2013/14.

Today, Town Hall chiefs said the move was necessary because of Government funding cuts – but said fees were being frozen for 12 months because they had risen “too much” in recent years.

But opposition councillors accused the ruling cabinet of a “u-turn” after Labour criticised the Conservatives for proposed increases last year.

Coun Ken Hudson, leader of the opposition Conservative group, said: “It is definitely a u-turn by the Labour group. They gave us quite a lot of grief over election time about what they called the Tory’s proposed death tax.”

The council’s cabinet member for planning and regulation, Coun John Swindells, was due to agree the decision today.

He said: “We have received this 42% cut in Government grant and we were committed not to increasing charges this year because we felt they had gone up too much last year.We have to do it, it is not something we want to do.”

The increase, which will see burial charges rise by 4%, will raise an extra £30,000 per year for the council from next year.

It means adult burials will go up from £400 to £416 and the purchase of an “exclusive right of burial” will increase from £407 to £432. The cost of cremation will go up from £550 to £572. The fees come into force from April 1 next year.

A report on the move said: “For those least able to pay funeral costs, the Government provides financial support via the Social Fund. For those not eligible to receive support via the Social Fund, cabinet intend to introduce a Funeral Support Policy to waive charges for burial or cremation in cases of genuine significant need.”

SOURCE: http://www.lep.co.uk/community/local_services_2_1889/deaths-funerals-and-cremations/burial_and_cremation_fees_to_rise_1_4185640

St. Paul Coffin Maker Aims to Bury On The Cheap

When it comes to selling coffins, Mike Zoff is thinking outside the box.

The 57-year-old Arden Hills resident has just set up shop in a tiny storefront on Smith Avenue on St. Paul's West Side, put a wooden coffin in the window and stuck up a sign announcing "Coffin Shoppe."

And how much is that coffin in the window?

Not much.

Zoff, who builds the coffins himself, hopes to bury the competition by selling discount but dignified containers that start at $225 for the plainest, unfinished pine box. The prices at Affordable Coffins & Artery will range up to about $800 for fancier, custom jobs.

It's still dirt cheap, Zoff said, compared with the $2,000 to $8,000 you might spend for a metal casket at a funeral home. Zoff said his prices are even lower than those of other vendors of plain wooden coffins. Wooden caskets being made and sold by a Trappist monastery in Iowa, for example, start at $1,000.

"My price points are significantly under what I have found," he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I'm way under everybody."

The prices are even less for the smaller boxes Zoff is offering, like a 4-foot by 18-inch model he built.

"That's a suitable size for a youth or a good-sized German shepherd," Zoff said.

Zoff said he hopes his coffins will appeal to several niches, including people who want to save a buck, people who are looking for an eco-friendly funeral or Jews, Muslims or Hmong with religious traditions requiring a simple wood container.

Zoff's products should appeal to traditionalists. One model he's made uses no metal in its construction. It's put together with wood pegs and has rope for handles. Another model is made of wood siding.

"It's like the cabin look," he said. "We do plywood and cedar."

He also builds tapered "toe-pincher" coffins, the kind you see in Western movies, which are still popular in Europe.

"Some people call this the John Paul design," he said. "The pope was buried in something of this configuration."

Zoff said customers can buy a coffin to be used in the future. In the case of an unexpected death, you could take what's available in the showroom, or Zoff could build something new in about 24 hours.

He said customers can pick up the coffins themselves, or he can deliver them directly to a funeral home in the area. Federal regulations require funeral homes to allow customers to use a coffin they've bought elsewhere without charging an extra fee.

Zoff said he'd eventually like to create a self-assembled coffin that could be shipped to mail-order customers.

He said he started thinking about making and selling cheap coffins about two years ago when his sister-in-law died and he saw the prices funeral homes were charging for coffins.

"People bury a lot of money for a few hours of ego," he said.

Zoff has firsthand knowledge of that. His grandparents and parents were in the funeral home business, operating the O'Brien-Zoff funeral home at Lexington and University avenues in St. Paul from 1938 to 1996.

Although Zoff grew up working in a funeral home, he's made his living as a real estate broker. The coffin business is a part-time second business.

"Real estate isn't what it once was," he said.

Zoff isn't alone in getting into the handmade wooden coffin business. Last March, Jude Collins, a retired college psychology teacher, opened the Duluth Casket Shop, a storefront that sells the wooden coffins she's been building for the past 12 years.

Her coffins, made in a variety of woods, including yellow birch and cherry, start at $1,300.

Mark Harris, author of a book called "Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial," said affordability, interest in green burials and do-it-yourself funerals, and a desire to buy locally made products are driving growth in the wooden coffin business.

"My sense is there are growing number of carpenters and woodworkers adding wood caskets to product lines of furniture, which is what furniture makers traditionally used to do," Harris said. "This is one more piece of furniture, sort of the final piece of furniture."

SOURCE: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/usatoday/article/38432871?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|GPG-News|p

'Green' Burials Gain Traction At Ind. Cemeteries

More than three years after his wife's "green" burial, Lafayette's Tom Keiser continues to be comforted when he visits her final resting place.

Keiser's wife, Susan, who died in September 2008 at 61, was buried in The Preserve at Spring Vale Cemetery in Lafayette -- the first green cemetery in the state, according to the nonprofit Green Burial Council in Santa Fe, N.M.

Today, the 1.5-acre site off Indiana 25 North is the final resting place for 23 people, including Susan Keiser.

"This is what Susan wanted," Keiser said of his wife, who was a Marine veteran. "It was good closure for me and our family."

Green burials, which are eco-friendly, have been called a movement, not a fad. Advocates say green burials protect the environment and ecology by reducing use of toxic chemicals, non-biodegradable materials and fossil fuels.

In addition, the cost of green burials can be lower because unostentatious caskets are used -- sometimes no casket at all -- and there is no burial vault. The body truly goes back to the earth in a natural setting.

At Spring Vale, all green burials so far have been conducted by Hippensteel Funeral Service and Crematory, one of five Indiana funeral homes approved by the Green Burial Council.

The green burial process, although new to many, harkens back to a simpler time when people were placed in a pine box or wrapped in a shroud and placed into the ground, often without preserving the body with embalming fluids.

When the Civil War came along, formaldehyde came into widespread use to preserve soldiers for sending home for burial, according to Rich Groeber of Hahn-Groeber Funeral & Cremation Services in Lafayette.

Formaldehyde, a toxic chemical, also is a recognized carcinogen. Green burials are designed to be easy on the environment and ensure that the body naturally decomposes.

A green burial utilizes a casket that biodegrades completely and is held together without nails or screws or hinges. Animal glue is acceptable, but not synthetic adhesives, which rules out some plywoods. Cloth bags or woven baskets also are used, depending on the material.

There are no concrete grave vaults or liners, and crematory urns of cornstarch or mulberry bark are preferred over metal or stone.

In a green burial, open caskets are possible for the visitation because nontoxic embalming fluids are used.

Green burial sites typically are planted with natural grasses and wildflowers that require little or no mechanized maintenance, and natural stones are used to mark graves.

The stone markers at The Preserve in Spring Vale Cemetery are found on site. Engravings or plaques are on the stones. Some gravesites have an American flag or a wreath.

Susan Keiser's gravestone includes the Marine Corps insignia and the numeral one to recognize it as the first green burial at Spring Vale Cemetery.

Hippensteel was the first Indiana funeral home to be certified by the Green Burial Council. Flanner and Buchanan funeral homes in Indianapolis also are certified.

In 2011, there were 67 burials at Spring Vale Cemetery with seven being green burials. Hippensteel has sold more than 50 green burial plots at The Preserve, including some plots to people from Chicago and Indianapolis. Joe Canaday of Hippensteel said Spring Vale is the green burial closest to Chicago.

Since spring 2009, Flanner and Buchanan has had a 5-acre rustic area called Kessler Woods dedicated to green burials at Washington Park North Cemetery in Indianapolis. Barb Milton of Flanner and Buchanan said there are about 25 people buried at Kessler Woods. A few dozen green burial plots also have been sold.

"People are coming from Louisville and Ohio," Milton said. "I ask them why they want a green burial. Some are doing it because of their spiritual faith, while others can't embrace a traditional funeral."

The Green Burial Council has certified green cemeteries in 42 states and six Canadian provinces and is expanding internationally, said Joe Sehee, founder of the group.

"We are starting to grow internationally to share resources," Sehee said. "We're getting more calls from consumers. We're more on the radar screen of the environmental community."

Sehee visited Spring Vale before giving it a certification.

"You could see from the beginning that they care and did it the right way," he said of Hippensteel and Spring Vale.

Sehee said it is difficult to track all green burials nationwide. He said the market demand is there.

"One out of five seniors wants green burials. That's a conservative number," he said. "Someday, green burials will be the traditional burial like it was years ago and like it is worldwide."

Tom Keiser said memories of his wife's green burial continue to touch his heart. He remembers 25 to 30 people taking shovelfuls of dirt to fill in the grave.

"I was amazed at that. The (funeral) tent was about 100 feet away from the grave, but everybody went there together," Keiser said.

Keiser said when he married Susan he adopted her oldest son, David. The couple hadn't discussed Susan's burial choice with any of her or his children.

"My son and I went out there together and he said, 'Yes, this is Mom and this is what she would want,' " Keiser said.

"Two or three months went by and we visited the grave, and he said 'If we never do anything again, we know that we did this right.'"

Canaday and Paul Dunbar of Hippensteel said there are several advantages to a green burial besides its being eco-friendly.

"The family becomes more involved," Canaday said. "It gives them peace of mind. We even give them gloves and shovels to fill in the graves. Nine out of 10 graves are filled in by families.

"We're all about giving families options, whether it is traditional burials, cremations or green burials."

Sehee and the Green Burial Council believe many funeral homes refuse to commit to green burials because they are fearful of losing money.

Canaday said Hippensteel offers a direct green burial for $2,695. He said that price includes the services of the funeral director and staff, transfer of the remains, preparation of the body, necessary permits and transportation to the cemetery. It doesn't include the plot. A green burial plot at The Preserve costs $1,000, said Hippensteel's Dennis Horn.

Dunbar said green burials can be as expensive as traditional burials if a family wants a walnut casket, for example. The price depends on the family's choice of services and products.

"A traditional burial has an average price of $6,700 to $8,600," Dunbar said. "An immediate natural burial with a linen cloth can cost $3,800, not counting the cemetery cost, and doesn't have a service.

"We had a lady, 99, from Americus who spent a total of $6,000. Her grandkids filled in the grave."

The three other funeral homes in Tippecanoe County offer green burials as an option, but they have yet to bury anyone at The Preserve.

Scott Banes of Soller-Baker Funeral Homes said the green burials are more popular in certain areas of the country. The Green Burial Council reports that green burials are popular on the West Coast. There also are green cemeteries in Colorado, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Maine, South Carolina, Ohio and New Jersey.

"I don't see green burials taking over traditional burials in Tippecanoe County," Banes said.

Canaday said there are cemeteries that allow a green burial, but they haven't set aside a specific area for green burials like Spring Vale Cemetery.

Banes also said the cost of opening a grave at The Preserve is almost double that of a traditional funeral because it must be dug manually so as not to disturb the ecology around the gravesite.

Groeber, of Hahn-Groeber Funeral & Cremation Services, said he's had green burial inquiries but no services yet in the "traditional Midwest."

"Some people get excited when they hear 'green,' " he said.

Groeber wanted to remind people that there is no law that requires a family to purchase a vault or outside container for a burial.

"The cemetery sets its own standards because of maintenance," he said.

Sehee said a 2010 survey by the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association showed that 23 percent of people 50 and older preferred a green burial. A 2007 AARP survey reported that 21 percent of Americans older than 50 want a green burial.

The Preserve has wildflowers and a selection of savanna and prairie grasses. The green burial area was planted after consultation with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and from Megan Benage, a rural conservationist with the Tippecanoe County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Benage selected a variety of grasses and flowers, including black-eyed Susans, New England asters, purple cornflowers and Shasta daisies. Birds and butterflies are attracted to the flora.

"Over the years, we will be enhancing this as needed," she said. "Establishment takes approximately one to three years. The planting is expected to look very weedy, brushy in its first year of growth.

"As years pass, it will get progressively better, and soon, Spring Vale will have a beautiful stand of grass. The wildflowers will change in color and composition."

A burnoff is scheduled in the spring at The Preserve to allow the plants to renew themselves and get rid of noxious weeds.

"I am personally enthusiastic about this project because it is a great way to provide more unique habitat types out on the landscape while still providing a valuable human service," Benage said.

"Any time we can work with the land, instead of against it, and find unique solutions to existing problems related to living hand-in-hand with nature, I'm excited."

SOURCE: http://www.jconline.com/usatoday/article/38441241?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Property To Die For

In real estate there is a market for everything, even accommodation for the dead. Location and views still matter. Sydney's land shortage, coupled with an increasing preference for cremation, has led to a growing trade in burial plots worth thousands of dollars.

Costly ...Waverly Cemetery

Advertisements offering burial plots are appearing in online classified ads. Some vendors are taking a more direct approach - erecting ''For sale'' signs on their unwanted graves.

The NSW president of the Australian Funeral Directors Association, Warwick Hansen, said owners were now offloading plots they no longer needed. ''It's becoming an increasing request from families,'' he said. ''When burial plots were selling for $70 to $100 they might have bought a lot of reserved graves alongside each other for the whole family. Now those grave sites can sell for several thousands of dollars.''

The prices of some sites have risen tenfold over the past 15 years, driven up by a critical shortage of cemetery space in Sydney and regional centres as well as the cost of maintaining graveyards to a high standard. For example, a top-of-the-range double plot in Macquarie Park Cemetery at North Ryde costs $65,000.

Those who sell plots often pocket a profit, although most owners are divesting them because of a change of heart or location.

''The other point is people are living longer and they're far more mobile these days,'' Mr Hansen said. ''They might buy plots in Sydney but then retire up the coast or down the coast.

''They find they have these burial plots they no longer have a need for, they're worth a couple of thousand dollars and they'd rather use that money in retirement.''

The owner of two plots at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Leppington, Bill Hayes, 64, is selling them after deciding he could use the money to help his small business. They have been valued at $4000 and he is offering them for sale on the classifieds website Gumtree.

He bought the plots and two funeral plans in 1975 when he was 28, for $1086.

''A door-to-door salesman convinced me I wouldn't have a place to be buried with the land shortage,'' he said. ''Projections were there would be no land. There was talk of pulling up cemeteries.''

Mr Hayes now plans to be buried in Young, where many of his wife's relatives are interred.

Lynne Pramana, of Ballina, is selling two plots at Pinegrove Memorial Park, Minchinbury, on behalf of a family member.

''Her father bought 10 plots altogether, thinking that he was taking care of the whole family,'' she said. ''Circumstances change and the family moved to northern NSW so there is no need of the remaining plots at Pinegrove. Better to sell them at half price to someone that needs them.''

Mr Hansen said burial preferences were also changing. ''Over a period of time the cremation numbers have increased.''

The economic forecaster IBISWorld says the number of cremations has risen from 55 per cent of funerals a decade ago to 65 per cent. This is expected to increase to 70 per cent by 2016.

Mr Hansen warned that every cemetery had its own policy on the resale of graves, so plot owners needed to contact the administrators before putting up a ''For sale'' sign.

''Many cemeteries don't directly buy the graves back themselves,'' he said. ''If people do wish to sell them they might put a 'For sale' notice in the paper, which sounds curious but is becoming increasingly common.

''I have seen instances where people have put a notice on the grave they own to say it is available for sale.''

A company that owns 14 cemeteries and crematoria in NSW and Queensland, InvoCare, has also recorded an increase in people wishing to sell or transfer plots.

''A number of people make arrangements for a burial at an earlier time and then they change their decision in favour of a cremation so the burial space is no longer needed,'' said an InvoCare spokesman, Karl Wolfenden.

''The other point is we are going through a period of tough economic conditions and this may be a way for families to make ends meet at this point in time.''

The president of the Cemeteries & Crematoria Association of NSW, George Passas, said turnover was high at popular graveyards such as the historic Waverley Cemetery, which is also one of a handful in the state that allows renewable tenure of plots in which sites are effectively ''leased'' for a fixed period.

''There is a very good turnover there because people know they can extract a very good sum of money,'' Mr Passas said.

''It has the best view in the cemetery business in Sydney. Views are not only important for the living but also for the dead. It's something that's very important to the living members of the family.''

SOURCE: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/property-to-die-for-20120128-1qn53.html