It should come as no surprise that baby boomers — the generation that has redefined most of life’s institutions — are also reshaping death, or at least the ceremonies and traditions surrounding death. One of the notable changes is in the number of cremations.
The number of Americans that chose cremation for themselves grew from 9 percent in 1980 to 32 percent in 2005, according to the 2005 Wirthlin Report, a study commissioned by the Funeral and Memorial Information Council.
The top two reasons for people nationwide to choose cremation for themselves were that it saves money and it saves land, according to the report. Other reasons cited include that it is simpler, the body will not be in the earth and that there is no reason to save the body.
Even in Alabama, where the numbers remain lower than most of the United States, the numbers are climbing, according to Russ Beard, Morgan County coroner, funeral director and embalmer. Beard expressed amazement at the number of cremations he has dealt with in the last few years, but his ideas of why match the results of the Wirthlin Report.
“Cemeteries are filling up, and land is expensive,” Beard said.
He pointed out that more crematories are opening in Alabama to meet the demand, and more churches are adding columbaria, or buildings designed to house cremated remains.
One reason more and more people are choosing cremation without interment is increased mobility, Beard noted.
“People are not staying in one area any more. They are moving on,” he said.
But choosing cremation does not mean one’s loved one cannot be buried in a cemetery.
Wilton Bunch, professor of ethics at Samford University in Birmingham, chose a churchyard cemetery for his daughter. She died as a young woman, and Bunch chose cremation with burial for her.
“[Burial in a cemetery] is an old and very respected tradition that appealed to me,” he said. “On an emotional basis, I would walk by her grave every Sunday and could feel close to her.”
Families also have the option of scattering their loved ones’ remains after cremation.
The Wirthlin Report revealed that 39 percent of the people surveyed wanted their remains scattered, while another 16 percent wanted them buried, and 10 percent wanted them kept in an urn at home.
Others chose a columbarium at a church or cemetery.
An entire industry has developed around disposition of cremated remains.
One example is a company that uses “a specially modified Piper Saratoga aircraft” to release cremated remains over land or sea, while several businesses offer scattering at sea that families may accompany.
At least one service provides GPS coordinates and return trips to the site of the scattering.
The Cremation Association of North America notes that remains can be scattered on your own property or on other private property with permission.
Scattering on public land is also permissible unless the chosen spot is a Native American burial ground.
Remains may be scattered at sea, a minimum of three nautical miles from shore.
Other choices are even more creative and unusual. Increasingly, remains are mixed with concrete to make “eternal reefs,” hollow structures that are placed on the ocean floor to foster development of habitats for marine life.
A small number of companies will blast remains into space in a rocket. Loved ones can be present at the launch or can watch a recording. Gene Roddenberry, creator of the “Star Trek” television series, chose this method for his remains. The remains of James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on “Star Trek,” followed on a flight in April 2007.
Remains can be made into a diamond and set into a ring or pendant, placed into a tiny capsule in the shape of a heart, cross or other design, or incorporated into glass spheres or bud vases.
They can even be mixed with paint and included in a painting. There is an option of having most of the painting done while you are still alive, with your remains added following death.
Even the traditional urn is becoming more creative. An art gallery near San Francisco bills itself as “the nation’s first art gallery dedicated to cremation urns and personal memorial art.” The gallery holds juried art shows across the country.
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