14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-Business of dying is alive and well

Business of dying is alive and well

By David James - bio | email
Posted by Natalie Yarbor - email

(WFIE) - The business of dying appears to be alive and well.

Funeral homes, cemeteries and the industries that support them remain busy and profitable in the current economic slump.

More and more Americans are downsizing their deaths, though, choosing cremation over burial.

The Cremation Association of North America projects the U.S. cremation rate will be 39% next year and 48% in 2025.

Right now, the highest cremation rate is in Nevada with 65%.

In the Tri-State, the Illinois cremation rate is 25%, Indiana's is 22%, and Kentucky has just a 12% cremation rate.

Don Scherer of Scherer Monument Works said, "Cremations are cheaper."

Patrick Cron of Boone Funeral Home said, "We offer everything from a direct cremation."

Reverend Pat Jackson said, "As the Bible says, 'ashes to ashes and dust to dust and to dust we will return.'"

Choosing an urn instead of being buried in a casket in a vault in a grave is cheaper and more eco-friendly, but does religion support this growing trend?

"We do get a new body in the resurrection, so we're not too worried about the earthly body at this point," said Rev. Hackson.

Jackson is the minister at Fairlawn United Methodist Church.

"I'm very strong on the idea of cremation," said Jackson.  "In fact, my wife and I have both made plans to be cremated when we pass away."

Today, Christian denominations allow cremation, including the Roman Catholic Church, which finally gave its blessing to the practice in 1963.

Cremations are the norm for Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists, but cremation is still forbidden by Orthodox Jews and Muslims, who revere the body as sacred even in death.

Here in the Tri-State, the traditional burial is by far the most popular way to go.

That's good news for Don Scherer, whose family has been selling monuments since 1932.

"We sell all different sizes," said Scherer. "If people do not have the money to buy a large stone, we sell them a smaller stone.  It's part of the business."

Scherer said most customers use life insurance money or pre-planning to cover the costs.

At Boone Funeral Home, Patrick Cron shows off the wide range of caskets available, some costing as much as $9,000.

Cremation products are much cheaper, but when choosing cremation, price is not always a factor.

Cron said, "There are some families that choose cremation merely for the cost, but that majority of families that we have seen choose it because it's the kind of funeral service they want."

After someone is cremated, relatives can keep a loved one's ashes at home on the mantel or in a planter, or even next to their hearts in a pendant.

"There are a number of merchandise items families are asking for,"said Cron.

Cremains are also sealed in mini-vaults and end up in mausoleums or memorial gardens like the one at Methodist Temple.

Besides the lower cost, people also choose cremation for environmental reasons.

Urns take a lot less space than cemetery plots.

On the Internet, there are dozens of cremation sites offering advice and providing cremation services, including a no-frills direct cremation for as low as $1,000.

There are urns of all types, sizes, and prices for sale on eBay for humans and their pets.

But the traditional funeral service with burial is not going away anytime soon.

"Most of our funerals, 99%, are burials," Cron said.

The business of dying is alive and well, but also changing with the times and the economy.

There are three crematoria and a pet crematory in Evansville and a crematory in Owensboro.

After a body is cremated, the cremains are then placed in a plastic bag to be given to the family.

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