Another question - unpleasant topic.. Cremation..

[Desnik]

I think it is so smart of you to be thinking of this ahead of time. It will help your family later on. I myself want to be cremated. DH and I are getting our "stuff" together and making out a will and such. You just never know what could happen and when.

When my grandmother died, this past X-mas day, my grandfather had nothing! He never pre planned or saved any money for her, or himself for that matter. My father had to pay for EVERYTHING!! The family insisted on "showing" her for 3 days, the best casket, and so on. My father has a brother and he also had nothing to contribute. It ended up costing my dad $25,000!!

I told my family, put me in a box, cremate me and throw my ashes somewhere nice! I don't care, it's just my body, my soul will be in a much happier place! I hope LOL!!

 

[Melora]

As some of you know, my mom died at the beginning of the month. She wanted to be cremated for as long as I can remember but the last months she said she thought maybe she didn't want to be.

My dad was cremated and we didnt have a viewing and were allowed to purchase a heavy cardboard box ($30 12 years ago) to have him cremated in.

When my mom passed, Jeff and I realized that in order to fulfull her most basic wish (to be put with my dad and her 2 dogs) that we had to cremate her. I swear I worred that she was looking down on me and being angry that I went ahead and did that. She was adament though that she did not want to be put in the ground. Buying wall space for a coffin is SO expensive. We purchased a small eye level wall space (lower space is cheaper..go figure) to fit the 2 boxes of ashes (including the 2 little dogs) and it cost $8000. Can you imagine how much a wall space for a coffin would cost. The man helping us at the funeral home explained that buying space for your loved one is like purchasing real estate. The bigger the space, the more expensive it is.

I believe the cremation cost about $1500 and I was given the option to watch... ON NO THANK YOU! The man said I wouldn't be in the room, but behind a viewing wall.... No way! I could NEVER do that, but maybe some people would.

 

[C.Ann]

WATCH ???????????? I'm with you on that one - NO THANK YOU!

 

[Rajah]

BTW -- my dad's ashes were returned to us in a heavy-duty plastic box with a heavy-duty plastic bag inside. That was the standard for that funeral home, so ask around.