Cremation: Trendy end-of-life decision

Alice and Lester Peedin made a lot of plans as husband and wife — some fun and joyful, others more logical. On the practical end, the couple purchased burial plots to prepare for the inevitable. But when Alice Peedin was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she changed her mind about burial plans.

Alice Peedin died in August 2009. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered near a creek in Gatlinburg, Tenn., a place that holds good memories for the Peedins. Lester Peedin plans to follow his wife’s lead.

“She decided to be cremated so that’s the way I’m going. I’ve already paid for mine,” he said. “It’s easier, cheaper and less trouble.”

The Peedins are following what seems to be a trend in the burial business, according to Scott Greene with Greene Funeral Service.

“We have showed an increase in cremation every year ever since we put in our crematory in 1999,” said Greene.

About 31 percent of the families that use Greene Funeral Service are now choosing cremation, compared to 5 percent when the service first started being offered at the business about a decade ago. The trend has been so prevalent that Greene is ordering a second machine to perform the practice.

A recent study by the Cremation Association of North America highlights the increase in national acceptance of cremation. Forty-six percent of Americans are now selecting the practice, compared to 31 percent 20 years ago.

People offer two explanations for choosing cremation, personal preference or financial strains, said Greene.

“The baby boomers choose cremation a lot. Now the generation before them is starting to accept the idea more and more,” he said.

As with any developing business, funeral homes are offering more choices for families who select cremation over traditional burial.

Ashes can be scattered, kept in urns by family members or interred in mausoleums and spaces called niches. People are also choosing less conventional practices such as keepsakes where ashes can be divided and given to multiple recipients.

A specialized service can even use ashes to create diamonds called life gems that can be incorporated into jewelry, said Greene.

Cremation can be a cost cutter if the service is simplified, but the price can easily jump up if the family chooses a traditional funeral with the cremation.

Planning how to bury a loved one can be a grim task that some people avoid until the end, but the Peedins didn’t want to put off decisions that needed to be made.

Before changing their minds and deciding on cremation, the couple purchased two plots in Gaston Memorial Park. What cost $500 more than 25 years ago is now going for $5,200 apiece, that’s about $400 under what was suggested to Peedin by cemetery staff, he said.

Peedin has been running classified ads to try to unload the property, but he said he’s having about as much luck as homeowners trying to sell houses in today’s economy.

Ads for burial plots can be found in newspapers and online.

Like Lester Peedin, Dorothy Fink is trying to sell her plots at Gaston Memorial Park. Fink and her husband purchased the four spaces more than a decade ago not realizing there were other available plots for them alongside family in Belmont.

Fink is now a widow. She hopes to sell the plots and some day be buried beside her husband in Greenwood Cemetery.

The thought of cremation is not something the elderly woman is willing to consider.

“I’m 82 years old. My family’s all been buried so I stick to that,” she said.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817.

By the numbers

46 percent of Americans plan to choose cremation compared to 45 percent in 1999, 39 percent in 1995 and 31 percent in 1990.

Two groups that were less inclined to choose cremation: African-Americans, 21 percent, and members of the Baptist religion, 29 percent.

Caucasians have the most exposure to the process of cremation, 28 percent.

30 percent of those who choose cremation do so to save money.

14 percent of those who choose cremation do so because it’s simpler and less emotional.

13 percent of those who choose cremation do so to save land.

The national cremation rate is predicted to reach 43 percent by 2025. That equals 1.4 million people.

Source: Cremation Association of North America