Very sad, really. My sister was widowed last month. She had to dip into her retirement funds to give my brother-in-law a proper burial even after the rest of the family chipped in to help her as we could.
She got a cut-rate funeral service (Their slogan: "Haven't You Lost Enough Already?") and owned plots. The tab still came to $3500 or roughly half the cost of an average funeral without owned plots.
We lived in Japan for 14 years and I personally have no qualms about cremation. The Japanese actually have a commendable reverence for their dead-- showing up to clean and spruce up the family plot including rewriting the name stakes which have faded. They do this every year in a plot slightly larger than a telephone both and a marker about the size of typical suburban bird bath. Some of them even split the ashes between two plots-- one in their ancestral hometown and another near where they work and live.
Meanwhile, I've visited my Dad's grave about once in the last five years because the location is so remote even if the setting is beautiful and spacious. We send money to a family friend to decorate and take pictures.
The problem is that my wife, mother and many other Americans have a cultural taboo about cremation and, of course, the funeral industry promotes this as a way to jack up their profits. I can see common sense regulations such as prohibiting burials on a hillside subject to erosion and landslides or places likely to pollute the water supply. But the results for minimum gave sites sizes, vaults, etc. go way beyond the pale.
“wife, mother and many other Americans have a cultural taboo”
It’s contrary to Christian teachings. I would sooner violate the law of the state regarding cemetary burial than violate the law of God against cremation.
But the resultslaws in place for minimum gave sites sizes, vaults, etc. go way beyond the pale.
a little cheaper...but cremation usually still requires you buy a coffin. go figure.
I can see common sense regulations such as prohibiting burials on a hillside subject to erosion and landslides or places likely to pollute the water supply.
I agree first when my mother passed away the funeral wanted $5.000.00 up front then they try to sell us more stuff which we said no. Her total cost was like $10,000.00. Then when my father died they wanted again $5,000.00 up front then another $5,000.00. Thank God he had a life insurance policy he got from his work because we used it all for his burial.
This is insane that these funeral places are jacking up prices on all of us making it difficult to bury our love ones. I don’t see the Democrap shouting out that poor people are being enfranchised.
Bill Cosby had his son buried on his estate and Andy Griffith is buried on his estate. I thought it was against the law to bury on a private property.
When my dad died my mom couldn’t afford to pay for a funeral so my brother and I did. Cut rate and in an out of town cemetery.....$5k. My mom died 4 yrs ago and we pd to bury her. Same everything as my dad $5300.
People on limited incomes do NOT have that kind of money!