Published: July 19, 2008 11:38 pm            

CREMATION: More families choosing burial alternatives

Faced with the rising cost of living, many are re-evaluating the cost of dying.

Tracing a national trend, local funeral directors say cremation is gaining popularity among those who pre-arrange their funeral rites and families of the deceased. The percentage of Pennsylvanians who are cremated is expected to rise by more than 6 percent by 2010, to 34 percent.

“There is no question. It all boils down to cost for some families,” said Bill Hindman, supervisor at Hindman Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc.’s Johnstown location along Frankstown Road.

Hindman said the cost of cremation is about $1,600, not including other arrangements. The cost of a traditional burial and services averages about $7,500.

“Many people are pleased to find that they can still have a traditional viewing and service,” Hindman added. His funeral home services include the only private crematory in Cambria County, he said.

“There are a lot of different options.”

While state figures show a rise in cremation, they don’t show a corresponding drop in the number of funerals.

In a study of state practices in 2005, only 7.2 percent of cremations were direct, or without other traditional funeral proceedings, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association.

About 75.9 percent of those who chose cremation also chose to have the remains buried.

The Cremation Association of North America says the number of cremations done in this country has increased every year since 1993, the first year such statistics were kept.

The percentage of U.S. deaths where the families chose cremation has risen every year since 1987, the CANA reports. In 2004, 31 percent of U.S. deaths involved cremation.

Association Executive Director John Eirkson said cost can weigh heavily in a family’s decision, even when it is not the determining factor.

“The reasons really vary,” he said.

“Some people are cost-conscious. That one step can eliminate a fairly good chunk of change.

“It also provides some flexibility. People can do almost anything they want with the remains.”

At the same time, when traditional services and other options are calculated, the cost of cremations and memorial services can outpace basic traditional burials.

Although cremation is sometimes seen as more “progressive,” Eirkson said, it started in the late 1800s.

Washington County, Pa., was home to the nation’s first crematory, but the idea didn’t take off until the 1960s.

In other countries, cremation is preferred. In Japan, for example, the cremation rate is 98 percent.

In rural areas, families are slower to adopt cremation, funeral home director William Price of Meyersdale said.

“We have definitely seen a lot more, but not the change seen in bigger cities and in Johnstown,” said Price, who runs Meyersdale’s William Rowe Price Funeral Home Inc.

“There is a stronger sense of tradition here.”

Expenses play an important role, he added.

“It certainly is a consideration,” Price said. “The important thing is to meet each family’s needs.”

Funeral home director Don Deaner said the increase in cremations has been gradual, even in Somerset County. He said people are concerned about taking up more cemetery space, don’t like the idea of being buried and need to save money.

“Maybe up to half of those who choose cremation chose it for cost reasons,” said Deaner, whose company, Deaner Funeral Home Inc., operates in three Somerset County communities – Berlin, Hooversville and Stoystown.

In most cases, families aren’t forgoing traditional services, viewings and funerals, he said, adding that those rituals are seen by most as key to the grieving process.

“What is important is to help the family members go on with their lives,” he said.



Ashes to ashes



Some 2005 statistics from the Cremation Association of North America, the most recent figures available.

• Pennsylvania ranks No. 4 nationally with 27.28 percent of deaths involving cremation. South Dakota had the fewest cremations in the same year, and Alabama had the smallest percentage.

• Pennsylvania’s percentage is expected to rise to about 34 percent by 2010.

• In a random survey in 2005, the No. 1 reason listed for choosing cremation was to save money, with 30 percent of respondents giving that answer. Another 13 percent said it was to save land.

• A similar survey conducted in 1984 listed preference of the deceased as the top reason and lower cost as No. 4.

        

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