My Brothers Estate

[MossRoad]

I know a sexton at one of our local cemeteries (actually, one current and one former sexton at the same cemetery) and he told me last year that they now bury more cremains than bodies.

I told my wife I want to be cremated, and have some of my ashes spread on our pet cemetery, some tossed in our creek, and some in a plot next to wherever she thinks she'll be buried.

Depends who goes first, I guess.

 

[JasperFrank]

My dad was not a traveler: But always wanted to be. So I spread his ashes on both sides of the continental divide at Glacier National Park.

 

[MossRoad]

My dad was not a traveler: But always wanted to be. So I spread his ashes on both sides of the continental divide at Glacier National Park.

That's great!

I told our wife about putting some of me in the creek on our property and she asked why? I said because it connects to the Kankakee River about a mile away, which feeds the Illinois River, which feeds the Mississippi River, which feeds the Gulf of Mexico, which eventually feeds the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current and I'll get to Europe.

She roller her eyes.

 

[California]

Dad chose for himself the third alternative: Having had both Tuberculosis and later, Polio, and then living a good life to age 88 (but weakened in his last years from lingering Polio muscle damage), he donated his body to U of California Med School for research. (Likely also surgery practice). They phoned me when he passed and asked if this was also the wishes of next of kin. We said yes, and was clearly told we would never get any remains returned to us for cremation, burial, whatever. Again, we said we agreed. And that was the end.

Everybody else on my side of the family has chosen cremation. Wife's parents and most of the relatives, burial.

 

[JasperFrank]

The body donation thingy, that pays for funeral costs, has gotten more restrictive. We know that med students need cadavers to learn on, but for natural old age death, there are no longer any takers: It has to be unusual. Everything involving my Uncle was taken care of, as per his wishes, for donation to science, cause his life and death was unusual. They paid for every thing, and offered the remains afterwards to bury or cremate: A usual, old age, dead body, has very little value to modern science.

 

[MossRoad]

The body donation thiny, that pays for funeral costs, has gotten more restrictive. We know that med students need cadavers to learn on, but for natural old age death, there are no longer any takers: It has to be unusual. Everything involving my Uncle was taken care of, as per his wishes, for donation to science, cause his life and death was unusual. They paid for every thing, and offered the remains afterwards to bury or cremate: A usual dead body has very little value to modern science.

There's an old joke about getting top dollar for a brain that's never been used.

 

[JasperFrank]

Then, they would get top dollar for mine. LOL

Eddiewalker, I think by now that the jury, has a great deal of respect of you, and how you have handled it. You are a good man, and a rare man, these days.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments and advice.

We sort of got lucky on the cremation. Since he was still alive, but in a comma, when my wife and mom talked to the funeral home, they charged $600 less. Same thing applies to us if we pay for it now, while we are alive. It was still $3,000 with all the fees that get added to it, but still cheaper then a casket and plot.

Both of my parents, my wife and myself, also plan on being cremated. We all want to have our ashes spread on the Farm.

 

[ArlyA]

This thread has been interesting. Sad but still informative.

 

[Hughman]

At the risk of running this off the rails, California just pass a law allowing human composting. I might get put into the wife's garden some day if I go that route. Of course if all her plants died she have me to blame.