Tagging onto the closed thread, I think I'd prefer to go this way:

http://www.earthporm.com/bye-bye-coffins-these-organic-burial-pods-turn-your-loved-ones-into-trees/

Here is a British company doing something similar:
https://urnabios.com/

I would much rather have my body fertilize a tree than rot in a box in the ground. That way I get another century of life, and beauty and cleanse the Earth while doing it.

This is a European company, so the trees are not native to N. America, but I'd probably like to become a sugar maple if I had the choice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2015 08:04AM by axeldc.

That's clever. And useful.
Given where I live, I could become an orange or avocado tree -- the gift that keeps on giving. My ancestors could eat my flesh for years to come (hehe)!

I've decided to skip the pickling-and-casket process altogether and go for direct cremation. After that, I would like to have my ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego, where I grew up.

My DH says that if he outlives me, he will personally take my ashes out there, charter a boat, and scatter the ashes himself, just off the coast from the Cabrillo Lighthouse, one of my favorite spots in the world.

I think that this is one of the sweetest things he could offer to do for me, especially considering that when I first told him that this was my intention, he had the traditional Mormon mindset about cremation, and was very upset. He has come a long way.

Many years ago, I read Jessica Mitford's book, "The American Way of Death," and decided on the spot that cremation was the only way to go. I had only been to one funeral at that time, but thought that to be shot full of preservatives, dressed up, made-up, and then ogled at by a procession at the funeral, in an open casket, was downright NASTY. Not for me.

And weird to say, "oh they look so natural" or beautiful or whatever.

I suspect Mormons don't like cremation because it makes Resurrection more complicated. It's tough to rise again from your grave to meet Jesus if there is no grave and your ashen residue is scattered to the four winds and seven seas.

Just like every other scenario Mormons envision after death, it all devolves into absurdity if you take just five minutes to actually think about it and envision in detail what you think you believe.

However, in the overall scheme of things, worrying about Resurrection is WAY down there on my "To-Do" list.

If it's true that God is omnipotent, then He will figure out how to reconstitute a cremated person. If He isn't, well, heck - I'll be well past worry by then.

Cremation just seems a lot tidier - and certainly less expensive - than going the traditional route. And it's more Earth-friendly. Why take up perfectly good, usable ground for a standard burial?

Cemeteries - especially OLD ones - can be fascinating, but personally, I don't care to be planted in one.

beyondashadow Wrote:
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> I suspect Mormons don't like cremation because it
> makes Resurrection more complicated.

My formerly jack mormon then excommunicated dad wanted to be cremated. When he died, his TBM brothers and sisters tried to have him buried instead, and have a full-on mormon funeral. I had to fight them like hell to have done what he wanted.

We did a little "family gathering" up in the woods outside of Parowan, his favorite hunting spot. The TBMs even tried to turn that into a mormon event. I finally threatened to walk away with his ashes and ditch all of them if they didn't stop, and they gave in a bit.

His very TBM sister got one last little mormon dig in, though. Because we were just scattering his ashes at his favorite hunting spot, I didn't pay for a fancy urn or container. The crematorium put the ashes in a plastic bag, and then put the bag in a cardboard box. The box said on the outside:

"Human Remains. Temporary Container."

Before we scattered the ashes, his TBM sister insisted on giving a 10-minute mormon sacrament meeting talk on the "deep truth" of that writing -- that his spirit was eternal, even though he was an apostate, and that human remains were nothing but a "temporary container." I let her roll, not pointing out that "temporary container" referred to the cardboard box, not the human remains :)

My exmo brother died just before last Christmas.

He had requested cremation (which he had prepaid) and no funeral. His kids respected his 'no funeral' request, but held a memorial gathering at one of their homes. TBM family was invited, and specifically and strongly instructed there would be no speeches or talks of any kind allowed.

The event went off as planned, with no TBMs misbehaving. It was an appropriate and beautiful memorial of a beloved brother, father, grandfather.

I think the TBMs had gotten a lot of that crap out of their systems during my TBM father's blowout Mormon funeral 6 months prior.

I still have some of my brother's ashes in a plastic bag inside a wooden box inside a shipping box labeled 'HUMAN REMAINS'. I think I'll spread them at the Oregon Coast where we used to explore when he visited from Utah.

beyondashadow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still have some of my brother's ashes in a
> plastic bag inside a wooden box inside a shipping
> box labeled 'HUMAN REMAINS'. I think I'll spread
> them at the Oregon Coast where we used to explore
> when he visited from Utah.

I'm sorry for your loss...but that would be really nice. For you, especially. :)

My ancestors helped settle Parowan, Panguitch and Tropic. If you know LeFevres they're my relatives.

brandywine Wrote:
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> My ancestors helped settle Parowan, Panguitch and
> Tropic. If you know LeFevres they're my relatives.

Oh, I know LeFevres intimately.
We're almost certainly related :)
How about that!

Do you know Parowan resident Austin?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2015 03:58PM by ificouldhietokolob.

No wonder I like you! :)

William LeFevre was my third great grandpa and I come through his first wife Hannah Holyoak.

brandywine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> William LeFevre was my third great grandpa and I
> come through his first wife Hannah Holyoak.

Mine as well, I come from wife #2, Francis Banks :)
Through Luke, their son.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2015 04:01PM by ificouldhietokolob.

I come through William Dame LeFevre. Nice to meet you cousin! :)

Back at ya, cousin! :)

As for me either a simple grave OR a pyramid to rival those of Egypt.

Howzabout getting yourself gilded, then affixed atop an expensive, ornate, completely useless building ... blowing your own horn until Jesus and the cows come home?

But Moroni ain't even real. Might as well be Micky Mouse. At least Grant is buried in Grant's Tomb.

Why do Mos venerate Moroni?

Direct cremation, no service, scatter the ashes wherever. The a few months later, havea big party with lots of great food and drink and laughter. This will freak out my catholic relatives who do the whole nine yards, full fig wake, pickling, mass, burial.

I love the burial pod idea! I want to do that or cremation. I don't want a bunch of people ogling my pickled corpse, saying how good I look.

My mother requested to be cremated, which we did, because "if there is a Resurrection I want to come out of a jug poof like a geni".

The trophy wife has been instructed

to take ziller's cremated ashes

and flush them down the toilet

thus completing the "circle of poo"

that connects all life.

Life was so simple before I got married. I was going to be cremated and my brother could either get a nice road trip or a nice boat ride out of disposing of my cremains. Hubby is against cremation and we inherited 2 grave plots. I checked with the cemetary and we are stuck with these grave plots as they were puchased them on a special deal (actually we could sell them back and get $1.00 $2.98 for them).

I am stuck with 4 gravesites = the cemetery doesn't want them back. There was no "deed" to the gravesites in my parents' papers and the cemetery says I can't sell them without the deed. Even if I could sell them, I would be lucky to get $2000 for them all although just one "new" gravesite one sells for $6K!

To get the deed, I have to prove ownership with wills and death certificates. I can't find the original wills nor the death certificate of my grandparents who bought them. I can't afford to pay the original attorney (a few hundred dollars) to get copies of the wills although I could pay $60.00 for copies of the death certificates.

I live a long way from the cemetery (1000 miles) and don't have children to ship me back there so what a waste of land.

Lesson: if you do prepay your funeral expenses, don't play prophet thinking you will have heirs to use the grave sites. All you are doing is making the cemetery/funeral parlor people wealthy for nothing.

Once I am cremated I am having my ashes compressed into a carbon crystal aka a diamond. Set in a ring and become a family heirloom.

Toss my corpse in the woods and let the animals eat me.