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Otherworldly ways to mark a passing
Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cremation ashes shot into space.
Caskets 100 percent laminated like Port Authority buses with favorite artistic designs.
Poetry readings provided by a deceased family member near his grave.
All of these are signs of a new way of handling death services and merchandise in the next millennium, and they are already here -- maybe not in use much in Pittsburgh yet, but somewhere.
The burgeoning options might seem absurd or sacrilegious to some for such a serious topic as death, and yet, entrepreneurs sense that people are increasingly interested in more creative ways of leaving the world -- or keeping a place in it. Internet sites abound with opportunities for long-lasting obituaries that can be read world-wide, instead of a fleeting day or two in the local newspaper.
"The industry has realized that the more options you give people, the more chance you find something that people will respond to," said Ron Hast, a Los Angeles funeral director and publisher of industry journals. "We're finding more and more that [a traditional chapel] is not necessarily the ideal environment for the type of celebration or activity that people, especially the baby boomers, are wanting."
It's no secret that California usually leads the country in far-out trends. And with its high cremation rate, it's the natural location for a company, Celebrate Life, that can make cremains -- the 5 or so pounds of ashes left after cremation -- part of a fireworks display to commemorate one's passing.
Celebrate Life has done 10 of the shows so far, each lasting a few minutes and accompanied by a musical theme of the client's choice. It can be done over land or water, with a price of $3,250 and up.
"It's an event," said company managing director Dick Hassenger. "What often happens with cremain scattering is it's very impersonal, with no involvement on the part of the family. Our celebration is to serve as a closure of that part of the process. ... It's a very emotional experience."
Another company charges even more to put a portion of your ashes on a small rocket that will orbit the Earth and eventually burn some more upon return to the atmosphere. "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry was among the first 24 customers in an initial launch by the Houston-based firm Celestis two years ago.
A Dallas firm, White Light, has attracted attention at industry conventions this year with its line of 16 caskets covered with artistic murals, everything from religious images to one of a scenic golf hole and a brown package-like wrapping design stamped with the words: "Return to Sender."
The market for some of these newfangled rituals may still be limited by cost, or in Pittsburghers' case, by tradition. But there have been local families trying new concepts such as putting cremains in specially made jewelry, blown-glass sculptures, backyard water fountains and wind chimes.
Linda Christenson, executive vice president of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association, said cemeteries are just beginning in some places to add kiosks resembling ATM machines at their entrances. By typing in the name of the deceased, a visitor can call up a memorial tribute that might include the dead person's photo, a taped voice message, a poem or even a video, along with directions on reaching the grave site.
"It's the cutting edge of memorialization," Christenson said. "Twenty years from now your future heirs can go to the kiosk and see what you've left them."
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