Definitely cremate, I can't imagine being buried. I have told my husband all the places I want my ashes scattered. He should have a fabulous trip!

I preplanned my funeral arrangements several years ago. I will be cremated and ashes will be spread over an old, old cemetery where I sometimes 'played' as a child. It's on the side of a hill that overlooks the place where I grew up.

Shirley

Just the thought of being in a box underground, horrifies me. Cremation is in my instructions. As for my ashes, I used to want them thrown all over Burt Reynolds, but he turned out to be such a jerk, so my new resting place is George Clooney. LOL Your right, SamKaren, it seems people don't visit graves like they used to. It has been years since I've visited my Moms grave. I haven't been able to get to that city, and my Son is buried in CA, and I'm in Mn, so I don't forsee a trip out there in my lifetime.

I hate the idea of being in a box, in the cold, in the rain, though of course I wouldn't feel it. So I've told my family cremation and scatter my ashes in a flower garden, even my own backyard.

I told my family that I prefer cremation, but that they should do whatever they like.

I want to be cremated and scattered at Dominion Peak in the Lolo National Forest in Montana. And no...there will be no viewing and there will be no service.

I plan to be buried..next to my husband. My name and DOB are already on the marker. I don't care if anyone "visits" the site or not (only my body will be there). I don't visit or put flowers on graves! The time for visiting and flowers, is before a person dies! Only request I've made is that if I haven't seen or talked to a person in the last 6mos, my children have been instructed to keep them away from my funeral..by whatever means necessary
My sister-in-law was creamated..then buried!

Cremate, no sense in paying all that money. DH wants the same.

I really don't care, I want the cheapest way out of this world so cremation is fine with me but I know hubby will want a funeral first. It's all about the living so he should do what he feels he needs to do.

We prepaid years ago, but thanks for the reminder. I need to check on it and change the cremation to Ocala from Largo.

I don't want to have 6 feet of dirt thrown in my face so cremation it is.

Linda

Cremation. Scatter me somewhere like Yellowstone or over in Germany along the Mosel river, not in the water, though!

My wish is to be cremated and have DS scatter my ashes around my favorite camping spot near Mammoth Mtn., CA. I want a big celebration of my life at my church. I have picked out songs I would like to have sung and I will prepay my cremation.

I want to be buried. I 'like' visiting my great-grandmother and family at the cemetery. I never met her, but have heard wonderful stories. It gives me a sense of connection when I go around and read the headstones. I only go every few years. Time prevents me from going more often.

Cremation for me. Hubby wants to be buried in the Veterans cemetery. I told him to scatter my ashes at places I like to visit... don't want to be sitting on somebodies mantle. :)

Cremated. DH wants the same but he wants the whole military ceremony at Punchbowl.

Cremation for me and burial for DH. I want my ashes scattered and do not want to be buried or have stone. My family knows this but not sure they are willing to do it. Hope so.

Cremated. We both chose that, and ashes will be buried at the State Military Cemetary. I would not want anyone to plop my remains on some mantle. I don't think they would want to anyway!

I'm sort of a traditionalist and lean toward burial, but nothing fancy, mind you. I can't stand the thought of using a lot of money just to put my used body in the ground. However, if someone cremates me, I will not object - How could I? I be dead at that jucnture. If I am creameted, I do not want my ashes to sit in a jug on a mantle. I request to scatter my ashes where the wild flowers grow, or maybe under a sycamore tree.

I also have a pre-paid funeral. I will be cremated and buried with my husband, who died in 2007 - he had a traditional burial, and my cremated body will be in with his - we purchased a double-stacked burial plot.

Cremate

Plans were made and paid for long ago, including the marker; just needs the date of my death added. My DH passed on 27 years ago and I go to the cemetery and change flowers according to the season.

For myself, I don't like the idea of being cremated, although I see it as a very reasonable option for others.

I know someone who has made what I think is an excellent decision for her. Her DH died a few years ago, He was cremated and she had a beautiful wooden box made to hold the urn with his ashes, and hers when the time comes. When she passes on she will be cremated and her ashes put in an urn in the box. Then their (adult) children will decide what to do with them.

Sue

I'm doing the same thing my late mother did: My body will go to a medical school.

I'm too old for any of my 'parts' to be donated, but my body can still be useful.

It's very *simple* to arrange this. When called by the family, a service comes to the home or hospital to transport the body to a medical school.

My family can arrange a memorial honoring my life if they wish. Their memories of me will be my 'remains'.

Doesn't make much difference to me, as long as my survivors don't waste too much money on it.

We do still have at least 5 spots in our family plot in the cemetary, so burial is an option. However, it's a couple of thousand $$$ cheaper to cremate then bury the ashes (and they don't take up a plot--you can bury the ashes in--well, on top of-- one of the 'filled' graves). So I've suggested that DH and I get cremated, and our ashes eventually buried together in the grave where my mom and dad are. That way we won't be taking up any extra plots, since there aren't that many left. But I really don't care one way or another.

One thing I would NEVER EVER do to my loved ones is ask them to scatter my ashes. That's horrible--I don't want to ever put anyone through that--seeing bits of my bone, etc, mixed in with the ashes. It's just gross to me, to even consider. Yuck.

We've told our kids that we want to be cremated and then they should spend the money they saved on something special - a piece of art, jewelry, a watch or a vacation.

We've told them to scatter our ashes. I don't want them to have to deal with keeping an urn somewhere. We have a lovely meadow with a huge old maple tree in the center at our other home and we told them to spread them there. And they can add the cremains of our 4 dogs that are currently sitting on the top shelf of the closet.

Cremation. I wish the place would go ahead and dispose of the ashes so it would be over, no more decisions or now what do we do with them.

Kim: I left written instructions for the funeral home to dispose of my ashes (and where) if my family doesn't want to do it. (They'll probably disregard and flush them, LOL, but I won't be here to care.)

Shirley

Cremation for me as well. I can't fathom being in a box below ground. Yuck! My sister wants me back in Canada at the family plot and I told her "No way". If I end up back in Canada pour my ashes out in the woods someplace with the knomes and the flower fairys. If I stay here in California, open the box and just blow. The winds will take me where I need to go.

Cremation for me and DH, but we'd like to have the cremains buried in our state's Veterans' Cemetery. It's near the mountains and we've felt at peace whenever we've been there.

My parents had differing opinions. My mother wanted to be buried; my father wanted to be cremated. So, they compromised. They decided that whomever died first would get their wish, and the other would do the same when their time came.

My mother died first, so my father purchased two burial plots, side by side, and my mother was buried in the shade of a beautiful, huge, oak tree. One month and three days later my father died. When my sister and I went to the cemetery to make the arrangements for Daddy's burial, we found out that the roots of that lovely old oak tree had grown in such a way that the second plot could not be used. So, the cemetery dug up my mother's coffin, dug the grave deeper, and placed my mother's coffin back in the grave. Then, my father's coffin was buried above my mother's.

Hubs and I both want to be cremated. Whichever one of us dies first will scatter the other's ashes. We haven't yet determined how the one to die second will get their ashes scattered!

For a long time I've planned on cremation. I agree with Rodney Dangerfield's line in Caddyshack: "Golf courses and cemetaries. The two biggest wastes of prime real estate."

However I would consider being buried in the middle of the fairway of a big golf course. Put up a marker saying "forget the sand trap, here lies the death trap." Then I can be around to laugh in death at the idiots who think hitting a ball and chasing it is "fun".

Maybe this should go in the "why" threads, but I have trouble understanding why people hang on to ashes of dead people and animals. Never made much sense to me. And good gawd, putting one of those silver "urinals" (as Archie Bunker called them) on the mantle... that's sick. I keep thinking about the old movie jokes about people who knock over the ashes and/or vacuum them up and wind up sitting around smoking away to try to replace the ashes...

If I had my 'druthers, I would be burried out in a field or forest somewhere. Just a plain wooden box (or better yet, just a cotton shroud) and no preservatives please. That way I can nourish the earth that nourished me while I was alive.

That is illegal, however. At least around here.

Dances.

Creamated,both of us.I thought dh would want a military funeral and burial,but he says NO.Almost all of his friends have already gone on,and our families are back on the east coast,and like Jannie,sprinkle our ashes over our gardens.
Kathi

I sure hope none of MY neighbors' remains are being scattered into the air around here! ICK!

Dances -- I have read of cemetaries where you can be put directly into the earth in a shroud. Problem may be getting around laws that require embalming before a body can be transported.

Cremation for me..,.the cost is not all that less expensive than a funeral in these parts anyway..

june

Cremation and then my ashes buried next to my parents' stone in the cemetery in my home town.

But can you have a stone if your ashes are buried, I wonder?

I should work on those arrangements...DH would probably bury me in the garden and forget to tell anybody. :)

June--you may want to price around. 3 years ago, we buried my mother in our family plot in the cemetary (regular burial--casket, vault, etc). The cost was close to $8000. This January, we had my aunt cremated, AND had her ashes buried in the same cemetary. The cost was just over $5000. It would have been considerably less had we not opted to bury her ashes. I'd be asking around for prices, there should be a significant difference between cremation and standard burial.

we did both for mother..and for her family...half of her remains are at hometown...have a headstone..the rest in the desert of vegas with my dad...

Cremation for DH and me. My mother died last March at 91 years old and had already made plans to be cremated. It was certainly a lot easier. My MIL died in 2004 and was buried next to her BF's first wife. Supposedly he will be buried there when he dies. We thought that was totally weird!

forgot to post my plans....dh and i want to be "buried" next to our furbabies...that way we will still be together.