Bereaved families downsize funerals, opt for cremations amidst hard times

Costs, convenience, wishes of deceased affect funeral decisions

Man, 68, drowns at Caesar Creek Lake
5/26/12
Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
5/25/12
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Cornelius Frolik, Staff Writer Updated 10:10 AM Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Economic conditions appear to be extending to the grave as more families choose cremation over traditional funeral services, a decision that can save as much as $5,000 in costs.

The bereaved also are scaling back extras, such as extravagant flower arrangements, limousines and commemorative videos, according to funeral industry groups.

Stephen Gehlert, executive director of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association, faulted the economy.

“Consumers are downsizing their funerals,” he said.

Basic cremation services, which on average cost $1,650, compared to $6,560 for casket funerals, are on the rise in Ohio, according to national industry officials.

In 2009, 35,744 of the 107,268 people who died in Ohio were cremated, a 16 percent increase from 2007, according to the 2010 report of the Cremation Association of North America. By 2018, the association estimates that more than half of the deceased will be cremated.

Dave FitzSimmons, president and CEO of Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, said the increase in the number of cremations has as much to do with the convenience of the practice as the price. He said the cremation rate has risen steadily for years, starting long before the recent recession.