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A cemetery in the UK is dealing with the awkward question of what to do about a man who was buried in the wrong grave. 

The 26 year old was vacationing in Spain when he was stabbed to death. After being returned home to Britain, he was inadvertently laid to rest in a grave reserved for the widow of another man (the widow and her late husband had bought side-by-side plots so they could be buried next to each other).

The two families have been unable to reach consensus as to what to do. The murder victim’s family, who had to wait two years for the body to be returned to them due to the criminal investigation, wants the man to remain where he’s been buried. On the other hand, the widow, who had bought the plot with her husband so they could be buried together, wants the body exhumed so that on her death she can be buried where she, well, paid to be buried. 

At this point, as the families can’t agree it appears that the Church court for the Diocese of Lichfield in England will make the final decision in the new year. 

What a horrible situation – clearly neither family is at fault,  and, no matter the decision, someone is going to wind up devastated. 

On a more pleasant note, have a great weekend!

Megan F. Connolly

Megan F. Connolly - Click here for more information about Megan Connolly.

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Whether it's technology or tv trends, Japan seems to be light years ahead.  And we play catch-up (ok, not so with the stupid game shows).  Japan's median age is 43.5, Canada's is 39.1.  But since Japanese live longer (life expectancy of 82.12 versus Canada's [still respectable] 81.23), we're really only a few years behind.  So what can we learn from their population, which is a few years ahead of ours in dealing with an aging population?

The answer is: forget about cars, dvd players and even robots.  Funerals are very, very big business in Japan.  According to this Bloomberg article, the Japanese funeral industry is worth US$18 billion.   Last year, 1.14 million Japanese died, and funeral companies charge about $26,094.62 per funeral.  By 2040, 1.66 million will be dying every year.  Future growth is in death, and as Bloomberg notes, "everyone from railway companies to retailers wants a slice."   Funeral companies are stampeding towards Japan.

Unfortunately, things won't be so rosy in Canada.  This is because Japanese funerals are mostly Bhuddist funerals, which are elaborate multi-day events involving chanting monks, flowers, meals, cremation ceremonies, jade urns and the like.  They are elaborate, exhausting events.  Our funerals are fast-forwarded commercial breaks by comparison.  But it is still a glimpse into the future.

Have a great weekend,

Chris Graham

Christopher M.B. Graham - Click here for more information on Chris Graham.

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Ontario now has its first eco-friendly burial ground. Read Sarah Hyndman Fitzpatrick's previous blog on green burials for some more insight on this growing trend.

Cobourg Union Cemetery caters to the eco-conscious. They insure that nothing goes into the ground that is not harmless and biodegradable. The Cemetery permits no markers, headstones, concrete vaults and avoids digging by machinery. The costs for a green burial, in the range of $2,000 to $5,000 are significantly less that costs for a conventional burial.

A funeral business group in Columbia is meeting the needs of another community.
Prevision Exequial sells funeral insurance to Columbia immigrants who live in United States. There was a need in the community to provide affordable funerals for new immigrants from Columbia. For a low monthly cost of $4.12 a month that group guarantees covering the costs of transporting the body or remains to Columbia or the costs for a burial and funeral service in the United States. It also assists with the related paperwork associated to obtaining a death certificate that may be daunting to new immigrants.
 
The funeral industry has adapted to provide a more personal service and meet the changing needs of the population. And while planning your funeral might not be a fun thing to do, there are a lot of choices out there.

On a less morbid note, enjoy the long weekend!

Diane Vieira

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Earlier this month, Elsie Poncher posted on eBay her late husband's crypt for sale. The unique feature about the crypt is its location directly above the crypt of Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Village Memorial Park cemetery. Mrs. Poncher decided to sell the valuable crypt and move her husband's remains to another part of the cemetery in order pay the $1.6 million mortgage on her Beverly Hills home.
 
Last week, someone purchased the crypt with a winning bid of $4.6 million. That bid has since fallen through with the bidder unable to pay but there were a number of other multi-million dollar bids which may now become the winning bid.
 
In Ontario, the Cemeteries Act prohibits the private resale of burial plots or crypts. When someone purchases a burial plot, they receive interment rights in perpetuity, not property rights. The property rights belong to the cemetery and if required, transfer to a third party requires the consent of the cemetery and the cemetery maintains the right to buy back the interment rights.
 
However,  in the United States many states do not have similar legislation and some suggest that the reselling of burial plots have increased in recent economic times .
 
Thanks for Reading,

Diane Vieira

Diane Vieira - Click here for more information on Diane Vieira.

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As, no doubt, everyone is aware, Wednesday was National Dog Day in the United States.  In Atlanta, they celebrated the day with a special groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of the latest addition to the Deceased Pet Care family. 

For those who do not know, Deceased Pet Care operates funeral homes and crematories with the mission being to allow people to “celebrate, honour, remember, and cherish” their deceased pets. 

Operating out of Georgia, Deceased Pet Care offers pet funeral home ceremonies, cremations, and the opportunity for the pet to be buried in one of the pet cemeteries the company owns.  It also offers various funeral “accessories”, such as caskets and grave markers.  For those who want to avoid the stress of grieving a pet while trying to plan the funeral, the company offers “pre-need planning” for those who wish to plan in advance. 

The extent of the services the company offers is really quite impressive and its website is easily as sophisticated, if not more so, than many of the more traditional funeral homes (i.e. those who offer services for dead people).

Although it might seem like the emphasis on pets (either through commemorating them or for providing for them in the estate planning process) is relatively recent, Deceased Pet Care has obviously been well ahead of the curve – it is a family run business which has been operating for thirty five years. 

And this year, it surely should be proud – that funeral home they’ve just broken ground on in Atlanta will be the largest of its kind in the United States.

Have a great weekend!

Megan F. Connolly