1. Embalming is required by law. Embalming is NEVER required for the first 24 hours. In many states, it's not required at all under any circumstances. Refrigeration is almost always an alternative to embalming if there will be a delay before final disposition.
2. Embalming protects the public health. There is NO public health purpose served by embalming. In fact, the embalming process may create a health hazard by exposing embalmers to disease and toxic chemicals. In many cases, disease can still be found in an embalmed body. A dead body is less of a threat to public health than a live one that is still coughing and breathing.
3. An embalmed body will last like the "beautiful memory picture" forever. Mortuary-type embalming is meant to hold the body only for a week or so. Ultimately, the body will decompose, even if it has been embalmed. Temperature and climate are more influential factors affecting the rate of decomposition.
   
4. Viewing is necessary for "closure" after a death. When the death has been anticipated, family members have already started their "good-byes." There is relatively little need to see the body to accept the reality of death. In fact, according to a 1990 Wirthlin study commissioned by the funeral industry, 32% of those interviewed found the viewing experience an unpleasant one for various reasons.
5. "Protective" caskets help to preserve the body. While gasketed caskets may keep out air, water, and other outside elements for a while, the body will decompose regardless. In fact, a gasketed or "sealer" casket interferes with the natural dehydration that would otherwise occur. Fluids are released from the body as it begins to decompose, and the casket is likely to rust out from the inside.
6. "Protective" or sealed vaults help to preserve the body. Nothing the traditional funeral industry sells will preserve the body forever. If there is a flood, however, such vaults have popped out of the ground and floated away. (Mass graves after the plague in England were ultimately found to be without health problems, according to the 1995 British health journal Communicable Disease Report. Burial in containers, however, often kept the disease "encapsulated.")
7. Coffin vaults are required by law. NO state has a law requiring burial vaults. Most cemeteries, however, do have such regulations because the vault keeps the grave from sinking in after decomposition of the body and casket, reducing maintenance for the cemetery workers. Grave liners are usually less expensive than vaults. New York state forbids cemeteries from requiring vaults or liners, in deference to religious traditions that require burial directly in the earth. Those who have started "green" burial grounds do not permit vaults or metal caskets.
8. Vaults are required for the interment of cremated remains. Alas, with the increasing cremation rate, many cemeteries are making this claim, no doubt to generate more income. There is no similar safety reason as claimed for using a casket vault. Any cemetery trying to force such a purchase should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission for unfair marketing practices: 877-FTC-HELP.
9. What is left after the cremation process are ashes. When people think of "ashes" they envision what you'd find in the fireplace or what's left over after a campfire. However, what remains after the cremation process are bone fragments, like broken seashells. These are pulverized to a small dimension, not unlike aquarium gravel.
10. Cremated remains must be placed in an urn and interred in a cemetery lot or niche. There is no reason you can't keep the cremated remains in the cardboard or plastic box that comes from the crematory. In ALL states it is legal to scatter or bury cremated remains on private property (with the land-owner's permission). Cremation is considered "final disposition" because there is no longer any health hazard. There are no "cremains police" checking on what you do with cremated remains.
11. It is a good idea to prepay for a funeral, to lock in prices. Funeral directors selling preneed funerals expect the interest on your money to pay for any increase in prices. They wouldn't let you prepay unless there was some benefit for the funeral home, such as capturing more market share or being allowed to pocket some of your money now. Prepaid funeral money is NOT well-protected against embezzlement in most states. Furthermore, if you were to move, die while traveling, or simply change your mind—from body burial to cremation, perhaps—you may not get all your money back or transferred to a new funeral home. The interest on your money, in a pay-on-death account at your own bank, should keep up with inflation and will let you stay in control. Please note: We're seeing more low-cost, low-overhead funeral operations opening up, so prices may go down in the future in areas with open price competition.
12. With a preneed contract, I took care of everything. There are over 20 items found on many final funeral bills that cannot be included in a preneed contract because these items are purchased from third parties and cannot be calculated prior to death. Extra charges after an autopsy, clergy honoraria, obituary notices, flowers, the crematory fee or grave opening are typical examples. All such items will be paid for by the decedent's estate or family, in addition to what has already been paid for in the preneed contract.
13. Insurance is a good way to pay for a funeral. Interest accrued by an insurance policy may be outpaced by funeral inflation and is generally less than what is earned by money in a trust. When a funeral is paid for with funeral insurance, either the funeral director will absorb the loss (and many reluctantly do)—OR figure out a way for your survivors to pay a little more: "The casket your mother picked out is no longer available. You'll have to pick out a new one, and the price has gone up." If what you have is life insurance, not funeral insurance, it may be considered an asset when applying for Medicaid. In that case, you'll have to cash it in, getting pennies on the dollar. The same may be true if you're making time payments on your funeral insurance, and, in hard times, you decide to stop making payments. In fact, the company may be able to keep everything you paid, as "liquidated damages."
14. If you have a Living Will you won't linger on with a lot of feeding tubes and extraordinary measures. One of the findings from a major study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was that hospitals often fail to comply with Living Wills. The Living Will is more likely to be honored when there is an aggressive family member to intercede, especially if that person also has a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
    

Why do Americans tend to spend so much on a casket? Well, you might want a grand display for a day or so. Some are even "more comfortable"—with an innerspring mattress and adjustable head-rest. More likely, however, low-cost caskets simply aren't on display. As one reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times found out when the funeral shopper she accompanied asked if there wasn't something less expensive than the $2,000+ casket on display: "They led us to a hall on the way to the boiler room." Another woman was taken to a basement full of cobwebs. And another was subjected to the icy sneer: "Oh . . . you want the welfare casket?" 

Misleading product claims can prod you to spend more, too. So-called "protective" caskets (caskets with a rubber gasket) are supposed to seal, thereby "protecting" the body from "outside elements." This costs. The rubber gasket used to construct a "sealer" casket costs the industry $8. But that $8 gasket is likely to raise the cost of the casket by $800 or more! And what happens to a body in a "sealed" casket? Instead of the natural dehydration that occurs in most climates, anaerobic bacteria take over and the body putrifies—as any grave-digger can attest after an exhumation. (You might want to read "Bones, Bugs, & Batesville" and one woman's fight against consumer fraud.)

Industry-friendly laws and regulations can also force consumers to shell out more than they might want to on a casket. While consumers are free to purchase a casket anywhere they like, some states are still trying to keep out competition by outlawing retail casket sales.

For many years, the industry practice was to wrap the cost of the funeral service into the sale price of caskets—with a mark-up of 300-500-700% or more. Caskets are often still substantially marked up but funeral services are now billed separately. Important! - If your goal is to save money on a funeral, it's not enough to just find a cheaper casket. You also have to shop around among funeral homes to find reasonable service fees. Many funeral homes have lowered their casket prices to compete with casket retailers, but they've simply raised the prices on their services to compensate in an attempt to make sure you spend just as much. So, don't stop at finding a good price on a casket, shop around and compare funeral home service prices too.

What are the alternatives to an expensive casket?

Be prepared for some resentment from the mortician at losing a big slice of the funeral profit if you obtain a casket elsewhere—your right to do so is protected by federal law. There may be snide remarks about the "poor quality" of what you've purchased. If the bottom doesn't fall out, the "quality" of what you are about to bury in the ground or deliver to a crematory may be irrelevant. On the other hand, some of the hand-made or small-production caskets available may be far superior in quality to something from an automated souped-up assembly line. Note: The funeral home may NOT add a "handling fee" if you purchase a casket on your own.

A few states—Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Virginia—with strong funeral industry lobbies, do not permit anyone other than a mortician to sell a casket or coffin. A few brave souls are trying to buck the funeral boards in those states. Look for folks selling or building "hope chests" as there is no law in any state to keep you from using one to move a body.

Funeral Consumers Alliance recommends that you NOT prepay for a casket unless you are taking it home to store (a blanket chest or coffee table perhaps?).  

NOTE: FCA does not recommend specific vendors. This listing is offered as a public service to facilitate consumer shopping. No vendor has paid to be listed.

Please let us know if you discover any that are out of business, broken links, etc. by sending an email to fca@funerals.org Thank you! Also, feel free to suggest additions!
 

• Make your own
• Consider a cardboard casket
• Buy locally from artisans
• Buy online from discount retailers
• Pet caskets and urns

Make your own

Last Things: Alternatives at the End of Life
Easy-to-follow instructions for a simple coffin

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
An excellent range of casket-building resources—plans, hinges, clasps, etc.

Make Your Own Coffin

or just assemble one

Kent Casket Industries
888-534-7239
website

Natural Green Caskets
855-740-8423
website

George Kinakin & Associates
Site 23 Comp. 24 RR#2
Nelson, BC V1L 5P5, Canada
250-354-4106
email
*Discount for FCA members.

Summit Ridge Wood Design
P.O. Box 308
Dolores, C0 81323
970-882-7894
email
website

Nature's Casket
PO Box 3
Longmont, CO 80502
720-373-7613
email
website

The Old Pine Box
PO Box 1713
Edgewood, NM 87015
505-286-9410
website

Lower Cost Caskets
Oregon
855-740-8423
website

Ark Wood Caskets
Ashland, OR 97520
888-482-7135
website

Consider a cardboard casket

A simple cardboard casket offers the opportunity for personalization since you can draw or paint on them. Some are printed to look like wood and other designs.

Eternity International Inc.
2650 California Street, Suite 21
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-559-7755
website

Village Memorial
Sells paper caskets on Amazon
website

BUY SHROUDS LOCALLY

Jerusalem Shrouds Inc.
20 Robert Pitt Drive, Ste. A
Monsey, NY 10952
845-425-5512
website
email

BUY CASKETS, HEADSTONES AND URNS LOCALLY

We know there are many other carpenters and woodworkers who build coffins. Let us know fca@funerals.org and we will add them.

AR

The Ozark Casket Co./ Hansencraft Custom Woodworking
Steve Hansen
9405 Greenberry Dr.
Bentonville, AR 72712
479-273-2194

Friar's Funeral Casket
Harrison, AR
(870) 688-2922
email
website

AZ

Frugal Casket
702 W. Melinda Ln. Ste. D9
Phoenix, AZ 85027
623-780-0280
email
website

Joyce and Doug Beck
Phoenix, AZ
website

CA

Al Carpenter
2530 Santa Clara Ave.
Almeda, CA 9450l
5l0-865-3435

Final Footprint
P.O. Box 2726
El Granada, CA 94018
650-892-2515
website

Concentric Rings
P.O. Box 461858
Esondido, CA 92046
website

Plain Pine Boxes
Kathleen Broderson
Box 1307
Forestville, CA 95436
707-874-3993

ABC Caskets (A Better Casket) Factory
1705 N. Indiana St.
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323-268-1783
website

CO

Zwisler Bros. Handrafted Wood Products
P.O. Box 200
Bayfield, CO 81122
800-621-4992
website

Colorado Casket Company
4510 Edison Ave. Suite AAA-01
Colorado Springs, CO
719-597-6327
888-522-6428
email
website

Pine Box Handcrafted Coffins
Don Abrahamsen
2403 N. Logan Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
719-329-1139

Summit Ridge Wood Design
P.O. Box 308,
Dolores, CO 81323
970-882-7894
email
website

Nature's Casket
PO Box 3
Longmont, CO 80502
720-373-7613
email
website

David Nighteagle
P.O. Box 1110
Mancos, CO 81328
970-533-1139 or 533-0259
email

Ecoffins USA
P.O. Box 2345
Telluride, CO 81435
970-708-7450
website

FL

Cremation Urns by Legacy Inc.
4285 Express Lane, #H7978
Sarasota, FL 34238
877-480-4111
email
website

GA

Single-Handedly Woodworks
Mike Moore
l593 Stagecoach Rd.
Thomson, GA 30824
706-595-3289

IA

Trappist Caskets
At New Melleray Abbey
6632 Melleray Circle
Peosta, IA 62068
888-433-6934
website

Grinnell Coffin Works
Byron Worley
502 4th Ave.
Grinnell, IA 50112
515-236-4662

Schieuer Woodworks
211 Main St.
Pierson, IA 51048
712-375-5316
website

ID

Bannock Pride Caskets
Marcia Racehorse-Robles and David Robles
Pocatello, ID
208-241-3360 or 208-241-2630
www.nativeamericanburial.com
*Marcia and Dave also act as advocates for those wishing to care for their own dead

IN

Michael Cullers
1010 Nota Dr
Bloomington IN 47401
812-339-9765

Green Legacy Caskets
503 North Greene Road
Goshen, IN 46526
574-534-5216
website

Starmark Funeral Products
4251 W. Industries Road
Richmond, IN 47374
888-366-7335
website

Green Legacy Caskets, LLC
Jan Oostland
503 N. Greene Rd.
Goshen, IN 46526
574-534-5216
email
website

Grabill Casket Company
12426 Page Road
Grabill, IN 46741
888-627-72916
website

Abbey Caskets
St. Meinrad Archabbey
St. Meinrad, IN
800-987-7380
website

KY

Bert & Bud's Vintage Coffins
P.O. Box 995
Murray, KY 42071
502-753-9279
website

ME

Chuck Lakin
8 Barnet Ave.
Waterville, ME 04901
207-873-7854
www.lastthings.net/coffins.html

Locust Grove Woodworks
256 Ward Hill Road
Thorndike, ME 04986
207-948-9663

The Maine Pine Box
David and Carolyn Jenson
6 Dodge Corner Road
Strong, ME 04983
207-684-3400
website

MA

Finnish Woodworks
220 Crockers Neck Road
Cotuit, MA 02635
508-420-0898
email
website

Florence Casket Company
16 Bardwell St.
PO Box 60098
Florence, MA 01062
413-584-4244
website

Griffith Wordworks
Davis Griffith
23 Norman St
Marblehead, MA 01945
781-631-8927
website

Plain Pine
Peter Murkett
Harmon Rd.
Monterey, MA 01245
413-528-9937
website

MI

Joseph Byler, Jr
1298 W Kittle Rd
Mio, MI 48647
989-826-5476

Stuart and Presley
211285 Mackinac Trail
Rudyard, MI 49780
906-478-2015
website

Out of the Woodworks
Craig Convissor
124 W. Broadway
Scottville, MI 49454
231-757-4186
email
website

MN

A Simple Pine Box
49615 Leaf River Rd.
Ottertail, MN 56571
218-583-2463
website

Rev Bob Kelly, Jr
Route #l Box 140
Pinewood, MN 56664
218-243-2814

No Name Lumber
391 Topping St
St. Paul, MN 55117
651-488-0474
website

The Soul Remains
Michelle Kaisersatt
Saint Peter, MN
507-351-6945
website
email

MT

Montana Furniture Industries
96 North Star Lane
Bozeman, MT 59718
406-586-0667
website

Cowboy Coffin and Pinebox Co.
Rand Herzberg
HC 49 Box 3955
Red Lodge, MT 59068
406-446-2121
email
website

NH

Frugal Yankee Coffin Company
P.O. Box 273
Sunapee, NH 03782
603-763-4521

Michael Whitman
PO Box 222
Lyme, NH 03768
(800) 447-3803
email
website

Down to Earth Coffin Company
338 Tyler Rd.
Webster, NH 03303
888-746-6158
website

Pine Box Company of New Hampshire
877-263-2703
website

NJ

Corbin City Woodworks
115 Rt 50
Corbin City, NJ 08270
609-628-2836
website

NM

Passages International
6819 Cochiti Road SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505-830-2500
website

The Old Pine Box
PO Box 1713
Edgewood, NM 87015
505-286-9410
website

Spirit Vessels
P.O. Box 1683
Socorro, NM 87801
website
email

NY

Norwal Unltd.
Box 547
Alfred Station, NY 14803
607-587-9566

Big Country Caskets
Homer, NY 13077
607-749-6362

Jerusalem Shrouds Inc.
20 Robert Pitt Drive, Ste. A
Monsey, NY 10952
845-425-5512
email
website

Berkshire Wood
760 Route 20
P.O. Box 223
New Lebanon, NY 12125
518-794-8598
website

Kent Casket Industries Inc
545 Eighth Avenue, Suite 401
New York, NY 10018
888-534-7239
website

NC

Shine On Brightly
Asheville, NC
866-844-4463
website
email

Cluxton Caskets
Asheville, NC
828-242-1024
website
email

The Green Casket Company, LLC
Asheville, NC
828-301-3916
website

Bury Me Naturally
10 Indiana Ave.
Asheville, NC 28806
828-776-7464
www.ncnaturalburial.com

GLC Woodcrafts
39 Brookside Circle
Candler, NC 28715
828-667-0844
website

Randy Earl Medlin
11580 Partridge Dr.
Laurinburg, NC 28352
910-276-3620

William E. Churlik
P.O. Box 1228
Leicester, NC 28748
website
email

OH

Nothing but Nature
9780 Rd. 171
Oakwood, OH 45873
419-594-2438

Peter M. Doane
7658 Pope Run
Sylvania, OH 43560
419-882-2949

CoffinwrX.com
5356 Monroe St. #8
Toledo, OH 43623
419-843-7729
website

OR

Ark Wood Caskets
4860 Hwy 66
Ashland, OR 97520
888-482-7135
website

Oregon Wood Caskets
356 Shan Creek Road
Grants Pass, OR 97527
541-474-1823
website

Portland Natural Casket Company
P.O. Box 82398
Portland, OR 97282
503-502-0012
website

Natural Burial Company
PO Box 11204
Eugene, OR 97440
503-493-9258
http://www.naturalburialcompany.com

PA

The Woodsmyth
Elkins Park, PA
website

Stoney Acres Woodshop
Kingsley, PA 18826
570-434-2484
email

Schuylkill Haven Casket Company
P.O. Box 179
Schuylkill, PA 17972
570-385-0296
website

RI

James Casey
185 Coggeshall Ave.
Newport, RI 02840
401-847-5573

Blue Light Coffins
174 Danielson Pike
North Scituate, RI 02857
website

TN

West Memorials
2481 Broad Ave.
Memphis, TN 38112
800-508-6022 or 901-767-0026
website

TX

Boot Hill Coffins
P.O. Box 446
Aledo, TX 76008
http://boothillcoffins.blogspot.com

Austin Natural Caskets
Austin, TX 78737
512-632-1951
website

Colliers Affordable Caskets
Austin, TX
512-821-2755
website

Cowboy's Last Ride
P.O. Box 3104
Brownwood, TX 76803
325-646-3099 office
325-642-4421 cell
email
website

White Dove Caskets
Corpus Christi, TX
361-549-5607
info@whitedovecaskets.com
website

UT

Michael Sheetz 
178 North 200 East 
Provo, UT 84606
801-356-1367
website 

Mike James
Eden, UT
801-920-3445
email

Mark England
Park City, UT
801-809-1951 

Something Creative
Robert Alexander
3358 N. Higley Rd.
Farr West, UT
801-388-9158
website

VT

Florette & Robert Dorr
151 The Great Rd.
Groton, VT 05046
800-228-4021

Vermont Coffins
61 Sadie Foss Rd.
Plainfield, VT 05667
802-456-1049
email
website

VA

Craig Casket Company
225 Middle Mountain Rd.
Stanardsville, VA 22973
434-985-3449

HAL Woodworking
website

WA

McDowell Pottery
P. O. Box 960
Ferndale, WA 98248
360-384-2543
website

Memorial-Gallery.com
Seattle, WA
206-829-8000

Desert Lighthouse
Tieton, WA
509-673-0075
website

WI

Norse Woods
Edwin Barness
Box 62
Black Earth, WI 535l5

Once a Tree Woodcrafters
6856 W. Wolf Island Rd.
Hayward, WI 54843
715-462-9533 (home) or 462-3735 (shop)

Tree Trunks of Northern Wisconsin
715-681-0038
email

Coffins of the West
877-278-8790 or 307-754-2084
website

Canada

Country Log Caskets
Patty Kramps
Alberta, Canada
877-961-2334
website

J.M. Wallace
Annapolis Valley
Nova Scotia, Canada
866-880-URNS
website

Victoriaville Funeral Supplies
333 Jacques-Cartier Street
P.O. Box 520
Victoriaville, Quebec, Candada G6P 6T3
819-752-3388
website

Buy ONLINE from discount retailers—

And check out the website for the National Casket Retailers Association. Includes a list of Canadian retailers.

Gadberry Casket Sales
630 W. Walnut
Blytheville, AR 72315
800-992-0010 or 870-763-7511

Caring Caskets
Plaza Wholesale
28 S. College, Suite 17
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-443-6414

Casket Connection
Jonesboro, AR
870-933-9500

American Family Casket Stores
9838 N. 19th. Ave., Suite A
Phoenix, AZ 85021
602-861-2600
website

The Casket Store
20 W. Baseline Road #1
Mesa, AZ
480-964-7220

The Casket Store
2329 W. Glendale Ave.
Glendale, AZ
602-841-8777

Helen's Discount Caskets
6445 N. 51 Ave.
Glendale, AZ
623-847-0499

Direct Casket
Five locations:
Southern CA & Long Island, NY
800-772-2753

Direct Casket
4734 N. Grand Ave.
Covina, CA 91724
626-858-9562

Urn Xpress and Casket Xpress
California
800-550-1172
email
website

Brookside Caskets, Inc.
4552 Lincoln Ave. Ste. 107
Cypress, CA 90630
714-226-9010 or 888-559-9010
website

GH Caskets
245 Stanyan St.
Salinas, CA 93907
831-214-6335
website

West Coast Casket Supply
4780 Mission Gorge Pl, Suite D
San Diego, Ca 92120
619-265-3465

Casket Gallery Showrooms
4780 Mission Gorge Pl, Suite D
San Diego, CA 92120
888-782-2753
website

Funeral Consulting Group
25923 S. Western Ave
Lomita, CA 90717
888-382-3232
website

Rainbow Caskets
3153 Glendale Blvd.
Glendale, CA
213-660-1236

Caskets 'N More
1724 So. Grand Ave.
Glendora, CA 91740
877 297-3100
email

Dignified, Affordable Caskets
3224 W. Florida Ave.
Hemet, CA 92545
909-765-2114

Infinity Caskets
9892 -I- Ave., Suite 6
Hesperia, CA 92345
760-244-6414

ABC Caskets (A Better Caskets) Factory
1705 N. Indiana St.
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323-268-1783
website

California Casket
11512 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
310-390-9969

Ernest Enterprises
1700 Mchenry Ave. #65B
Modesto, CA 95350
209-484-9682
website

An Informed Choice
3900 Benson Ave., Suite K
Montclair, CA
909-982-6191

American Casket
11538 Rosecrans Ave.
Norwalk, CA 90650
564-864-2554

Casket Outlet
James Hopkins
584 Grand Ave.
Oakland, CA 94610
510-893-6550

Casket & Urn Outlet
1630 Webster St.
Oakland, CA 94612
510-287-5077

Owl Brothers Caskets
1980 Peacock Blvd., Unit A
Oceanside, CA 92056
760-726-2624 or 800-795-5558
website

BioFab
P.O. Box 990556
Redding, CA 96099
530-243-4032
website

Casket Warehouse
7001 Indiana Ave. #8A
Riverside, CA 92506
909-686-0501

Casket Outlet
212 Harding Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95678
916-773-1444

Caskets & Urns 4 Less
540 Clairmont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA
619-467-1200

West Coast Casket Supply
5227 Riley St.
San Diego, CA 92110
619-683-3911
email

The Casket Outlet
1945 Grant St. #4
Santa Clara, CA 95050
408-687-3068 (English & Vietnamese)
408-919-2860 (Chinese)
email
website

Direct Casket
14531 Hamlin St.
Van Nuys, CA
818-374-5861

Oswald Casket
14728 Beach Blvd.
Westminster, CA
714-898-0991

Casket Outlet
Denver, CO
303-657-9903

American Discount Caskets
554 Boston Post Rd.
Milford, CT 06611
888-642-9508

Direct Casket
6238 33rd St. NW
Washington, DC 20015

The Casket Store
P.O. Box 154
Boynton Beach, FL 33425
561-393-7604

Casket Discount
5251 110 Ave. N, Suite 112
Clearwater, FL
813-572-6226

Funeral Solutions
5455 N. US-1
Cocoa, FL
407-638-1373 or 877-726-1373
website

A Monument & Casket Depot
802 SE -8- St.
Hialeah, FL 33010
305-888-3033

Exodus Casket Co.
8840 NW 23rd Ave.
Miami, FL 33147
305-691-5151

Casket Room
2005 13th St.
St. Cloud, FL 34769
407-891-7788

Peachtree Caskets Direct
2850 Holcomb Bridge Rd. #130
Alpharetta, GA 30022
770-95-CASKET

Caskets by Design
14339 Channel Rd.
Caldwell, ID 83607
208-455-6290
website

Illinois Casket Co.
312-483-4500
website

Impressive Casket Co.
Chicago: 773-736-6943
Gurnee: 847-662-4664
Oak Forest: 708-535-6952

Star Legacy Funeral Network, Inc.
5404 W Elm Street
McHenry, Illinois 60050
877-491-1122
website

Affordable Casket Co.
4815 University Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50311
888-327-1691

Direct Casket Sales
8187 Mall Rd.
Florence, KY 41042
877-245-5856

Casket Royale of Kentucky
4008 Dutchmans Lane
Louisville, KY 40207
888-895-2313 or 502-895-2313
website

Consumer Casket USA
3089 Breckenridge Lane
Louisville, KY 40220
888-544-5385

Family Casket Store
5418 S. Highway 27
Somerset, KY 42501
800-543-1895

Caskets Direct Company & Inc.
P.O. Box 113
Gloucester, LA 71030
318-933-8111 or 318-933-8777 (home)

Last Wish Caskets
625 Bolton Ave.
Alexandria, LA 71301
318-487-9811

Eternal Caskets
843 Ashley Drive
New Bedford, MA 02745
508-985-9995
website

Affordable Funeral Planning Group
RR 1, Box 94F, Airport Entrance Rd.
Calument, MI 49913
906-482-4949

We Care Direct Casket Outlet
36123 Plymouth
Livonia, MI 48150
743-523-6719

Affordable Casket Company
5871 Pelham Road
Southgate, MI 48195
800-371-6560 or 313-565-5484

Mill Creek Caskets
Columbia, MO
573-474-0876 or 877-429-1177
website

Direct Casket Outlet
210 W. Maple
Independence, MO
816-252-0979
email

Shine On Brightly
Asheville, NC
866-844-4463
email
website

W. J. Trump Memorials
2128 -O- St.
Lincoln, NE 68510
402-476-1501

Alternative Source
4855 W. Desert Inn
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-731-2440

Casket Royale
137 Lafayette Road
Hampton Falls NH 03844
800-791-4169
website

Metropolitan Burial and Cremation Center
601 Mountain Rd. NW
Albuquerque, NM
website

The Casket Store
66 Genesee St.
Auburn, NY 13021
315-252-0871

Direct Casket
25-26 Steinway St.
Long Island, NY
800-772-2753

Goldsboro Casket Store
416 W. Granthan St., P.O. Box 143
Goldsboro, NC 27533
919-734-2083

Consumer Casket
1427 South Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203
704-347-0011

A Team Masters
262 Shelton Blvd.
Eastlake, OH 44095-1069
440-942-8769 or 800-595-1313

Discount Casket Group
444 Second Ave., Suite 100
Gallipolis, OH 45631
740-441-0894

C&J Value Caskets
Main Street
Waynesburg, OH 44688
330-703-0309
email

Caskets, Inc.
4895 SE 29th
Del City, OK 73115
405-677-7455
email
website

Stone Casket Co.
1300 NE 4th St. #4
Oklahoma City, OK 73117
405-232-4344 or 405-620-8486 (pager)

Direct Casket Sales
76 NE Division St., Main Square
Gresham, OR
503-492-1571

Pacific Casket
8101 SW Nimbus Ave.
Beaverton, OR
503-644-3465
website

Village Memorial
13500 SW Pacific Hwy 443
Portland, OR 97223
503-512-0755 
website 

Funeral Directions
5204 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919
423-583-0305

Collier Casket Co.
3709 North IH35
Austin, TX 78722
Day: 512-478-3755
Night: 512-589-9727
Cell: 512-635-0056
website

Budget Casket Superstore
3508 Harwood #308
Bedford, TX
817-267-5590

Everlife Memorials
301 Texan Trail, Suite 1
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
800-293-3778
website

BestPriceCaskets.com
Dallas, TX
866-474-5061
website

Casket Store
Dallas, TX
214-696-3123

Cason Casket Co.
4104 Montana
El Paso, TX 79903
888-566-9801

Budget Casket
5430 E. Lancaster
Ft. Worth, TX 76112
817-654-9438
website

Aaron Casket
10904 Scarsdale M186
Houston, TX 77089
281-464-9232

American Budget Caskets
6859 Lawndale
Houston, TX 77023
713-926-6060

Budget Casket and Monument
2002 Blalock
Houston, TX 77080
713-465-1883

Casket Royale of Texas
6717 Stubner Airline, Suite 208
Houston, TX 77091
713-697-4000

The Pine Box
10000 Old Katy Road, Ste. 220
Houston, TX 77055
713-984-0707
email
website

Arline Casket
1905 NW Loop Z81, Suite 64
Longview, TX
903-295-1035

Affordable Caskets
6625 W. 19th Street Suite 103
Lubbock, TX 79407
806-785-7283

Discount Caskets
16880 FM 1130
Mauriceville, Texas
409-745-1375

Casket Gallery
4111 E. Hwy. 80, Suite 106
Mesquite, TX 75150
972-681-2929

Caskets Plus
3424 SW Military Dr. #609
San Antonio, TX
210-227-5387 or 888-850-1999
website

Ferrell's Caskets
3424 Frankston Hwy
Tyler, TX 75701
903-534-4799 or 888-238-1564
website

The Casket Store
202 West Grand
Yoakum, TX 77885
361-741-2626
website

DignifiedCaskets.com
647 W. Billinis Road #5
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
888-268-1550
website

Urns Direct
Virginia
888-URNS-888
website

Carlos A. Howard Funeral Home
436 West 35th St.
Norfolk, VA 23508
804-627-7914
website

Pacific Casket
8101 SW Nimbus Ave.
Beaverton, OR
503-644-3465
website

American Casket Sales
5204 Churchill Rd. SE
Tenino, WA 98589
360-264-4629 or 888-264-3664
website

Trail's End Casket & Monument
P.O. Box 71
Mountain, WI 54149
715-276-9081

Caskets Direct
West Bend, WI
414-334-1001

Impressive Casket
6762 W. Beloit Rd.
West Allis, WI
414-329-8250

Pet Caskets and Urns

Cremation Urns by Legacy Inc.
4285 Express Lane, #H7978
Sarasota, FL 34238
877-480-4111
email
website

Frostburg Memorials
19406 National Hwy. NW
Frostburg, MD 21532
800-204-5958

PETCO, Inc.
306 Stillmeadow Dr., P.O. Box 145
Joppa, MD 21085
410-679-0978

Hoegh Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 311
Gladstone, MI 49837
906-428-2151

McCord Products, Inc.
1135 N. Main St., P.O. Box 646
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-352-3691

Florette & Robert Dorr
151 The Great Rd.
Groton, VT 05046
800-228-4021

Death provides many of us with a one-time chance to make a valuable gift to humanity. All major religions approve of body and organ donation for medical and dental teaching, research, and transplants. According to public opinion polls, most people believe that such donations are desirable.

Organ Donation

With the advances in medical science in the last decade, organ transplants have become fairly common. Organ donation at a time of death is a gift of life or sight to the recipient. Circumstances surrounding death may limit this option, yet the corneas of even elderly donors will be grateful accepted. If your wish is to aid the living with an organ donation, make sure your next-of-kin and your physician know your preference. This intent should be noted on any medical or hospital records, too. A body from which organs have been removed will not be accepted for medical study.

Body Donation

Medical schools have an ongoing need of bodies for teaching and research. The need may be especially urgent at osteopathic and chiropractic schools. No medical school buys bodies, but there is usually little or no expense for the family when death occurs. Therefore, if you live in an area where low-cost funeral options do not exist, body donation may be an economical as well as thoughtful and generous choice.

Most medical schools pay for nearby transportation as well as embalming and final disposition. The School may have a contract with a particular firm for transporting bodies, so it is important to inquire about the specific arrangements to be used at the time of death in order to avoid added costs. After medical study, the body is usually cremated, with burial or scattering in a university plot. Often the cremains or remains can be returned to the family for burial within a year or two. This request should be made known at the time of donation. Some medical schools require that a donor register before death. However, in many cases, next-of-kin may make the bequest without prior arrangement.

Funeral Plans

Because it is important for the medical school to start preservation as soon after death as possible, a memorial service is most appropriate for those planning on body donation. Alternative plans for body disposition should be discussed with your family. A few schools take care of disposition regardless of condition at the time of death, in fulfillment of their contract with a donor. Most medical schools, however, follow guidelines in the acceptance of a body. If death occurs at the time of surgery, for example, the body would not be accepted for study. Certain diseases, as well as obesity, make a body unsuitable. Some medical schools may not have an immediate need and have no provision for storage or for sharing with another university.

Provisions When Traveling

There will be special considerations if death occurs while you are traveling and you planned on body donation. If you are a great distance from the medical school of your choice, should your family bear the cost of transporting your body there, or may the nearest university be contacted? The need for cadavers in some foreign countries is even greater than in the U.S. For example, in Argentina 200 medical students must share a cadaver. A private individual's body may be shipped to another country if placed in a hermetically sealed container. If death were to occur abroad, do you wish your survivors to inquire about the local need for bodies or organs to fulfill the intent of your anatomical bequest? Be sure to note your preference on the Uniform Donor Card you carry.

by Paul G. Huffman

For those who choose burial over entombment or cremation, you will make the added selection of a burial container to protect the casket. The available selections include burial liners, lawn crypts and vaults. To make this decision wisely, you not only need to consider the differences among them, but also what it is you're protecting the casket from. In some areas, you will need to purchase one of these from a mortuary. Where I worked, they were sold by the cemetery. Let's get to work.

Starting with burial liners, there are two different types. The cemetery will supply you with either a concrete sectional burial liner or a solid liner box. Rarely do they ask you to choose between the two. Even though the cemetery pays $50 for a sectional and $125 for a solid, they charge you around $250 for either one.

The cemetery will substitute a "sectional" for a "solid" at they're own discretion. It's not the profit from the sale of these burial liners they're after. What they're after is shaving the cost of labor, which means hundreds of dollars more than what they make on liner boxes.

A "sectional" burial liner is assembled in the grave by hand. It consists of six sections. Each section is only about 1¼ inch thick and constructed of concrete reinforced with thin, chicken wire. These panels are grooved to help hold the liner together when assembled. It's about as water proof as a colander and as secure as stacking playing cards in the wind. What really hold these liners together is the dirt the grave diggers pack in around them. If you were to assemble one of these above ground, the slightest touch would topple it.

The solid, concrete, burial liner boxes measure about 30" high, 33" wide, and 84" long. The concrete is about 1½" thick and reinforced with a heavier gauge iron mesh. This is a well-manufactured product.

The cemetery would actually prefer to give you the more expensive, solid liner box. It's installed in the grave using the digging equipment in seconds. Why then, do they use sectional liners? Because you can break a sectional liner more easily to make it fit in tight areas where a solid box would not. You can pulverize a sectional liner into dust with a common carpenter's hammer.

While digging a grave, it's not uncommon to make alterations in the neighboring liners to make room for the new burial. By that I mean, it's not uncommon to break them. It takes a considerable amount of time for a backhoe to chew away at the solid liner box to break it. It's faster to break a sectional liner to make it fit down in between previous burials. Grave Diggers know all the tricks of the trade to break and fit a sectional to make it look good from up above. As we say, "You just gotta know how to talk to it."

Another reason for using sectional liners is that a backhoe weighs several tons. Add another 1½ tons when it's carrying a solid liner box. Driving over shallow graves could cave them in. That does happen. So if you're selecting a liner box, insist on the solid liner box. Better yet, get it in writing. You should get the superior product for your money.

Now let's talk about lawn crypts. This product is more solidly constructed than any type of burial liner. It's double the height of a liner box because it sleeps two. An inset cover separates the two burials. The cemetery excavates entire sections at once and installs the lawn crypts side by side. Then they replace the gravel with fine sand, top dress it with loam, and seed or sod the area. This procedure eliminates the need to dig down in between them.

Lawn crypts virtually eliminate the horrors previously associated with burial. The area is not subjected to massive cave-ins, giant boulders, or jack-hammering neighboring burial containers to make room for new burials. These types of problems even cause damage to burial vaults.

Also, the price of the lawn crypt is usually included in the cost of the burial lot, so the cemetery is less greedy on recouping its burial container investment. Perhaps you recall some the more distasteful photographs released by the major news wire services portraying the damage done to many cemeteries in the wake of the 1993 Mississippi River floods. Even after the forceful washing away of the landfill, although completely exposed, the lawn crypts remained intact.

And now, a brief discussion on burial vaults. Burial vaults measure about 2½" thick and are reinforced with a heavy gauge wire mesh. The cover seals onto the vault with a strip of tar methodically sealed into the grooves. It is virtually waterproof because it's also lined with a copper or plastic liner. You get your money's worth, but you will spend a few thousand dollars. If you were to choose the cheapest vault available, you're only getting a glorified burial liner box. The down side of burial vaults is that they are subject to all the problems previous mentioned.

If you do prefer burial, I highly recommend a lawn crypt over burial liners and vaults. It costs about the same as buying two burial liners, but it is a much superior product. Plus, they will cost you well over a thousand dollars less than a burial vault.

*Condensed from "Through the Eyes of a Grave Digger"

Copyright 1996 by Paul G. Huffman

Josephine Black Pesaresi

My father, Hugo L Black, died in 1971. At that time he was 85 years old and the second longest sitting Associate Justice in the history of the United States Supreme Court, having sat on the Court for nearly 35 years. An avid tennis player, he served on his two beloved courts—the Supreme Court and the tennis court— until a few months before his death. He gave up both reluctantly, but died at peace with his life and his death.

He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, not as a Supreme Court Justice but as a Captain in the Cavalry during the First World War. His grave is next to my mother, Josephine, who died in 1951 and had been a Yeomanette in the Navy during the same war. Their grave markers are standard government issue, and they note only the dates of birth, death, and service in the armed forces.

A funeral service was held for my father at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Over 1,000 people attended, including the President of the United States, the Supreme Court, judges, and many Congressmen and Senators. The Bishop of the Cathedral, Dean Francis Sayre, oversaw the arrangements and delivered a eulogy.

In making the funeral arrangements, we had only three directives from my father: 1) simple, 2) cheap, 3) no open casket.

These were not last minute orders. Our family had heard my father's views about funerals for many years. Appalled by the high costs, he felt that "funeral merchants" often took advantage of grieving families when they were at their most vulnerable. Coming from a humble background, he had seen families spend themselves into debt. He was equally appalled by any person who wished an elaborate and expensive funeral, seeing this as evidence that the person was "puffed up about his own importance in the scheme of things."

With my father's directives firmly in mind, we planned our trip to the funeral parlor to pick out a coffin. We had chosen Gawler's Funeral Home in Washington, D.C., recommended as a place used by many government officials [now owned by SCI]. Our group included three family members—my brother, my step-brother, and myself—and two Supreme Court Justices—Byron White and William Brennan.

The casket room was elegantly appointed. The carpeting, wall paneling and piped in music set a tone for coffin shopping in undisputed good taste. On entering, one's eye was immediately drawn to the extreme left wall where a superbly crafted dark wood coffin, softly spot-lighted to show the fine wood grain, was perched high on a velvet-draped dais. It looked like a throne coffin. However, we were steered counter clockwise, starting our search at the right. The caskets were arranged head to toe in a semi-circle leading up to the throne coffin, and it was obvious that we were going from least to most expensive.

The first coffin we came to—the cheap-est—was covered with pink organza, pink satin bows, with a pink ruffled skirt around the bottom. Tasteless and frilly, it seemed totally out of place. The next ones were also cloth-covered, but the cloth looked increasingly more expensive. Our salesman was surprised that we even glanced at these, let alone asked their prices, and indirectly dismissed these as a final resting-place for a man of importance. He began to hurry us on until we came to the throne coffin.

We stood in front of this masterpiece of craftsmanship with heads slightly bowed reverently. "This," the coffin salesman said, "is the worthy resting place for a Justice of the United States Supreme Court." When we asked the cost of the throne coffin, he did not immediately give a dollar amount. He noted that while it was the most expensive, he knew that the price was not our main concern when burying a man of my father's stature. Cost considerations would be unworthy. This response was a big mistake and backfired immediately.

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, we looked at each other, smiling as my father's directive hit us full force—cheap. We moved to another emotional dimension—common at wakes—going from a deep grieving sadness to an almost playful mood. Right there, in that elegant room, we knew that together we could do one last thing for my father. No one was going to talk us out of cheap! When pressed, the coffin salesman allowed that the throne coffin cost thousands of dollars. That settled that.

We dispersed, zigzagging around the room, separately appraising the caskets and asking prices down to the penny. All of the polished wood caskets were soon dismissed as too expensive. It had to be a cloth-covered one. To the salesman's horror, Justice White began to scrutinize the first pink organza coffin and then asked what was under the frills. The salesman said it was just a plain, unfinished pine box. Then someone asked about the most expensive cloth-covered casket. That, too, was a plain pine box. When asked the difference between the boxes, the salesman—now completely befuddled—whispered that the more expensive had a "better shape." We looked and thought the shapes were identical.

Huddling for a final conference, some-one asked, "Shall we get the pink, the cheapest?" and we all gave a resounding "YES." We said we would buy the pink for $165 with the cloth stripped off. The salesman said that was impossible, it would look terrible. We, however, wanted to see for ourselves since this was our coffin of choice. First one of us pulled away a little cloth to take a peek, then another ripped more forcefully, and finally we all started ripping off the fabric with careless abandon. Off came the bows, the coffin skirt, and all but a few patches of stubbornly glued pink organza. There stood a perfectly fine plain pine box. The debris littered the elegant carpet, but we were practically euphoric. We had followed my father's directive almost to a tee, with added bonus of deflating pretensions in this very pretentious room (though my father would have felt some compassion for the poor coffin salesman).

When we went into the office to settle the bill, the funeral home director, now understanding our zeal for cheap, asked timidly about filling in the nail holes and sanding down the glue spots. With a closed casket visitation at the funeral home and a display at the cathedral, they felt their reputation was at stake. We agreed, if nothing was added to the bill, and were assured nothing would be.

Dean Sayre of the National Cathedral made a final request in the spirit of my father's wishes. He asked that at the funeral we have the casket displayed without the American flag or flowers on top of it. He, as my father, had long been concerned about the excessive cost of burying the dead and the financial burden this put on living loved ones. He wanted people to see that the cost of a coffin did not symbolize the abiding love of the living for the dead, nor did it reflect the stature of a man.