Can I Use 'Old Ashes' in a New Memorial to Honor a Loved One or Pet?
Cremation recently surpassed burial as the leading choice of Americans. This trend is expected to continue and the National Funeral Directors Association projects that nearly 80% of people who pass by the year 2040 will choose to be cremated (up from over half today and just 25% in 1999) - this has been driven mainly by the cost of cremation, among other reasons. Along with the growing trend toward cremation, more and more unique memorials are being introduced that incorporate the cremated ashes of a person or pet. With this, many families are finding that perfect memorial today for a loved one who passed and was cremated years ago. A common question many families ask - can we use 'old ashes' in a memorial?
This is a good question that can be a challenge to find an answer to by searching the internet or asking friends or family. The short answer is YES! The age of ashes does not matter in a memorial – they can be one day old or hundreds of years old!
Many families who lost a loved one (or pet) years ago simply kept them in the ‘temporary’ container provided by the funeral home or purchased a metal or wooden urn and placed it on the mantle or other place inside their home. There weren’t many memorial options available for people who chose cremation as most of the market was focused on burials. Now, with the surge in people choosing cremation, that has changed. There are many unique memorials available incorporating ashes and many new ones coming out each and every year. This includes some of the following leading new options...
1. Tree Memorial
With The Living Urn® you can grow an enduring living tree memorial with a loved one's ashes... There's a version for people and a version for pets
2. Scattering
Many families are opting to scatter some or all of their loved one or pet's ashes at one or more special places to them... Click here for some popular scattering urn options...
3. Glass
Glass decorative pieces infused with your loved one or pet's ashes are beautiful colorful reminders of them that can be kept in a special place at home...
4. Jewelry
Cremation jewelry is becoming a common way many families honor that special person or pet. Include a small portion of their ashes in the piece and wear it with pride!
5. 'Indoor' Living Urn
There are now multiple indoor versions of The Living Urn available and they're becoming quite popular. This includes The Living Urn Indoors/Patio and The Living Urn Planter...
6. Burial
Similar to burying a loved one in a cemetery with a casket, many families also opt to bury their loved one's ashes. The all-natural Eco Burial Urn is a great option for this.
