Sacred Work Deserves Sacred Space

7/15/2026

In funeral service, we talk a lot about caring for people. We talk about serving families, supporting communities, and showing up in life's hardest moments with compassion and professionalism. We should. That is the heart of what we do.

But here is the question I keep coming back to:

How well are we caring for the people who do that work every day?

Recently, I visited a funeral home and was reminded of something that’s so easy to overlook. A staff break room had slowly become a catchall space. Extra items had found their way in. Things that belonged somewhere else were stacked there. The room no longer felt like a place for people to pause, breathe, regroup, or reset. It felt like an afterthought.

That may sound like a small thing.

It is not.

The spaces we give our employees say a lot about what we believe about them.

If the only place they have to sit, think, eat lunch, or recover between hard conversations is crowded, neglected, or treated like storage, that sends a message. Even if no one means for it to. It says your space is not worth protecting. Your comfort is not worth the square footage. Your humanity comes after everything else that needs a place to go.

And in a profession like ours, that is a dangerous message to send.

Funeral service is deeply emotional work. It asks a lot of people. Long days. Unpredictable schedules. Constant emotional presence. Physical demands. Mental load. Compassion on demand, even when your own tank may be running low.

That kind of work requires restoration, and restoration does not have to be elaborate. It can be a clean break room. A quiet office. A place to sit down and close the door for ten minutes. A space that feels cared for, one that says: we thought about you when we built this. We wanted you to have somewhere to land.

What an Intentional Rest Space Actually Looks Like

When I say sacred space, I do not mean expensive. I mean thoughtful. Intentional. Created with your team's wellbeing at the center.

Here are some specific things worth considering as you build or refresh a restorative break room or quiet space:

A comfortable reclining ottoman or, even better, a massage chair, so staff can physically decompress between services and family interactions.
A small water feature, like a tabletop fountain. The sound of moving water has a genuinely calming effect and creates a natural buffer from the noise of the day.
A sound machine or soft background music. White noise, nature sounds, or gentle instrumental music can help someone truly disconnect and reset during a short break.
Essential oils or a diffuser with calming scents like lavender, eucalyptus, or chamomile. Scent is one of the fastest pathways to a calmer nervous system.
Calming photography or artwork. Think a serene lake, an ocean horizon, a mountain landscape. The right image can shift the emotional tone of a room instantly. Nature scenes in particular have been shown to reduce stress and restore focus.

These are small investments. The return on them, in staff wellbeing, retention, and culture, is significant.

More leaders need to see that clearly.

If we want to recruit and retain the next generation of funeral professionals, we have to pay attention to more than pay and benefits. Those things count, of course. But culture is built in very practical ways. It shows up in everyday decisions. It shows up in whether staff has the tools they need. It shows up in whether people feel respected. And yes, it shows up in the spaces we ask them to work in and live in for much of their day.

You cannot say you value your people while giving them the leftovers of your building.

You cannot ask people to pour care into others while giving them no place to recover themselves.

Sacred work deserves sacred space.

And I do not mean fancy. I mean intentional.

Look around your building this week with fresh eyes. Walk into the employee spaces the same way you would walk into a family room before a service. What do you see? What has been neglected? What has been repurposed? What has quietly become acceptable over time that should not be?

Then ask a harder question:

If I were a new employee walking in here for the first time, what would this space tell me about how this organization sees its people?

Because your team is paying attention. Current employees are paying attention. Future employees are paying attention too.

In a profession facing real workforce challenges, we need to think differently about what makes a workplace sustainable and attractive. Respect is not just verbal. Support is not just philosophical. Care is not just external.

It has to live inside the walls.

So start there.

Protect the break room.

Clear the clutter.

Create breathing room.

Make space for people, not just operations.

Because when we honor the people doing this work, everyone feels it. The staff, the culture. And ultimately, the families served.

Spaces are not only physical. They are also about the space we create for people to grow, learn, and become who they are capable of being. As leaders, we should be asking ourselves: How are we supporting our teams and emerging leaders beyond their day-to-day responsibilities? Are we investing in their growth? Providing opportunities for them to recharge, gain new perspectives, build confidence, and develop the skills needed to lead effectively?

These questions were part of the inspiration behind Funeral Women Lead's annual Unleashed Leadership + Wellness Summit, which was created to provide women in funeral service and deathcare with dedicated time and space for both personal and professional development. As we prepare for our second summit this September, it serves as a reminder that creating space for growth is one of the most meaningful investments we can make in the future of our profession.

Making space—both the kind you can walk into and the kind you can talk through—matters: a clean break room, a quiet office, or ten minutes behind a closed door. Giving people time and room to debrief offers a grounding moment to process before moving on to the next call. And if you’re looking for more intentional space, the virtual Funeral Professionals Peer Support Meeting is a monthly place to connect and catch your breath.

Lisa Baue is a pioneering leader in funeral service and a passionate advocate for women in deathcare. A third-generation funeral director, she served as CEO of Baue Funeral Homes, Crematory, and Cemetery in St. Charles, Missouri, for nearly four decades, growing the company into one of the Midwest's most respected multi-location death care enterprises.

A licensed funeral director since 1979, Lisa purchased her family's business at 33 following the sudden death of her father, navigating grief and debt to build a company that became a national model for culture, retention, and heart-based leadership.

Since selling the business in 2019, she has devoted herself fully to the next era of the profession. She founded Your Funeral Coach in 2021 and launched Funeral Women Lead Foundation in 2024, the only nonprofit dedicated entirely to advancing women in the funeral, cremation, and cemetery profession through leadership development, mentorship, wellness and community. Her debut book, Wake-Up Calls: A Journey of Learning to Lead and Succeed in the Funeral and Death Care Profession, was published in 2025. A past board chair of the Funeral Service Foundation and a nationally recognized speaker, Lisa continues to mentor and inspire the women who are shaping funeral service's future.

How to Handle the Next “I Need Information on Cremation” Call

7/1/2026

Caller: I’m wondering if there is someone who can give me some information on cremation. I’m calling on behalf of my aunt who is in a nursing home. She isn’t doing well and has stated that she would like to be cremated.

If this call came in right now, would you know exactly how to guide the conversation? Would you feel confident turning a phone shopper into a family you can serve, or would you unintentionally send them looking elsewhere?

Cremation phone shoppers aren’t just comparing prices. They’re comparing experiences, and your first impression sets the tone for everything that follows.

First Impressions Matter

When consumers call CANA, their questions vary — what to do with an urn at home, how to trace a tag, even genealogy — but most often, they’re looking for a cremation provider. We take time to explain the process, outline what’s included in a cremation, suggest questions to ask, and gently guide them toward CANA member firms in their area.

If they’re calling us, they’re likely ready to call multiple businesses. They’re gathering information, gauging tone, and trying to understand who will treat their family with care.

Are you ready for that moment?

For many callers, this is their first introduction not just to your business, but to funeral service as a whole. They don’t know what they don’t know, and your response shapes their understanding of cremation, service options, and what “good care” looks like.

Questions Families Are Asking

Here are a few of the questions we encourage families to ask when they begin phone shopping:

Do you allow family members to witness the cremation?
How do you track the body through the cremation process and verify identity afterward?
How are cremated remains returned if an urn isn’t provided?
What is your policy on disposing of or recycling prosthetics?

A trustworthy provider answers openly, confidently, and without hesitation. If a firm avoids or minimizes these questions, families notice — and they move on.

Taking the time to explain not just what you do, but why you do it that way, builds trust long before the family walks through your door.

The Conversation That Matters

This is your moment to stand out.

When a caller says, “I’d like some information on cremation,” or “Can you give me a price?”, remember: they’re not just asking for numbers. They’re asking for guidance. Often, price is the only question they know how to ask.

Your job is to open the door to a real conversation.

Start with their name. Then ask whether they’ve ever been involved in making cremation arrangements before. Their answer tells you how much education they need — and how much reassurance.

If they haven’t arranged a cremation before, they may need help understanding the process, timelines, service options, and what decisions come next. If they have arranged one, ask what they liked or didn’t like. Their experience may be outdated, limited, or shaped by a provider who didn’t offer the choices available today.

This simple shift — from answering questions to guiding the conversation — is what turns a phone shopper into a client family.

Closing the Call With Care

Caller: Okay. I’m going to be talking with my family to go over this information.

You: Would you like me to email you some of the information we discussed? Or I can direct you to our website to review the service options we went over, along with answers to frequently asked questions.

Caller: Thanks.

You: Thank you, [caller]. It would be an honor to serve your family.

A thoughtful close reinforces professionalism, warmth, and trust — and leaves the door open for the family to return.

Want to strengthen your phone skills?

If you want to feel more confident, more prepared, and more effective on every cremation phone call, CANA’s online course Cremation Phone Shoppers: Your Best First Impression goes deeper into:

what families are really asking
how to guide the conversation
how to communicate value beyond price
how to turn a phone inquiry into a meaningful connection

It’s practical, approachable, and designed for anyone who answers the phone — from new staff to seasoned professionals.

If you want to raise the level of service across the board, consider becoming a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist. In addition to making your best first impression with cremation phone shoppers, you'll get ideas on incorporating permanent placement in every arrangement, see the difference your words make, and understand what motivates people to choose cremation. Registration closes July 31, so don't wait!

Our Plate Is Full: Lessons from a European Cremation Journey

6/17/2026

There is an old German folk saying: „Jeder sollte auf seinen eigenen Teller schauen, aber ab und zu auch auf den des Nachbarn.”

“Everyone must look at their own plate, but occasionally also at their neighbor’s.”

It reminds us to be curious about what others have and consider new options for ourselves. In the cremation profession, this wisdom feels particularly relevant.

Every country, every business, and every association has its own plate to manage. We navigate unique regulations, cultural expectations, consumer preferences, technologies, and operational realities. The daily responsibility of serving families—often during their most difficult moments—can easily consume all of our attention.

Our plates are, without question, full. Yet progress rarely comes from focusing inward alone. It comes when we look up.

A Journey Beyond Our Own Plate

This belief guided the recent journey across Europe that I took with CANA President Lindsey Ballard at the beginning of June.

Every other year, the International Cremation Federation (ICF), for whom I have the privilege to currently serve as President, gathers alongside a major funeral exposition. This year, our meetings were held in conjunction with the European Cremation Network (ECN) and the Funeral Trade Exhibition (Bestattungsfachausstellung or BEFA) trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Before those meetings and expositions began, Lindsey and I participated in the Orthometals Study Tour—a multi-day experience designed to provide an in-depth look at cremation and memorialization practices across several leading European markets.

A Global Conversation on the Road

There was a remarkably diverse group of attendees. I learned just as much during the conversations I had with my Australian seatmate on the bus as I did during the formal tours and programming. – Lindsey Ballard, CANA President

Beginning in Amsterdam, our group brought together professionals from around the world—Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. Over several days, we traveled by coach through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, visiting a range of cremation facilities and related organizations.

Despite our varied backgrounds, we shared a common purpose: to learn from one another.

Each stop offered not only a glimpse into different systems and practices, but also an opportunity to exchange ideas, ask questions, and reflect on how our approaches compare and contrast.

This experience reinforced what we already knew—no one country has all the answers.

What We Saw—and What It Means

Throughout the tour, several key themes emerged.

1. Cremation Facilities Reflect Culture

The crematories we visited were so beautiful, clean and welcoming. They were designed with intention to meet the needs of their communities and welcome families through their doors. – Lindsey Ballard, CANA President

The crematoria we visited varied widely in design, scale, and atmosphere. Some emphasized modern architecture and technology, while others focused on creating deeply personal, serene experiences for families.

What stood out most was how clearly these facilities reflected cultural expectations. The way services are structured, how families interact with the process, and even the design of the spaces themselves are shaped by the values of the communities they serve.

It was a powerful reminder: best practices are not one-size-fits-all.

2. Innovation Is Already Operational

Seeing how Belgium is implementing alkaline hydrolysis was so interesting. They are gathering information and doing research that already exists in the US. As I spoke with their staff, I began sharing tips and lessons I’ve learned over the past 6 years since we implemented Resomation in my business… it was clear that there is so much we learn from each other if we only start the conversation. – Lindsey Ballard, CANA President

Among the crematoria visits, we toured Europe’s first alkaline hydrolysis facility located at CANA Member Pontes in Belgium. Seeing this technology in operation—and understanding the regulatory, academic and cultural framework that supports it—provided valuable perspective for those of us navigating similar conversations in other regions.

We also visited Loop Biotech, where mycelium-based burial products represent a striking example of sustainability-driven innovation in the design of coffins and urns.

Our visit to CANA Member Orthometals highlighted an often-overlooked part of the cremation process: the recovery and recycling of metals following cremation. What was once considered a minor operational detail has evolved into a highly organized, global effort that emphasizes environmental responsibility and ethical stewardship.

These are not theoretical concepts. They are real, functioning solutions already serving communities.

3. Sustainability Is a Driving Force

Across nearly every stop, sustainability emerged as a central theme.

From material innovation to equipment design and maintenance and energy practices, there is a clear and growing focus on reducing environmental impact. This is not being driven solely by regulation, but increasingly by cost concerns and consumer expectations.

Families are asking new questions—and the profession is responding.

4. Direct Cremation is Increasingly Global

Direct cremation, defined in the US as cremation without services provided by a funeral home or cemetery, is often referred to as a “technical cremation” among the group we traveled with. A technical cremation is conducted without ceremony or witnessing.

In all countries except Germany, the majority of cremations take place with a brief ceremony. Often a reception with food and beverage follows when permitted. As in the US, the cremation itself is typically low cost, but the gathering, catering and placement of the urn generate income for the crematorium.

Technical cremations are rising in frequency, as are witnessed cremations. At every location we heard about the importance of choice and personalization.

The Value of Looking Beyond Ourselves

Everyone on the tour, regardless of their country or culture, shared a passion for providing families with quality cremation services. – Lindsey Ballard, CANA President

Looking at our neighbor’s plate is not about comparison or competition, rather it is about curiosity.

It is about understanding how others are responding to workforce challenges, shifting consumer expectations, technological advances, and evolving regulations. It is about recognizing both the similarities we share and the differences that shape our approaches.

As we celebrate 150 years of cremation in the United States, it was meaningful to partake in Germany’s own 150th anniversary celebration. The cremation movement has always evolved through the exchange of ideas. Innovations, best practices, and professional standards have crossed borders and generations because leaders were willing to look at their neighbor’s plate: to listen, observe, and adapt.

Experiences like this do more than broaden perspective—they directly inform how we think about our own work.

They challenge us to ask:

What can we adapt from what we’ve seen?
How can we better meet changing expectations?
Where are we falling behind—and where are we leading?

The participants of the tour discussed these questions and made plans to take what they learned back to their national associations and colleagues.

A Call to Engage

As members of a global profession, we each have a responsibility to care for our own plate. But we also have an opportunity—and perhaps an obligation—to occasionally look up.

Engage with peers beyond your immediate network. Participate in conversations that show us new ideas. Share your experiences and be open to learning from others.

The future of cremation will not be built by any one nation, business, or organization. It will be shaped through collaboration, shared learning, and mutual respect.

Closing Reflection

Our plates are full. That will not change.

But what can change—what must change—is how often we look beyond them.

Because when we take the time to see what others are doing, to ask questions, and to share ideas, we do more than improve our own work. You need not travel abroad to practice this but instead can do so with your local or national associations and colleagues.

We help shape the future of our profession—together.

If you’re ready for conversations and ideas that get you thinking outside of the box, consider CANA’s 108th Annual Convention. There, presenters will talk about topics like AI, death doulas, abandoned urns, and more. But the conversations you can experience with cremation leaders from across the nation during breaks, meals, and in your down time are just as valuable. Join us in Minneapolis this August 12-14: cremationassociation.org/CANA26

Barbara Kemmis is Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America where she promotes all things cremation through member programs, education and strategic partnerships. After more than 25 years of experience in association leadership, Barbara knows that bringing people together to advance common goals is not only fun, but the most effective strategy to get things done.

Barbara earned a master’s degree in library science from Dominican University, a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from North Park University and a B.A. from Earlham College.

The 25 Year Celebrant Journey

6/3/2026

It is 1999. Doug Manning and I stood in the Dodge Auditorium at Mt. Ida College in Newton, Mass. Sitting in the seats were 50 brave people who had answered the invitation to come see this new approach to creating services that would help and heal and make a difference in the lives of grieving people. We were slightly nervous, trying this for the first time. We had put together materials, we had a flip chart—long before laptops and power point—and we had a vision. So, for three days we talked about it, shared ideas and in those moments, the Funeral Celebrant movement was born.

We Would Not Be Denied

What was the vision? That the funeral service itself needed to be the first important step in the grieving process. That the funeral service itself needed to be personalized and customized to fit the life of the person. That the funeral service itself had historically ignored or missed the needs of families who were not affiliated with a faith tradition or did not wish to have a traditional religious or liturgical experience. That the funeral service itself needed to change. Now.

The concept of Funeral Celebrants came from the experiences of Australia and New Zealand that had been utilizing Civil Celebrants in their countries for over two decades. They had found that creating one of a kind funerals was such a gift to families and a boost in business for the firms. People will come to a place that offers ears and stories and creativity and talent.

We knew that cremation was beginning to make a significant impact upon the funeral business and also knew that the statistics showed the growing number of people who were self-identifying as “nones”—people who did not identify as being religious. And that funeral service had been so engaged and tied to religious traditions that they were at a loss as to how to even offer something different to those families. So, they stood at the door and watched people walked away with the urn in the hands with no service. Not good for grieving families. Not good for funeral professionals.

We saw Celebrants as part of the answer. A different way to think about how to create and craft services. A new practice of story telling as healing. A unique approach that could transform funeral firms.

And after our first experience, we hit the road. We were a five-person family-owned publishing company in Oklahoma City, publishing Doug’s books on grief and life transitions and scheduling his speaking engagements. We had no national presence or influence. But, we would not be denied. We would pick out a few cities, book a hotel, send out information and invitations and hope that people would show up. And, sometimes they did. Sometimes they did not. It was a hard slog for a few years.

New Jersey was very first association that stood up and took the opportunity and responsibility of improving funeral service for firms and families by offering training to their members.

Following their example, soon we were being contacted by other state associations and then national associations. Since 2010, every training has been sponsored by a state, national or international association. In 2019 we held 17 trainings, including one in Bogota, Colombia through ALPAR. To date, in our 25th year, we have trained 5900 individuals from 47 states, 9 Canadian provinces and 23 countries.

So, there’s the history and the numbers. But what lies beyond? What truly do Celebrants do for families? What truly do Celebrants do for firms?

Part of the Journey

A funeral professional meets with a family. They are given the opportunity to express what type of service would be the most healing and touching for them. They might say they do not go to church. They might say that they are spiritual but not religious. They might say that they are a mixed family with some church attendees and some who never darken the door. They might be concerned about the type of death—suicide, over dose, violence, homicide—and that their loved one would be judged or condemned. And this is when the arranger can say “We have Celebrants who can serve your family in the most personal and unique way”. And the Celebrant becomes part of the journey.

The Celebrant has a family meeting, creating a safe space for stories and laughter and tears and grief so the Celebrant can gather up all the elements that will part of the service. Music, video, ceremonies, speakers, scripture, prayer, blessings, final committal, whatever is right and comfortable as this family searching for ways to establish the significance of this life and communicate their loss, their love and how their lives will be forever changed.

The Celebrant works with the funeral professional staff assuring that all parts of the service are coordinated and scripted with a story that flows through the entire experience.

And, on our best days, after the service is completed, the family will leave knowing that they did their very best to celebrate the life and mourn the death of their family member, that the guests who came to support this family will leave understanding that there is a special and healing way to hold a funeral, that the firm stands as a beacon of brave creativity and professional guidance and support.

I have had the opportunity to work extensively with a funeral director who opened a new firm in a small town of 8,000 citizens outside of Oklahoma City. He was adamant that his conservative and church-on-every-street-corner town would never accept Celebrants. But, he began offering Celebrants services and the community started seeing how special and personalized these experiences could be. In the past two years, I had been honored to serve 75% of his families. That’s a big jump from zero.

Each one different, unique, special.

What do these services look like? As an independent contractor who works for several firms, my time can be wide and varied and so very interesting.

In recent weeks, I was privileged to conduct the following services:

74-year-old woman who died of cancer. Very well-known and popular jeweler in town. We held a Sunday evening service at the funeral home prior to Catholic liturgy and inurnment at her Catholic church the following day.

85-year-old man who had multiple health issues. Service held at a campsite next to a lake where the family had held reunions.

82-year-old woman who was very simple and reclusive. Service held at graveside in her hometown.

34-year-old woman with mental health and substance abuse issues who took her own life after her children were taken into CPS custody.

84-year-old woman with multiple health problems. Shared the platform with two pastors from Pentecostal Holiness churches, 3 grandchildren and her best friend who were also speakers.

52-year-old man who died suddenly of a heart attack at work leaving behind a wife and two teenage kids.

55-year-old man of the LDS faith. His family was not part of the church so we had a Celebrant service the evening before and they had his LDS service the following day.

69-year-old man who died of suicide in his car at the cemetery where he had recently made pre-arrangements.

17-week gestational twins where 20 family members poured sand to represent all the layers of love for these little ones who never had a chance to meet them, followed by a bubble ceremony.

17-year-old boy who had lived on a breathing tube, a ventilator and feeding tube in a care facility for his entire life. The family wanted a Harry Potter theme and invited everyone to wear the color of their “house”.

Each one different. Each one unique. Each one special. Each one that can never be replicated.

Sadly, Doug left us in January of 2025. In his last weeks, we talked a lot about his incredible 92 years. The 42 books he had written, the places he had traveled all over the world, the impact and comfort his bereavement work had provided to millions of people. But, he said repeatedly that the thing he was the most proud of was bringing Celebrants to the funeral profession. That was his shining legacy and he died knowing that he left a beacon that will continue to help and heal grieving families for the years to come.

And, because of the continuing efforts of funeral professionals around the world, and dedicated funeral associations like CANA, the work continues. We invite you to join us.

Join the movement. CANA hosts Glenda Stansbury and Kathy Burns as they lead the threee-day intensive Celebrant Training from the InSight Institute in Chicago this September 22-24. Learn more about this training and register to become a Celebrant.

Can't wait for more Glenda? She and celebrant Brent Patterson step onto the CANA Convention stage to encourage attendees to reflect on What Does Gathering Look Like For You? In their session, they bring a new perspective to reimagining our offerings and redefining how we offer information and guidance as we paint the picture of gathering for our families. See what else we have planned and register for the 108th Annual Convention in Minneapolis this August

The Celebrant Movement and the Cremation Movement share many similarities, particularly in the last 25 years of growth and adaptation. As we take this year to reflect on 150 years of modern cremation history, you're invited to share your own story, history, and reflections. Join the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Glenda Stansbury, CFSP, MALS is the Dean of the InSight Institute of Funeral Celebrants, VP of InSight Books, a division of Funeral Directors Resource, adjunct professor for UCO Funeral Service Department and Worsham Mortuary College and a practicing Certified Funeral Celebrant. She received the 2022 ICCFA Educational Foundation Lasting Impact Award.

The Quiet Erosion of Our Collective Relationship with Ceremony

5/20/2026

My earliest memories of funeral service are rooted firmly in burial. Growing up in Michigan in the 1970s, in a Midwestern, conservative Protestant family, every funeral I attended followed a familiar and unquestioned pattern of visitation, service, procession, and burial. Cremation was not part of my childhood vocabulary around death, nor was it part of the religious or cultural framework that shaped how my family understood loss.

Even when I entered mortuary school in 1990, cremation remained largely peripheral in my education. It was discussed, certainly, but it was not central to how funeral service was framed or practiced. That changed almost immediately after graduation.

Shifting Expectations

My first position out of mortuary school brought me to Boulder, Colorado, a community that, in the early 1990s, was already well ahead of the rest of the country in its embrace of cremation, with rates exceeding 60 percent. I was making cremation arrangements almost daily, a stark contrast to the burial-centric model that had shaped both my upbringing and much of my formal training. While I had been prepared for the traditions of funeral service—formality, continuity, and established ritual—it was immediately clear that I was practicing in a place where expectations around death, ceremony, and professional identity were already shifting.

What is important to note, however, is that cremation at that time did not yet mean the absence of ceremony. Families choosing cremation in the early 1990s in Boulder often still opted for embalming, a visitation, and a service with the body present. Cremation typically occurred after the service, with the urn either returned to the family or interred in a local cemetery. In many ways, cremation functioned less as a replacement for traditional funeral service and more as an adaptation within it.

“Am I allowed to teach cremation?”

It was not until several years later, during my early career as an educator and Department Chair of the Mortuary Science Program at Arapahoe Community College, that I fully grasped just how progressive that initial professional environment had been. In the mid-1990s, while hiring a part-time instructor, I encountered a question that stopped me short. I was asked, “Am I allowed to teach cremation?”

That question revealed how differently cremation was still viewed across the country, where it remained optional, controversial, or secondary in funeral education. In that moment, it became clear to me that teaching about cremation wasn’t simply permitted, it was expected.

I had entered the profession at the leading edge of a shift that funeral service as a whole was only beginning to confront.

Grief does not respond to efficiency

Today, as cremation has become widely accepted, often expected, I find myself holding a different concern. Alongside its normalization, I have noticed the quiet erosion of our collective relationship with ceremony. As a society, we have stepped away from ritual across nearly every stage of life. Many people no longer participate in graduation ceremonies. Weddings are delayed, minimized, or bypassed altogether. Baptisms and other rites of passage that once marked transition and belonging are increasingly absent. Funeral service has not been singled out for abandonment; rather, it reflects a broader cultural retreat from ceremony in general. When these rituals disappear, we lose more than tradition, we lose shared moments of acknowledgment and meaning. And that makes me deeply sad.

Ceremony matters because ritual gives shape to transition. It creates space for acknowledgment, for witness, and for meaning. It allows us to pause long enough to recognize that something irreversible has occurred. When we lose these markers, we do not eliminate grief; we simply make it harder to carry.

During the COVID pandemic, I shared these concerns in an interview with a national publication, specifically around the growing number of families selecting immediate, non-ceremonial cremation. My worry, then as now, is rooted in a misunderstanding I encounter far too often: the belief that if there is no viewing, no service, no formal acknowledgment, no ceremony, the process of grief will be easier, or at least over more quickly. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Burying someone does not make grief last longer, and cremating someone does not help a person reach “the other side” of grief faster. Grief does not respond to efficiency. What ceremony and ritual offer are not delay, but depth—an opportunity to feel the weight of loss in a supported, intentional way. Ceremony does not prolong grief, it helps contain it. When families are implicitly or explicitly encouraged to bypass that process, they may later discover that what was deferred has not disappeared.

Adaptation Not Rejection

At the same time, cremation has continued to cross generational and cultural lines, even within my own family. In the early 1990s, when a more progressive family member first expressed a desire to be cremated, the choice felt notable and unconventional. Today, however, an increasing number of family members, many shaped by more traditional expectations, have expressed their preference for cremation, often with their urns buried in a cemetery rather than choosing a full casketed burial. What once felt unconventional has become a thoughtful adaptation of tradition rather than a rejection of it.

This evolution points to what I believe is one of the profession’s greatest challenges moving forward. Funeral directors must consistently communicate the value of ceremony, of ritual, and of what I often describe as presenting the gift of a final goodbye, while honoring family choice and autonomy. The challenge lies in offering options without coercion and guidance without pressure. Respecting choice does not mean withholding information. It means engaging more deeply, asking better questions, presenting meaningful options, and clearly communicating the value of ceremony without insisting upon it.

In many cultures where cremation is the norm, ritual remains inseparable from the process. The American tendency to remove ceremony entirely from cremation raises important questions about what we may be losing in the name of perceived simplicity and what future generations may inherit if the value of ceremony continues to diminish.

As cremation marks its 150-year history in the United States, the path forward is not about choosing between tradition and change. It is about remembering why funeral service exists in the first place: to help families acknowledge loss, honor life, and find footing in the aftermath of death. Cremation, when thoughtfully integrated with ceremony and ritual, has the capacity to do exactly that. The responsibility now rests with the profession to ensure that this understanding is not lost.

This post oritinally appeared in The Cremationist, Vol. 62, Issue 1. Members can read this article and get more inspiration in The Cremationist archive. Not a member? Consider joining your business today!

Want more from Martha? This August, she'll take the CANA Convention stage to discuss AI in Funeral Service: Ethics, Compassion, and Professional Judgment so you can see how to approach AI as a support tool without compromising compassion, trust, or professional judgment. See what else we have planned and register for CANA's 108th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention today!

Martha Thayer is a presenter, trainer, and online curriculum designer whose work is grounded in longstanding professional practice. She is the founder of Mortuary Training, where she and her team develop modern, practice-focused learning programs for funeral service professionals and organizations nationwide.

Martha received Emeritus status from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, after teaching and serving as Chair of the Mortuary Science Department for over 25 years. In 1999, she pioneered the first fully accredited online mortuary science curriculum in the United States, establishing her as an early leader in distance education for funeral service professionals.

What a Fictional HBR Case Study Reveals About the Real Work of Today’s Death‑Care Professionals

5/6/2026

Harvard Business Review recently published a fictional case study about a funeral company — Monteverde Memorial Group — at a crossroads. In the scenario, the leadership team is debating whether to shift their business model in response to changing consumer expectations, rising cremation rates, and internal questions about culture, staffing, and long‑term strategy. The company isn’t real — but the pressures, tensions, and choices certainly are.

And that’s what makes the case study worth our attention.

Even in fictional form, it recognizes something funeral directors, cemeterians, and cremation professionals have long understood: this profession is constantly adapting. Consumer needs evolve. Cultural norms shift. Cremation continues to rise — with CANA’s State Cremation Rate Milestone Report predicting cremation will be the preferred form of disposition in every U.S. state by 2033. These changes don’t just alter the numbers; they reshape how we talk with families, how we design services, and how we think about the future of our organizations.

The Memorial Group in the Mirror

While the pandemic didn’t influence the cremation rate, this case study shows how the crisis accelerated answers to questions Monteverde Memorial Group posed for their five-year growth plan. Forces beyond the disease – namely land costs and cremation growth – came into focus more quickly.

We see the case study’s executive grapple with his own negative feelings about cremation and confront the shifting consumer values with which he disagrees.

In our own business reflections, the case study raises questions like:

How do we adapt to what families want today?
How do we communicate value when “meaningful” looks different for every family?
How do we balance tradition with innovation?
How do we support staff in a profession built on emotional labor?
How do we evolve our business models without losing the heart of what we do?

If you’ve wrestled with any of these questions — and most professionals in death care have — you’re already living the strategic conversations that business schools consider worth teaching.

Easier Said Than Done

At the end of the case study, the fictional experts offer recommendations about listening deeply to families, clarifying your value proposition, investing in staff well‑being, and staying adaptable in the face of cultural change. These aren’t abstract business theories. They’re the same principles that guide strong, community‑rooted death‑care organizations every day.

Our members don’t need a fictional company to tell them what’s changing. They see it when a family chooses a gathering in a hotel ballroom instead of a chapel. They see it when someone plans a living funeral and feels that the ceremony they held in life met their needs. They see it when families talk about value — not just price — and make choices that reflect their priorities, not tradition.

Cemeterians see it in the growing demand for flexible memorialization options. Cremation professionals see it in the questions about new disposition methods and witness cremation. Funeral directors see it in the desire for personalization, simplicity, or new kinds of gathering spaces.

Turning Questions Into Strategy

These are the real world decisions shaping the future of death care. And they’re the conversations our members have been leading long before this HBR case study.

They’re also the questions worth talking about — openly, honestly, and together. Every firm is wrestling with its own version of “What should our cremation strategy look like?” Some are rethinking service offerings. Some are exploring new partnerships or spaces. Some are trying to articulate value in ways that resonate with today’s families. And many are simply trying to figure out where to begin.

CANA exists for exactly these conversations. Our community is a place where professionals compare notes, share dilemmas, test ideas, and learn from one another’s experience. If the themes raised in the case study echo challenges in your own business — or spark new questions — we want to hear them. Your insights, your uncertainties, and your strategies are part of the collective wisdom that strengthens this profession.

As cremation becomes the preferred choice nationwide, the need for thoughtful dialogue and shared learning only grows. CANA’s mission is to be the trusted authority and educator on all aspects of cremation — and that includes helping you shape the plans, policies, and practices that will carry your organization forward.

The HBR case study may be fictional, but the questions it raises are real — and our members are already answering them with creativity, compassion, and clarity. That’s something worth celebrating.

For more than 105 years, CANA has created space for professionals to share what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s keeping them up at night. That longevity isn’t an accident — it’s proof that when cremation professionals, funeral directors, and cemeterians come together, the profession moves forward.

If the questions raised in this piece are ones you’re wrestling with too, CANA's 108th Annual Convention this August is designed for exactly these conversations. It’s where people compare notes, test ideas, and build strategies they can take home. We wouldn’t ask you to step away from your business in the middle of August without good reason — and the reason is simple: the conversations happening there help shape the future of cremation care.

We hope you’ll join us in Minneapolis this August 12-14. See what we have planned and register: cremationassociation.org/CANA26

Designing a Roadmap for the Business of Cremation

4/22/2026

In 1980, my brother and I were joining my father in our family traditional funeral business in South Minneapolis. Like many funeral home families, we lived in the apartment upstairs. upstairs.

We were a small funeral home in comparison to the competition in our city. The first time we even served more than 100 families a year was in 1976. The cremation rate in the early 80s was under 6% of all deaths.

In Minnesota, we did not have anyone to learn from or copy what they did. Knowing we needed to meet people who were in this type of business, we joined CANA, where we not only learned about some of the processes itself but were able to meet a lot of people involved in the business.

East Coast

Every year in January, my brother Mark and I would meet up with Jerry Sullivan (CANA Past President and president and owner of the Cremation Society of Illinois who died in February) in a different area of the country where there were more cremations taking place than in our own market area. We went to the west and east coasts, where the cremation rate was higher than ours to learn what they were doing there.

When we arrived in Florida, we went to National Cremation Society to meet up with Les Dyer, a CANA past president. Les introduced us to the manager of the location and explained how they served families. This was just after the National Cremation Society was purchased by Service Corporation International.

West Coast

When we went to California, we visited the Telophase Society of Southern California. Before going, we had several conservations with Tom Weber, the founder of Telophase. Tom was very open with us, offering to help with any questions that we had about how he started the business and the difficulty he had when his own father had died, including the problems he ran into getting his father cremated. It was interesting to hear Tom's stories about fighting traditional funeral homes and getting licenses for his business when he was first starting. Some of the ideas Tom shared with us are still in use today.

Heading up the California coast, we toured Neptune Society of Northern California in San Francisco. It was owned and operated at the time by Richard Johngorden. The interesting concept that Richard had was to provide a boat that families could travel on to scatter the ashes in the ocean. State regulators required him to go three miles off shore to scatter. Although he had a large business, Richard did not offer any extra items for sale to these families. There were no register books or cards or anything to help with a service.

The one thing we had that the businesses we visited did not was a chapel for services. The people we visited with did not like the idea of working out of a funeral home. They all had store fronts with only offices.

Homegrown Growth

In 1982, we installed our first crematory in our chapel. Being the first to install a crematory in the city was no problem at the time. However, shortly after we put ours in, the city changed the ordinance to restrict crematory installation to either cemetery or industrial locations.

Over the years we experienced steady growth. When we sold the business to Foundation Partners in June of 2017, we had grown to five locations, all with chapels to serve families. We had crematories at three facilities, with one remote location for our overload cases, and a total of eight retorts for us to use.

In those forty years, we grew the business to 5,500 families served a year. Our growth was consistent year-over-year, with a large prearrangement base.

This would not have been as successful as it was without a great group of people working with us. Also a lot of advertising in Minnesota. The goal was to have Cremation Society of
Minnesota be the name people thought of when choosing cremation.

CANA Past President and cremation pioneer Kevin Waterston shares a look back at the development of his ground-breaking cremation business. The 150th anniversary of modern cremation is a chance for all of us to reflect on where we've come from and where we're headed. You're invited to share your own reflections and you might see your story in a CANA publication!

Looking for a trip with innovative ideas and inspirational colleagues? CANA's 108th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention heads to Minneapolis this August 12-14, 2026, welcoming cremation professionals from across the continent and hosting inspiring speakers, innovative suppliers — and even a tour of local facilities! See what we have planned and register today for CANA's 108th Convention.

This post originally featured in Volume 62, Issue 1 of The Cremationist, CANA's members-only magazine. Not a member yet? Your firm can become a CANA member for just $539 to access all that CANA has to offer. Learn more and join today!

Kevin Waterston is a lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota Department of Mortuary Science and lived above the family funeral home until he was 21 years old. Along with his brother, Mark, he founded the Cremation Society of Minnesota in the early 80s, which they sold to Foundation Partners Group in June of 2017. Kevin is a past president of CANA. He currently serves on the advisory board of Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago. Kevin is also on the Community Advisory Board of Foundation Partners Group.

Value: Driving Cremation Choice

4/8/2026

When modern cremation was introduced 150 years ago, it was seen as a sanitary innovation — a cleaner, more dignified alternative to the slow decomposition people were accustomed to. Early advocates spoke of purification by flame, emphasizing health, hygiene, and progress.

As the practice took hold, its meaning shifted. The Memorial Idea emerged, and cremation became intertwined with artistry and remembrance. Cremated remains were placed in beautifully crafted urns, displayed in glass‑front niches, and housed in columbaria designed to inspire awe and reflection. Cremation wasn’t just a method of disposition; it was a way to honor a life with intention and beauty.

Over time, as cremation gained popularity, it also became more standardized. Arrangements moved out of cemeteries and into funeral homes, making it more accessible to both families and professionals. Government regulation introduced the term “direct cremation,” reinforcing a perception of simplicity — even when families’ needs were anything but simple.

From there, price became the dominant narrative. But the truth is far more nuanced. While cost plays a role for some families, many choose cremation for reasons that have nothing to do with affordability. They’re guided by practicality, by personal values, by a desire for flexibility, by the wish to gather in spaces that feel right to them, or by experiences like living funerals that shift the timeline of ceremony.

Price matters — but not always in the way we assume

For some families, the financial constraint is real and immediate. They simply cannot exceed a certain budget, and direct cremation with no services becomes the only viable option. That reality deserves respect and sensitivity.

But for many others, the decision isn’t about affordability — it’s about alignment. They have the means to choose something else, but they want to spend their money in ways that feel meaningful to them.

A family might skip a newspaper obituary or a floral spray not because they can’t afford it, but because they’d rather invest in catering for a gathering. They’re not rejecting ceremony; they’re redefining what matters most.

Value is the real driver

Consumers don’t always seek the lowest price. They seek the highest value — the choice that feels right, reflects their priorities, and gives them confidence in their decision.

This is especially true for women, who drive the majority of purchasing decisions. Research consistently shows that women gravitate toward brands that are practical, trustworthy, and make life simpler. They will pay more for services that help them care for their families and feel supported.

In this context, cremation isn’t a “budget choice.” It’s a values-based choice.

Families are redefining where and how they gather

Consumers seek memorable and personal ways to honor their loved ones. With the advent of the Celebrant movement, families are interested in personalizing how they come together to remember, memorialize, and celebrate their dead.

Another shift shaping cremation decisions is the growing number of venues offering memorial experiences outside the funeral home. Hotels, event spaces, and even long-term care facilities now provide celebration-of-life packages, catering options, and modern, flexible spaces.

Families who choose these venues aren’t necessarily looking for a lower price. If a venue offers what they want — and the funeral home doesn’t — families will follow the value. They’re looking for an ambience that matches their sentiments, functional space that meets their needs, catering that serves their palettes, and those other personal touches that elevate a service to an experience that honors their loved one.

Families aren’t opting out of ceremony. They’re choosing ceremony on their own terms.

Every family’s “why” is different

Cremation is not a single decision with a single cause. It’s a reflection of:

personal values
cultural shifts
emotional needs
logistical realities
and yes, sometimes cost

But above all, it’s a reflection of how people want to honor a life.

When we approach cremation with curiosity instead of assumptions, we open the door to deeper conversations — ones that help families feel seen, supported, and confident in their choices.

Cremation has never had just one meaning. It has been a sanitary solution, a memorial movement, a practical option, a cultural shift, and a deeply personal choice. Understanding that complexity — and listening closely to what families are really seeking — helps us serve with greater empathy, clarity, and confidence.

If this resonates…

The Cremation Choice course from CANA begins with a simple but powerful learning objective: explain at least six reasons why people choose cremation. Because when you understand the “why,” everything else — your conversations, your recommendations, your service options — becomes more meaningful and more effective.

It’s a foundational part of the CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist (CCS) program for that reason. Created for practitioners who view funeral service as both a profession and a calling, CCS moves beyond procedures and compliance to focus on the human elements that shape families’ experiences. The program helps professionals strengthen how they listen, how they communicate, and how they guide families choosing cremation with clarity and compassion.

Registration is open now through July 31. Learn more and enroll today.

The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is the only association dedicated exclusively to cremation. We meet where every aspect of this diverse profession intersects, representing cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories, industry suppliers, schools, students, and consultants among our more than 3,700 members. Since our founding in 1913, we’ve championed cremation as preparation for meaningful memorialization and supported professionals across every corner of this diverse field.

The History Of Cremation In Modern Times.

3/18/2026

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 2)

Continued from Baron De Palm’s Request. His Remains To Be Cremated On Wednesday.

note: paragraph breaks added for readability.

The subject of cremation was taken up with considerable interest in many parts of Europe about the beginning of the year 1874, in consequence of the publication of a paper on that subject by Sir Henry Thompson, in London, entitled “The Treatment of the Body after Death,” in which cremation was advocated principally as a sanitary measure. The slowness of decomposition after inhumation, and the consequent emanation of deleterious gases, and the infiltration of poisonous matter into the wells and water courses were dwelt upon at considerable length, and excited the fears of a large portion of the community.

The paper was translated twice into German — once in Cologne, and once in Gratz, Austria — and in consequence of this joint publication the Communal Council of Vienna adopted, by a large majority, the proposal by a member to establish in the cemetery the necessary apparatus for cremation, its use being optional and open to all.

Following this, the Communal Council of Gratz, a city with a population of 100,000, decided to consider a like proposal. The matter was then taken up in this country, and was largely discussed by the press, the public taking great interest in the question, as was manifested by the numerous letters written to the different papers by all classes of the more intelligent citizens, the majority of the letter‑writers being in its favor. A singular feature of this discussion was that the ladies of the country took great interest in it, and seemed to approve of the idea.

On March 27 of the same year the movement had become so popular in this City that a number of prominent gentlemen held an informal meeting in the rooms of Dr. Sexton, No. 12 West Thirty‑fifth Street, and discussed the propriety of forming a regular cremation society. After further consultation, it was decided that a society should be formed, and to this end a meeting, which was largely attended, was held in the rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association on the 3rd of the following month. The meeting was called to order by Dr. T. M. Welde, and Mr. Henry A. Stone was called to the chair, with Mr. Edward A. Caswell elected Secretary. Letters were read from Mr. D. G. Croly, Rev. O. B. Frothingham, Mr. Chas. A. Dana, Col. Henry S. Olcott and Mr. Henry Bergh, of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Committees were appointed and steps were taken to make the organization permanent, but the matter was allowed to drop, and no further meetings were held by the society.

Many of its members, however, are still in favor of disposing of the bodies of the dead by burning, and are anxiously awaiting the report of the first practical experiment in that direction in this country. This, however, will not be the first act of cremation practiced in the United States. In the year 1792 the body of Henry Laurens, the American patriot and statesman, was burned on his plantation in South Carolina, according to the express directions to his son, left by him in his will. They were very explicit and minute, and left the young man no discretion in the matter. Following is the full clause of the will:

“I solemnly enjoin it on my son as an indispensable duty, that as soon as he conveniently can after my decease, to cause my body to be wrapped in twelve yards of tow‑cloth and burned until it be entirely consumed, and then collecting my bones, deposit them wherever he may think proper.”

Very meagre accounts of the operation are now to be found. The most authentic now extant, however, which is given below, is contained in the New‑York Journal and Patriotic Register of Saturday, Jan. 23, 1793, now on file in the rooms of the New‑York Historical Society.

“The following extract of a letter, dated Charleston, S.C., Dec. 24, is taken from the Norwich Weekly Register of Jan. 14:

‘A few days since departed this life Henry Laurens, Esq., about seventy years of age, and his corpse was burned the Thursday after his decease. This was done by his son at the request of his father, who made this reserve in his will, that unless his son complied with this he should be cut short in any of his estate, which was worth £60,000. The ashes remaining from the body were taken up and put into a silver urn for that purpose.’

The reason Mr. Laurens gave for this desire was that his body was too good to be eaten by worms.”

Another account says that upon the occasion of the death of one of his children by small‑pox, and while the body was lying in the room, Mr. Laurens ordered the windows to be opened in order to admit fresh air into the apartment. The cool breeze caused the child to revive, and its narrow escape from being buried alive caused so great an impression upon Mr. Laurens’ mind as to induce him to determine that he would avoid all risk of meeting so dreadful a fate by having his body burned.

The funeral pyre was erected on a beautiful spot on the brow of a hill on his plantation, and the body, wrapped in cloth, as he had directed, was borne to the place on the shoulders of four of his favorite slaves. After being placed upon the pyre, incense and perfume were heaped upon it. The services were then performed and the torch applied. After the body had been reduced to ashes, they were carefully gathered up and placed in a beautiful silver vase that had been provided for the occasion.

The instances of cremation in modern times in Europe have been more frequent. The burning of the body of the poet Shelley, by order of the Tuscan Government, on the shores of the Mediterranean, by his friends Lord Byron, Leigh Hunt, and Mr. Trelawney, in 1822, is probably the best known. His ashes were afterward deposited in the Protestant burial ground in Rome.

In 1870 or 1871 the body of an East Indian Prince, who died in Florence, was burned by his attendants in the Eastern style, and his ashes were taken back to India. About one year ago the body of Alberto Keller, of Milan, was burned in a temple erected by his orders in a cemetery near that city. In 1875 the body of Lady Dilke, and that of the wife of an eminent German physician, were burned in compliance with the wishes of the deceased.

The crematory in which the body of the Baron de Palm is to be burned, in Washington, Penn., is of brick, one story high, with an iron roof, and is provided with three chimneys. It is divided into two compartments, the reception‑room, about twenty feet square, and the furnace‑room. The retort in which the remains are burned is seven and a half feet long, twenty inches high, and twenty‑eight inches wide. The furnace is beneath, and the whole is inclosed in brick work. While the burning is taking place, no odor will be perceptible, as all gases emanating from the body are returned to the furnace and made to pass over the fire, and are thus consumed.

In 2026, the funeral profession marks an extraordinary milestone: the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America—the sesquicentennial.

It all began in 1876, when Baron De Palm was cremated at the LeMoyne Crematory in Washington, Pennsylvania. That moment sparked a movement that has profoundly shaped today’s death‑care landscape. To honor this history, CANA is launching a year‑long series of articles, resources, and activities commemorating cremation’s sesquicentennial.

We invite you to join us.

This anniversary is more than a look back—it’s a unique moment for the profession to reflect on 150 years of change and envision what comes next. By participating, you help amplify a conversation that honors our history while advancing the future of death care.
So take a moment to reflect on where we've come, where we are, and where we're going. Then, share your story on social media and with us! Leave us a note on our Contact Us page about what this sesquicentennial means to you.

Republished from the original article published December 3, 1876 and retrieved from the archives of The New York Times:
BARON DE PALM'S REQUEST.;HIS REMAINS TO BE CREMATED ON WEDNESDAY. THE BODY TO BE CONVEYED TO WASHINGTON, PENN., THIS EVENING--DESCRIPTION OF THE FURNACE AND THE PROCESS OF CREMATION--THE ASHES TO BE PRESERVED IN AN ANTIQUE VASE--A SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION OF THE SUBJECT TO FOLLOW THE BURNING. SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF THE CEREMONY. THE HISTORY OF CREMATION IN MODERN TIMES.

Baron De Palm’s Request. His Remains To Be Cremated On Wednesday.

3/4/2026

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 1)

note: paragraph breaks added for readability.

The burning, or cremation, of the body of Joseph Henry Louis, Baron de Palm, Grand Cross
Commander of the Sovereign Order of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, Knight of St. John of Malta, Prince of the Roman Empire, late Chamberlain to His Majesty the King of Bavaria, Fellow of the Theosophical Society of New‑York, &c., &c., will take place as previously announced, at Washington, Penn., on Wednesday next. This gentleman, who died in this City in May last, shortly before his death requested Col. Henry S. Olcott and Mr. Henry J. Newton, whom he had named as the Executors of his will, to have his remains disposed of in this manner.

As there was at that time no furnace in this country in which the body could be properly burned, the Executors decided to await the completion of a crematory then being erected by Dr. F. Julius Le Moyne, of Washington, Penn., which it was thought would be finished within the year. The body was therefore embalmed, and after appropriate ceremonies conducted by the Theosophical Society in the Masonic Temple, Sixth Avenue and Twenty‑third Street, was deposited in a vault in the Lutheran Cemetery, near Williamsburg, where it now lies.

The crematory is now complete in all its appointments, and the Executors have made every arrangement for the proper performance of the ceremony.

The body will be forwarded to Washington this evening, by the 6 o’clock train on the Pennsylvania Railroad, in charge of the undertaker of the Roosevelt Hospital, who will deliver it to Dr. Le Moyne.

A committee of the Theosophical Society, appointed to be present at the cremation, composed of Col. Henry S. Olcott, President; Henry J. Newton, Treasurer; H. P. Blavatsky, Corresponding Secretary; and H. D. Monachesi, Recording Secretary pro tem. will go on the same train.

The remains, which are now inclosed in a rosewood coffin with silver mountings, will not be taken out, but will be conveyed to the place of cremation in the coffin, inclosed in a suitable box.

Before being burned, however, the corpse will be taken out of the coffin and wrapped in folds of white linen cloth, and will then be placed in an iron cradle, made for the purpose, which will be inserted into the furnace.

This cradle is so constructed that the ashes of the deceased will be kept separate and can be easily gathered after the furnace cools. Care has been taken to remove all offensive features from the operation. Besides the white cloth in which it will be enveloped, the body will be covered with flowers, and aromatic spices and gums, such as cinnamon, acacia, frankincense, and myrrh, will be strewn over it.

After the cremation, which it is supposed will occupy about three hours, the ashes will be collected and placed in an antique vase, procured for the purpose from the region of the upper Nile by Col. Olcott. This vase is of plain red clay, and has a short neck, with a handle on each side, and in shape is very like those recently found in the excavations at Cyprus. On one side of the vase a brass plate, bearing the name, age, and titles of the deceased, will be attached.

The ashes, which it is thought will weigh about five pounds, will be sprinkled with perfume before being inclosed in the receptacle provided for them, after the manner practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. There will be no services performed over the remains at the crematory, as the Executors say it will be simply and solely the act of cremation for the decent disposal of the body, which should have occurred immediately after the services in the Masonic Temple, but were delayed for the reason already given.

Col. Olcott, from whom the above information was obtained, said to a TIMES reporter last evening that, by the cremation of the body of the Baron de Palm in this country, one important point would be settled—that it would prove that there was no legal objection to the disposal of a body by burning.

All the forms of the law concerning the case had been complied with, and no difficulty had been encountered in obtaining permission to remove the body. He had not anticipated any trouble, he said, because in 1874, when the question of cremation was first agitated in this country, he and Mr. F. C. Bowman, of this City, had been appointed by the Cremation Society, formed in that year, to examine into the legal aspects of the matter. After examining the statutes, they found that there was nothing in them to prevent a man from disposing of his body by fire, and so reported to the society. Before the Baron’s body could be removed from the cemetery, however, it had been necessary to obtain separate permits from the Brooklyn Board of Health and the Health Officer of Queens County, in which county the cemetery lies. There was no concealment of the purpose for which the removal of the body had been asked, and, in Brooklyn, the undertaker was required by the Board of Health to make affidavit to the fact that the body was to be cremated.

Scientific Aspects of the Ceremony.

As the occasion was one of great interest to science in its historical, sanitary, and other aspects, Col. Olcott said that he and his fellow Executors had consented to have the ceremony performed in public. Invitations to be present had been sent to scientific men throughout the United States, and had been accepted in many instances. Among those whom he expected to be present were Prof. John C. Dalton, of the New‑York College of Physicians and Surgeons; Prof. Barker, of the University of Pennsylvania; President Orterson, of the Brooklyn Board of Health; and Health Officer Zink, of the same city. The medical department of Harvard University, the Boston Board of Health, and the Health Boards of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, New‑Orleans, and other cities would also send representatives.

At a meeting of so many scientific men from all parts of the country, Col. Olcott said he thought it would be well to have the subjects of inhumation and cremation discussed, and with that object had suggested to Dr. Le Moyne that suitable arrangements should be made for holding a meeting. Dr. Le Moyne had heartily concurred with him in the matter, and had secured the Court‑house of the town of Washington, and the discussion would be held there on the evening of the cremation. Among the practical and scientific questions that would be brought up would be included “Premature Burial,” “The Detection of Poisons,” “The Bearing of Cremation on Life Insurance Proofs of Death,” and the “Sanitary Aspects.”

The Theosophical Society, Col. Olcott said, had nothing to do with the management of this affair — it rested solely with Dr. Le Moyne and the two Executors. The society had no creed of any kind. It was no more than a scientific body, composed of humble students, who sought no notoriety, and who had had it all thrust upon them. They had no more of a common religious faith than they had of a common liking for a particular kind of sauce. Applicants for membership were never asked anything about their religious belief, except whether they believe in the existence of a God, for the subject of theosophy could have no possible interest for anyone who did not. There was just as much variety of opinion about cremation among the members of the society as there was about any other thing.

Article continues with The History Of Cremation In Modern Times.

In 2026, the funeral profession marks an extraordinary milestone: the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America—the sesquicentennial.

We invite you to join us.

So take a moment to reflect on where we've come, where we are, and where we're going. Then, share your story on social media and with us! Leave us a note on our Contact Us page about what this sesquicentennial means to you.

<<Previous

What an Intentional Rest Space Actually Looks Like

More leaders need to see that clearly.

Sacred work deserves sacred space.

First Impressions Matter

Questions Families Are Asking

The Conversation That Matters

Closing the Call With Care

A Journey Beyond Our Own Plate

A Global Conversation on the Road

What We Saw—and What It Means

1. Cremation Facilities Reflect Culture

2. Innovation Is Already Operational

3. Sustainability Is a Driving Force

4. Direct Cremation is Increasingly Global

The Value of Looking Beyond Ourselves

A Call to Engage

Closing Reflection

We Would Not Be Denied

Part of the Journey

Each one different, unique, special.

Shifting Expectations

“Am I allowed to teach cremation?”

Grief does not respond to efficiency

Adaptation Not Rejection

The Memorial Group in the Mirror

Easier Said Than Done

Turning Questions Into Strategy

East Coast

West Coast

Homegrown Growth

Price matters — but not always in the way we assume

Value is the real driver

Families are redefining where and how they gather

Every family’s “why” is different

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 2)

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 1)

Scientific Aspects of the Ceremony.

The Cremation Logs Blog

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