Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

When I am gone.

(126 Posts)
travelnan Sat 26-Jun-21 17:01:05

I don't wish to be morbid, but cannot decide whether to be buried or cremated. There are only my two daughters, my husband died many years ago. He is buried in the local cemetery and there is space for me their too. I just cannot make a decision. Funerals are a huge expense and as there are only my two daughters it does seem rather pointless. If I were to be cremated I suppose my ashes could be put in my husbands grave. What do you advise. I hope I have not caused any upset to anyone.

BlueBelle Sat 26-Jun-21 17:24:14

All my family have been buried and it never entered my head to not go for a burial I even bought my own plot to save my daughter (my other two have escaped u k ) having to do too much
Then ….
Last year I changed my mind, mostly because with only my daughter living in this town I could imagine my grave just being a pain to her to keep clean and looked after which didn’t seem at all fair and if she moved away,it would just be left
So
I sold my plot back to the council and bought a new gas stove I m now going to be cremated and my ashes can go in the beautiful sea I love so much

OnwardandUpward Sat 26-Jun-21 17:29:24

I see so many neglected graves. I never know if there are no surviving relatives or if they just didn't go there often- perhaps they moved away.

Glad you got a lovely new stove and are happy with your decision Bluebelle. Burial plots can be so expensive, too. I will probably opt for cremation for similar reasons.

Nannarose Sat 26-Jun-21 17:30:19

It depends somewhat on your beliefs. I think that this wonderful life on this beautiful earth is all there is. So I would ask your daughters what would be most helpful for them.

Juliet27 Sat 26-Jun-21 17:30:30

I sold my plot back to the council and bought a new gas stove I m now going to be cremated

Sounds like DIY BlueBelle

Juliet27 Sat 26-Jun-21 17:34:58

Cremation for me, and if my H is still around I’ve told him where I’d like my ashes scattered but I doubt he’d remember.

grandMattie Sat 26-Jun-21 17:35:42

I have told my family I want a “simple cremation”, no farewells, no church, no family. After that, they can have a church thanks, a memorial a big party… the choice is theirs. I don’t want money wasted on furbelows. I have never had many friends and never wanted a big fuss.
I would, however, like to have some sort of stone so that my great grand children, or whoever, can find me…

BlueBelle Sat 26-Jun-21 17:41:26

Julie how funny I didn’t realise it read like that ???not a bad idea though is it ?

Peasblossom Sat 26-Jun-21 17:42:44

My husband was cremated and his ashes buried in a Woodland Cemetery with an oak tree planted there. When I die I will be cremated and my ashes scattered in the same spot. Then we will both become part of the living tree.

I won’t have a funeral but the family can gather together then, if they want.

It was a big relief to realised I didn’t have to have a funeral.

M0nica Sat 26-Jun-21 18:22:32

I always wanted to be cremated but as I grow older and my love of the countryside, its past,present and future, the more I want to go back to being at one with it.

I have told my children that i wish to be buried in willow coffin in the graveyard of the church of the village where I have worshipped for nearly 30 years. I am not bothered about my children nurturing the grave or even vsiting, in fact it would all be part and parcel of going back into the earth and soil, I love so much.

DS is a professional archaeologist and I am the amateur version. Who knows in some distant time archaeologists may excavate my remians. I am thinking long and hard about what grave goods should accompany my body in the coffin.

winterwhite Sat 26-Jun-21 18:39:33

Wonderful idea, Monica. Re grave goods I mean.
Have started thinking already. My little old toy panda for a start. A corkscrew perhaps. A stapler might fox them.
But re the OP, woodland burial in a wicker coffin.

Namsnanny Sat 26-Jun-21 19:36:22

grandmatte yes I think a stone with family names on it is useful for those who follow behind.

JaneJudge Sat 26-Jun-21 19:39:04

Ask your daughters and consider what is important to you xxx

MerylStreep Sat 26-Jun-21 19:45:54

My body ( and my oh’s is donated to science)
They keep the body for 3 years then the family can have the body back to with as they wish.
My name will go in the hall of fame where all doners are mentioned.
I asked my daughter if she would like me back. Her reply: nah, what’s the point, it’ll only cost me money. ?
Fortunately neither of us have any sentimentality about bodies.

PinkCakes Sat 26-Jun-21 20:51:52

I've signed up to donate my body to medical science, so has my husband. My dad did that, and when he died at 81, there was no funeral, no coffin, flowers, undertaker, etc. We had a little service at the hospital chapel (my dad's brother was alive or we probably wouldn't have bothered) and a buffet at the local pub.

Kim19 Sat 26-Jun-21 21:02:06

Definitely cremation for me. No guilt trips for children not keeping a grave tidy or in good order (I think there might even be annual ground fees?) and no problem about ever having to leave any town I might be buried in on a permanent basis. I want them to continue to be free as air.

Nonogran Sat 26-Jun-21 21:50:50

My first response is “Save the land for the living “ and be cremated . However, since there is already a plot available, go with cremation anyway and be interred in the space available. Cremation is clean & worm free! Leave a note with your will for whatever you decide !

Luckygirl Sat 26-Jun-21 21:54:50

My OH was buried in the local churchyard, and it is a double-decker for me too. But I felt so relieved when my OH was at last "at peace" after all the misery he had suffered that I have told my DDs that I wish to be cremated and my ashes can go on the grave rather than digging it up.

greenlady102 Sat 26-Jun-21 21:54:56

what would bring most comfort to your family?

muffinthemoo Sat 26-Jun-21 21:55:36

Burnt and then a memorial launch by Aura Flights.

lemongrove Sat 26-Jun-21 21:58:05

Kim19

Definitely cremation for me. No guilt trips for children not keeping a grave tidy or in good order (I think there might even be annual ground fees?) and no problem about ever having to leave any town I might be buried in on a permanent basis. I want them to continue to be free as air.

Just the way I feel too.

Calendargirl Sat 26-Jun-21 22:11:39

I am going to be cremated. Not sure where my ashes will go.

So many untended, unloved, unvisited graves. Sad to see. But as people age or move away, country churchyards are neglected, unlike council maintained cemeteries.

grannyactivist Sat 26-Jun-21 22:51:46

It was always my plan to be cremated, but then when my son-in-law was buried I realised how important it is to the family for there to be a ‘place’ to visit and remember.

Now I have let it be known that I wish to have a willow (or similar) casket and a ‘natural’ burial under a tree. I am very close to my grandchildren and as family visits to the cemetery are the norm I think they will be quite happy to go and have a picnic on granny’s grave. smile

Shelflife Sat 26-Jun-21 23:06:20

Cremation for me , my wish is in my will. My DH wants to be buried. I just can't bear the thought of being buried!!!! Will ask my children to scatter me in beautiful woodland. Not for a long time yet - I hope !!!

Shandy57 Sat 26-Jun-21 23:07:49

My husband was cremated, and my kids said they would like somewhere to visit him, so I had him interred at the local cemetery. Unfortunately the cremation plots are very squashed together, but I managed to find a fantastic stone mason and had both sides carved, as the stone backs onto the path. When I die I will also be cremated, but I want to go into the North sea.