Santa Clara, California

Burial or Cremation?  If you are going to be buried, why not consider being buried at sea? Full-body burials may include a casket or sail-cloth wrap, and must meet specific geographical requirements: (1) at least 3 nm from the shoreline and (2) at least 600 m in depth. Rarely are burials at sea commemorated with memorials like the one below, which reads "Passed away June 20, 1992 & was Buried at Sea." However, a plaque may be attached to a memorial wall in a cemetery or church. Santa Ana Cemetery. [2020]

New Orleans, Louisiana

Burial or Cremation?  If you are going to be buried, one possibility is to be buried above ground. The most famous city for above-ground burials (though one wonders if the word burial is correctly applied here) is New Orleans, where the city's cemeteries have become star tourist attractions. The person buried in this vault was Étienne Boré, the first appointed mayor of New Orleans when the French acquired Louisiana from Spain, and the first mayor of New Orleans when the United States purchased Louisiana from France. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. [2014]

Waitsburg, Washington

Burial or Cremation?  If you are going to be buried, one possibility is to be buried underground. A memorial marker is not required, but if you choose to mark the interment, why not choose a marker that casts a shadow, rather than one that is flush with the ground? After all, shadows seem to be the handmaidens of death. Waitsburg Cemetery. [2019]

Austin, Minnesota

Burial or Cremation?  If you are going to be buried, one possibility is to be buried underground. A memorial marker is not required, but if you choose to mark the interment, the lawn-cemetery option is a popular one. The marker is flush with the ground, so that riding mowers can do their job efficiently. Grandview Cemetery. [2019]

Adairsville, Georgia

Burial or Cremation?  If you are going to be buried (without being cremated) there are three basic options: (1) burial below ground, which has been the time-honored method (except for those who could afford large mausoleums); (2) burial above ground, which is increasingly popular; and (3) burial at sea. Two of those options are represented here. Eastview Cemetery. [2013]

Energy, Illinois

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 0: That's right, again. You can't just take the ashes to the cemetery and bury them, at least without the blessing of management. Egyptian Memorial Gardens. [2015]

Norfolk, Virginia

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 0: That's right. It's not an option. You can't just take the ashes to the cemetery and scatter them. Riverside Memorial Park. [2012]

Cincinnati, Oho

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 3: Scatter the ashes. The advantage is that the deceased is immediately returned to the earth: dust to dust. The disadvantage is usually that you don't have a headstone for future generations to discover. However, here is an example of someone who has remedied that problem: a memorial that tells us where the ashes were scattered. St. Joseph's Cemetery. [2013]

Baltimore, Maryland

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 2: Bury the ashes above ground. The advantage is that you have to buy only a burial niche. The disadvantages are (a) you get only a small tableau on which to recount the person's virtues and (b) you get a home that looks very vulnerable to the vertical. Let's hope this is not an earthquake-prone area. New Cathedral Cemetery. [2014]

Chicago, Illinois

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes. Option 1: Bury the ashes below ground. Burial of cremains seems to be out of favor, however. The advantage is that you join your ancestors, most of whom are underground simply because that was the time-honored way of disposing of the dead. The disadvantage is that your remains will be underground and you didn't like that idea to begin with. What are the other options? Graceland Cemetery. [2015]