By Mason Curran
Cremation will account for 40 percent of all final destinations of the deceased in Utah by the year 2025, according to a recent study.
The study, done by the Cremation Association of North America, shows that cremation is increasing in popularity as an alternative option to the traditional casket and burial around the country.
Projections were made for the years 2010 and 2025 based on data from final figures in 2000. The projection shows the figure in Utah to be 30 percent by the year 2010. In 2000, 17 percent of deceased Utahns were cremated.
Of the factors that lead people to choose cremation, cost was the most important according to survey data gathered by Worthlin Worldwide. Least important were religion and tradition.
The increase does not surprise some funeral directors like Susan Turpen, co-owner and funeral director of the Alternative Society of Utah in Lindon.
'We''re seeing an increase in cremations because people don''t have the money for the traditional way,' Turpen said. 'People also choose it because they are transient and they don''t want to leave them behind when they move.'
The basic cremation costs $625 at the Alternative Society of Utah. The fee includes picking the body up, filing paperwork, the actual cremation and the return of the body in a plastic, temporary urn. The family then decides if it wants to purchase a different or more fancy urn.
'We help people in any way possible,' Turpen said. 'We''ll help those with financial difficulties to find the best solution without the pressures of a regular mortuary.'
A traditional funeral service, with a viewing, can cost up to three times as much as a basic cremation, she said. Though casket prices may be comparable, they do not include the prices for the property and vault at the cemetery.
There are two other mortuaries that offer cremation services in Utah County: Berg Mortuary and Walker Mortuary.
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Utah helps people plan and purchase the necessities for a funeral and serves as an educational entity for those seeking information. They also do price surveys for caskets, burials and cremations.
'We help people who want to be cremated and help them know where they can get it done,' said Joyce Mitchell, president of the Utah affiliate of the alliance.
Mitchell also wants to be cremated.
'I want to decompose back into nature, not in a box,' she said.