When William and Ruth Wolfe first talked about what to do with their bodies after they died, Ruth will tell you she wasn't too thrilled about cremation. But when her husband told her he wanted to be cremated, she thought she should be, too.
When William died in 2000, Ruth cremated his remains and scattered them in their church's memorial scatter garden, which was established in the late '70s and holds more than 100 remains. Ruth said when she dies, she will be cremated and buried near her husband of more than 40 years.
"My husband said he wanted to be cremated about 15 years ago," said Ruth. "I sort of cringed, but then he asked me, 'You do, too, don't you, honey?' I told him, 'Yes,' and that was that. I guess it really doesn't matter. I get to be closer to him."
Over the last decade, more and more Pinellas County residents, as well as those across the state, are choosing cremation for themselves and the bodies of loved ones. Rather than the traditional burial ceremony, the remains of the loved ones are being scattered in memorial gardens, out in the ocean and in other places where they enjoyed while alive.
While the rate of cremation throughout the United States has only increased slightly during the last six years—nationwide the average is about 28 percent—the total number of cremations in Florida has increased by more than 5 percent. According to the Florida Vital Statistics Report, cremation has increased by 3 percent in Pinellas County. And the cremation rate in the county is about 20 percent above the state average.
According to the Cremation Association of North America, the rise of cremation is due to several trends, including: increase of cremation acceptance, environmental consideration, weaker ties to tradition, less regional loyalty and the elimination of religious restrictions.
According to some local crematorium directors, the primary reasons people are choosing cremation over traditional funeral are because it's less expensive and simpler. They also said that some traditional rites and beliefs are beginning to disappear.
Rick Kraus, vice president and general manager of Premier Transport and Crematory Services in Pinellas Park, said the trend of cremation is growing significantly.
Kraus said he cremates some eight to 12 bodies a day, more than five years ago.
Terry Brett, funeral home director of Brett Funeral Home and Cremation Services at 4810 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, said that in 1999 about 40 percent of his total services were cremation. Brett predicted that this year about 65 percent of his services would be cremations.
The rise of cremation is forcing the funeral home industry to adapt. Currently, there are about 80 funeral homes and cremation societies in Pinellas County. According to the Pinellas County Environmental Protection Agency, there are nine crematoriums with current permits.
"In the past, cremation was looked at as the enemy," Brett said. "But [the funeral industry] is now trying to embrace cremation as another opportunity to provide a different level of services to families."
Brett said he believed the number one reason for the rising trend of cremation is cost. Traditional burial service could cost between $6,000 to $20,000, depending on the cost of a casket, embalming and a burial plot. And since Pinellas County's residents come from other states, cremation is more practical than shipping a body across country.
Brett said cremation costs from $2,000 to $2,500 depending on the type of urn and whether the family wants to have a memorial service as well.
"There is a changing trend in general," Brett said. He said people are also being more conservative with how they spend their money.
Wolfe said cost was a major factor for her and her husband's decision to be cremated.
"Why should we spend five to six thousand dollars of our money to put someone in the ground?" Wolfe said. "The money older people have left, they want to give to their children or grandchildren. They don't want to spend it on a coffin."
Brett said he didn't believe in the environmental argument that cremation will preserve space and land. But he did say he thought that loosening religious restrictions were a factor.
The Roman Catholic Church began to be more accepting of cremation around the time of the Second Vatican Council.
The majority of Brett's business comes from area Catholics—about 90 percent.
Today, very few religious groups forbid cremation. For instance, Muslims and Orthodox Jews prohibit cremation. Hindus, Buddhists and Reform Jews have endorsed it.
Krause said that many people will gather at the crematorium to watch their loved ones be cremated.
"Many of them will videotape the whole process," Krause said. "And sometimes a family will push the button and start the oven."
Krause said he's seen a rise in many families wanting to witness the process of their loved one's cremation because of a recent cremation scandal in Georgia, in which a crematorium was accused of not cremating more than 300 loved ones.
Krause said one to 10 families a month come in and watch the process. He charges $50 for the viewing.
"With the stuff that happened in Georgia, more and more families are wanting to come in here," he said. "We open up the box and let them have time with the body. They just want to make sure it's their loved one."
Although Wolfe belongs to the Episcopal Church, which has traditionally viewed cremation positively, Wolfe said she grew up thinking cremation was immoral.
"A few years ago nobody did [cremation] because it was considered a horrible thing," Wolfe said. "I really didn't know when I was a young person, I didn't know whether it was immoral or not."
But as Wolfe began to age, she said her feelings began to change.
"As you get older, it doesn't matter as much," Wolfe said. "Your beliefs change when you get older. I believe when you die, your soul isn't there anymore. The body is just an engine for your soul."
The trend toward death as a celebration of life also plays a role. More and more people are having memorial services rather than wakes.
When Donna Hoffman cremated her uncle in 1992, she held a "party" in his honor. Hoffman's mother and father have also been cremated. She said their ashes were scattered around a cross in Illinois.
"Cremation is the way to go, because it honors the person," Hoffman said. "Instead of a wake and seeing the body in a casket, it's sort of like a party. It's just so wonderful."
Deep-sea captain Dave Zelewski has experienced the trend of cremation rise significantly through the years. For the past 18 years, Zelewski has chartered his sea fishing boat to families so they can take the remains of loved ones out to sea.
Known as the Scatter King, Zelewski makes the trip into the Gulf with families about twice a week. He also takes remains that have been unclaimed by families out to sea for funeral homes every other week. By federal regulation laws, Zelewski is required to go at least 3 miles into the sea before dumping the ashes.
Zelewski said he offers families the opportunity for a memorial service and a certificate detailing the exact location of where the remains were dropped.
Zelewski said when he takes a family out to sea he anchors the boat before dropping the ashes. He said he does it out of respect and so the wind won't blow the ashes with as much force. He also said he does it because it is something he would want done.
Many of Zelewski's customers are repeats. He said he often takes a husband out to scatter his wife's ashes-later the children will return to scatter their father's ashes, so he can be with his wife.
Zelewski said his most memorable trip was when a grandmother passed away and the daughter and five grandsons scattered the remains into the sea and then went deep-sea fishing.
"Right when I was coming in to dock the boat, the mother came up the fly bridge with me," Zelewski said. "She told me that this was the most wonderful thing ever-two of the grandsons hadn't spoken in 10 years before the trip. The following two years, I took the family on a fishing charter."