Cash-Strapped Grave Owners Seek Refunds On Plots
Some Families Facing Difficult Choices
POSTED: 6:13 pm EDT June 30,
2008
UPDATED: 12:28 pm EDT July 1,
2008
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BOSTON -- Tough economic times are hitting all aspects of life in the U.S., and in some cases death, as more families consider re-selling their pre-purchased cemetery plots in order to come up with cash.Some Massachusetts cemetery operators are reporting that buying, selling and consolidating of burial plots is picking up, with many families forced to make difficult choices. Some people who bought plots early are now trying to get refunds.
VIDEO: Some People Looking For Refunds On Cemetery Plots"It's approximately $360 to cremate a body at Forest Hills Cemetery. To purchase a grave, it starts at $3,850," said George Milley, of Forest Hills Cemetery.The crematorium allows for significant savings."I am going to be dead. I am not going to know," cemetery visitor Bentley Fane said. "(It sounds) like way too much money.""It seems like an odd thing to go get your money back on your grave. You might need it tomorrow. You never know," said Martha Moor, of Jamaica Plain."In this facility here, we have not seen a significant number of returns," Milley said.Advance payments for cemetery and funeral arrangements are slowing industry wide."People are choosing where to use their disposable income," Milley said."I always knew that this was home. I always knew that at the end I'd be back with my family, so I could never consider (selling) it," said Billi Parus, of his family plot.
VIDEO: Some People Looking For Refunds On Cemetery Plots"It's approximately $360 to cremate a body at Forest Hills Cemetery. To purchase a grave, it starts at $3,850," said George Milley, of Forest Hills Cemetery.The crematorium allows for significant savings."I am going to be dead. I am not going to know," cemetery visitor Bentley Fane said. "(It sounds) like way too much money.""It seems like an odd thing to go get your money back on your grave. You might need it tomorrow. You never know," said Martha Moor, of Jamaica Plain."In this facility here, we have not seen a significant number of returns," Milley said.Advance payments for cemetery and funeral arrangements are slowing industry wide."People are choosing where to use their disposable income," Milley said."I always knew that this was home. I always knew that at the end I'd be back with my family, so I could never consider (selling) it," said Billi Parus, of his family plot. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
