A Quiet Presence

The artist sprinkled the cremains inside a 3-inch sphere of molten crystal during the glassblowing process, and the ashes were transformed into a galaxy of clear bubbles, encased forever in solid glass.

"My wife loved it," Williams said. "There's the heavy, spiritual stuff of the sphere shape, and the process captures and preserves forever the essence of a person. The whole family wanted one."

The artist's first experimental memorial proved so popular with family and friends, he now has a growing sideline business at his Cactus Glassworks Gallery in Claremont, Calif., creating what he calls "Crystal Eternity" spheres.

"We've had a lot of positive feedback from survivors," added Williams. "I'm also making small marble-sized spheres so people can carry memorials with them."

According to funeral industry experts, innovative home memorials like the Crystal Eternity spheres are becoming more popular as the national cremation rate rises. The Cremation Association of North America estimates the United State's cremation rate will rise from a current figure of 26 percent to 36 percent by the year 2010. In Florida, the cremation rate is already at 46 percent.

"With cremation rates increasing, it's becoming more socially acceptable to keep cremated remains in the home," noted Robin Moore, manager of new product development for Options, the cremation division of Batesville Casket Company in Batesville, Ind. "It's a way families can maintain a connection with a deceased loved one, but most people want unique products that don't necessarily look like urns."

As one of the largest manufacturers of caskets and urns in the United States, Batesville Casket Company developed the cremation division, Options, 10 years ago, to meet the growing demand for innovative home memorials. The company now offers hundreds of home memorial designs, ranging from vase-like cloisonn urns to full-sized garden sundials, birdbaths, acrylic etched art and cast bronze sculptures -- all designed to hold either a small portion, or all, of a loved ones remains. Smaller "keepsake" memorials, such as cast bronze starfish and wind chimes, are designed to hold just a tiny portion of cremains and were created so several family members could have a personal memorial of a loved one.

When Benjamin Gofton saw the keepsake wind chime memorials at the Johnson-Pittman Funeral Home in Naples, he knew it was the perfect choice for the cremains of his mother.

"She loved wind chimes and had a lot around her house," he said. "I know she would like this."

Designs like the wind chime home memorials are intentionally discreet, added Moore.

"With most of our designs, no one but a family member would know that one of our sculptures or memento chests is actually a home memorial," she said. While many memorials have name or epitaph plaques, some are unmarked and blend easily with a home's decor.

"It's really up to the families," she added. "We're trying to meet the need for a more individualized and personal approach to memorials."

For Darcy Kidwell of Naples, Batesville's birdbath memorial was exactly what she wanted for her husband, Timothy Kidwell. The birdbath is surrounded by a butterfly garden and pond installed by friends in memory of her husband.

"I wanted him right here with me," she said. "It makes me feel more comfortable. I can say 'hi' to him when I walk by."

The ashes of Timothy Kidwell's favorite dog, Jaboa, are also in a separate section in the pedestal of the birdbath.

"That's the unique thing about this memorial," Darcy Kidwell added. "The memorial can be shared, or even moved, if necessary. Now Jaboa, his buddy, is with him."

Families searching for just the right home memorial have more to choose from than garden pieces and tabletop works of art. Many times friends give a gift of a tree or a shrub that become the focal point of a garden. Some people inscribe the names of loved ones into garden stones.

Although innovative memorials are becoming more available, few of the bereaved are aware of the choices until after a death, noted Alden Williams, general manager of Johnson-Pittman Funeral and Cremation Services in Naples.

"Most people are surprised at the variety of options," he said. "Within the last two or three years, home memorials have become more accepted. It can be a comfort to the bereaved to keep a loved one close."

A wide range of Batesville's home memorials are displayed in the funeral home's "Options" room to help families choose an appropriate memorial for a loved one.

"Years ago, we had just a small cabinet with a few choices of urns," said Jeffrey Macasevich, a funeral director with Johnson-Pittman. "Now we have many choices and can help meet the individual needs of each family. It's important to remember these memorials are really for the living, not the dead."

Memorials span spectrum of originality

Like other memorial companies, Batesville Casket Co. in Batesville, Ind., offers keepsake jewelry designed to hold a token amount of cremated remains in locket-type necklaces and rings -- a new twist on the Victorians' popular hair jewelry which incorporated hair of the deceased into memorial brooches and rings.

"There's definitely an increase in demand for more unique ways to memorialize loved ones," said Robin Moore, manager of new product development for Options, the cremation division of Batesville Casket. "The baby boomers are impacting this industry, just like they are impacting other industries. It's consumer driven."

A growing memorial market spurred the Meadow Hill Company Inc. of Fox River Grove, Ill., to offer memorial fingerprint jewelry in addition to their already successful line of fingerprint gifts. According to Adrienne Kalmes, director of sales and marketing, the company began offering "Thumbies" -- gold or sterling silver charms made from a fingerprint impression of a loved one -- five years ago.

"It was natural for us to move into the funeral industry," Kalmes said. "Because the Thumbies are very tactile, I think they are a comforting reminder of a loved one."

More than 800 funeral homes in the nation now offer Thumbies.

"These are truly individual keepsakes," added Kalmes. "There seems to be a new openness for considering unique memorials. I also think funeral directors are finally recognizing their role in aftercare and are helping grieving families by offering these options."

Spectacular -- and often expensive -- memorials are also available on the Internet. For a truly out-of-this-world memorial, the Celestis company can launch a token portion of cremated remains into space, with a lunar landing option available for a whopping $12,500.

Even memorial diamonds are now available, made from the carbon of a loved one. The Lifegem process, discovered in 2001, is only available through certified funeral homes or on-line directly from the Lifegem company in Chicago, Illinois. Lee Memorial Park Funeral Home in Fort Myers is one of only 11 funeral homes in Florida affiliated with the Lifegem company.

"I saw a story about Lifegem on TV and thought it was a great option for families who want to keep a loved one with them forever," said Michael Gendron, a funeral director with Lee Memorial Park Funeral Home. "We became affiliated with the company about six months ago and already we've had several clients who have ordered Lifegems. I think having their loved one with them always helps them cope with their loss."

Locally, ashes have been poured into concrete to make artificial reef balls composed of human remains and inserted into artificial reefs; 22 of those reefs have been permitted in the Gulf of Mexico around Collier County. The module cost ranges from $995 for a 4,000 pound module to $1,500 for a 400 pound module. Eternal Reefs Inc., a 4-year-old Georgia-based company, developed the concept and producing the balls for those sailors with the emotional need to be buried at sea.

For more information:

Crystal Eternity spheres: www.crystaleternity.com

Prices are $300 for a three-inch sphere, $400 for a four-inch sphere. Prices include a polished silver metal or black onyx base and plaque engraving. Crystal Eternity spheres are also available for pets.

Batesville Casket Company memorials: www.urnmall.com

Prices range from $165 for "Soprano" wind chimes, to $1,650 for the "Dolphins in Motion" cast bronze tabletop sculpture designed to hold a small portion of cremated remains or special mementos. Home memorials are also available through licensed funeral directors. Also at the "urnmall" site are home memorials for pets.

Celestis: www.celestis.com

Celestis provides space memorial services, launching a small portion of cremated remains into space. Options include: orbit around the Earth, starting at $995; launching into deep space for $12,500; or the Lunar Service, which launches remains into lunar orbit or onto the surface of the moon, also for $12,500. Stars can also be named after a loved one for $299.

Eternal Reefs, Inc.: www.eternalreeefs.com Eternal Reefs, Inc., a Decatur, Ga., company, offers options from internment in a "Community," for $995, to one's own family reef ball, the "Atlantis," at $4,995, sized to accommodate four sets of remains. An Eternal Reefs Pendant, with a small sterling silver Eternal Reefs symbol, can carry the name and coordinates of your loved one. $49.95 each.

Information: (888) 423-7333.

Lifegems diamonds: www.lifegem.com Prices range from $2,299 for a quarter carat diamond, to $9,099 or more for three-fourths of a carat or larger.

Thumbies: www.thumbies.com Prices are $169 for a 14-karat gold charm; $75 for a sterling silver charm. Necklaces are available separately. In addition to fingerprint impressions taken by a funeral director, Thumbies can also be made from old fingerprint cards. The impressions or images are scanned into a computer, a three-dimensional wax model is made, and the Thumbie is then cast using the lost-wax method.