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Show Page 10 Signpost September 28,1979 Inflation rises irom t lie dead by Beverly Dying in Utah has become the third largest financial expenditure next to buying a home and a car. Most people only have to arrange a funeral on the average of once every 15 years, and they are totally ignorant of what to expect, what to avoid, and how much to spend. People rarely feel disposed to comparison shop when in the market for a funeral, and are usually forced to buy impulsively and quickly. In the late 19th century an undertaker's bill came to $19. The reason the price of dying has increased so much is the profession is flooded. During the past 35 years, the death rate has gone down while the profession has increased. This has caused an unfavorable situation for the funeral industry. In order to make a living out of a thinly distributed small volume of business, the funeral industry must sell more goods, and more expensive goods to their customers. According to a study done by Marty Patterson, former WSC student, in 1977, the average cost for a funeral in the Ogden area was around $2,300. The average of the figure was compared to prices from six funeral homes in the Ogden area. A breakdown of the study cost is: casket and professional, services, $1,195; vault, $170; cemetery plot, $50; opening and closing of grave, $70; outer closing, $150; under clothing, $10.75; obituary, $32, casket spray of flowers, $60, embalming fluid, $6, double headstone, $429.95, two vases for headstone, $40, and sales tax, $77.31. Total Ft MOR ALS are the third largest financial burden an individual their lifetime. Taggart amount is $2,291.01. Patterson, who minored in Anthropology at WSC, said that due to inflation, the average funeral costs would now probably amount to around $3,000. The coffin is the most expensive item. Professional sei-vices include: staff assistance in the removal of the body from home or hospital to the mortuary and finally to the cemetery. Also included in the costs are embalming, restoration, recording of all certificates, and personal supervision of all arrangements. The funeral industry is available 24 hours. In order for an undertaker to make money, he lmust discourage his customers from buying inexpensive caskets. One mortuary in Ogden stores its expensive caskets in a room filled with velvet and music that sounds as if it comes from heaven. However, its cheaper coffins are downstairs with the sewer pipe clanking every time someone flushes the toilet upstairs. The plaster is cracked and the carpet is stained. Another mortuary in the immediate area keeps its cheaper coffins in the garage with the lawn mower and garbage cans. In other mortuaries, caskets are never displayed in order from the cheapest to the most expensive because dollar comparisons are too easily made. Metal caskets are more expensive than wood coffins so morticians try and sell metal coffins to customers who want their loved ones cremated. People who are not prepared for death and funerals, rarely consider the fact that metal far COFFJJNS lie open, awaiting the presence of potential customers in a business items, representing a major part of mortuary sales. coffins won't burn. Utah also has no law that requires embalming. No religious doctrine recommends it, nor is it dictated by considerations of health or sanitation. Yet some morticians in Ogden can embalm a body one half an hour after the person has died. Before a law was passed, some morticians didn't even wait for permission from the immediate family to embalm. Embalming a body for health reasons is a bunch of hogwash. The embalming fluid does not kill bacteria. Also, since a dead body does not excrete, perspire, inhale, or exhale it is not unhealthy or unsanitary like undertakers would like to make you think. Large groups of medical students often view autopsies with no fear of catching any disease. Embalming bodies for reasons of sanitation is one of the undertakers' major justifications for embalming, but is unnecessary. Another justification for embalming is for grief therapy. Undertakers like to believe that mental and emotional solace for bereaved families is achieved when they view the embalmed and restored remains of their loved one. This is also known as viewing a beautiful memory picture. Embalming is very important to morticians and it provides the very foundation for mortuary service. It is what has made possible the huge expansion within the funeral industry.After embalming, the undertaker then becomes a sculptor and cosmetician. If hands, etc., are missing, they can be replaced with plaster of paris. Only the back of the hand is needed, For missing lips, noses, ears, etc., a variety of waxes are available. After restoration, cosmetics are applied to the body. Concerning lips, embalmers like for the lips to appear ever so slightly parted; the upper lip protruding for a more youthful appearance. This is difficult because the lips tend to drift 1 remedied by inserting a pin through the inner margin of the lower lip, and then stuck between the teeth. Now the body is shaved, washed, and dressed. Cream is applied to the hands to remove grime if the person was a laborer. The nails are cleaned, trimmed, and manicured. The hair is shampooed and set. For positioning the hands, a special rubber positioning block can be used, and the hands are cupped. Now the body is ready for "casketing." The right shoulder is slightly depressed which turns the body a bit to the right. This gives it a softer appearance than if it were to lie flat on its back. Next, to the slumber room where a few last touches are added like a favorite pipe, jewelry, etc., and finally the body is ready for viewing. Embalming does not preserve a body when its laid to rest. In order to preserve a body, a very strong embalming fluid would have to be used but the result is a body that looks more like old shoe leather. The milder the embalming flud, the more natural a body looks. Bodies are embalmed only for the funeral and for the benefit of the family. Soon, bodies begin to decompose. An exhumed embalmed body is a repugnant, moldy, and foul-looking object. The silk lining of the coffin is stained with body fluids, the wood is rotting, and the body is covered with mold. The body itself is still intact. Anaerobic bacteria will thrive if the body has been buried in an air tight sealed coffin. The average charge for embalming a body in the Ogden area Another mortuary in the immmediate area outside Ogden keeps its cheaper coffins in the garage with the latin mower and garbage cans. " -. A 1 31 local mortuary. Coffins are big is $80. This includes $6 for the embalming fluid. It takes an undertaker a half an hour to embalm a male that weighs 170 pounds. Undertakers, as a rule, collect their fees as quickly as possible, for grief soon subsides, and the older a bill gets, the harder it is to collect Funerals" don't have to cost a lot of money. You can be cremated in Ogden for around $110, or you can leave your body to the University. A family can also save money by having a grave-side service. When someone close to you dies, take someone to the mortuary with you who is not involved, such as someone from the clergy. You can help your family by writing your funeral wishes down on paper and giving it to someone who you know will carry out your wishes. You should also shop around for what you want. Remember, funerals are the third largest financial cost of your life. If you would like to investigate further, you can write to: Continental Association of Funeral and Memorial Societies, 59 E. Van Buren St., Chicago, 111., 60605. This soceity is a voluntary group of people who have joined together to obtain dignity, simplicity, and economy in funeral arrangements through advanced planning. For more information on the funeral industry, read The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford. apart. This can sometimes be |
