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Beating the business of death.
No, I haven't found the fountain of youth, but my mother has made a decision that will reduce the cost of her burial to $0.00. We have never been a wealthy family (lower middle class at best), but I think her decision resulted from a combination of wanting to save the family from the expense of a funeral, and her obsession with helping other people.
She plans to donate her remains to Dalhousie University. The Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, to be exact. They accept human remains, shortly after death, for medical teaching and research purposes only. Once they have finished with a persons remains, usually a period of one to three years, the remains are cremated and buried during a memorial and interment service at Dalhousie Garden Cemetery plot, at no expense to the family. The plot has a large, bronze memorial plaque that says "Here lie the mortal remains of those who donated their bodies to the furtherance of medical sciences at Dalhousie University. Beyond the sphere of earthly life, they have given of themselves for the good of others"
There will be no marker bearing her name, but that isn't something that bothers her, or my sister and I, in any way. In the 49 years since my fathers death, I think I have visited his grave not more than three times. I commend my mothers decision and am seriously thinking of making the same choice for myself.
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