North Vancouver funeral home to host free ashes-scattering ceremony
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 20:07:48 +0000
A North Vancouver funeral home will host a community scattering ceremony to allow individuals to scatter the cremated remains of loved ones in a memorial garden.
First Memorial Funeral Services and Boal Chapel and Memorial Gardens will host the ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 3, for those who haven’t yet completed the final memorialization of their loved ones.
“It’s common for people to have feelings of guilt or regret for not having already memorialized their loved one, and they are often at a place where they don’t quite know what to do about it,” said Kevin Mintenko, location manager with the funeral home. “Our community scattering event will remove those barriers and provide the peace and closure everyone needs after suffering a loss.”
First Memorial Funeral Services and Boal Chapel and Memorial Gardens is pictured in these handout photos.
A frequently cited U.S. survey conducted in Washington state and California found that one in five families have the cremated remains of a loved one tucked away at home, with no immediate plans for a final memorialization.
And as B.C. land prices rose in recent years, so has the cost of funeral plots, leading to an increase in families opting for cremation instead of burial. While there are no laws in B.C. restricting the scattering of ashes, individuals do require permission of the landowner.
The free community scattering event will take place Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. There will be a life celebration in the chapel before participants move to a landscaped cremation garden for the scattering. Community members not scattering are also welcome to attend respectfully.
Those wishing to participate in the scattering ceremony must first register by Oct. 15 by calling 604-980-3451.