Buried in Austin.... (Cleveland, West, Howe: condo, how much, high school)

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by RevMen

I want to be put on a rocket and launched into the sun.

Hmm, Hunter S Thompson fan?

Build your own cremated remains rocket, just like Hunter S. Thompson « Digital Dying

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Creedmoor_Mom

INT ... I'm gonna steal that idea of being burned with a favorite book!
Except, I'll be buried with my favorite Heinlein book!

How about "Stranger in a strange land"? Probably his best!

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by nickasarbata

I heard about LifeGem several years ago, and at first I thought it was really creepy and weird. But after thinking about it for a while, I think it's actually a really beautiful final stage of a life. I'm not sure I would want myself turned into a diamond... but (if I may make an extremely morbid statement) I think it would be a very nice "final phase" for my mother. Of course I'd never do it without her permission, but life has been hard on her, and I'd love if the final physical view we have of her were, instead of a tombstone or an urn, a beautiful sparkling diamond.

:-)

Incredible concept...and, if we could say all we need to say, and give all the love we have to our loved ones WHILE they are still here(and we are). then a concept like LifeGem is all the more beautiful...BTW, do you wear those things like a ring? Not being morbid, just curious..

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Hmm, that would be Job for me... but I'd be worried it's sacrilegious...

Not anymore than being buried with a burned copy of "Ecclesiastes", prob the most profound thing ever written outside of Shakespeare....was written by man, though in something we ended up calling the bible, so its fine...King Solomon wrote much of that, and he was just a man like all of us

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by RevMen

I want to be put on a rocket and launched into the sun.

Hunter Thompson and Carl Sagan did that, but not quite into the sun..at least Sagan hasn't arrived there yet....

RevMan, you owe it to yourself to watch this..I hate to say this, but Hunter pulled a Hemingway(self-administered)...but he did have the after festivities well-plannedd, i'll give him that much..


YouTube - Hunter S Thompson Funeral

[RevMen]

As a native of Western Colorado, I am quite aware of much of Hunter's life and the events that occurred shortly after. My buddy's dad is a cabinet maker who worked in that area and claimed that he was shot at by Mr. Thompson once. The Flying Dog Brewery, associated with Ralph Steadman, sold a special Gonzo Brew with a limited number of bottles, one of which had a ticket to Hunter's funeral. He was a true American.

I'm also a huge fan of Carl Sagan. I've never heard anything about his remains heading to a far destination, I don't think that's true.

[twange]

I've been putting off posting on this thread all day but it really stuck in my head as I'm currently going through a similar experience and thought I might share my perspective.

Both of my parents passed away recently within 8 months of each other and while this has been an overwhelming, multi-layered experience in every way (emotional, psychological, financial, legal...) the decision of their final resting place has been very difficult and I'm ashamed to say that my sister and I have sort of avoided it. Their cremains are currently residing inside sealed marble urns, placed in a beautiful 1930s curio cabinet in their house (my childhood home) which is currently on the market waiting to be sold. In a strange way, it has been a comfort thinking of them still there in the house. Sorry if this sounds creepy but we often grasp at flimsy notions while grieving.

Understand that both my sister and I live in different states from our birthplace and parents (suburban Cleveland, Ohio) and so dealing with all of the nuances, surprises and mysteries of someone's business and personal affairs from afar is draining and daunting. I have been back and forth to Cleveland almost 10 times since January. Not good for my health, job or marital relationship, although I must say the support from my wife, family and friends have been profoundly crucial.

My mother made it fairly clear when she was dying, that she wanted some of her ashes sprinkled in Florida (where they have a beloved residence) and the rest to be interred in her hometown of Altoona PA. But then she added, "I don't really give sh*t, whatever you kids want" We were just staggering out of the fog of her loss when my father took ill and passed. He (also from Altoona) never made it very clear what he wanted - he was the kind of guy who didn't think it really mattered - but he was talking a lot about body farms...sorry Dad, just couldn't do it

Anyway, we'll probably sprinkle some in Florida and inter the rest in Pa in my father's family plot. It's close to where they were both raised and there are many family members still in the area. It will mean a lot to them. I'm of course conflicted about this because not only have I lost my parents but I'll be losing my own personal reference point of MY hometown. No parents. No house. No graves. No reason for me to go back there anymore, except to visit friends and most of them would rather come down here and visit Austin. I'll have to go to PA or Florida, places that certainly resonate with me but not quite like the place you were raised.

This whole process has really made me reconsider some of my previous convictions. I was never a fan of cemetaries: they sometimes seem wasteful, superstitious and a bit creepy. Attempting to preserve that which is no longer needed seems ghoulish and vain. Our bodies are just reliquaries, containing the essence that some call souls. When they are no longer needed, they no longer hold that which we cherish. However, I do enjoy walking through them sometimes and reading names and dates, imagining who these people were and the times they lived in. And the thought of someone, someday reading my parents names and thinking about who they were comforts me somehow. They were beautiful, caring, generous people. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense but neither does death and mortality.

Anyways, sorry for the book and the public outpouring of my life For my part, cremation for sure and sprinkle my ashes someplace mindful of me and the life I lived.

[Creedmoor_Mom]

Originally Posted by inthecut

How about "Stranger in a strange land"? Probably his best!

I Grok!

Then there's always D.D. Harriman's funeral in Requiem Delos D. Harriman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Which I hope will be done for Heinlein himself ... at least the ashes & the shipping tag part.

I've also thought about donating my body to science ... like to the forensic science body farm in San Marcos. If my carcass can help forward our knowledge, I'm all for it!

My granddad passed away 4 yrs ago. As a WW2 vet, he was eligible for military honors & his cremains were "buried" at sea in the Pacific on Memorial Day off the USS Ronald Reagan. As our family had no place to go to sit & "talk with dad/grandpa," we all chipped in & purchased a plaque at the WW2 War in the Pacific Museum in Fredericksburg. Grandpa's memorial plaque was dedicated later that fall with the assistance of the good folks of the Nimitz Museum. Since I'm the only family in Texas, I've taken it upon myself to place flowers at Grandpa's plaque each Memorial Day. His plaque is close to the Japanese Peace Garden which gives us a place to go sit and quietly contemplate life after our little memorial ceremony.

My father says it very succinctly, "I'm not using my body anymore, so you can do with it what you want." Mother usually rolls her eyes at him about then .... but he has a valid point. Cemetaries & such are not for the deceased, they are for the living so they can have a place to go to & remember their loved ones.

[ROY DUBOSE]

Originally Posted by nickasarbata

I just had a conversation about this with my mom yesterday. I'm getting ready to move to Austin from NYC. My mom lives in Iowa and is in pretty poor health. She has no family left in Iowa (where she's lived her entire life), and she's considering moving down to Austin when I go, so that we're closer to each other. As we were talking about neighborhoods and house prices etc., she suddenly said, "But when I'm dead you better not leave me in Texas! Take me back to Iowa!" I guess it's normal that people want to be where their family is, and most of her family is buried up there. It seems that the ultimate sign that you've moved to Texas and you're here to stay is that you decide to be buried here!

similar thought process for my parents who had lived in the texas panhandle for a number of years -- when mother passed in december, daddy had her burial in san antonio because this area is close to their family's plots -- guess it's easier to go for a visit when so many are in close proximity as opposed to being in bfe -- he'd like to return to central texas but probably won't be physically able for us to make it happen -- in the interim, he's bought a new car (2010 Camaro -- he's 89) and travels the state visiting friends (old and new) and family

[sinking]

Just set my corpse out on bulk trash day.

If bulk trash day has already passed put a sign on me that says "FREE" and I'm sure someone will come around and toss me in the back of their pickup.