How will death rituals change in 10 years?
Today’s 20,000 funeral homes probably will taper down to 15,000, even though the number of annual deaths will increase 25 percent by 2025. That’s because cremation will be more common, only a fraction of funeral homes have a crematorium (there are 19 in the bay area) and people will expect more than a gloomy room filled with folding chairs that’s right out of the 1950s. We must be creative instead of just telling people they must have a wake with a body in the casket and burial in a cemetery. Otherwise we won’t be relevant. Already, we have competition from funeral event planners — they are like wedding planners — who are not licensed funeral directors but organize memorable life celebrations. Eventually, recorded digital memorial of someone’s legacy with pictures and testimonials stored online will replace the bronze marker with dates of birth and death. Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8252.
