Cremation is cool! Wait, what?

We always knew that caskets were in the business of the dead, but who would have thought they’d ever become a dead business?

According to the Wall Street Journal, sales of caskets have been declining for years as more people choose cremation as their “burial of choice.” Of course, the recent recession isn’t helping the situation out either. Those who do decide to go with the traditional 6-feet-under-deal are purchasing cheaper caskets for the hereafter.

In response to the dying business (no pun intended), casket makers are starting to focus on producing and selling less expensive models while funeral homes are placing greater emphasis on cremation for clients.

Who can blame them when the pace of cremations in North America has grown about 1% each year? In 2008 alone, 36% of the departed was cremated, and in 2009, 38% of deaths were followed by cremation.

This may be why some casket makers are even getting out of the business altogether. Batesville Casket, the nation’s biggest casket maker and distributor, has decided that 2010 is a good year for them to make the shift from the funeral business to the factory equipment business.

And the coffin business isn’t much different. And yes, coffins and caskets are different – coffins have 6 sides while caskets are rectangular. Anyway, Coffin It Up, a custom coffin maker, reported that their revenue has decreased 50% over the last year and a half. The owners have seen a significant decrease in demand for their custom coffins, which are engraved or embellished with art and can cost up to $10,000 each.

As cremation becomes the preferred choice for many and requests for the service continue to rise, Sunset Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery is proud to not only offer cremation, but also to offer onsite capabilities. Though many funeral homes advertise the service, they may actually use other facilities, and sometimes use facilities that are far away.

To assure that local families’ loved ones always get proper care, the Herr Family installed an onsite facility more than a decade ago for families who choose to be cremated.

This way Sunset Hill Funeral Home, owned by the Herr Family, can offer peace of mind to families by ensuring that loved ones will never leave our care and will be provided the unparalleled service and trust that the Herr Family has prided themselves on for over 100 years.

With the addition of a full line of cremation products, Sunset Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery is your complete source for those that choose cremation. You can call it capitalizing on the death of the casket, or you can call it being ahead of the curve. Whatever you call it, be sure to call us if you’re considering cremation.

Dead or alive, don’t drink and drive.

The New Year usually brings a feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate, and all that jazz. And typically, this is a good thing, even for the funeral business. So why does it seem that 2010 is the year for crazy funeral home staff to come out of the woodwork?

Just a week after the ball dropped in Times Square, a hearse driver in California did more than drop the ball. He completely ruined his career, his trust from an entire family and community, and of course, we can’t forget that he scorched a hearse. Fortunately, there was no damage to the departed.

While on his way to the funeral service, the hearse driver first collided with a truck, and continued to drive erratically at over 65 mph regardless of a blown front tire. As the tire wore away and the metal wheel was grinding along the pavement, sparks started flying and the hearse quickly became engulfed in flames.

Fortunately for the family and the driver, the casket and contents were unscathed. The family and driver however, were anything but.

The one person who should have definitely been sober for the funeral was the one person that was drunk…and behind the wheel of the hearse transporting a family’s loved one to their funeral service.

According to ex-colleagues of the funeral home, the driver had a reputation for being rude and disrespectful to fellow employees as well as to the families and friends attending the funerals that he directed.

I guess that should’ve been a red flag.

Fortunately, the employees at Sunset Hill are not only reputable, but also trustworthy and respectful. In fact, the average Sunset Hill Funeral Home and Herr Funeral Home employee has been in the family business for at least a decade.

The Herr Funeral Home trifecta prides themselves on over 150 years of honest and quality service, always treating employees with the utmost respect, and always treating clients even better.

And most importantly, Sunset Hill and Herr Funeral Homes employees don’t drink and drive.  Instead, they are working to add 2010 to the many successful years they have had thus far.