02/21/08 02:18 - ID#43416

fascinating!

You ever notice how cemeteries never seem to fill up? People die all the damn time, but there's always huge amounts of empty space in cemeteries. So I asked.

From: (e:zobar)
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 11:22 AM
To: flc@forest-lawn.com
Subject: Where does everybody go?

I think this is weird: people are dying all the time, but cemeteries never seem to get any fuller. Forest Lawn has been around for over 150 years, but there's still some pretty large sections that are totally empty. I know these are kind of weird questions, but: Where do you put everybody? About how long do you estimate before Forest Lawn is full? And then what?

curiously,
- Z

From: Betty Boyd
Date: Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Subject: FW: Where does everybody go?
To: (e:zobar)

Thank you very much for your interest in our Forest Lawn cemetery.

Currently we have 155,069 permanent residents buried here at Forest Lawn. We estimate to have burial space for at least 50 years or more.

Each of our full size graves allow for one casket burial and one cremated body burial, or two cremated body burials.

We also have available above ground burial space in our mausoleums. (this also conserves land space).

Forest Lawn was the first cemetery in our area to build a community mausoleum, and we are very proud of that. Our newest mausoleum is Serenity. We have crypts for caskets and niches for cremated bodies available.

We are always looking out for our future needs.

When anything is sold here, burial space, grave stone markers, benches, urns, crypts niches and the, a portion of the purchase price includes monies that have to be transferred to our permanent maintenance fund. We are regulated by the NYS division of cemeteries, and we must make this transfer. This will allow for the long term maintenance of the grounds and our facilities.

When we have no room left for burial space, we will then be somewhat like a museum. Folks will always have this beautiful park like place called Forest Lawn to visit, share memories, enjoy the nature, the art pieces and monuments left as legacy to be remembered by.

If you have any other questions, contact me anytime.

Have a good day.

Betty Boyd
Your Representative
Forest Lawn Cemeteries
1411 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
716-885-1600

On the one hand, it's a little weird that they refer to their customers as 'permanent residents,' but on the other hand I kind of dig it. So if they average about 1,000 new permanent residents every year, the total capacity for their 269 acres is around 200,000. That means they average about 60 sq ft per person, which is a lot more than I was expecting. [Much of that is landscaping and roads, but still.] So Forest Lawn is filling up at the rate of 160 sq ft per day, which is 10'x16' - kind of a lot, but not really noticeable when there's 60 acres to spare.

My name is Dave, and I am a weirdo who emails people to ask them stupid questions about their jobs.

- Z

fellyconnelly writes at 09:51:09 02/22/08 - Comment #31976: good question and a great job searching for the answers!

drew writes at 05:47:08 02/21/08 - Comment #31945: I think given the number of people who have died on this planet, we are already vulnerable to zombie attack. That's why zombies are so scary.

carolinian writes at 05:40:38 02/21/08 - Comment #31943: 150,000+ is more than half the population of Buffalo. If more people leave, there will eventually be more dead people in buffalo than living. And then we'll all be vulnerable to zombie attack.

jenks writes at 05:20:26 02/21/08 - Comment #31941: wow, apparently I have a lot to say on this topic, but I'll try to make this my last comment.

In italy (and probably elsewhere) where there are a lot of catholics and not a lot of holy ground to use for cemetary space, apparently when you buy a plot, you only get it for 10 years or something like that. After ten years they dig you up, and put your bones in a smaller box, and re-bury them in a smaller spot. Then re-use your original grave.

How efficient!

jenks writes at 05:17:42 02/21/08 - Comment #31940: I've had a few people ask for their parts back. Or at least to see them. We can show them, but we're not allowed (by law) to give them back. I think it's an infection control issue. But I guess they USED to give people their gallstones back all the time, and grossly enough, it was not all that uncommon for people to make them into jewelry. Mmmmmm. Gallstone earrings. That's some style right there.

zobar writes at 04:05:34 02/21/08 - Comment #31936: That's me in a nutshell - tackling the important issues facing Buffalo every day.

I've always thought that whenever they remove one of your body parts they should give it back to you. I mean, it totally belongs to you but they don't even ask you before they throw it in a garbage bag full of human organs and mail it to the dog food factory. But it was sort of a half-baked idea because I don't know what you'd do with your former organs. Now I do: put them in the pile with all your other dead body parts. Makes sense to me.

- Z

jbeatty writes at 03:40:27 02/21/08 - Comment #31927: I wonder how many temporary residents they have???

ladycroft writes at 03:20:53 02/21/08 - Comment #31918: You know, I had the same thought every single day I peddled my bike through there on my way to work/school. Now I know! Thanks for investigating.

jenks writes at 03:05:14 02/21/08 - Comment #31915: I love that place. And I'm not a goth-y, "cemetary person". But have you noticed that, just like in the real world, there are the nice "neighborhoods" and the less-nice ones? I wonder if you pay more to be by the pond, vs next to the road, etc.

And a total hijack- a guy at work was saying we spend so much on our burial plots, and worry about where they are, etc-- he thinks we should use them MORE. And he suggests than any time you "lose" a body part (a tooth, your appendix, a tumor, etc) you should bury it in your grave. So you can go visit your grave and enjoy the precious view you paid for, while you're alive. And then when you die, just put the rest in there. A reunion of sorts. I think I kind of like the idea.

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