Semi-Final Resting Places
Leased Gravesites Raise Some Eyebrows
You can read more about Death and Dying in the Encyclopedia here.
In certain European countries such as Germany, that sleeping place is only semi-permanent. The grave plots are leased in increments of fifteen years and renewable upon the families request. According to the Stars and Stripes Military Newspaper,
"Under German law, families lease grave sites for a specific period of time, usually from 15 to 30 years. And, if a family is unable or unavailable to renew the lease, the grave's contents are removed and the grave site reverts to state ownership and may be reused, German cemetery officials said."
This holds true for any U.S. service member whose life is ended while serving overseas and the family or the member decides to bury them there rather than fly the body home. The local VFW will tend to the gravesite for the fifteen year lease but then the body is exhumed and buried elsewhere if the contract is not renewed. Can you imagine?
Earlier this year, news out of Australia was that a leased graveyard had been vandalized by pranksters and "80 graves dating from the 1880s had been smashed, pushed over, chipped or destroyed completely." You can read the full story here.
Apparently, contacting the leaseholders is no easy task and the graves cannot be restored until the lease holders consent to the work that needs to be done. The cemetary estimated it would cost in the vicinity of $5000 to repair each gravesite.
I have always said that I know where I am going when I leave this old earth because it is not my home. I am merely an alien here - I intend on spending eternity with my Creator God. But, having said that, I did already purchase and pay for a spot in the cemetery to place my remains so that my family wouldn't have to worry about those details after my demise. It will be the final resting place for my old bones.
The idea of "leasing" a grave site seems a bit odd to me. Since death is permanent, wouldn't you want your final resting place to be just that or is a semi-final resting place good enough? You apparently have a choice or your family can choose since you will be permanently gone by then.
Source:
http://www.deathreference.com/Bl-Ce/Cemeteries-and-Cemetery-Reform.html
Published by Michele Starkey
Optimist who enjoys writing, laughing and spreading good news. If I have but one life to live, I hope to make mine memorable. My epitaph will read: she lived, she loved, she left. View profile
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64 Comments
Post a CommentI'm with you Michele, I'm going to be with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But that is really unthinkable.
Great job. I know there is a better place awaiting us.
there is a better place for us to go after we leave this world.
my husband and I are seriously considering cremation.
I wouldn't care, either. When someone passes, it's the intangible qualities that I like to remember.
A local man donated his body "to science." After one year, his remains will be cremated and returned to the family at no cost to them. Personally, I kind of like the idea of having my ashes scattered under a tree as fertilizer.
Well 15 years after I am dead I won't worry about an eviction notice.
greast article,good information,And I will be going home to my greator.
Great info for those who are thinking of a resting place over seas. I know they also in Germany make it necessary that the family clean and maintain the gravesite no one is paid by the state/country to keep up the cemeteries there.
Another very interesting but kind of creepy topic. My old body will be cremated but I still want a spot in a cemetery, just because, yeah I know because why? Great article.