FALL RIVER, Mass., Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Burial rites, by their very nature, provide survivors with a complete sense of participation. But in America, cremation has become a generic, industrial and disconnected process.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140203/PH56986-a)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140203/PH56986-b)
William "BT" Hathaway, a fourth-generation funeral director serving southeastern Massachusetts for over 20 years, observed this disconnection firsthand and decided to do something about it. This led him to create MemryStone, the only handcrafted ceramic cremation marker. MemryStones redefine how families and survivor groups interact with the process of cremation.
Survivors inscribe each stone with a message using a regular pen and transfer sheet, and then place the stone with the deceased to travel through the cremation process. The transferred words or images will later become infused with the ceramic during the cremation itself.
These markers return intact with the final remains, and in this way provide a personal form of identity confirmation and a lasting touchstone for a survivor's love and memory.
"There are more than a million cremations each year in America, most of them ending with an ugly black plastic box and a generic serial number. I think survivors deserve more meaning and peace of mind, even if they forego the complex rituals of the past," says Hathaway.
Multiple stones may be used so that each individual in a family has the opportunity for personal expression. Completed stones are taken to the funeral home or cremation provider of choice and are then placed with the person who has died prior to cremation.
"Having something tangible to cling to is in us from the beginning," says Rev. Angela Campbell, a hospice chaplain from Dallas, Texas, who gives her patients and families MemryStones to aid in the grieving process. "When we experience loss, we need permanence. Having the MemryStone helps us to know some things never end."
MemryStones come in four different colors and two different designs, and may be purchased by online at www.memrystone.com. The individually boxed stones are all shipped priority mail direct, and will arrive in most parts of the country within a few days. Overnight shipping options are available as well.
William "BT" Hathaway
Founder, MemryStone
800-886-3679
Email
P.O. Box 9293
Fall River, MA 02720