Burying Family On The Farm

Burying Family On The Farm FARM HOME Miscellaneous 30-3-44 Ron Desens is the first of three generations to be buried on his family's central Minnesota farm. The idea of developing a private family cemetery on the family farm came to his wife Mindy after Ron's sudden death on the farm. "He had pleaded with his folks years ago not to sell the land to developers and told them why it was sacred ground," says Mindy. She recalls him joking about wanting to be composted and spread by the manure spreader on the farm's fields. While the two had discussed cremation, Mindy recalled hearing that Minnesota allows family burial plots. After talking it over with other family members, she approached Meeker county officials who approved the idea after walking the site. "There was a legal process we had to go through, so I made a list and then followed up," recalls Mindy. "The list included getting a title opinion, getting the plot surveyed and getting approval from the local zoning board." The family recognized that the process would take time. As her husband was not going to be embalmed, they worked with a funeral home and had the body temporarily interred at a local cemetery. When the process was completed, Mindy dug Ron's grave herself. Last October, nearly a year after he died, Ron came home to his farm during a private family internment ceremony. "We had an open house two days later, and people came to share stories and celebrate Ron's life," recalls Mindy. "He had been very active in a lot of organizations, including the organic movement." The plot overlooks a lake and will soon resemble a small park. This spring she will begin landscaping the site with trees and a garden area, having already planted grapevines and blueberries. The plantings, Mindy says, will be Ron's monument. "I feel farmers will appreciate knowing they can do this," says Mindy. She points out that while her county officials were helpful, a man in a neighboring county had to sue his officials to establish a plot for his family. He was required to establish an escrow fund for maintenance and meet other county requirements. Rules on establishing private cemetery plots vary by state and province. However, an increasing number of people are looking for alternatives, traditional and otherwise, to high cost funerals. Organizations such as the Funeral Consumers Alliance (800 765-0107); www.funerals.org/index.htm or Forest of Memories (www.forestofmemories.org/index.html) offer free information on consumer rights and alternatives. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mindy Desens, 66683 288 St., Litchfield, Minn. 55355 (ph 320 693-8449) or Funeral Consumers Alliance, 33 Patchen Road, South Burlington, Vt. 05403.

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