Cut-rate cremation improves options for grieving families

For some destinations, airlines offer low-rate fares. But if you’re looking for an economical, no-frills journey to a final destination, Joe Kinney is the man to see.

Kinney operates the Heartland Cremation & Burial Society, which he describes as a “store-front funeral home.”

The idea is that families need an unobtrusive place to research and explore cremation and burial options.

A virtual host at www.heartlandcremation.com guides visitors through what’s billed as the first interactive, video-driven media site for grieving families. From the privacy of a computer, a family can discuss options out of earshot of potentially pushy salespeople. The actual cremation facility is located at 1114 Wilkes Blvd.

“This idea or mentality is not very well known in Columbia. It’s called a store-front funeral home, which is a crass way to put it, but it specializes in off-site memorial services,” Kinney said.
Kinney said he is filling a niche.

“For us to take a million-dollar loan to build a nice funeral home and have all sorts of parking and staff, there’s no way possible to keep costs low to families. So we start from ground zero with all our expenses being as low as possible,” he said.

The facility, a nondescript, windowless, gray structure, consists of a narrow foyer leading to a low-ceilinged sitting room with red leather chairs, a throw rug and a few antique furnishings. There is tinkling background music. A Venetian blind opens to a small window that allows families to view the body being placed into the furnace, a feature not offered at other area crematoriums.

Kinney is dressed in loafers, slacks and a sports shirt embossed with the Valentine-ish Heartland logo. “People tell me they appreciate that I’m not dressed in some three-piece suit like they’re asking a banker for a loan or talking to an attorney,” he said. “We serve families of all economic backgrounds. Some have fallen on hard times, and for others it seems to be no problem to pay for the service.”

Kinney, who is from Macon, estimates that about half of Columbians opt for cremation, as opposed to traditional burials, adding that the philosophy behind cremation has been adopted by more learned people, those taking a pragmatic attitude about the limited amount of land available.

Basic cremation costs start at $895 for Heartland Cremation & Burial Society members who have phoned, faxed or mailed a one-time $35 non-refundable registration fee; costs start at $995 for non-members. The fee covers transportation from place of death, preparation of documents, refrigeration, help placing obituaries, cremation, and a black plastic box for remains. Prices escalate depending on additional services, such as coordination of church and graveside services, visitations, memorial folders, a guest register book and thank-you cards with envelopes.

Cremation at 1,675 degrees Fahrenheit takes three hours, with one more hour required for cooling, after which the remains are given to the family. Families can request same-day service. Pacemakers must be removed from the bodies before cremation. These can explode, causing damage to the furnace, Kinney said. Ashes are sifted to remove any surgical implants, such as those used in hip replacement, as well as bone fragments.

Urns—with names like “Statesman,” “Alexander” or “Going Home”—line one wall of the cremation facility, with prices in the $95 to $275 range. “Prices at other funeral homes begin at more than $275,” Kinney said.

A traditional off-site funeral service is offered for $4,295, including embalming, other body preparation, a one-hour visitation immediately prior to the funeral service at a church or other location, the use of an oak rental casket, and flowers.

The Columbia Heartland Cremation & Burial Society facility is a licensed affiliate, privately owned, acquired with a one-time purchase price from Andrew Loos of Raytown, Mo., the brainchild of the society concept, who has a similar operation. For an extra $300, Loos will spread the departed’s ashes in the Gulf of Mexico. “He takes a family vacation, and the ashes are scattered,” Kinney said. It is not a particularly popular feature; most Columbians choose sites closer to home.

Kinney was employed by Parker and Memorial Gardens funeral homes before striking out on this venture. He opened his own operation in 2003, doing embalming and cremations for other funeral homes—mainly out of town—before being licensed in 2005 to serve the public directly, he said.