Have you thought about how you want your final wishes to be carried out? If you are like a growing number of New Jersey residents, the thought of cremation may be a consideration. The New Jersey cremation rate reached 27.56 percent in 2005 (the most recent figures available), and is fast approaching the national average of 32.28 percent. That means approximately one out of every three people in the Garden State are choosing cremation. According to a study conducted for the Funeral and Memorial Information Council 57% of the people who choose cremation want some type of permanent memorial. More than 53% said they wanted a monument or an urn in a niche in a cemetery where loved ones could visit. To meet the growing demand for meaningful cremation memorialization, Restland Memorial Park, in East Hanover and Laurel Grove Cemetery, in Totowa, are installing elegant granite columbaria. Tiered columbaria are being installed in the mausoleums at Restland Memorial Park and Laurel Grove Cemetery. Constructed of polished black granite, each columbarium will offer 36 niches. They will be topped with three white doves soaring toward the heavens along a ribbon of stainless steel. For families that prefer premium cremation memorialization in an inspiring exterior setting, Restland Memorial Park is installing a black granite columbarium with 72 niches. Each niche will feature a solid black granite face and include bronze personalization. A life-size woman releasing doves sits atop the columbarium. “We want families who prefer cremation to know that they have choices,” explained Bernard E. Stoecklein, Jr., president and chief executive officer of CMS Mid-Atlantic, Inc., the company that provides financial, marketing and consulting services as well as business development processes to the cemetery industry throughout New Jersey and New York. “We are confident that the families we serve, will embrace this beautiful form of memorialization.”
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