The Moab Sun News recently chatted with Cemetery Sexton Robert Buckingham, who gave us the recent news from the graveyard.
Grand County Cemetery recently added 200 urn vaults at Sunset Memorial Gardens, colloquially known as the “new” cemetery by long-time residents, to expand the cemetery’s capacity.
The vaults are housed in two newly installed columbariums on the north end of the cemetery, alongside an older columbarium, and protected from traffic noise by stone walls.
The 8 acres of planted grass at the “new cemetery” have become increasingly full since it was established in 1959, impelling Buckingham to install the space conscious columbariums.
The old cemetery, Grand Valley Cemetery, also sits on 8 acres, with roughly 1800 plots.
“This acreage is what has to be used, in perpetuity, to bury our dead,” Buckingham told the Sun. “This is what we’ve got.”
The three columbariums will allow 300 individuals to be interred in a space less than 50 square feet, whereas traditional burials would require 15,000 square feet for the same number of individuals.
In addition to relieving strain on demand for burial space, the urn vaults will also conserve irrigation water otherwise used on extended grass plots.
“No matter what you do around here, you learn to respect water,” Buckingham said. The columbariums sit on slabs of rock, rather than thirsty beds of grass, while still offering families an option to decorate the space with flowers and enjoy solitude on benches.
Another effort to conserve water by Buckingham was planting fresh traditional burial plots with a strain of Kentucky Bluegrass called Triple Play—a drought-resistant breed.
Buckingham said that 70% of the customers now opt for cremation.
“Cremation is quicker, cleaner and more prevalent now,” Buckingham said. “The only drawback is the amount of energy used to cremate a body: 2 hours at 2000 degrees.”
But what cremation saves customers, argues Buckingham, is well worth the energy output. One niche holding two urns costs $1000. Avoiding embalming, burial, and tombstone costs, customers can save thousands.
“People can’t even afford to die anymore,” Buckingham said. “It’s damn sad.”
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