Nov 7, 2007 6:09 pm US/Central
Memories In Stone: Couple Turns Ashes Into Benches
LINDSTROM, Minn. (WCCO) ―
For many Americans who have their loved ones cremated the question of what to do with the ashes can be a tough one to answer.
Statistics show that the number of people choosing to remember a loved one through cremation is growing. In 2006, about 30 percent of Americans who passed away were cremated.
Now, a Minnesota couple is taking cremation to new heights.
"After 14 years what could we give him back? And this way the memory will last forever," said John Laub.
John loved his dog Zack. So when the German shorthair passed away two years ago, his wife Patti got an idea.
"She mixed his ashes in with the diamondcrete, added a photo of Zack, and laid the stained glass pheasant, that's how it all began," said John.
News of Zack's stepping stone memorial quickly spread in the town of Lindstrom, Minn. Soon people were calling to see if the couple could do something similar with their pet's ashes.
The memorials started with house pets, and then evolved to include horses.
Recently, their business has taken on a new twist. They were asked if they could put human ashes into a garden bench.
"At first we were a little set back because most people have very traditional thinking," said John.
However, the requests kept coming and soon the couple obliged.
From ashes to benches; it's a unique business for John and Patti. And as far as they know it's the only one of it's kind in the country.
"Once a plug is removed we can actually set the box of ashes into the leg mold," said John as he described the process.
John and Patti leave it up to family members to choose the design for their loved one's bench. They say they are just happy to create a memory.
"It gives people the option of having something beautiful in their garden and keeping their loved one, whether it be their pet or their parent with them," said Patti.
Memories in Stones is the name of John and Patti's business and they say it them about six weeks to make a bench.
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