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Basement vaults recall funeral industry's past

Written by DeadGirl
Wednesday, 19 April 2006
Earth vaults in the basement of a West Side funeral home speak silently of the history of the business. Constructed in the 1920s, the vaults were used for storing bodies before refrigeration was commonplace and heavy machinery available for opening graves in frigid weather, said Richard Bishoff, director for Bartlett-Burdette-Cox on Tennessee Avenue. "It was a different day and time," he said. "At that time, most funerals were held in the home or church. Most morticians lived in the funeral home." An embalmed body could be kept in an earth vault for weeks at a time until the ground thawed enough for digging a grave, he said. Bodies were placed in the steel, concrete-lined vaults with steel doors. The vaults were located in the basement so the ground could serve as an insulator. "These are four feet deep," Bishoff said of the vaults. "Caskets were smaller. People were not as big." Over the years, modern day methods were incorporated and the funeral home expanded. However, the seldom seen and never used vaults remain in the basement. "They are built in," Bishoff said. He added the vaults are a sharp contrast to what is available for serving families today. "We celebrate one life at a time," he said. A variety of coffins and decorations are available and services often have themes. For example, Godiva confections were served during visitation in memory of a woman who loved chocolate. Another family had a bubble machine with Lawrence Welk background music. Families have chosen music ranging from Elvis and country to Big Band sounds. Decorative attachments for coffins have themes ranging form gardening and sewing to a variety of sports. One family chose to drape a quilt over a coffin in memory of a family member's love for the art. There are picture boards for displaying photographs of family and friends. Upon request, the funeral home will use pictures and background music to make a video tribute of the deceased as a keepsake. Another available keepsake is a piece of jewelry bearing the thumbprint of the deceased. The funeral home also has a kids' room where restless children can sit on beanbag chairs and watch movies during visitation. Another service is being offered in conjunction with Marshall University's Forensic Science Center. A family may choose to save DNA samples of a loved one that may provide health information for future generations. "I wish I had that of my parents for my children and grandchildren," said Bishoff, whose parents died several years ago. "Genetics are to this century what antibiotics were to the first of the last century." Bishoff's grandfather and great grandfather were in the funeral business. "I figured, as a child, this would be the last thing I would want to do," he said. "Then I began cutting grass and washing cars for a funeral home when I lived in Oakland, Md. My interest increased and I decided this is where I wanted to be in serving people." The job can mean long, hard hours but he finds it worthwhile. "It really is a calling," he said. "It truly is a service to help families celebrate the life of someone they have lost and help them through the grieving process. It truly is a service to the living. There is an incredible amount of satisfaction in knowing you helped someone through a difficult time. I love what I do. It is rewarding." SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2006041720/

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