September 26, 2004
OCEAN CITY, N.J.
(AP) -- As if shooting a loved one's ashes into
space or pressing them into artificial diamonds were not
sufficiently offbeat, relatives of the deceased now can
have their ashes mixed into concrete to help form ocean
habitats.
A Georgia company has placed about 200 of the
concrete cones, called "reef balls," in the ocean,
mostly along the Gulf Coast. Last week, it interred
cones filled with the ashes of several people about
seven miles off the shore as part of the Great Egg
Reef.
Don Brawley, an accomplished diver, came up with the
idea of turning artificial reefs into memorials, and
founded Eternal Reefs with George Frankel in 2001.
"Most states with reef programs buy artificial
reefs," Frankel said. "We like to think that we're
buying public reef balls with private money."
Burying a loved one's ashes in a reef ball can cost
$1,000 to $5,000. Decatur, Ga.-based Eternal Reefs also
has two models for pets, for $400 and $500.
The balls have grapefruit-sized holes in them to
dissipate current, and their surface is dimpled to
encourage coral growth.
The company got approval from the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection to put ashes in
the reef installations. The Great Egg Reef also contains
decommissioned Army tanks and old tires cabled
together.
Relatives and friends of those interred last week
said they wanted to do something more tangible with
their loved ones' ashes than scattering them or leaving
them on a shelf.
"I thought we would get my three kids together and we
would sprinkle them on the ocean," Kit Aronson, who
buried the ashes of her husband, Robert, told The New
York Times for Saturday's editions. "But this is doing
it in a more identifiable fashion, where the kids can
see where he is. Not in a mausoleum or Arlington
Cemetery, but outdoors."
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