Local spots are evolving with city
Religion, culture shaping memorials
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the dramatic increase in deaths in major metropolitan areas such as Houston led to more people seeking out cemetery burial and cremation services than in a typical year.
The increase in demand and rapidly declining availability of burial plots put pressure on cemetery service companies to develop new cemeteries, mausoleums and other spaces more quickly than ever, according to Michael Johnson, vice president of revenue and procurement at Service Corporation International.
But with that development came an opportunity for new options that reflect Greater Houston’s diversity in culture, religion and consumer preferences.
Service Corporation International is the largest provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services in the U.S., with more than 120 cemeteries and funeral homes in Texas, including 43 locations in the Houston area. In its second quarter ended June 30, SCI reported $147.4 million in profit from its cemeteries and $116.5 million from its funeral services.
The company, also known by its brand name Dignity Memorial, recently announced a $22.6 million investment into renovating its Houston-area cemeteries and building new ones to meet increased demand and changes in consumer preferences.
“Something that’s driving in Houston in particular is the diversity,” Johnson said. “Customers have unique customs, and we’ve done developments to celebrate those types of consumers.”
From red and black granite imported directly from China, to building Islamic gardens into some of its cemeteries, the new options are high in demand for customers who want to ensure their loved ones’ final resting places reflect their cultures and religions.
SCI is also meeting growing demand for cremations than in the past, Johnson said. The
National Funeral Directors Association projects that there will be more cremations than burials in every state in the U.S. by 2035. Texas crossed that threshold last year, with cremations accounting for 51 percent of endof-life services.
The United States has traditionally favored burials due to religious practices and preferences, Johnson said. But those preferences have changed as more options and information about cremations have become available through the internet, he said.
Because planning a funeral is typically an infrequent experience, many people aren't aware of all of the cremation options available until they see it on TV or search the internet, according to Johnson.
“That's something we may only plan once or twice in our lifetimes,” he said, “So you don't know what you don't know, unless someone shows it to you.”
Customers have realized that cremation doesn't need to mean ashes scattered at sea, or an urn sitting on the living room mantle — they can now inter their loved ones ashes in commemorative niches or outdoor memorials, he said.
One option that has grown popularity is consumers who turn cremation ashes into commemorative jewelry to carry with them at all times, Johnson said. SCI offers necklaces and bracelets with charms in which the wearer can store a small part of their love one's ashes. Others choose to scatter some ashes and place the rest in a memorial.
And cremations also take up much less space and can cost less — two important factors in population-dense areas like Houston.
Most of $22.6 million is funding the development of new space availability for both cremations and traditional burials, such as building larger mausoleums and a new cemetery in Fulshear, which spans more than 90 acres. The money will also pay for the increased cost of maintenance due to extreme weather events.
After the 2021 winter storm, for example, Johnson said SCI had to replace plants that died in the freeze. Major storms such as Hurricane Harvey have also caused erosion to some of the facilities, which have had to been repaired.
With vaccines and medical treatment reducing the death rate for COVID-19, Johnson said he expects the pressure on cemetery availability to begin to normalize soon.
“It's an interesting business to be in,” Johnson said. “The last couple years during the pandemic was the toughest any of us from seen, from the amount of effort and the commitment to our communities.”