Could It Be That Bajans Are Living Too Long?
A recent CNN article states that many Americans are choosing cremation over burial due to the considerable cost savings. One of our readers directed us to the article and stated, “Too bad that doesn’t apply in Barbados.”
Yes indeed.
We can tell you from personal experience that funeral costs are considerably higher in Barbados than in, for instance, New Jersey. Our family has never used cremation so I can’t provide any comparison with a normal burial.
The folks over at Lyndhurst Funeral Home appear to have done well over the years and we shouldn’t begrudge anyone for success as a result of hard work and quality of service. You certainly won’t find any staffers at Barbados Free Press saying anything but good about the caring Lyndhurst people who performed their difficult tasks with professionalism and compassion. [Yes, we know we have had our political differences with two of the staff, but that is irrelevant for this discussion.]
Lyndhurst and Peter Griffith have looked after most of the families here in Barbados at one time or another and also some of the famous folks who have passed on in Barbados. Claudette Colbert comes to mind, and there were others too.
As to the reason why funerals cost so much in Barbados, we wouldn’t mind hearing from Mr. Griffith or someone from Lyndhurst, but we suspect it has to do with our small population not providing the opportunities for economy of scale that might be enjoyed by funeral home businesses in larger countries. We found a Dun & Bradstreet article indicating that back in 1999 the estimate for the new Barbados crematorium and cemetery was US $3.2 million. I don’t know how long it would take to amortize such an expense, but we hope that none of us help out with the amortization anytime soon!
So how about it Mr. Griffith…? Will you please comment on the high cost of funerals in Barbados, and also let us know what you can about the situation surrounding funeral expenses of the Codrington family.
Thanks!
