Work has begun on a 144-niche columbarium next to the Magnolia Lutheran Church, and 42 parishioners have already reserved a spot there for their cremated remains, according to columbarium committee chair Dan Newton.
Having a columbarium on church grounds was a dream of the late Douglas Langholtz, a former pastor at the Magnolia Village church, said Newton, who used to drive the pastor around in his later years.
"During that time, we had conversations about many things," Newton said of Langholtz, who wanted to be cremated. "One of them was where he wanted to be laid to rest."
The church grounds was a natural choice because, of all the churches where the pastor served, he felt as if he'd found a home at Magnolia Lutheran, Newton said.
A contractor started work on the project about a month and a half ago, said Rob Rowan, who was digging up tree roots next to the L-shaped structure while Newton supervised the work last Saturday.
The concrete columbarium will be capped and faced with marble, and bronze plaques will be added to identify the names of those parishioners whose remains will be placed there eventually, he said. A walkway and a tiled floor will also be added, Rowan added. "It harkens back to the days of churchyard cemeteries," he said.
And the columbarium next to the Lutheran church won't be the first one in Magnolia Village, Rowan said, noting that the Episcopal Church of the Ascension already has one.
"Ultimately, there will be a privacy fence along the alley," Newton said. A fence or landscaping is required, according to Alan Justad from the Department of Planning and Development. But otherwise, a columbarium is an allowable use next to the neighborhood church, he said.
Newton said a niche in a columbarium generally costs between $800 and $1,500. Compared to traditional burial in a cemetery, it's a real bargain, he said. "We buried my daughter-in-law two years ago, and it cost $6,800," said Newton, who added that the family already owned the cemetery plot.
Cost of the columbarium will be around $45,000, and the money will come from parishioners, he said. "It's completely separate from church funding."
Newton hopes the columbarium will be ready for dedication in late June. "A lot of people are surprised it's going so fast," he said of the work.
The columbarium will be available to all parishioners, Rowan said. Although his remains are currently stored in the family home, the ashes of the late Pastor Langholtz will be among the first to be placed there, Newton said.
Washington tops in country for cremation
Cremation is growing in popularity nationwide, but the numbers depend on where you live in the country, according to statistics comp
For America as a whole, 24.8 percent chose the method in 1999, while 28.46 percent picked the option in 2003. Cremation Society projections peg the percentages at 35.67 by 2010 and 45.72 by 2025.
With 63.26 percent, Washington state was tops in the nation for cremation in 2003, according to the statistics. That was followed closely the same year by Hawaii with 62.97 percent, Nevada with 61.53 percent and Oregon with 60.57 percent.
Cremation was least popular in the southern states in 2003, with only 3.22 percent choosing the method in Tennessee, 7.05 percent in Alabama and 7.72 percent in Mississippi.
The latest statistic for King County indicate that around 66 percent of people are choosing cremation over burial, said Loretta Edwards from the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on Queen Anne Hill. "It's been going up progressively year by year; it's the [low] cost," she said of the reason.
And the columbarium next to the Lutheran church won't be the first one in Magnolia Village, Rowan said, noting that the Episcopal Church of the Ascension already has one.
"Ultimately, there will be a privacy fence along the alley," Newton said.
A fence or landscaping is required, according to Alan Justad from the Department of Planning and Development. But otherwise, a columbarium is an allowable use next to the neighborhood church, he said.
Newton said a niche in a columbarium generally costs between $800 and $1,500. Compared to traditional burial in a cemetery, it's a real bargain, he said.
"We buried my daughter-in-law two years ago, and it cost $6,800," said Newton, who added that the family already owned the cemetery plot.
Cost of the columbarium will be around $45,000, and the money will come from parishioners, he said. "It's completely separate from church funding."
Newton hopes the columbarium will be ready for dedication in late June.
"A lot of people are surprised it's going so fast," he said of the work.
The columbarium will be available to all parishioners, Rowan said. Although his remains are currently stored in the family home, the ashes of the late Pastor Langholtz will be among the first to be placed there, Newton said.
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