cremation

We’ve had several calls from customers trying to find a cremation urn that will fit into an odd shaped niche at the cemetery. It can be challenging to find an urn to fit.

Is it by design so that you have to buy from the cemetery? Some of the spaces have been quite tricky, especially when the customer is seeking an urn that will hold the remains of two people.

If you have selected a tight space, you will probably have to buy a box style for the ashes. This would apply to compartments that are 9-10″ high. Most of the traditional vase shaped urns are range 10-12″ high and will not fit in the smaller spaces.

Veteran Cemeteries

One of the benefits available to veterans is that their spouses and eligible dependents can be interred at no charge in national  cemeteries.  

However, the sizes at veteran cemeteries have been a little easier to work with regarding trying to fit 2 sets of ashes into one space. A niche in Arlington National cemetery was 13H x 10W x 18D. These dimensions allowed for ample room to place standard size cremation urns, regardless of the shape, vase or box container.  I decided to call our local Veteran’s Cemetery and see what the story was there on the sizes they offered.

This particular cemetery is located in Missouri and has two walls of vaults. One is full, the other has about a thousand spaces available. All the niche dimensions are the same 10″W x 14″ H x 19″ D. But according to the source I spoke to at the cemetery office, the measurements of military niches are not standard across the nation, which seems hard to believe.

Missouri is still primarily a burial state, but regarding cremation interment, families tend to trend to the columbarium wall.  At this particular cemetery, no wood urns can be stored in the above ground niche. No vault or outer container is needed for ground burial, and any material, including wood or ceramic can be placed in the grave. There’s no scattering garden here, but she said some families choose to use the uniform upright memorials provided by the US government.

By the way, I asked her how she pronounced “niche”. She calls it “nitch”. Me, I say “neesh”. I think both are correct. How do you pronounce it?

Regardless of how you say it, Urn Garden carries an urn that will fit, even if we have to custom order it. One size that’s almost always a perfect fit for an odd shaped niche and makes an affordable memorial is the Companion Double Wood Urn. Very basic, no frills, this compact style will hold the ashes of two people and fit into most niche spaces, but only if the cemetery allows placement of a wood urn in the wall.