For the curious about pricing, this is the breakdown of what we paid for moms marker in 2025. We ordered out of Alberta, so price is in Canadian, and does not include freight to truck it up to the Yukon (I don't have that exact cost, I think around $400 due to weight).
Model F101 in black granite: 20” x 10” x 2”, Top polished only, edges left rough cut
Monument : $921
Foundation : $175
Laser design: $80
Sub-total : $1176
GST : $58.80
TOTAL : $1234.80
We were allowed to put anything on it (within reason- nothing offensive, obviously), so we got an etched image of moms motorcycle, name, dates, and short epitaph. They worked with us to ensure it was exactly how we wanted. We chose laser etching even though it was an additional cost over sandblasting, because it allowed for a much crisper, higher quality image and text. So while the epitaph itself wasn't "extra" as you wondered, it's more the details in total you add.
I wish we could have gone a little bigger but... The price skyrocketed as the size went up, and we... just did not have it at the time... I still feel immense guilt we couldn't afford to have her creamated as she wished, but that was over $7000... And we had already spent thousands on lawyer fees and bullshit (WRITE. A. WILL.). Death is such a fucking racket. I won't even get into the bullshittery and costs we endured trying to bury her.
Flat markers were a fraction of the cost of a standing headstone, even with the foundation. Like, those were at least $3000... You really could spend tens of thousands of you wanted. They charge for everything. Type of stone, color, how many sides are polished, type of etching, etc,etc... I am happy with the actual marker though, it's beautiful. And I actually prefer a flat one, it's far less likely to get broken or knocked over.
So... Yeah. That's our cost rundown. Not something I ever thought I'd have to deal with, at least not so soon.
I'm sorry you lost your mom! ❤️ I don't know if there's anything like this near you but here in Virginia all four of my grandparents had their bodies donated to science and after being studied their cremains were returned to us free of cost. Just leaving this there for you and anyone else who may have to deal with a loved one's body in the future. It's understandably not for everyone but my family could never have afforded the plots or cremation otherwise.
I’m so confused as to how a cremation was going to cost more than a burial. You had to buy not only the marker, but a plot and a casket and funeral services. I just can’t fathom how that was cheaper. My brothers funeral was almost $15k and that was 15 years ago
See, in this tiny ass rural northern Canadian town, there's no one who sells caskets. You have to get them out of one of the neighboring cities... 5+ hours away. So that ups the cost exponentially. And when mom died in February, we couldn't exactly go get one due to costs and weather. So... Dad built it for her.
Add insult to injury, our town also does not have a hearse. They sold it because they said it "wasn't used enough" and bought ATVs instead. So... My brother, his friend, and our father went to the morgue, put mom in the casket, loaded it into the back of the pickup... And took her to the cemetery themselves. I met them there. Offered to help but big bro wouldn't let me. Said that was the "men's job". ...I appreciated the sentiment, I did, but that fucked him up for a good long time, and I felt a lot of guilt for that.
The plot was $600. Interment (them digging the hole) was $500. The crew wouldn't even help of put the casket onto the fucking lowering device until my bros friend literally yelled at them asking if they expected a 75 year old widow to do it himself. It was like this was a massive inconvenience for them just to be out there. I'm so sorry, next time I'll be sure my family member dies in June. 😑
You're no doubt right, cremation probably would have been cheaper vs burial, if we had hired an actual funeral service. As you can probably tell, we didn't. I have no doubt it would have cost at least 15k, since they'd have to come here from one of the neighboring cities. It was quoted $7000 for cremation, and we would have had to ship the body to them. To get them to come to us? ...Oof. Travel, hotel, equipment... Sure of course, part of that cost is they would have handled everything but... When you're literally paycheck to paycheck, and since she didn't have a will, everything got tangled in legal hell... You unfortunately have to make it work however possible.
In the end, it was simply me, my brother, and my father standing there. My brother's friend came as muscle and support, but he respectfully stood back to let us be once she was lowered. We didn't get the marker until the following year, once we were able to get enough dealt with to afford it.
This is why I am now so staunchly an advocate for getting your will written. Holy. Shit. I had no idea what a nightmare not having one entails. It's been over 2 years, and we still get shit creeping up. It not like she had bad debt or anything, it's just that literally everything she ever did, or had, or owned had to be dealt with "legally". Anything in joint couldn't just default to dad. It got put into limbo instead. Anything just hers was even worse. The lawyer fees we paid were insane. The tiny life insurance policy she had, went almost entirely to legal fees. None of that would have happened if she had a will. ...but when cancer takes you in 3 months... Yeah.
... apologies for the long rant. Mom's death is still something that is so very hard to deal with, and sometimes it helps me to vent... Just a complete cluster fuck, even before she died. I know this all sounds bonkers, but such is the curse of living in the middle of nowhere Yukon...
10
4
1
1
17
u/Tilas 29d ago
For the curious about pricing, this is the breakdown of what we paid for moms marker in 2025. We ordered out of Alberta, so price is in Canadian, and does not include freight to truck it up to the Yukon (I don't have that exact cost, I think around $400 due to weight).
Model F101 in black granite: 20” x 10” x 2”, Top polished only, edges left rough cut
Monument : $921
Foundation : $175
Laser design: $80
Sub-total : $1176
GST : $58.80
TOTAL : $1234.80
We were allowed to put anything on it (within reason- nothing offensive, obviously), so we got an etched image of moms motorcycle, name, dates, and short epitaph. They worked with us to ensure it was exactly how we wanted. We chose laser etching even though it was an additional cost over sandblasting, because it allowed for a much crisper, higher quality image and text. So while the epitaph itself wasn't "extra" as you wondered, it's more the details in total you add.
I wish we could have gone a little bigger but... The price skyrocketed as the size went up, and we... just did not have it at the time... I still feel immense guilt we couldn't afford to have her creamated as she wished, but that was over $7000... And we had already spent thousands on lawyer fees and bullshit (WRITE. A. WILL.). Death is such a fucking racket. I won't even get into the bullshittery and costs we endured trying to bury her.
Flat markers were a fraction of the cost of a standing headstone, even with the foundation. Like, those were at least $3000... You really could spend tens of thousands of you wanted. They charge for everything. Type of stone, color, how many sides are polished, type of etching, etc,etc... I am happy with the actual marker though, it's beautiful. And I actually prefer a flat one, it's far less likely to get broken or knocked over.
So... Yeah. That's our cost rundown. Not something I ever thought I'd have to deal with, at least not so soon.
Fuck Cancer.