When Alex Lynch tells people about his new business, he says he often gets the same reaction. “Ew!” Then, he says, after thinking about it, people will say, “What a great idea.” Lynch takes cremains – or cremation ashes – and uses them to make memorial crosses. “I feel I’m doing good for people,” said Lynch of how he got over the initial awkwardness of handling people’s ashes. “If you could see the reaction of people who had scattered ashes and buried ashes and said if they knew they could have done this, ‘I would have.’” The idea to make the first memorial cross struck Lynch two years ago when his father died and his mother did not know what to do with his ashes, so she left them in the “ugly” plastic box provided by the crematorium, he said. Lynch asked his mother for months what she planned to do with the ashes. His mother would always respond that she did not know, but she “didn’t want to get rid of him.” Lynch said that was how his mother saw burying or scattering her husband’s aches. “Finally, I said, ‘Give those to me. Trust me to find something to do with it,’” said Lynch. It took him five months of failed attempts, but Lynch finally figured out a process for making a cross using a mold, a cup of cremains and an unidentified material that hardens as it dries. Lynch said it was the ashes themselves that made the process so difficult because ashes weakened the material he was using and the crosses would shatter. His frustration from repeated failures was exacerbated by the fact that he was losing some of his father’s ashes with every shattered cross, he said. Finally, he discovered that the secret was in the drying time, and the finished product, which he dubbed the Eternal Cross, is a weather treated material that looks similar to ceramic or a pale terracotta. “It was really touching when I showed it to my mom,” said Lynch. They both burst into tears when he presented it to her. His mother was so moved because she finally had what she wanted, to keep her husband close by. Lynch, who made another cross for himself, said he liked that the Eternal Cross was not “creepy” like an urn, which are often made in China, and that it is a piece of art, handmade locally. No one has to know what purpose the cross serves unless you want them to know, he said. “It has allowed him to be remembered forever,” said Lynch, noting that his father’s crosses can now be passed from generation to generation. It was a matter of coincidence that Lynch got the idea to turn the Eternal Cross into a business. While he was making a cross for his sister, his son’s soccer coach, Joe Vela, came by and asked what he was doing. After Lynch explained, Vela told Lynch that he had just scattered his father’s ashes. “I thought it was a unique idea for memorializing a person,” said Vela, who told Lynch he was interested in having one made to memorialize a loved one in the future and asked if Lynch would be willing to make one for him. Lynch said that was when it clicked that people really liked the idea of the Eternal Cross. “It was perfect timing,” said Lynch, who had been laid off in February 2009. “If I’m going to do anything, it’s right now.” Lynch got to work and now has 25 funeral homes displaying the Eternal Cross and he has his own Web site, www.Windsong-Memorials.com. “Everyone who has seen it will carry it,” said Lynch. He sells the crosses for $200. On the back of every cross, Lynch carves the name of the person being memorialized, their birth date, death date and the cremation serial number. He also creates a certificate of authenticity with information on when the Eternal Cross was made, who it is memorializing, and for whom the cross was made. For those who want there to be no question that the Eternal Cross is a memorial, Lynch can also modify a display case for $100 that comes with an optional plaque to identify who is being memorialized. Lynch said in addition to the cross, he has different molds to memorialize veterans, one for each branch of the military, and has hired a local artist to create original molds. “The plan is to offer virtually anything,” said Lynch. He also offers memorials for pets. Lynch said he believes it’s important to provide people with more options for dealing with the ashes of loved ones because more and more people are choosing cremation due to the high cost of caskets and burial services. He said the Eternal Cross is also a good option for families who live far apart. If his father’s ashes had been buried, his sister would have to fly from California to visit his grave. With the Eternal Cross, siblings can live on opposite sides of the country and both see their father’s memorial every day. “Do you know how much I think about my father now?” said Lynch. “Every day, every time I see the cross. It’s like I’ve kept him around somehow.” Lynch emphasized that the Eternal Cross doesn’t have to be an alternative to burying or scattering ashes. Because the Eternal Cross only requires a small portion of a persons cremains, a family can still bury or scatter their loved one’s ashes after having an Eteranal Cross made. “Once you bury their ashes, they’re gone. If you have this,” said Lynch, touching his father’s cross, “you have a piece of them forever.” For more information about the Eternal Cross or other memorials, call Lynch at 578-8645. (add UK prefixes)
www.inlovingmemoryireland.com
