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John Pedersoli said his father, Waldir Pedersoli of Lanham, wanted to be cremated after he died, a wish the family followed.

Prince George's County funeral directors say more people are choosing cremation over traditional burial.

"It seems to me that cremation would be the low-cost option," said Pedersoli, 49, of Greenbelt. "It's fairly expensive. We expected it wouldn't be cheap. I think [for] anybody having a family member that is going to pass away soon, a little research is in order."

The funeral for his father, who was 75, cost $3,500, according to Pedersoli.

Area funeral directors and industry insiders say cost and religious acceptance have contributed to the rise in the number of cremations taking place in Prince George's County.

Thomas Zizos, owner of Beall Funeral Home in Bowie, said he has seen cremations increase during the past couple of years.

"People tend to go to cremation because they can't afford to purchase the ground at the cemetery," Zizos said. "It's a choice."

Joseph B. Jenkins III, whose parents own JB Jenkins Funeral Home in Landover, estimates cremations at his funeral home cost around $1,000 and a traditional funeral with a casket costs less than $4,000.

Donnell McCullough, the autopsy services supervisor at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiners for Maryland in Baltimore, said that while cremations are typically cheaper, the cost of cremations versus a traditional funeral — one with final disposition — varies based on location.

"You can go somewhere from Baltimore city to Montgomery County and find a $5,000 difference in pricing," McCullough said. "[Cremation] is a cheaper option because you don't have final disposition as far as burial."

Jenkins said cremations may be increasing because of burial costs, family preferences and financial situations.

"More of our clientele are choosing to cremate," he said. "You have to be a smart consumer, even in death."

Richard Rendon, owner of Rendon Hale Lanham Funeral Home in Lanham, said families are choosing cremation because it is a less expensive option.

"When it comes to something like this, it comes [down] to the family — they buy accordingly to what they want," Rendon said. "Cremation is coming up more and more."

Rendon and Jenkins estimate the average funeral cost about $4,500, which is about $1,000 less than what families were spending on funerals overall.

In 2007, nearly 35 percent of all people who died in the U.S. were cremated, up 31 percent from 1960, according to the Cremation Association of North America. In Maryland, nearly 29 percent of all people who die are cremated, compared to the national average of nearly 35 percent, according to the Cremation Association of North America.

McCullough said his office has seen an increase in cremations.

"It is an economical way of final disposition," he said. "You don't have to consider burial plots — they can cost just as much as a funeral."

McCullough said cremation is simply a preference.

"You're not going to find Orthodox Jews or Greeks [being cremated]," he said, because of religious beliefs and practices.

Jessica Koth, a spokeswoman for National Funeral Directors Association, said cremations are gaining popularity, but is not sure if this is attributed to the recession. Koth said cremation has been on the rise each year since the 1960s.

"Our members are telling us that families are making the choice because of the recession, looking to save the money," she said. "[Religion is] part of it. Christian doctrines are relaxing some rules, doctrines, making it an easier choice for some people. It isn't a replacement for a funeral, just another option for ground burial or interment in a mausoleum."

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.