TUCSON, Ariz. — Very few things are certain, and while death is one of them, after-death rituals are not. They're constantly changing and embracing new traditions.
In the past two decades, that trend has been cremation. The National Funeral Directors Association says the U.S. burial rate has been declining. In 2025, over 60% of bodies were cremated instead of a traditional burial.
At nearly a century old, Bring's Broadway Chapel and Funeral Home on Tucson's Eastside has lived through decades of trends and traditions.
In the past few years, Funeral Director Joseph Stone says he's seen cremations outnumber burials in Tucson as well.
“People who live here in Tucson—particularly the Western United States— didn’t grow up here, don’t have roots here," he said. "So, cremation affords them the opportunity to take their loved one either back to a place that’s home for them, or a place that’s with other family members, or a place where they might be permanently.”
Increasingly, families who choose cremation are asking to stay with their loved one's body until the final goodbye.
Though it's common in Buddhist and Hindu practices, the trend seems to be spreading.
Faitha Bailey is the first point of contact when families call Bring's or other Foundation Partners group homes.
“The first time I heard about someone asking to witness a cremation was my first week here at FPG,” she said.
Quickly, she realized those calls came in at least once a week, sometimes more, from a range of religious and cultural practices.
“From spiritual, to atheists, to Hindus, to Buddhists, to Sikhs, to Baptists," she said. "There’s something about humans, we need to see, touch and feel that our loved one is gone.”
Bring's has on-site cremation, allowing about 50 families and friends to stay in the room with the cremator, sometimes even letting them press the button that starts the process.
Though Stone says not everyone is comfortable with that option, so they also offer rooms where loved ones can sit nearby and pay their respects.
“It’s like watching someone being laid to rest in a cemetery," he said. "It is a very beneficial thing for families to be able to be part of the process, to know that it is their loved one who is being cremated, that those cremated remains that they’re getting back are their loved one. These are all important things, and families have conveyed that to us.”
Stone says Bring's is eyeing new renovations to their facility to accommodate this growing trend.
