DiPietro is the longtime general manager of Knollwood Memorial Park, a private, nonsectarian cemetery in Canton. He’s also president of the New England Cemetery Association, a role that puts him at the forefront of industry trends and issues facing today’s graveyards.
Much has changed since DiPietro got into the business, he says. These days, almost all cemeteries and funeral parlors have websites, and technology allows for funerals to be viewed online and memorials to be personalized like never before. (One example: talking tombstones — press a button and you hear the voice of the deceased.) People can browse the Internet to compare prices; they can order their own caskets online — Costco, for example, sells several models — and shop around for cemetery plots on Craigslist, eBay, and other websites like Plotbrokers.com, a Los Angeles company whose slogan is “Because you have a life.’’
Cremation is on the rise, too, as are eco-friendly funerals, in which the deceased returns to the earth in a cardboard box or biodegradable shroud (and there’s no embalming involved.
Those are among the many topics likely to come up for conversation next weekend when DiPietro and other members of the New England Cemetery Association gather in Plymouth for their 109th annual convention. Founded in 1902, the trade group includes cemetery superintendents, monument dealers, vault manufacturers, and other funeral service and cemetery professionals who get together twice a year to network, talk shop, and learn from each other by sharing tips and advice on landscaping, preserving old headstones, and management skills needed to run a cemetery successfully. The conference will feature sessions on “cemetery management do’s and don’ts’’ and “monitoring your state legislature,’’ as well as seminars on labor laws and outsourcing.
