We’ve had several calls regarding odd shaped urn niches at the cemetery. Makes it challenging to find an urn to fit. Is it by design? Some of them have been quite tricky, especially when they are seeking an urn that will hold the remains of two people. One of the benefits available to veterans is that their spouses and eligible dependents can be interred at no charge in national cemeteries.
However, the sizes at veteran cemeteries have been a little easier to work with. A niche in Arlington National cemetery was 13H x 10W x 18D. These dimensions allowed for ample room to place standard size cremation urns, regardless of the shape, vase or box container. I decided to call our local Veteran’s Cemetery and see what the story was there on the sizes they offered.
This particular cemetery has two walls of vaults. One is full, the other has about a thousand spaces available. All the niche dimensions are the same 10″W x 14″ H x 19″ D. But according to the source the measurements of military niches are not standard across the nation, which seems hard to believe.
Missouri is still primarily a burial state, but regarding cremation interment families tend to trend to the columbarium wall. No wood urns can be stored in the above ground niche. No vault or outer container is needed for ground burial and any material, including ceramic can be placed in the grave. There’s no scattering garden here, but she said some families choose to use the uniform upright memorials provided by the US government.
By the way, I asked her how she pronounced “niche”. She calls it nitch. Me? I like neesh. You?
Regardless of how you say it, Urn Garden carries an urn that will fit, even if we have to custom build it. One size that’s almost always a perfect fit for an odd shaped niche and makes an affordable memorial is the Companion Double Wood Urn. But only if the cemetery allows placement of a wood urn in the wall.
