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Alternative burial options found across Florida -- from skin deep to below the waves

WGCU | By Elizabeth Andarge,
Andrea Melendez
Published March 30, 2026 at 4:36 AM EDT
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. It's a natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say everything about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a different kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.

Most people don't spend much time thinking about bodies after one dies. For some families, it becomes a constant conversation. What people decide to do with their deceased bodies can reveal everything about how they lived. WGCU talked with three families who chose a different final goodbye.

Kena Alonso told her son what she wanted before she lost the ability to speak. No vault, no chemicals -- just the earth. Chris Alonso's mother had Inclusion Body Myositis, a disease that slowly took everything from her -- her muscles, her voice, and her 30 years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect.

"She had it all written up in the trust, and everything all very detailed about how she wanted me and Lauren to develop this natural burial cemetery," he said. "I was really freaking out because I wanted to have closure. We ended up finding the piece of property and she was the first one buried here, with cows and all."

Kena Alonso now rests at Hope Eternal Gardens in Charlotte County, alongside her husband, Manuel. That was five years ago. What Chris Alonso and his wife, Lauren Robie, have built since is part cemetery, part forest, part something they're still finding words for.

"I wasn't a little girl being like, 'I can't wait to open up my own cemetery,'" Robie said. "For me, I was always an artist and a designer, and I had to fall in love with the concept of this place. Being able to plant these forests and help families in this way, and plan for our community long-term, has been so fulfilling and powerful. I couldn't have asked for a better kind of life's work to spend my years on."

Alternative Ways To Remember Loved Ones

At Hope Eternal, there are no concrete vaults and no embalming. Remains are returned to the ground in biodegradable caskets - - willow, wood or any natural fiber. Native trees and plants are planted above them using the Miyawaki technique. The forest, Alonso and Robie say, belongs to everyone who comes after.

Burial plots start at $2,000, with natural burial packages beginning around $3,000 before additional services. The family lives on the property and plans to one day be a part of what grows there.

"The whole 42 acres has been like our family legacy," Robie said. "I imagine it like a hug for them or a way for me to hold their hand long after I'm gone, because there'll still be fruit coming from trees or flowers still blooming, and they'll know that they were part of that inception."

Martha Tally had a different idea about her final resting place. Instead of land, she chose the water.

Her friend Debbie Severson called her Mazzy. Mazzy spent more than three decades at the Environmental Protection Agency. She made jewelry, traveled the country and loved the unusual side of life or what Severson describes as "the mystic."

"She liked to have a purpose, and this was her purpose …to help restore the wildlife under the sea."

When it came time to choose her last location, Mazzy found her answer in Eternal Reefs.

"She goes, 'Does that mean the fishies and the dolphins and turtles will come and swim around me?'" Severson recalled. "And I said, 'It does.' She said, 'That's what I want, because I want to be celebrated when I die.' Once we got through all of that, it was huge piece of mind for her to know that it was OK to go."

Sarasota-based Eternal Reefs has been operating for more than 27 years. The company mixes cremated remains into specially designed concrete reef balls that are placed offshore under permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over time, marine life settles in and a living reef forms. The company deploys about 150 reefs each year across multiple coastal locations. Reef balls range from 550 to 3,800 pounds and come in three sizes: the Aquarius ($4,250 to $5,250), the Nautilus ($5,250 to $6,250) and the Mariner ($8,250 to $9,250). Margie Ploense, director of planned giving for Eternal Reefs, said each reef can be personalized.

"You can tell who the people were that were being memorialized. This gal here, she’s an artist. You can tell the electrician, you can tell the engineer, you can tell the golf guy - - the drinkers with all their corks and bottle caps. It’s very interesting and I think it's just meaningful, which is what we really want to bring to this experience."

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the cremation rate in the United States has reached 63.4%, compared with 31.6% for traditional burial. As more Americans choose cremation, the question Eternal Reefs hears most isn't how -- it's where.

"Instead of having your family hang on to your cremated remains, and now the generation turns and all of a sudden you've got great-grandma's cremains," Ploense said. "What are you going to do with those? Throw them away?"

Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog's ashes for six years.

Izzy was a Boston terrier and a gift from her father when Rollerson was young, wild, and aimless, by her own account. Izzy was there when she met her husband and when her daughters were born.

"I had her for a good chunk of my life, and she was with me through a lot of different parts of my life. My early 20s being wild and crazy, and then when I met my now-husband, and through having two daughters," Rollerson said.

In 2020, her daughters were playing in the backyard.

“I lost Izzy to a rattlesnake bite. She was protecting my daughters, who were very small and playing in the backyard at the time when it happened. She wasn't able to be saved.”

For years, Rollerson kept the ashes close but never found the right place to let Izzy go.

Then she found a place where she wouldn't have to.

At Artistic Soul Tattoo in Chiefland, tattoo artist Breanna Villars mixes cremated remains directly into tattoo ink. The ashes are sterilized through the cremation process and become a part of the pigment and a part of the person who receives them.

"If I had known I would be a therapist when I became a tattoo artist, it adds a whole new aspect to this profession," Villars said. "You're processing your emotions at the same time you're experiencing a little bit of physical pain. It's very cathartic for people."

Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for six years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while protecting the family's two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo ink and then added into a tattoo at Artistic Soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say everything about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a different kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
1 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for six years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while protecting the family's two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo ink and then added into a tattoo at Artistic Soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say everything about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a different kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
2 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
3 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
4 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
5 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
6 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
7 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
8 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
9 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
10 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
11 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
12 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
13 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
14 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Chris Alonso's mother Kena had a disease that slowly took everything from her. Her muscles. Her voice. Her thirty years of working the land beside her son, who is a landscape architect. She asked them to put her in the ground. Chris and his wife Lauren Robie created Hope Eternal Gardens in Punta Gorda. A natural burial option where the land can then be kept as a memorial plot for flowers and trees to grow. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
15 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
16 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
17 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
18 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
19 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Eternal Reefs have been a popular option for ocean lovers. Cremated remains are mixed into concrete and then turned into a reef ball. That rest ball is placed in a permitted area offshore. Over time, marine life moves in and it becomes a coral reef. Eternal Reefs in Sarasota, offers an option for burial that’s been available for 27 years. And the reef balls can be personalized. The family of Martha “Mazzey” Tally Honored her wishes and placed her remains in a reef ball. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
20 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
21 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
22 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
23 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
24 of 24  — AlternativeBurials032526AM
Cheyenne Rollerson had been carrying her dog’s ashes for 6 years. And for one young mother…the answer was a place where she'd never have to let go. Izzy was a Boston terrier who passed away after being bitten by a rattle snake while protecting the families two young siblings who were also playing outside at the time. Rollerson honored her beloved pet by mixing a small amount into tattoo in and then added into a tattoo at artistic soul tattoo in Chiefland. What people decide about their end of life arrangements can say *everything* about how they lived. We met with three families who chose a *different* kind of goodbye. One by land, one by water and another just under the skin.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU

There is no additional cost for the process. Sessions run $150 to $200 per hour, depending on size and placement, the same as any other appointment in the studio -- a price Rollerson said is well worth it.

"I'm able to look at her and know that she did what she was meant to do: protect her little girls," Rollerson said.

They didn't want their loved ones to disappear. One became a forest. One became part of the ocean. One stayed just beneath the surface. Which seems to answer the question: What do we do with those we can't bear to lose?

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. Ashley Brace, editor-in-chief, Patriot Press, and Thomas Reed, managing editor, Patriot Press, contributed to this report.
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