Can a Loved One Be Moved?

The cemetery is often considered a "final resting place” for the deceased—but in rare occasions, it turns out to be not-so-final after all. Extenuating circumstances may give you the desire to move a loved one’s burial area from one cemetery to another—for example, relocating your loved one to be closer to other family burial plots.

This is very much a viable option, though there are some logistic concerns that you’ll need to work through. A local funeral director can walk you through the process and make the relocation as smooth and straightforward as possible.

First, it’s customary to contact the close, living heirs to the deceased—surviving spouses and children—to ensure they give their blessing. Assuming everyone is on board, the next step is physically digging up the grave site. This is something the funeral home can arrange on your behalf. For caskets that are fewer than 10 years old, this is usually a simple matter. For older caskets, there may be complications with the old liner—but your funeral director can consult with you on this.

When the body is taken to the new cemetery, it’s re-interned, which will parallel the initial burial. That is to say, it’s fairly straightforward, though you will need to pay grave opening and closing costs.

One specific issue to keep in mind is the headstone. In moving a headstone, the cemetery crew will obviously want to go to great lengths to prevent any kind of damage. In rare instances, avoiding damage simply isn’t possible, and you may need to consider a replacement headstone.

Ultimately, moving a loved one from one cemetery to another is something that’s very doable, especially if you have a trusted funeral director to guide you through the process.