DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997             TAG: 9702270018

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A17  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: OPINION 

SOURCE: Keith Monroe

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

HOW-TO BOOK EXPLAINS BURIALS ON A BUDGET

I had lunch recently with Ed Markin of Virginia Beach to talk about death. As the author of The Affordable Funeral: Going in Style, Not in Debt, he wrote the book on the subject.

At first glance, Markin seems too lively a character to be preoccupied with so grave a subject. He grew up around the world since his father was career Navy. Markin followed suit by serving 4 1/2 years in the Army and 18 in the Navy. He flew Army helicopters in Vietnam and fixed-wing Navy planes.

Today, Markin is a fit almost-50 with a red beard gone Willie-Nelson gray and an earring that gives him a slightly piratical air. He's also got one of those dark molasses voices made for radio. He's now on his third or fourth career.

The Navy helped him earn an MBA and a Ph.D. in biomedical research. He's worked for people like Abbott Labs interpreting research studies, but these days he mostly works for himself as a free-lance writer.

He's got the true pro's willingness to turn his hand to whatever amuses him and looks like it will turn a profit. He's written Harlequin Romances. He's collaborated with Kevin Randall under the nom de guerre Eric Helm on the Vietnam Ground Zero series of war stories. And under the pen name Doc Markin he's written humorous Southern fiction.

All of which seems a far cry from The Affordable Funeral. He got to it by way of another, earlier nonfiction work - The Alzheimer's Cope Book. When his own father was afflicted and other family members were compelled to cope, Markin found no really useful layman's guide to dealing with the disease. So he wrote one. It came out in 1992.

Feedback from readers told Markin that the Alzheimer's book had indeed helped many cope, but some said it quit just when they needed help the most - arranging a funeral. Another book was born.

In taking on the subject, Markin follows in the big footsteps of Jessica Mitford whose critique of the funeral industry - The American Way of Death - is a classic. But if Mitford raked the muck, Markin has written a practical how-to guide.

The Affordable Funeral is a spiral-bound self-published effort, largely, Markin says, because the facts change so fast that frequent updates are required. He also hosts a website that generates 4,000 hits a month, 50 e-mails a day.

Markin isn't above a little muckraking of his own. He recommends his book to every clergyman because ``they often do the referral and become unconscious shills for the funeral industry.'' He believes the FTC has less than one inspector per state to police the industry. And he calls for legal reforms. Under Virginia law, for instance, he reports that no one can sell a casket except a licensed funeral director.

Elsewhere, buying from a casket store permits buyers to save up to 85 percent. Markin also notes, as an example of price variation, that an Alternative Cremation Container - a paraffin-lined cardboard box - can retail for $465 in Washington, D.C., or can cost $5 for members of the Virginia Cremation Society in Virginia Beach.

Most of Markin's book is intensely practical. He warns that the biggest mistake in arranging a funeral is often the first phone call, because who you employ dictates what you pay. The next big pitfall is ``emotional overspending.'' He recommends planning ahead when possible and shopping in any case. He supplies work sheets and shopping tips.

Markin is enthusiastic about the idea of memorial societies - essentially funeral buying co-ops that negotiate best prices. They now have a half-million members nationwide. But Markin warns that some are as moribund as their clients and others have been co-opted by the funeral industry.

Markin also recommends cremation as a less expensive alternative and notes that the once rare choice is now made in 20 percent to 30 percent of cases. In California, cremations are closer to 50 percent of all funerals. He also recommends leaving one's remains to science. Despite some misinformation to the contrary, Markin says, ``There's always a shortage of cadavers.''

Asked if he's surprised to find himself in a crusader's cape, Markin admits The Affordable Funeral threatens to take over his life. Between answering e-mail, updating book and website and responding to customers, he's a bit death-obsessed. But if the past is prologue, it won't be long before new projects seize his fancy. In the meantime, those interested in the subject of affordable funerals can check out Markin's website at http://dragonet.com/funeral/ MEMO: Mr. Monroe is editor of the editorial page of The Virginian-Pilot. KEYWORDS: FUNERAL

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu