You can view, save and delete any story that appears on GazetteNET here for up to 30 days. To add a story, simply click on the icon next to any headline.     FUNERAL & ESTATE PLANNING SPECIAL SECTION  Don't wait for a crisis. Now's the time to plan KEVIN GUTTING Estate planning and elder law attorney Michael D. Hooker works with Charlotte Otis, of Williamsburg, in his Main Street, Northampton, office. - FEATURED ADVERTISERS | SEE ALL - Click to view original size This ad ran in Funeral & Estate Planning 05/29/2008 Click here to browse all ads It may be the last thing anyone wants to think about, but with a little advance planning, end-of-life issues can feel a lot less complicated. "Generally it's the rare person who really wants to do this," said Northampton-based attorney Michael Hooker. "They don't want to acknowledge their mortality, and they end up putting it off." Hooker, who has been practicing law since 1985, maintains a practice devoted exclusively to elder law issues, including estate planning. His office staff include a licensed social worker, a registered nurse and a Medicaid specialist/legal assistant. Hooker said that current economic trends have not adversely affected either his practice or issues relating to estate planning. For most people, he said, crafting and implementing an estate plan tends to take place outside of what's happening in the economy. For most of them, the decision to think about end-of-life issues is the result of either a sudden illness or other health crisis. They or a family member become sick. So they decide to address what's going to happen after they're gone. Hooker said that dealing with estate planning and related concerns before there's a crisis can be enormously helpful in the long run. » read more...    Graven in stone, memorials endure for generations to come Local monument makers have been helping people memorialize their loved ones in enduring stone since the 19th century.  As times change, burial practices growing greener While 30 percent and more of a funeral home's business is from cremations, available options for the families of the deceased are growing.  Cremation can be a simple and spiritual choice It's a clear, uncomplicated answer for many.  Cremation facts Some things to remember  Crematories for western Massachusetts Springfield Cemetery & Crematory  Obituaries offer a way to reflect on a loved one's life In February 2006, when the Gazette changed its long-standing policy of treating each obituary as a news item, with a single, consistent style, we thought we'd opened the floodgates. We expected many more unusual, original, home-crafted obits than we got. Over the two-plus years since, we've had a few remarkable exceptions, with families supplying quirky details about the deceased, and some obituaries written by the deceased before their death.  Obit outtakes The symbol of love is a circle. Heartfelt love inspires service and giving, which complete the circle. This was our "Gram." Pauline M. McKay, 98  Not so ghastly: Dissolving the dead has ecological appeal Since they first walked the planet, humans have mostly either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest - dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain.  Into the deep: Reef as final resting place MIAMI - About 45 feet beneath the ocean's surface lies a cemetery with gates, pathways, plaques and even benches.  Biodegradable coffins are a natural Cynthia Beal wants to be an Oregon cherry tree after she dies. She has everything to make it happen - a body, a burial site and a biodegradable coffin.  What to ask at private cemeteries The Department of Veterans Affairs suggests that families planning to bury a veteran in a private cemetery ask the following questions:  Enduring memories Above is a photo of Brookside Cemetery in Easthampton, with a monument (in the sun) to Mitchell Co. Monuments owner Morgan Mitchell's grandfather Donald Mitchell, an earlier proprietor of the longtime family business. Richard Verock, at left, owner of Athol Granite Works and Dorsey Memorials in Amherst, carves a Colonial-style slate tablet with a period winged angel and weeping willow design. Verock's son, Adam Verock, bottom left, prepares a stone for sandblast carving. Above right is the design he will create on the stone. Below right, two monuments are displayed in the Mitchell Monuments showroom on Union Street in Easthampton. The angel-heart stone is ordered precarved from India.  With military honors, nation recognizes veterans' service Eligible veterans of military service are entitled to many VA burial and memorial benefits, including burial in a national cemetery for the veteran and spouse, a variety of military funeral honors, and gravestones and markers.