Scattering Service

A city skyline is visible over a body of water

Once a year, The Co-op Funeral Home performs a scattering service on the Puget Sound. In Washington State, cremated remains may be scattered on all public navigable waterways. These include sounds, rivers, streams, lakes, and the ocean within a three-mile limit. Families and clients ask us to scatter for them and we are honored to be able to perform this service.


It was a beautiful summer day this year. We launched our little boat and its cremated passengers from a dock at Alki Beach. 


We headed out to the Puget Sound where we would be scattering. 


Just past the tip of West Seattle, we decided that a quiet area with a view of the Olympic Mountains would be an excellent final resting place. 


We took a picture of each urn, with the Olympics in the background before we scattered. 


We had one water burial urn a family had chosen. This container is made of paper and is designed to breakdown in the water. This one we placed in its entirety in the Sound. 

The rest of the remains were in plastic bags. We opened up each bag, placed the opening under the surface of the water, and let the contents flow out. This kept any Big Lebowski-like blow back at a minimum. 


The cremated remains would hang in the water for a while before gradually disappearing into the blue. It looked like they were hanging out enjoying the sunshine before going below.


We documented the GPS coordinates and are sending this certificate, along with a photo, to each family to let them know where the scattering took place.

A scattering certificate for a funeral home on august 10 2014

For families who wish to have their loved one scattered in the water, but are unable to do so themselves, we are happy and honored to perform this service for them. For more information on scattering protocols and options, email us at info@funerals.coop.

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