**SOURCE: Daily Observer-** There is no wrong way for any family to express grief when a loved one eventually dies, but until now, Antiguans and Barbudans have had limited choices in how to lay them to rest — a reality Stefanie Meyer aims to change when Meyer’s Funeral Home opens the country’s first crematorium on November 4.

Describing herself as “level-headed”, it is not often that you find an individual, much less a 29-year-old Antiguan woman, who’s interested in the science and art of embalming and crematory service—at least one who isn’t already born into the family business.

Meyer defies every stereotype of what people expect from a funeral director, exhibiting an energy to her vocation that catches people off guard.

“I think people are caught off guard that I am cheery,” Meyer said. “They think that because I’m a funeral director, it’s going to be like really monotone and I’m going to wear black all the time. They expect like a little old man in a suit.”

Operating alongside Antigua and Barbuda’s long-established brands like Barnes Funeral Home which has been in operation since 1928, and Straffie’s Funeral Home which was founded in 1945, Meyer said her goal is not to compete but to offer options.

“I’m not trying to shake up the basket and change everything,” she told Observer media in an exclusive interview. “I’m just here to give options. I’m just here to make sure that the people who want cremation services have the option to do it.”

For many years, families who wanted their loved ones to be cremated had to ship their remains to neighbouring islands like St Kitts or Grenada to have the procedure done and then returned to Antigua—a time-consuming and expensive procedure.

Added to such burdens has been the limited land space for local burials as, despite establishment of a new public cemetery at Tomlinson’s, burial space remains at a premium.

Meanwhile, talk about the country’s first crematorium began in 2023 when three Canadian women with Antiguan roots expressed interest in operating such a venture and was looking to invest US$3.5 million to get the business started.

However, over the course of several months, a breakdown in communication between the government and the trio — including the government disclosing the group’s entire business plan to the media — brought an abrupt end to the initiative.

Since then, the government has been seeking local investors to establish a crematorium in order to reduce the burden on the two funeral homes and address unclaimed cadavers being kept in refrigeration units, sometimes for years.

However, young Stefanie Meyer answered in late 2024.

For Meyer, her own journey to becoming a funeral director and opening her own crematorium began years ago when her initial intention to study medical science evolved into an interest in funeral services which utilized her scientific training, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

“Ten years of med school, when you want to specialise, is a long time to do something you don’t absolutely love,” she said. “I just couldn’t do it.”

Her parents, initially shocked by their daughter’s career pivot, sent her to Trinidad for a two-week observation period to test her resolve.

“Most people in this industry are born into it,” Meyer explained. “My parents could not believe it. They kept asking, are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?”

However, she returned from Trinidad more convinced than ever, she said.

“I came back and told them that that was amazing, that was awesome, and I can do this,” she recalled. “I thought it was everything I thought it could be.”

After completing three years of study and working at a corporate funeral home in Connecticut, Meyer said she discovered that cremation services accounted for approximately 70 percent of arrangements there.

She observed that families who chose cremation seemed to navigate grief differently, often scheduling memorial services months later when relatives could gather rather than rushing arrangements within weeks of the death of their loved ones.

The experience in Connecticut also exposed her to Hindu cremation practices, where practitioners believe cremation releases the soul from the body to cross over.

“Something about the way the families did cremation, it felt like their grieving process was a little easier,” Meyer said. “I was just extremely fascinated. “

However, Meyer never planned to be away from Antigua and Barbuda permanently.

“I’ve always been progressive in that sense,” she said. “I always want better for my people. I always planned to come back because you can go back and do something better for your parents, for somebody that’s there, for the people who would have sacrificed their life for me, for a place that you love.”

But returning home to establish the crematorium presented significant challenges. Meyer said she examined eight locations before securing her current site as several property owners and neighbours rejected the proposals due to concerns about having a funeral home nearby.

“We even looked at a building, and the neighbours were just like, who came to look? And that was it,” Meyer recalled. “Their neighbourhood said nope.”

The current location came through a conversation with a local business owner who offered the use of a building — an empty warehouse that required complete renovation, including the installation of walls, plumbing, and electrical systems.

Meyer credits her family’s unwavering support for helping her navigate the frustrations and lengthy approval process.

Many of her family members are now serving as part-time staff, assembling equipment and helping with services when needed.

“They didn’t think that’s what they were getting themselves into,” Meyer said with a smile. “They really thought I was going to be a doctor. They thought I was going to fix them, but instead, I’ll be helping them out in a different way.”

The regulatory process to set up a crematorium was equally demanding.

As Antigua’s first crematorium, government officials had no established procedures, requiring coordination among the Ministry of Health, Pesticides Control Board, and Central Board of Health.

“This is everybody’s first time,” Meyer explained. “Everybody’s having a rough time figuring out what everybody should do. Same way I’m learning, they’re also learning as well.”

The unique situation prompted changes to legislation as well as new regulations written by the Deputy Chief Health Inspector Daryl Spencer to govern the cremation process.

Despite frustrations and the many inspections for all involved, the funeral director gave credit to government officials for doing their best in unprecedented circumstances.

“I really can’t complain,” she said. “I think I did my best. They did their best. We’re here now.”

Meyer received the cremation machine in October 2024 and spent the following year navigating approvals and building out the facility.

The new site will feature on-site cremation services, a full range of funeral and memorial options, and a chapel designed for reflection and remembrance.

With approximately 600 deaths occurring annually in Antigua and Barbuda, Meyer hopes the crematorium will provide relief to families struggling with burial costs and limited cemetery space. The facility will also work with existing funeral homes to allow them to offer cremation services through Meyer’s facility.

I just want everybody to have the options, and everybody should be able to afford to bury their loved ones,” Meyer said.

However, she also acknowledges that she’s nervous about how the community will respond, particularly given religious concerns about cremation.

However, she notes that most Christian denominations, including Anglican, Catholic, and Seventh Day Adventist have recognized cremation as an acceptable form of disposition.

Meyer’s Funeral Home will officially open its crematorium on November 4, marking what the young entrepreneur describes as a revolutionary moment for Antigua and Barbuda’s funeral services industry.

“I’m just here to make sure that the people who want it, have the option to do it,” Meyer said.