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It may sound macabre, but there is a lot of business to tend to when someone dies. Logistics and planning and bureaucracy, not exactly the kind of things you want to be stressing over in the midst of loss and grief. But if anyone were to have a master plan rigorously laid out for their post-mortem arrangements, it would be Martha Stewart. And so she does! She just told Shawn Killinger on the 50+ & Unfiltered podcast that she intends to be composted, a process formally called terramation. I think that choice is a good thing. It’s where she wants her composted remains to be deposited that really gave the plan that certain Martha flair:
Martha Stewart just revealed her end-of-life wishes — and they don’t include burial or cremation.
During the Sunday, Nov. 30 episode of the 50+ & Unfiltered podcast hosted by Shawn Killinger, Stewart shared her unconventional plan for after she dies.
“Oh, I’m going to be composted,” she said after being asked by Killinger if she would prefer to be buried or cremated.
“When one of my horses dies, we dig a giant hole really deep in one of my fields. We have a pet cemetery. And the horse is wrapped in a clean, white linen sheet and very carefully dropped down into this giant lovely grave. I want to go there,” Stewart explained.
After Killinger asked if her plan was “allowed” and “legal”, Stewart replied, “It’s not going to hurt anybody, it’s my property.”
“But these coffin things and all that stuff, no way,” she added.
After Stewart’s comments were posted on Reddit, fans praised the entrepreneur for her commitment to sustainability — even after death.
“Martha really said, make me mulch. Iconic to the End,” wrote one fan. “Cool. I like this idea. It’s better for the environment too.” commented another.
“In the end we’re all biomass so it’s a solid move to help give back to the ecosystem,” added a third. “This is exactly what I want, just to decompose back into nature. I personally find it the most beautiful way to do it, maybe not visually or aromatically but as a concept anyway.” said a fourth.
The process Stewart referred to in the podcast clip is called terramation. According to Return Home, this is “the process of transforming human remains into nutrient-rich soil through controlled natural decomposition, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation.”
As of November 2024, terramation is legal in several U.S. states, including New York where Stewart lives.
I was gone at “When one of my horses dies…” Tell me you’re rich without telling me you’re rich. And then the whole description of the horse burials — she might as well throw wads of cash into those holes as well! No, I absolutely know the deep and abiding love we have for our pets, and I don’t mean to knock Martha’s affection for her steeds. But there is something a little snooty in the way Martha casually mentions owning horses and fields, right? I really do love the terramation concept, though, and ultimately what’s important is finding something that’s meaningful for you and your family (and legal where you live).
When my father passed away two years ago, my mother and I already knew he wanted to be cremated, but it took a long time for us to decide what to do next. (Sidenote: as we were providing the crematorium with necessary info, at one point the man helping us said, “Ok, now we’re cooking with gas.” To be fair to him, he was immediately mortified. My mother and I assured him that we were the best possible customers to make such a faux pas to.) So now years later, and after much searching and ruminating, we have our keepsakes. My mother found a company that makes memory stones that are 100% condensed ashes; she liked the idea of being able to hold a part of him in her hand and of being able to share them as well. It’s been equally touching and delightful to see how many friends and family have asked to have their own little piece of him. Thank goodness he yielded a lot of stones!
Photos credit: Melanie Miller/Backgrid, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon and Getty