All Saints Cemetery

This is a photo of her last birthday, on Sept. 19, 2009. From left: daughter Beth Bailey Barbeau, grandson Marcellin Barbeau, 7 at the time, seated, grandson Jianmarco Barbeau, 9 at the time, Sharon Bailey, son Brian Bailey, and daughter Laura Bailey.(Photo: Provided by Beth Bailey Barbeau)Sharon Bailey died at her daughter's home in a bed with a dark wood headboard that she bought more than 50 years earlier, around the time she got married.Her daughters, Laura and Beth, gently washed her body with soapy water. They rubbed rose-scented salve on her skin and dressed her in brown trousers, a brown turtleneck and a pretty pink fleece.Under her hips and shoulders, on top of fresh sheets, they placed small bags of dry ice.Bailey remained there for three days. About two dozen visitors said their good-byes to the 72-year-old former teacher in a serene room near a bouquet of red roses and a few candles."I'm really proud of how she died. I feel that my mom had a luxurious death," said Bailey's daughter, Beth Bailey Barbeau, 51, of Ann Arbor. "She died safe in a home with people caring for her and loving her."A small but growing number of people are seeking out more natural — and typically less-expensive — options when it comes to final arrangements for their loved ones.Barbeau chose a home funeral rather than embalming and a funeral home visitation for her mother. Bailey was cremated, an option that's skyrocketing in popularity in the U.S.Environmentally friendly green burials are becoming more common, too.Most states don't require people to use the services of a funeral home. Michigan allows do-it-yourself funerals, but both a funeral director and a doctor or medical examiner must certify a death certificate. A funeral director or county registrar has to sign the permit needed when a body is moved to a cemetery or crematorium.Three cemeteries and 19 funeral homes in Michigan are certified by the Green Burial Council, an organization that advocates natural funeral and burial practices.Ther... (USA TODAY)