George Hogrefe, 64, of Lanoka Harbor, N.J., is the founder of Sea Burial.
Q. How did you get the idea for doing sea burials?
A. About 15 years ago, I was fishing a few miles from the Barnegat Lighthouse in New Jersey when I saw two guys on a commercial fishing boat tossing bags into the air and letting them fall into the sea. I motored over and told them they shouldn’t be throwing garbage into the ocean. I learned that a funeral home was paying them $50 per bag to dispose of people’s remains.
The two were making a game of it, seeing who could throw the bags the highest. I told them that was not right. I was a police lieutenant at the time and decided that when I retired, I’d do sea burials with dignity. I retired at 50 and have been doing sea burials for almost 14 years.
Are sea burials regulated?
The Environmental Protection Agency has requirements concerning burials. In my area, I have to provide information that includes my name, the name of the deceased, the vessel’s name, the port of departure, and the longitude and latitude of the burial.
Some people might think it’s hard to do what you do. Because of your background in law enforcement, are you able to detach emotionally from the burials?
On one hand, as a policeman, I was pretty good at handling situations. On the other hand, this job gets to me at times. One woman had lost her 22-year-old son a couple of years ago and was giving her husband a sea burial that day. That was hard.
How has your job changed over the years?
I no longer use my own boat. I contract with larger boats that offer whale-watching or dinner cruises and the like, and arrange whatever kind of service the family wants, except for religious. I’m not a member of the clergy, and families have usually had this type of service beforehand, or they bring a member of the clergy with them.
What is one of the more unusual services you’ve arranged?
The father of one family fought in World War II. Eighty family members and friends attended, and I had World War II planes fly over the boat. The planes did a victory roll, a fighter plane war maneuver, and emitted red, white and blue smoke.
Vocations asks people about their jobs. Interview conducted and condensed by Patricia R. Olsen.