THE ULTIMATE PROJECT FOR A DO-IT-YOURSELFER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 23, 1993                   TAG: 9303230112
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ALAMEDA, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Short
THE ULTIMATE PROJECT FOR A DO-IT-YOURSELFER
Al Carpenter, owner of Direct Funeral Services, has a deal for people concerned about the high cost of dying. For $9.95 he'll mail you plans for a do-it-yourself coffin that also works as a bookcase.
He wants people to "shop before they drop."
A former Baptist minister, he said he got the idea after watching members of his congregation pay thousands of dollars for elaborate caskets.
Building your own is therapeutic, he said. His own handiwork sits in his office. "It only took me two hours and it was a lot of fun."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB