March/April 2014

March-April 2014
MAGAZINE
CEMETERY
CREMATION
Rebuilding after a devastating loss Recording the sacrifices of underage vets

A funeral for Walter White Publicizing a grand opening Landscape design
FUNERAL
Finding the nugget

for a meaningful service
Glenda Stansburys
tale of two families
Poul Lemasters on
dealing with theft
Stressed?
Cant relax?
Nancy Weil
can help
How to
react to a new
low-price competitor
Managing inventory
to generate enough
cemetery revenue
A New Zealand funeral
director on the value
of funerals today
Handling complaints
when everyones online
Todd Van Beck on
how to stay calm
April 8-11
in Las
Vegas
Inside:
Profiles of firms exhibiting

at the ICCFA Convention
Van Beck & OSullivan,
the Educational Foundations
first Lasting Impact Award
recipients, talk about education
Eagle Coach AD
FULL PAGE
page 2 (C2)
4-COLOR
Merendino Care AD
FULL PAGE
page 155 (C3)
4-COLOR
National Mortuary Shipping AD

FULL PAGE
page 156 (C4)
4-COLOR
Coldspring AD
FULL PAGE
page 3
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CMC AD
FULL PAGE
page 4
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SRS FULL PAGE

page 5
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MAR C H - APRIL 2 0 1 4 T a b l e o f c o n t e n t s
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association :
Promoting consumer choices, prearrangement and open competition
Providing exceptional education, networking and legislative guidance and support
to progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide

Top: Lauren Blevins and her father, Alan

Blevins, in front of Williams Funeral
Home, rebuilt last year after a devastating fire (story, page 80).
Center, from left:
The memorial for an underaged soldier
who died during WWII (story, page 110);
A Breaking Bad Walter White balloon
festival pin (story, page 96);
A postcard announcing a new cremation
garden (story page 90).
16 JFDA Report
With appreciation and thanks
by Mindy Moline Botbol
18 Washington report
Appeals court reverses ruling in
challenge to PA funeral director law
by Robert M. Fells, Esq.
51 New Members
1 40 Update

144 Taking we will never
forget 9/11 to heart
1 46 Supply Line
1 52 Calendar
1 53 Classifieds
1 54 Ad Index
The 2014 ICCFA Expo 11 hours to check out the exhibits, including a
four-hour opening reception on Tuesday, another four hours (& the IMSA
Happy Hour) on Wednesday and lunch at the expo on Thursday. Check
out the full schedule and read about some of the companies that will be
exhibiting. (A floor plan and updated list will be in the onsite guide.)
20 Expo hours
24 Expo hall give-aways
30 Eat, drink, browse and get to know the suppliers
36 Convention sponsors
42 Look for the PLPA member, first-time exhibitors and KIP winners
50 Look for the KIP booth and the ICCFA Welcome Lounge
58 Professional Development
From indifferent students to teachers who make a difference

Read a little bit about initial ICCFA Educational Foundation Lasting
Impact Award recipients Gary OSullivan, CCFE, and Todd W. Van Beck,
CFuE, then be sure to buy tickets to attend the reception in their honor at
the 2014 ICCFA Convention.
interview by Susan Loving
62 The ICCFA Educational Foundation lives to give
Bottom: Some of the landscaping for

a modern mausoleum at historic
Lakewood Cemetery (story, page 124).
12 Presidents letter
Youve come a long way, baby!
by Nancy Lohman, LFD, CCFE
20 exhibitor profiles
64 Celebrants
A tale of two familiesand why funeral directors matter

Families choosing cremation to keep things simple may, in the same
spirit, select a low-cost, cremation-only firm. Many rue the choice after
its too late. by Glenda Stansbury, CC
72 Personalization
Finding the nuggets that are the basis of meaningful service

Families making arrangements are often unable to centrate on details.
Its the arrangers job to gather the nuggets of information that are the key
to planning a meaningful and memorable service. by Matt Hollebeek
74 public rel ations/Pet service
How to handle complaints in the era of the customer is always right

and online What should you do when an irate client blasts your company online? How should you react when the shoddy practices of a pet
crematory completely unrelated to your company are all over the news?
by Coleen Ellis, CPLP
76 PLPA convention: Reception, movie & breakout sessions

ICCFA Magazine
to page 8
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
Tribute AD
FULL PAGE
page 7
4-COLOR
TABLE OF C ONTENTS
80 management
A fire taught us to prepare for the worse-case what-ifs

Do you have a plan for dealing with worst-case scenarios at your funeral
home, cemetery or crematory? Williams Funeral Home had a flood plan
... but got hit by a fire.
by Lauren Blevins, CC
86 management/SECURITY
Stop, thief! Steps to help you prevent, spot & react to theft in the
deathcare profession Cemeteries, crematories and funeral homes all
can become victims of theft, the financial damage of which is often
compounded by bad publicity. As always, its better to be prepared and
proactive than to just hope it doesnt happen to you.
by Poul Lemasters, Esq.
90 community outreach/marketing
ICCFA news
52 ICCFA staff profile:
Molly Jin, Planning

educational programs for you
52 ICCFA staff onsite at the 2014
ICCFA Convention & Expo to

help you get the most from your
convention experience
53 ICCFA Annual Convention
& Expo, April 8-11: Sessions

added on cremation, marketing;
film screenings preview
54 ICCFA Wide World of Sales:
Salespeople, suppliers, marketing

professionals build on the
fundamentals of selling at 2014
Wide World of Sales Conference
55 At www.iccfa.com:
2014 WWS session recordings

now available for purchase
56 KIP Awards: Recipients excel
in personalization
57 All Star partners Thank you
to all our convention & expo

corporate partners
57 ICCFA partners with CANA on
2014 cremation training sessions
57 PLPA Save the date:
4th Annual PLPA College

comes to New Orleans
Generate publicity before, during and after an event

What if you held a grand opening and nobody came? Make sure you do
the work before, during and after every event at your funeral home or
cemetery to maximize its benefits.
by Stephanie Jones
96 Popul ar culture
Breaking Bad fans mourn end of show with a funeral

These days a funeral and permanent memorialization are no longer
givens when a death occurs. Yet Walter White, a fictional character,
got bothcourtesy of grieving fans
by Gail Rubin, CT, CC
102 Management
What to do when a low-price competitor enters your market

How shouldand canyou respond when a discounter enters your
market? You definitely should not ignore the threat to your market share
and revenue, and yes, there are many things you can do about it.
by Glenn H. Gould
106 Cemetery Management
The design and redesign of new and aging cemeteries

Inventory managementchoosing the right inventory, changing it as
your communitys preferences change and pricing it properlyis crucial
to generating enough revenue for your cemetery.
by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS
110 Preserving history
Documenting the service of Seattles youngest hero

In the process of trying to document and preserve the history of every
person buried or cremated at Evergreen-Washelli, researchers are learning about fascinating pieces of our past. Meet 15-year-old Pfc. William
Westlake, who died defending his country.
by Paul Elvig
112 Veterans of Underage Military Service

ICCFA Magazine
to page 10
Funeral Call AD
FULL PAGE
page 9
4-COLOR
Cemeteries
Crematories
Funeral homes
Suppliers
Pet loss professionals
Submit your news
to ICCFA Magazine
Have you held a groundbreaking
or grand opening for a new facility?
Hired or promoted someone? Is your
company offering a new or updated
product to cemeteries and/or funeral
homes? Have you recently held an
unusual service or a successful seminar at your location? Added a grief
therapy dog to your staff?
Share your news with colleagues all
over the worldsend it in to ICCFA
Magazine! Its a simple way to receive
some well-deserved publicity for you
and your staff and to share ideas with
peers. Heres how to get your news in
ICCFA Magazine:
n Write it down. It doesnt have to be

written perfectly (thats why we have
editors)it just needs to include the
facts. Remember the basics:
Who
What
Where
When &
How (& sometimes Why).
n Send it in:
Email your Word document as an
attachment to sloving@iccfa.com, or
write your release in the body of your
email. Please include your full name
and title and the companys name and
location in the body of your email.
Photoshigh-resolution jpgscan
be emailed. Remember you must
adjust digital camera settings to take
high-resolution images before taking
the photos! Check the owners manual
for instructions. (If youre scanning in
glossies, they must be scanned in at
a minimum of 300 dpi at the size they
are to be printed.)
Questions?
Need some guidance?
Email ICCFA Magazine
Managing Editor Susan Loving
at sloving@iccfa.com.
10
ICCFA Magazine
TABLE OF C ONTENTS
114 Professional Development
How to keep your calm when other people dont

Civility costs nothing and buys everything.Lady Mary Wortley Montague
by Todd Van Beck, CFuE
118 essay
The value of a funeralwhy do we do the things we do?

Funerals have changed during the past generation. What do they mean
today? What should they accomplish?
by Kay Paku
124 l andscape design
Preserving a historic landscape while adding a modern building

How do you add a new building to the grounds of a historic cemetery
without mucking it up?
interview of landscape architect Craig Halvorson by Susan Loving
132 management
Nancy Weil knows how to stop stress from ruining your dayor your
life Do you ever get stressed out? No, never? Well then, you can skip this
article. Everyoone else, sit back, relax and learn more about good stress
vs. bad stress and how to manage the bad kind, from laughter expert
Nancy Weil.
interview by Susan Loving
136 Book excerpt: Tool 2: The power of thoughts and visualization
www.iccfa.com
Directories
www.iccfa.com/directories
Web Expo directory of suppliers and
professionals
Association directory
Industry event calendar
Cremation Central
www.iccfa.com/cremation
ICCFA Caf
Links to news and feature stories
from all over the world
Blogs by ICCFA members
Model guidelines
ICCFA Government and Legal Affairs
Committees model guidelines for
state laws and regulations
ICCFA calendar
2014 Annual Convention &
Expo
April 8-11 Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Chairs: Gary Freytag, CCFE, and
Scott Sells, CCFE
2014 ICCFA University
July 18-23 Fogelman Conference
Center, Memphis, Tennessee
Chancellor: Ernie Heffner, CFuE
2014 Fall Management

Conference
September 17-19 Ritz Carlton
Amelia Island, Amelia Island, Florida
Check us out on Facebook!

Like us and
friend ICCFA Staff.
NGL AD
FULL PAGE
page 11
4-COLOR
Presidents Letter
by ICCFA
2013-2014
President Nancy
Lohman, LFD, CCFE
nlohm@stonemor.com
Lohman is the director
of corporate development
for StoneMor Partners LP,
which owns cemeteries and
funeral homes in the United
States and Puerto Rico,
including Lohman Funeral
Homes, Cemeteries and
Cremation in Florida.
n To apply for ICCFA

membership:
Download an application
at www.iccfa.com, or
Call 1.800.645.7700
Check us out on
Facebook!
Like us
and friend
ICCFA Staff.
Nancy Lohman with members of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association at the associations winter
conference in the Domincan Republic.
Youve come a long way, baby!
educational events each year.

hen I was a teenager,
Since 2006, I have attended 29 of
my mother returned
those 32 events, and have had the
to college to com
good fortune of chairing both the
plete both her undergraduate and
Fall Management Conference, in
masters degrees. The Ohio
2008, and our Annual Convention
State University commencement
and Expo, in San Antonio in 2010.
speaker that year was President
The fact that I have faithfully
Ford. He had recently risen, over
participated in ICCFA events is a
a period of 10 months, from
testimony to the value our family
House minority leader to vice
Nancy Lohman with her mother, places on both the relationships we
president to president through
Marilyn Schaffter, at her 80th
the extraordinary events of the
have created and the educational
birthday party.
programming the ICCFA offers,
resignations of both Vice President
which we feel is significant and critical.
Spiro Agnew and President Richard Nixon. When
Getting away from words and moving into action:
he took center stage and began his commencement
Our strategic planning committee continued working
address he said, The Ohio State University
Marching Band wasnt sure whether to play Hail to on our plans this year. Our members read a book
entitled, The Race to Relevancy and understand
the Chief or Youve Come A Long Way, Baby!
that strategically the ICCFA must continue to
My engagement with the ICCFA mirrors those
provide value in ways which help our members
sentiments. My journey to this point has been
businesses stay relevant, cutting-edge and profitable.
an accumulation of experiences that have both
challenged me and prepared me. We have four major It will continue to be our focus to provide member

March-April 2014
VOLUME 74/NUMBER 3
ICCFA officers
Nancy Lohman, LFD, CCFE, president
Fred Lappin, CCE, president-elect

Darin B. Drabing, vice president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
vice president
Scott R. Sells, CCFE, vice president
Michael Uselton, CCFE, vice president
Jay Brammer, treasurer
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, secretary
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
general counsel
Magazine staff
Susan Loving, managing editor

sloving@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1222
Rick Platter, supplier relations manager
rplatter@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1213
12
ICCFA Magazine
Robert Treadway director of

communications & member services
robt@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
publisher
rfells@iccfa.com ; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1212
Brenda Clough, office administrator
& association liaison
bclough@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700,
ext. 1214
Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

(habla espaol)
1.800.645.7700, ext. 1215; danielo@iccfa.com
ICCFA Magazine (ISSN 1936-2099) is published by the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, 107 Carpenter
Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA 20164-4468;
703.391.8400; FAX 703.391.8416;
www.iccfa.com. Published 10 times per year,
with combined issues in March-April and
August-September. Periodicals postage paid
at Sterling, VA, and other offices. Copyright
2014 by the International Cemetery, Cremation

and Funeral Association. Subscription rates: In
the United States, $39.95; in Canada, $45.95;
overseas: $75.95. One subscription is included
in annual membership dues. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to ICCFA Magazine,
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA
20164-4468. Individual written contributions,
commentary and advertisements appearing in
ICCFA Magazine do not necessarily reflect
either the opinion or the endorsement of the
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral
Association.
Johnson Ad 1 of 3
FULL PAGE
page 13
4-COLOR
President s Travels
ton, area, where a joint convention between
the cemetery and the funeral director asso
ciations was held; the California Mortuary
and Cemetery Association in Yosemite; the
ALPAR convention in Cartagena, Columbia;
the NFDMA in New Orleans, Louisiana;
CANA, where we broke bread together and
opened the doors for future collaboration;
the Texas Cemetery Association; the North/
South Carolina Cemetery Associations;
and the joint convention of the Kentucky
and Tennessee cemetery associations and
the Southern Cemetery, Cremation and
Funeral Association, where Ellaway Amiker,
president (now past president) of the SCCFA,
and I shared the stage.
friends, mentors and teachers, including Ernie

Heffner, Mark Krause, Gregg Strom, Pam
Stephens, Gary Freytag, Todd Van Beck,
Ray Frew, Tom McDowell, Julie Burn, Bob
Gordon, Caressa Hughes, Colleen Ellis, Dick
Perl, John Linge, Doug Gober (Peanut), Allen
Dave, Jim and Kim Price, Christie Toson
Hentges, Ellaway Amiker and, of course, the
Lohman boys, Lowell, Victor and Ty. This
industry is full of amazing people who are
great at cultivating, building and fostering
relationships.
Women in leadership
Nancy Lohman with ICCFA Vice President
Darin Drabing, president of Forest Lawn
Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, at the companys Glendale location.
benefits such as compelling programming at

our educational events as well as networking
opportunities to share best practices, business
strategies and build relationships. We will
continue our work under the leadership and
direction of ICCFA President-Elect Fred
Lappin, who is passionate and committed to
continuing to move the association forward. I
know he will do a great job.
It is not the destination that matters,

but the journey
My mother-in-law, Opal Silverman, used
to say, The anticipation is as much fun as
the event! I feel that way each year as we
approach our annual convention and expo.
Every year, it seems we take our convention,
as well as our other annual educational
events, to new heights, offering the most
compelling programming in our profession.
This is the perfect opportunity to reach out
to our ICCFA staff and say thank you. They
do an excellent job. Thank you also to our
convention chairs, Gary Freytag and Scott
Sells, to our suppliers and to our sponsors.
It has been a joy and a privilege to repre
sent all of you from coast to coast this year,
spreading our mantra that ICCFA member
ship matters. I have met and exchanged ideas
with great people, learned from interesting
speakers and programming content and
enjoyed a variety of venues. Among these
memorable trips were the Ohio Funeral
Directors Association in my home town of
Columbus; the beautiful Suncadia, Washing
14
ICCFA Magazine
In 2004, Nicki Wiedeman asked me to parti

cipate in the 2005 Annual Convention and
Expo as a part of a panel discussion. It was
the first time I had ever spoken at an ICCFA
event. She opened the door for me and has
been an extraordinary leader within the
association. She is vivacious, energetic and
positive.
At this years convention, Jennifer Frew
is opening more such doors. Jennifer has
created a Women in Leadership program to
allow several of us, including the vivacious
Nicki Wiedeman, along with my friends
Elleanor Starks, Christine Hunsaker and
Caressa Hughes, to share our keys to success.
During this session that Jenn has created and
is moderating, we will build relationships
so we can continue to open doors for each
other. As a bonus, Jenn is creating a Keys
to Success booklet for each person who
attends, as well as a special keepsake from
the event.
Thanks, my mentors, my friends
A friend is one of the nicest things you

can have and one of the best things you
can be.
The relationships I have built over the
past two-plus decades in the profession, and
particularly in the past 12 years though my
active involvement in the ICCFA, have been
priceless. My colleague friends have helped
me grow, they have shared with me, they
have taught me and they have changed me.
They have had a huge and positive effect on
me. They also have laughed at my jokes, even
when they havent been so good, and have
sympathized with my problems, when they
havent been so bad.
My sincere and genuine thanks to my
Lowell and Nancy Lohman begin the year

at a championship game.
Looking back, moving forward
As my year draws to a close Id like to share

with you a few personal thank-yous:
My husband Lowell: Life is not just
about gazing at each other; its about looking
outward together in the same direction.
Thank you for sharing this past year with
me; for traveling with me this year and in the
years to come and always looking in the same
direction.
StoneMor Partners L.P. and CEO Larry
Miller: Thank you for the support youve
given me to devote so much time and energy
and so many resources to the ICCFA. Your
commitment to the association, particularly
this year, is unsurpassed. StoneMor is a great
company and the Lohmans are proud that we
transitioned our companies to you.
Gregg Strom: A person with a sense
of humor means there is joy in their heart,
laughter on their lips and down deep a pretty
good grasp of life. Thank you for being you.
In closing: Choose not to focus on what
is missing from your life; rather, choose to
be grateful for the abundance thats present.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege to
enjoy this amazing journey.
Warmest wishes from the Sunshine State!
Progressive Environmental AD
FULL PAGE
page 15
4-COLOR
by JFDA President
Mindy Botbol
mbotbol@
shalom2.com
Botbol is
managing
funeral
director at
Shalom
Memorial
Funeral
Home,
Arlington Heights, Illinois.
JFDA Report
With appreciation and thanks
www.shalom2.com
She is president of
the Jewish Funeral

Directors of America,
which was organized
in 1932 and has members
throughout North America.
www.jfda.org
lgregory@iccfa.com
1.888.477.5567
In October 2011, the JFDA
and the ICCFA entered into an

affiliation agreement, giving
JFDA members full ICCFA
membership, including the
right to attend ICCFA meetings
at member rates.
o not be wise in wordsbe wise in

deeds. This old Jewish proverb gives
great insight to the work we do and
the lives we live as Jewish funeral directors.
Although we do spend a lot of time using our
words to guide, comfort and counsel families, it
is our deeds that define us.
I have proudly served as the president of
the JFDA for the past two years. I have had the
honor of representing my colleagues from across
North America. Your words and your deeds
made my job easy. Your ability to represent our
profession in a dignified and respectful manner
has been a source of pride for the JFDA and for
the community at large.
You have allowed me to share my personal
insights and elements of Jewish tradition. You
have supported our affiliation with ICCFA.
You have volunteered, attended meetings and
provided never-ending support. You have
responded to our every request, been patient

with our transition and optimistic about our
future.
It pleases me to report that the JFDA is
strong and vibrant. Our attendance at meetings
has grown. Our relationships with other Jewish
professional organizations have flourished.
Our commitment to one another and to our
organization is strong and ever present.
Our affiliation transition with the ICCFA is
complete. We are grateful to the professional
staff and lay leaders of the ICCFA who helped
facilitate this union. My heartfelt appreciation
goes out to the executive committee, who spent
many hours ensuring our good health and future
success.
I look forward to the future accomplishments
and successes of our new board. I remain
honored to stand alongside each and every one
of you, my friends and colleagues.
Mindy
More on this topic

The JFDA
Annual Meeting
will be part of the
ICCFA Annual
Convention
& Exposition,
April 8-11, 2014,
at the Mandalay
Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas,
Nevada. For the
full convention
program and registration form,
goo to www.iccfaconvention.com;
1.800.645.7700
JFDA Executive Board
President Mindy Moline Botbol

Shalom Memorial Funeral Home
1700 W. Rand Road
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
847.255.3520
mbotbol@shalom2.com
Vice President Marc Benjamin

Benjamins Park Memorial Chapel
2401 Steeles Ave. West
Toronto Ontario M3J 2P1 Canada
Phone: 416.663.9060
marc@benjamins.ca
16
ICCFA Magazine
Secretary/Treasurer Jill Glasband

Hillside Memorial Chapels
6001 Centinela Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: 310.641.0707
jglasband@hillsidememorial.org
Immediate Past President Albert
Bloomfield
Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Funeral
Chapel
2130 State Highway 35
Ocean, NJ 07712
Phone: 732.493.4343
albert.bloomfield@
dignitymemorial.com
Randy Ziegler
Malinow & Silverman Mortuary
7366 Osage Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: 1.800.710.7100
randy@malinowsilverman.com
Members At Large:
Michael Benjamin (supra)
Jim Cohen
Feldman Mortuary
1673 York Street
Denver, CO 80206
Phone: 303.322.7764
jim@feldmanmortuary.com
Michael Rosenthal
Rosenthal Memorial Chapel
117 Washington Avenue
Pleasantville, NY 10570
Phone: 914.773.0030
michael@rosenthalmemorial.com
Robert Zimmerman
Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home
Inc.
44 Sumner Ave
Springfield, MA 01108
Phone: 413.734.5229
ascherzimmerman@aol.com
Astral AD
FULL PAGE
page 17
4-COLOR
Washington Report
by ICCFA General Counsel
Robert M. Fells, Esq.
rfells@iccfa.com
1.800.645.7700, ext. 1212
direct line: 703.391.8401
Fells is ICCFA executive director and general
counsel, responsible for
maintaining and improving
relationships with federal and state government
agencies, the news media, consumer organizations and related trade associations.
More resources
Wireless. ICCFA members, send us
your email address and well send you
our bi-weekly electronic newsletter full of
breaking news.
More from this author
Fells will participate in the
government & legal panel
session at the 2014 ICCFA
Convention & Expo, April
8-11, at the Mandalay Bay
Resort & Casino, Las
Vegas, Nevada. He also
will participate in a panel
discussion after the showing
of the film Furever, and
in the State Association
Leadership Luncheon.
Scan the QR code or go to
www.iccfaconvention.com for the latest convention details and to download a registration
form.
www.iccfa.com
Model guidelines
ICCFA Government and Legal Affairs

Committees model guidelines for state
laws and regulations
Washington Report
Recent columns are available online
18
ICCFA Magazine
Appeals court reverses ruling in

challenge to PA funeral director law
n February 19, the U.S. Court

of Appeals for the Third Circuit
issued its opinion in the Heffner
v. Murphy case, litigation that challenged
the legality of various provisions of the
Pennsylvania funeral director law (FDL).
The lower district court had struck down
as unconstitutional ten requirements and
restrictions in the FDL. On appeal, the 3rd
Circuit Court reversed all but one of the
counts, thus affirming the existing funeral
law.
The 48-page opinion, which is relatively
short for an appeal involving 10 counts,
stated that much of the District Courts
conclusions regarding the FDL, enacted
in 1952, stem from a view that certain
provisions of the FDL are antiquated in
light of how funeral homes now operate.
That is not, however, a constitutional
flaw.
The District Court had struck down
FDL provisions that: (1) permit warrantless
inspections of funeral establishments
by the Board; (2) limit the number of
establishments in which a funeral director
may possess an ownership interest;
(3) restrict the capacity of unlicensed
individuals and certain entities to
hold ownership interests in a funeral
establishment; (4) restrict the number of
funeral establishments in which a funeral
director may practice his/her profession;
(5) require every funeral establishment to
have a licensed full-time supervisor; (6)
require funeral establishments to have a
preparation room; (7) prohibit the service
of food in a funeral establishment; (8)
prohibit the use of trade names by funeral
homes; (9) govern the trusting of monies
advanced pursuant to pre-need contracts for
merchandise; and (10) prohibit the payment
of commissions to agents or employees.
The appellate court held, in effect, that
all but one of these provisions are in fact
constitutional. The only count that the 3rd
Circuit affirmed was the use of a trade
name for a funeral establishment. That is,
the FDLs requirement that each funeral
home must be named for its funeral director
licensee was struck down.
However, the court held variously that
the licensing and ownership restrictions
involved in the remaining nine counts did
not unduly burden interstate commerce

because in-state practitioners are equally
affected. Likewise, the constitutional
protections of the Due Process Clause are
not violated because the FDLs restrictions
are rationally tied to the states interest in
protecting the public and considerations of
public health and safety.
Viewed broadly, the constitutional
protections of checks and balances creates
a higher standard for courts to repeal laws
than for the legislatures that enacted them.
In other words, if the legislature passes
a bad law, it can agree to repeal it by a
majority vote. However, for a court to
repeal or strike down a law passed by the
legislature, the plaintiffs seeking such action
must demonstrate that the law in question
substantially violates the constitution.
This higher standard of review creates an
enormous burden for plaintiffs to achieve
in persuading the court to strike down a
law instead of using the legislative branch
of government. The ICCFA, among other
interested parties, filed a friend of the
court brief in support of the plaintiffs.
The Court of Appeals refrained from
endorsing the FDL or in any sense praising
its various challenged provisions. The
standard of review limited the court to
determining whether any of the counts rose
to the level of being unconstitutional, not
to whether the provisions are unwise or illadvised.
One funeral trade association claimed
that the appellate courts ruling was a
victory for consumers, ignoring the fact
that the Funeral Consumer Alliance had
filed an amicus brief in support of the
plaintiffs. ICCFA Executive Director Bob
Fells summed up his personal opinion of the
ruling by stating, This decision is a victory
only for those who dont want funeral
service to enter the 21st century.
At this point, the plaintiffs in Heffner
may seek a review en banc by the
appellate court or file a petition with the
U.S. Supreme Court. In both instances, the
courts have discretion to decline hearing the
case.
To read the full text of the 3rd Circuits
opinion, go to www.iccfa.com/files/PA%20
Heffner%20Third%20Circuit%20Op_2_19r
14.pdf.
Trigard AD
FULL PAGE
page 19
4-COLOR
Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com
March-April 2013
19
exhibitor profiles
Hours of uninterrupted time to talk to suppliers, ask questions
and see products in personthats what you get at the ICCFA Annual
Convention & Expo. No educational sessions are scheduled during expo hours.
Free food and beverage service means you can grab lunch or enjoy appetizers
before heading out for a night on the town in Vegas. Plan to spend as many hours
Expo hours
Tuesday, April 8
3-7 p.m.
as you can in the Expo Hall, learning what you need to know to stay successful.
The 2014 ICCFA Expo
Grand Opening Reception

(open bar and heavy hors
doeurvres)
Wednesday, April 9
noon-4 p.m.
Lunch at the Expo &
IMSA happy hour
Thursday, April 10
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Lunch at the Expo
Editors note:
Profile information is provided by the
exhibitors; ICCFA Magazine and the ICCFA
are not responsible for content. Inclusion in this
section is provided free to all exhibitors meeting
submission deadlines and requirements.
An Expo Hall booth number is listed

after the company name. The booth numbers
also will be found on the Expo Hall maps in
the convention onsite program that will be
distributed in Las Vegas.
20
ICCFA Magazine
2wayradioplus.com (#731)
Compact, lightweight business two-way radios provide instant, discreet communication
among staffers at any location: The home,
the procession, the cemetery. There is no
fumbling with phones, no dependence on cell
towers, no offensive audio disturbing patrons.
Consider, too, the enhanced service and productivity that Motorola radios can provide.
www.2wayradioplus.com; 888.243.9799;
ChetTacka@Earthlink.net
A Simple Thank
You (#333)
A leading provider
of digital registry
and preneed leads
generator, their
iPad application digitally captures visitor
information. ASTY can print the memorial
book, custom acknowledgment cards and
address the envelopes, or the funeral home
can print in-house. When using ASTY Mobile, guests can sign in on their smartphones
and leave condolences, which can also be
printed. Contact 1.800.483.0671 or
www.asimplethankyoufuneral.com
Abbey Press (#1047)

Abbey Press provides caring resources
which offer help, hope and healing to those
in need. Our publications, including books
and the popular booklet seriesCareNotes,
give special emphasis to grief, loss, end-oflife, illness and distress issues. Celebrating
25 years and over 100 million copies sold,
CareNotes are the perfect take-one literature for the people you serve.
Academy of
Professional Funeral
Service Practice
(#875)
The academy offers a
voluntary certification
program for funeral
directors who are
interested in earning the professional designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP), the mark of professional
excellence in funeral service. Information is
available at apfsp.org.
Aeon Mfg. (#944)

Since 1959, Aeon Mfg. has continued to
offer a full line of cemetery and funeral
products for the death care industry. Bronze
urns, memorial vases, casket carriages,
grave boards and the patented URNArium
System are just a few of the many innovative products available. Please visit our
booth, 739, or go on our website at
www.aeonmfg.com.
American Funeral
& Cemetery Trust
Services (#1241)
Established in 1993,
American Funeral
& Cemetery Trust
Services is a nationwide preneed, endowment care master trust
and third-party administration provider. We
help individual funeral homes, cremation
providers, cemeteries and state associations
maintain focus on their clientele and communities by providing the most comprehensive, efficient and compliant services
available. Visit us at booth 1241.
Great Western AD
FULL PAGE
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4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Alexander Studio
(#1032)
Unique in classical
and modern style,
Alexander Studio
designs and fabricates
its MOSAIC artwork
in Los Angeles,
California. Murals, mosaic-front niches
with glass or granite memorializations with
optional custom-built bronze vases, stainedglass mosaics, statuary are open for your
consideration. Stop by and enjoy our new
mosaic products for the interior of glass
front niches. www.alexanderstudio.org
All City
Communications
(#321)
All City Communications specializes in
answering for funeral homes while reducing your monthly costs. We answer every
call live, ensuring the best possible service
available to your families. We are proud
partners with current ICCFA members and
we want to partner with your funeral home
as well. Visit us online at
www.allcitycom.com; 1.800.547.4740.
American
Cemetery
Supplies
(#1124)
American
Cemetery Supplies manufactures quality cemetery, vault
and funeral home supplies from the smallest
crank to tribute carriers at our Portsmouth,
Virginia, plant. Specializing in tents, we
are well known for quality. We distribute
all major death care industry lines, such as
Ferno, Frigid and Mipro PA systems. Please
visit our booth or call for all your needs
1.800.515.0400.
American Columbarium (#250)

American Columbarium produces and
installs high quality niche systems allowing
cemeteries to provide the best product in
the marketplace. We offer flexibility with an
array of free-standing, multi-sided, interior
and exterior columbaria that can include
water features, mosaics, wall attachments
and statues. We pay attention to detail making every columbarium a custom project.
Contact us: 1.866.680.0858 or
www.americancolumbarium.com.
22
ICCFA Magazine
American
Crematory
Equipment
Co. (#966)
We want to
stop and say thank you for all of your continued business and for helping us grow to
five locations throughout the United States.
We have been manufacturing cremation
equipment for over 40 years now and service and repair all makes and model units.
Let American Crematory show you what
Service is Everything is all about.
American
Funeral
Consultants
(#1222)
For 40+ years,
AFC has been
serving those
who serve others exclusively
within the funeral
industry, providing customized financial
and business consulting, including business appraisals, succession planning, buy/
sell representation and general services, all
carried out with complete confidentiality
and the highest level of expertise. Services
are customized and structured to meet the
specific needs of our clients.
www.teamafc.com
American
Funeral
Financial
(#951)
American Funeral Financial is the leading
provider of Insurance Assignment funding
services to funeral homes nationwide. No
longer is there a reason to wait on funds
from an insurance company. AFF not only
will verify the policy but will fund the proceeds to cover the funeral in 24 hours. Call
us today at 877.213.4233.
Astral
Industries
Inc. (#620)
If you are
the kind of
funeral director whose families are looking
for a quality, affordable, high-eye-appeal
casket with a good value, Astral is the
leading supplier during these challenging
economic times. Independently owned,
Astral offers 18- and 20-gauge steel caskets
as well as stainless steel, all of which can be
easily personalized.
1.800.278.7252; www.astralindustries.com
Aurora
Casket Co.
(#318)
Aurora
Casket is
the largest
privately-owned funeral service supplier in
America. Founded in 1890, the company
operates five manufacturing facilities in the
U.S. and Canada, and provides a full range of
burial, cremation, memorial and technology
products to funeral home clients. For more information, visit www.auroraadvantage.com.
Avenue of
444 Flags
(#876)
Avenue of
444 Flags
Foundation
creates biographies,
pictures and videos of honorably discharged
veterans and their families on its website,
www.avenueofflags.com, and will bury the
cremated remains, by branch of service, in
ossuaries located among the flags. Cremains
unclaimed at funeral homes and crematories
will be buried free of charge.
American Funeral Supply (#1147)

American Funeral Supply is built on a
longstanding tradition of excellence. As a
division of American Hotel Register Co.,
a family-owned business since 1865, we
partner with our customers to make their
jobs easier, offering dedicated, experienced
funeral supply account specialists; large
selection of the highest quality urns and
deathcare products; customized urn engraving, with next-day delivery.
www.americanfuneralsupply.com;
1.800.671.9366
Axiom (#536)
Axiom has been bringing clarity, simplicity and insight to cemetery operations for
20 years, with state-of-the-art technology
solutions. Our clients benefit from a business partner committed to improving their
finance, cemetery management, CRM and
mapping systems, as well as providing
business transformation consultancy. Axiom
is your partner of choice when it comes to
effective and high performing cemetery
management.
www.AxiomBusinessSystems.com
adfinity AD
2/3 V
4-COLOR
LP Bronze AD
1/3 V
4-COLOR
March-April 2014
23
Expo Hall giveaways
A free one-year lease of a Ford Excursion Van, courtesy of Federal Coach &
Limo (Booths 466 and 566), and Google
Nexus 7 from Axiom Business Systems
(Booth 536) are among the prizes you
can win in the Expo Hall this year. You
must be present in the Expo Hall to win,
so take plenty of time to look around and
learn from our supplier partners.
Axis Corp. (#1323)

Axis Corporation, manufacturer of cemetery equipment since 1958, including: vault
and monument handlers, self-propelled
dump trailers and the Truckhoe (a powerful,
towable backhoe with zero-degree turning radius, providing easy maneuverability
around the cemetery). All Axis equipment
is self-propelled in the cemetery, and wont
track up the grass.
B&L Cremation (#634)

The worlds largest independent crematory
manufacturer is in Tampa Bay, Florida,
designing, manufacturing and servicing
cremation equipment for both the human
and pet markets. With installations throughout the world, B&L is the trusted leader of
the industry. Sales and service locations are
on both the East and West coasts. Custom
designs available; we manufacture for your
needs.
Bass-Mollett (#1023)
For three generations, the Bass-Mollett
family has carried on a tradition of quality
service to the funeral industry. Since 1951,
our goal has been to exceed the needs of
funeral directors. We continue to strive to
make Bass-Mollett a company on which
funeral directors can trust and rely.
24
ICCFA Magazine
exhibitor profiles
Batesville
(#742)
For more
than 100
years,
Batesville
has been dedicated to helping families
honor the lives of those they love. Our history of manufacturing excellence, product
innovation, superior customer service and
reliable delivery helped us becomeand
remaina market leader. Batesville offers
the most comprehensive portfolio of quality
burial and cremation products, memorial
tributes, innovative technologies, and profitenhancing business solutions.
Bgin Bronze
(#866)
The nobility of bronze,
the grace of
a master. A
leader in the
design and
production of cremation urns, Bgin Bronze
Urns Ltd. is a proud Canadian and familyowned business which has specialized for
more that 20 years in individual, companion
and family bronze urns.
Carrier
Mausoleums
Construction (#752)
We dont just offer
the best in mausoleums, niche buildings,
glass-front niches,
exterior columbaria,
cremation equipment and bronze accessories. At CMC, were building a legacy of
quality, craftsmanship and reliability. No
matter the size of your project, well handle
it efficiently, elegantly and cost-effectively.
Thats our promise to you.
Call 1.800.663.7954;
info@cmc-carrier.com; cmc-carrier.com
Cedar Valley Box
(#1322)
Cedar Valley Box
Co. is where natures
beauty comes alive.
Our full-service
human and pet urn
woodworking facility
is located in the heart of Texas. All of our
handcrafted custom wood urns, standard
offerings and courtesy urns are 100 percent
satisfaction guaranteed. Support American products and craftsmen. Please visit
us at cedarvalleyboxcompany.com or call
540.392.2654 for more information and bulk
pricing.
Cemetery 360 (#248)

Cemetery360 is an online cemetery search
engine providing industry specific business
development software. We specialize in
360-degree image-mapping and hosting of
innovated virtual cemetery tours. Our software provides tools for you to connect with
your customers and allows your customers
to virtually explore your business anywhere
throughout the world. Visit our booth and
cemetery360.com for further information.
Cemneo (#1142)
Cemneo Software for
cemeteries, funeral
homes and crematories
delivers smart, intuitive,
innovative web-based
solutions to streamline
operations and maximize investment in IT
without taking focus away from families.
Cemneo features simple, easy contract creation, highly configurable forms, specialized
management reports, first-call tracking, service scheduling and digitized maps replacing
legacy systems. Cemneo works on computers, tablets, smartphones. 1.855.4CEMNEO.
Booth 1142.
Chateau Urns
(#1048)
We invite you to
explore the world
of Chateau Urns,
with knowledge,
innovation and
sense of elegant functionality. We present to
you high-design selections from our Premium
Wood Urn Chateau and Economic Price Point
in Society collections. We create our products
with passion, care and great love of detail,
and are committed to the highest quality and
service. www.ChateauUrns.com
Church &
Chapel Metal
Arts (#1158)
Church & Chapel Metal Arts,
serving the funeral industry since 1933. We
offer a complete line of supplies to the funeral
industry, including torchiere lamps, lecterns,
kneelers, cremation urns and many other
products necessary to the delivery of funeral
service. 2616 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
60612; 773.489.3700; Fax: 773.489.3434; toll
free:1.800.992.1234; Fax: 1.800.626.3299.
Visit our website: www.church-chapel.com;
e-mail: info@church-chapel.com.
Passages AD
FULL PAGE
page 25
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Clarke
Grave Vault
(#673)
Founded in
1898, familyowned and operated Clark Grave Vault
manufactures metal burial vaults using steel,
galvanized steel, aluminum, premium grade
stainless steel and copper. All Clark vaults are
manufactured using the very latest technology, including robotic welding and powder
coated finishes. Clark also has a complete line
of cremation urns and metal urn vaults for
those customers selecting cremation.
Coldspring (#1248)
Coldspring is a leading memorialization solutions provider. From natural stone and bronze
to cemetery building consulting and construction services, Coldspring offers a wide variety
of products and solutions for the memorial
market, including: bronze on granite memorials, mausoleum design through construction,
columbarium structures, granite benches, cremation memorials and more. For additional
information visit coldspringusa.com.
Contemporary Concepts (#1423)

Contemporary Concepts provides a complete aftercare program to funeral homes
and cemeteries. We publish three distinctive
inspirational memorial volumes that have
brought comfort to millions for over thirty
years. Each volume is personalized with the
name of the deceased gold stamped on the
cover and includes a customizable message
from your company on the third page. Visit at
www.contemporaryconceptsdirect.com.
Crowne Vault
(#1129)
Crowne Vault
offers attractive, sturdy,
value-priced
urn vaults.
Constructed
of a high impact ABS plastic, these vaults
provide protection while ensuring integrity
of the cemetery ground. The single vault has
a low profile and works well for second right
of interment. Double vault accommodates
two urns or most over-sized urns. Easy to
personalize.
26
ICCFA Magazine
Crystal Remembrance (#1312)

Crystal Remembrance is hand-crafted to
memorialize your loved one in an elegant,
bold and unique piece of glass art. Interweaving a small amount of cremated
remains with a swirl of your chosen color,
our artists create a one of a kind memorial.
Our artists are degreed and accomplished
professionals. Crystal Remembrance LLC
works exclusively with funeral homes
throughout the country.
CTP Solutions
(#328)
CTP Solutions
provides business
process outsourcing, specializing in the death care industry, delivering
efficiencies in the areas of critical document
processing. Providing seamless, paperbased and electronic outsource solutions for
preneed invoices, statements and other critical documents. 1.888.624.5786, ext. 312,
Rob Hennick; www.ctpsolutions.com
Destiny
Casket (#55)
Destiny Casket provides
a unique combination of quality burial and
cremation products for our funeral home
customers, including metal and wood
caskets, monuments, plastic garments,
church trucks and hardware for the funeral
business. Save money; improve your profit
margin and competitiveness. Contact Coco
Zhan, 1.408.850.0082;
destinycasket@yahoo.com;
www.destinycasket.com.
Doric Products
Inc. (#319)
Doric Products
Inc., a leader in
the burial vault
industry since
1955, boasts
over 130 dealer locations in the United
States and Canada. Doric, committed to
quality products and services, offers doublewall, triple-wall, and quad-wall burial vaults
choices. Doric also offers a full line of urns,
urn vaults and air seal Classic Metal Vaults.
Telephone: 1.888.55.DORIC;
e-mail: info@doric-vaults.com;
www.doric-vaults.com.
Eagle
Granite Co.
(#647)
Eagle owns
and operates
several granite
quarries
and manufactures memorials in more than
a dozen granite colors. In addition, Eagle
houses a large inventory of popular import
designs for faster delivery times on in-stock
items. Ask about our new state-of-the-art
mausoleum design and manufacturing plant.
Call 1.888.357.8452 or visit our website at
www.eaglegranite.com.
Eagles Wings Air (#1134)

Eagles Wings Air (EWA) is the nations
leading provider of logistics services
to North American funeral homes and
shipping services. Through a centralized
customer service center, EWA leverages
proprietary software and its knowledge
of global airline networks to deliver the
best transportation solution and proactive
management for human remains transport.
Learn more at www.CallEWA.com or by
calling 1.866.550.1392 (EWA).
Earthhandsfire (#344)
Kevin Blackburn, the
creator of Earthhandsfire, makes ceramic
raku urns for cremated
remains. Each urn is
unique and a stunning
piece of art. Over 100
in stock and beautifully presented on
the website
www.earthhandsfire.com. Retail prices are
listed and wholesale prices available. Ships
anywhere from Stanwood, Washington.
EDA Land
Planning
(#1052)
EDA Land
Planning is
dedicated to
improving
a cemeterys bottom line through superior
design. We design very desirable and beautiful cemeteries with cremation, estate and
traditional lot gardens while fully utilizing
space and minimizing maintenance needs.
Every cemetery is unique and we provide
innovative solutions. Please visit us and well
discuss how we can improve your revenue.
801.924.2296; www.edalandplanning.com
Starmark AD
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4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Eickhof Columbaria (#434)
See our
new preassembled
columbarium design
called the
Quarter
Eclipse.
This columbarium will allow you to provide larger
niches 18 inches wide by 12 inches high.
It also features a running bond niche front
pattern. The curved end of the columbarium
features true radiused niche fronts. This
means the niche fronts are actually curved,
providing a beautiful look.
Elegante
Brass Co.
(#1041)
Through
our network of 160 distributors, Elegante
supplies quality cremation urns to funeral homes across the United States. Our
earned reputation for service, plus 15 years
experience in this industry combine to help
achieve our goal, to become Americas No.
1 source for urns. Our yearly climb in the
ranks of suppliers is earned one new account at a time.
Ensure-A-Seal (#812)
In 1985, we invented the casket protection
product that evolved the industry. In 2014,
were proudly introducing our improved
casket protector. With a new one-piece
design and preinstalled acrylic sealing
tape, this update offers maximized performance and unmatched ease-of-use. Visit
ensureaseal.com to learn more. Be sure to
attend Dave Yearsleys talk on Friday, The
mausoleum checklist: Smarter planning and
care.
Facultatieve Technologies (#642)

Facultatieve Technologies, your partner
in cremation technical development. Our
designs and innovations for cremation provide maximum energy savings, operational
savings and, most importantly, operator
safety. We provide advice and recommendations for complete turn-key solutions. Our
customer care unit provides support and
FT cremators are equipped with broadband
connection for 24/7 technical support assistance anywhere in the world at no charge.
28
ICCFA Magazine
Family Bronze
(#1230)
Family Bronze is
a third-generation
manufacturer of
beautiful bronze memorials, vases and
crypt platesall for
a fair price. Come
say hello and see how it feels to be treated
like family.
Fine N Rhine
(#1125)
Based in Hong
Kong, Fine N
Rhine has been
exhibiting at ICCFA
since 2001. Known
for our styling and
quality, we are
back with our new collection of Swarovski
evening clutches and pashmina wraps. We
welcome you to visit our booth. Contact
917.669.1200, Bharati.
Flowers for
Cemeteries (#1117)
Flowers For Cemeteries is a leading supplier of silk cemetery
arrangements specifically designed using
our patented Stay-InThe-Vase technology.
We offer silk flowers
for ground vase, mausoleum vase, niche
vase and monument saddles. Please stop by
our booth and ask about our new interactive
placement tracking program and customdesigned brochures. See you then, David
and Ruby. www.flowerforcemeteries.com;
info@flowersforcemeteries.com.
Forethought
Life
Insurance
Co. (#852)
Forethought
Life Insurance Co. provides a full suite of annuities and a leading preneed life insurance
platform to help solve the pre-retirement,
retirement and end-of-life challenges facing
Americans today. Experienced leadership
and financial discipline underlie strong
growth and success in the marketplace.
Forethought is a subsidiary of Global Atlantic Financial Group Limited, a multiline
insurance and reinsurance company.
Franklin Wrap
(#432)
Developed for
cemeteries by
cemeterians,
Franklin Wrap
addresses concerns associated
with mausoleum entombment. Benefits
include a two-way ventilation system that
works with your mausoleum; transparent;
a safe, simple six-minute process to apply;
and the most affordable product on the market today. Please visit FranklinWrap.com to
watch our video presentation.
Frontrunner (#828)
FrontRunner technology solutions are
designed to help funeral firms of all sizes
compete in todays market. Family-owned
and operated by a 30-year licensed funeral
director, FrontRunner provides funeral
firms with website, marketing, management
and memorialization tools packaged in one
single-data-entry platform. Innovative turnkey solutions; Simpler Times cremation and
An Unforgettable Friend pet loss systems
offer new options in your communities.
FRSR
Crematory
Repair (#1057)
FRSR Crematory Repair is
a full-service
operation. We
provide quicker service, better material and
more options to fit your crematory needs.
Not only do we provide service and repairs,
but we offer parts, supplies and accessories.
We are here to keep your business running.
Dont forget to visit our booth for our free
giveaways. www.frsr.us; 651.429.2537
Funeral
Services
Inc. (#729)
Funeral
Services
Inc. (FSI)
is a preneed
administration and contract record-keeping
company that provides trust solutions to
funeral homes, cemeteries, associations
and financial institutions. With more than
35 years of experience, FSI offers expert
knowledge of the funeral service profession and web-based technology designed
specifically for preneed and perpetual care
programs. For more information, visit
fsitrust.com.
Stonemor AD 1 of 2 (other is on p 111)

FULL PAGE
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4-COLOR
Eat, drink, browse and

get to know the suppliers
The ICCFA Expo Hall features free continuous
food and beverage service so that attendees
can spend more time in the hall, learning
about all the products and services available.
Check out the ICCFA Welcome Lounge near
registration. Many exhibitors offer seating so
that cemeterians and funeral directors can
relax and get to know them in a comfortable
setting.
exhibitor profiles
Funeral Home Gifts
(#323)
Funeral Home Gifts
weaves heirloom quality tribute blankets for
funeral homes throughout North America.
Only $79.99 delivered
next day. Our blankets
comfort families, provide revenue through
re-orders and vision to transition direct
cremation to personalized memorial services.
For a free sample for an upcoming service,
call or e-mail 1.800.233.0439, ext. 501,
karlw@funeralhomegifts.com.
www.funeralhomegifts.com. Providing gifts
of healing for a life remembered.
Funeral
Call
(#954)
FuneralCall
is a friendly
and compassionate team of receptionists
who are trained to make a difference in your
funeral home. We strive to handle your calls
with genuine care, gaining the full trust of
a grieving family member. All of our plans
include free features: FirstCall Alert, text and
email and mobile apps. Call 1.888.239.0351
or visit us at funeralcall.com.
30
ICCFA Magazine
FuneralOne (#1108)
FuneralOne is the funeral professions
technology innovator, leading a movement
of change by transforming how the world
honors life and heals from loss. Our solutions
include f1Connect websites, ecommerce, Life
Tributes all-in-one personalization software
(tribute videos, personalized printing/register
books and webcasting) and more. Experience
success with our 7,000+ customers worldwide. www.funeralone.com
FuneralTech (#900)
Putting technology to work you for you is as
easy as 1-2-3. With Easy Arranger (MiMS),
Easy Web and your very own app on Apple
and Android devices thats been proven to
increase your revenue per funeral up to 15
percent. Drop by and let FuneralTech show
you how one funeral can market your firm to
hundreds of people for free.
Funeralwise.com (#244)
Providing
everything you
need to
know
about funerals, Funeralwise.com is a popular
funeral resource on the web. Through our
preferred provider program, well serve as
your online marketing partner by connecting
you with people who are using the Internet
to research and shop for funeral products and
services. Join free to make the web work for
you: www.funeralwise.com/business.
Gama Sonic (#1418)
Gama Sonic is the
leading manufacturer
of high quality solar
lamp post lights. Gama
Sonic solar lamp posts
can be easily installed
anywhere outdoors
without digging or running electrical wiring,
saving you time and money. Gama Sonic
manufactures consumer and commercial/industrial-grade solar powered, energy efficient,
custom lighting solutions for a wide range of
lighting applications. www.gamasonic.com;
matt@gamasonic.com;
1.800.835.4113, ext. 104
Matthews AD
FULL PAGE
page 31
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Glass
Remembrances
(#347)
Glass remembrances are created
as a work of art that
contains a small
portion of the cremains of your loved
one and keepsakes
that encase jewelry and flowers and other
memories. In todays highly mobile society,
people can be separated from a dear friends
resting place. We create portable tributes
that can always be part of your life.
Granite
Resources
Corp.
(#549)
Granite
Resources Corp. specializes in granite memorials and markers and provides personal
mausoleums, stone for community mausoleums, columbariums, granite benches,
statues, hand sculptures, sandblast carving
and lettering, diamond and laser etching. Phoenix Bronze Resources provides
bronze memorials and architectural plaques
manufactured at our foundry in Aliquippa,
Pennsylvania.
Grateful Glass
(#1329)
Grateful Glass offers innovatively
designed, elegant
glass cremation
jewelry and memorial keepsakes. With
the utmost care and
respect, our skilled artisans craft one-of-akind remembrances which are as unique as
the individuals whom they honor. Proudly
handblown in the USA.
HALO
International
(#930)
HALO is a prime
O.E.M. importer,
manufacturer, assembler and distributor of memorial urns, cremation service items, holy cards/prayer cards,
rosaries, lamination supplies and other key
products used by funeral directors. With over
40 yrs experience in sourcing new and innovative products to funeral homes, cemeteries
and crematories, HALO provides distributors
with discount structures not available from
other suppliers. Visit: www.halointlcorp.com.
32
ICCFA Magazine
Heart to Heart (#475)

Heart to Heart LLC is dedicated to enhancing the service of both funeral homes and
cemeteries by providing families the necessary tools after the loss of a loved one. The
products/services we offer are priced by
design so every funeral home or cemetery can
offer them at no cost to their families. Stop by
booth 475 for more information.
Heirloom Bible (#727)
We have been a leader
in supplying the deathcare industry with
the highest quality
Protestant and Catholic family Bibles for
over 50 years. The gold-stamping service and
valuable supplemental material provided with
every order will set your business apart in
creating a treasured personalized keepsake for
the families you serve. Call 1.800.676.2448
or visit us at www.heirloombibles.com.
HereAfter Frames
(#1325)
HereAfter Frames
combine the photo or
painting of a person
or pet with their urn
and keepsakes in one
special place. The most
innovative and versatile products in the industry, our frames are
made to be combined with the urns in your
inventory or come with one built-in. Call us,
718.215.0018, or visit our website,
www.HereAfterFrames.com.
Heritage
Flower
(#551)
Heritage
Flower Co.
is a direct importer and manufacturer of the
highest quality of memorial decorations.
They have assisted cemeteries in successful flower placement programs for over 50
years. They are a family-owned and -operated
business that knows the meaning of customer
service. 1.877.359.7626;
www.heritageflower.com
Holland Supply
(#441)
Holland Supply
is the industrys
leading manufacturer of cemetery/
funeral grounds
and set-up equipment and supplies. We offer
a complete line of products. Some of the
items we offer are all varieties of tents, lowering devices, cremation and device stands,
lot markers, probes, urn vaults, casket carts,
dump trailers, mausoleum lifts and more.
1.800.527.8818; www.hollandsupplyinc.com
Holsag Canada
(#430)
We are proud of the
partnership between
Holsag Canada and
Dodge to fulfill the
seating needs of the
ICCFA members and
friends. Holsag is a
manufacturer of quality commercial hardwood seating for many
North American markets. Please contact
your Dodge representitive for further information. View our complete product line at:
www.holsag.com.
Holy Land Stone Co.
(#348)
Holy Land Stone Co.
is the creator of the
Jerusalem Stone Comfort
Cross and various other
bereavement keepsakes
made in America of stone
quarried in the Holy
Land. They will not only
complement your at-need
programs but will also
create everlasting memories of gratitude in
the families you serve. Call 1.800.952.3412
or visit www.holylandstone.com.
Homesteaders Life Co. (#452)
Homesteaders
is a marketleading
preneed funding company
that provides products and services for
customers and distributors who seek success from a mutually beneficial long-term
relationship. Funeral home owners and
families benefit from our secure funding
products, customer service, marketing and
consumer education support. Visit booth
#452 and find out why you should join us.
1.800.477.3633; homesteaderslife.com
Honor Life (#648)

Honor Life is a supplier of granite memorials featuring personalization at no extra cost,
from unlimited lettering and emblems to
engraved photos all at no additional charge,
with expedited production time. Featuring
our online designer and ordering system. We
also offer a full line of private family estates,
cremation estates and niche construction.
1.800.585.5768; www.honorlife.com
Messenger AD 1 of 3 (others on 35, 37)

FULL PAGE
page 33
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Howard Miller
(#1131)
In the past 10 years,
Howard Miller has
established a strong
and reliable reputation in the memorial
industry. Howard
Miller delivers high
quality, attractive, name-branded cremation
products to funeral providers nationwide.
Hekman Furniture, as sister company of
Howard Miller, now offers its fine contract
grade furniture with factory direct pricing to
funeral homes and cemeteries.
Independence Trust (#836)

We serve cemeteries and funeral homes as
trustee, investment advisor or escrow agent.
We believe the families you serve are the
most important aspect of your business and
strive to handle the trusts professionally to
allow you to focus on your families. Federally chartered, we work across the United
States with single location, regional multilocation and national public companies.
Ingram Construction
Co. (#933)
We specialize in mausoleum and columbarium
design and construction.
We have built over 672
projects in 38 states. We
are a design/build firm
Huntington Bank (#1241)
that performs or directs
Huntington is a federally-regulated national
every aspect of design
bank with trust powers. Our dedicated team
and
construction.
Our
philosophy is quality
of trust professionals specializes in providconstruction
at
reasonable
prices. Our staff
ing solutions for death care professionals.
works
together
to
provide
an
experienced,
We are a leading preneed and endowment
professional and sensitive approach to servcare service provider offering trustee, deing our customers.1.800.346.3395 or
pository, custody, investment management
601.856.4906.
and escrow agent services.
Insight
Implant
Books
Recycling
(#425)
(#1049)
For over
We are an
30 years,
environmental and recycling company
Doug Mannings publishing company has
established specifically to serve the crematory and cemetery industry by recycling the been providing quality resources in the areas of grief and bereavement that allow fumetallic medical implants remaining after
neral directors to be valued guides for their
the cremation process. We have created a
families. Our Certified Funeral Celebrant
dignified and lawful removal process to
training offers new ways for the profession
support crematories, cemeteries and other
generators of post-cremated metallic materi- to serve families. Our goal is to improve
funeral service for firms and for families.
als throughout North America and beyond.
1.405.810.9501; www.insightbooks.com
IMSA (#967)
Intera (#770)
IMSA is the supServing the funeral
plier representative
industry for almost two
organization to
decades, Intera specialthe industry. Our
izes in GIS/GPS mapping,
goal is to provide
management software,
benefits for supplikiosk and data entry.
ers and cooperation with industry associaOur Integrated Cemetery
tions. This year IMSA will promote the
Enterprise System (ICES)
nationwide Have the Talk of a Lifetime
is a top-grade, affordable
program that encourages intergenerational
cloud platform with a suite
communication about end of life. Stop by
of web and mobile appliIMSAs booth to learn this programs value
cations
integrated
into a data-centric soluto supplier members.
tion allowing cemeteries and funeral homes
to access their data anywhere, anytime on
any device. 1.888.483.7885; www.intera.us
34
ICCFA Magazine
J Stuart Todd
Architects (#326)
JST Architects specializes in the particular
requirements of funeral
industry and cemetery
architecture. Whether it is funeral home
designwhich must include special knowledge of funeral home operations, preparation and dressing facilities, selections rooms
and merchandising centers, viewing areas
and reception centersor crematory design,
JST Architects has the knowledge and experience to get the job done.
JC Natural Stone
(#346)
J&C Natural Stone
offers granite, marble,
limestone, slate.
We are one of leading
natural stone manufacture in China and have
15 years experience
with natural stone products sales, export/
import guarantees, required documents.
Monuments of any complexity and design,
let professionals do it. We guarantee the
best quality and service. Our intention: Your
satisfaction.
Johnson
Consulting
(#948)
Johnson
Consulting Group is a funeral home and cemetery
consulting firm specializing in mergers and
acquisitions, business valuations, bank lending, accounting services, business performance analysis, business performance improvement, customer survey/sales analysis
program and incentive compensation programs. Contact us today at 1.888.250.7747
or visit us at www.JohnsonConsulting.com.
Keith M. Merrick
(#329)
The Keith M.
Merrick Co. Inc.
has provided quality and innovative
printed memorial
products to funeral
homes for over 80 years. The family-owned
and -operated business does all of its own
design and print production in-house. Merrick prides itself in its ability to fill special
orders at a fair price. Stop by our booth.
Messenger AD 2 of 3 (others on 33, 37

FULL PAGE
page 35
4-COLOR
Convention sponsors
Sponsors enable the ICCFA to offer excellent
programming (plus refreshments!) while
keeping registration fees low.
Look for the Sponsorship Star floor stickers
in the registration area
Carriage Services
NGL Insurance Group
StoneMor Partners LP
Batesville Casket Company Inc.
Matthews International
Corporation
Service Corporation International
NorthStar Memorial Group
Physicans Mutal Insurance
Astral Industries Inc.
Forethought Financial Group Inc.
American Funeral Financial
Cedar Memorial Iowa Cremation
Coldspring
Cypress Lawn
Johnson Consulting Group
Live Oak Bank
NOMIS Publications Inc.
Precoa
Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum
Wilbert Funeral Services Inc.
Carrier Mausoleums Construction Inc.
Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries
Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuary
Riviera Tailors Ltd.
The Signature Group
Funeral Directors Life Insurance Co.
International Memorialization Supply
Association
Madelyn Co.
Star Granite & Bronze
Starmark Funeral Products
Independence Trust Co.
Answering Service for Directors (ASD)
Eckco Products
Funeral Home Gifts
Krause Funeral Homes
Messenger Co.
Sinosource International Inc.
Stone Orchard Software
All City Communications
Funeral Service Credit Union
Green Hills Memorial Park
Halo International Corp.
Milne Construction Co.
Citadel Management &
Dyanne Matzkevich
Visit www.iccfaconvention.com
for a current list of sponsors
36
ICCFA Magazine
exhibitor profiles
Kerber
Eck &
Braeckel
(#1206)
KEB is a
mid-sized
firm of CPAs, business advisors and management consultants providing professional
services of the highest quality throughout
the United States. We have 25 years experience helping funeral home owners improve
profitability through specialized accounting,
tax and industry-specific consulting expertise. The services we provide are tailored to
help each owner achieve specific goals and
performance benchmarks. www.kebcpa.com
Kinkaraco (#1000)
Kinkaraco is a
pioneering green
funeral products
company since its
prototype shroud
debuted on Six Feet
Under in 2005 and
in Businessweek
as Entrepreneurs
Changing the Funeral Industry in 2008. Designers of innovative, elegant, American-made, 100 percent
natural funeral products for green burial,
cremation, body preparation for humans
and pets in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
KMI
Columbaria
(#1058)
We specialize
in designing,
engineering
and building columbaria. As inventors of
the all-aluminum niche system, anything
else is simply a weak imitation. Our undistracted focus has helped to make KMI the
industry leader in both product and customer service throughout North America.
Our columbaria are built to your specific
needsstop by and let us know what they
are. www.kmicolumbaria.com
Kryprotek (#1059)
Kryprotek, the big black box, is the best
protection available for your mausoleum,
staff and customers. For over 20 years,
the durable, lightweight, easy-to-use
Kryprotek has been helping cemetery professionals contain spills, transport remains
and keep their facilities clean. Come visit
us at booth #1059. www.Kryprotek.com;
1.800.826.9406
LifeArt International (#1155)

LifeArt produces and supplies the worlds
leading environmental cremation caskets.
Our product allows funeral businesses and
consumers the option to fully customize
their casket or choose from our range of
contemporary designs or traditional wood
finishes. Our caskets are fully functional
and can be equally utilized for cremation,
natural burial or traditional burial.
www.lifeartcaskets.com
Live Oak Bank
(#912)
At Live Oak Bank,
our team of deathcare management
professionals has
over 75 years of combined experience in
all phases of funeral home, cemetery and
cremation operations. Whether you are expanding, remodeling or refinancing, we can
help you reach your goals. Give us a call, or
visit our website to learn more.
Love Urns (#554)
Transforming urns
into LoveUrns,
LoveUrns LLC is
driven by lovelove
for craftsmanship, love
for quality, love for the memories, love for
creating the finest urns. Drawing from over
three decades of expertise creating the finest
handicrafts, we produce urns that are more a
reflection of love than mass production. The
complete range can be seen at
www.LoveUrns.com. 1.888.910.7860
LP Bronze (#222)
Whether designing crypt and niche
adornments (vases,
emblems, lights,
photoceramics, E-Z
Plaques) as feature to
a newly constructed
mausoleum, fitting a
glass-fronted niche
wall into an existing
structure, or creating
theme statuary, LP
Bronze International Inc. provides tasteful,
pleasing and valuable solutions. As memorialization architects, we look forward to
seeing you at our booth, or visit us at
www.lpbronze.com.
Messenger AD 1 of 3 (others on 33, 35

FULL PAGE
page 37
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Mabrey
Products
(#834)
We hand
craft
personal memories daily. Handmade in our
woodshop in Chico, California, by craftsmen (and women), our urns are built with
solid hardwoods and feature personal photography, laser engraved personalization,
exotic wood inlays and custom care. Were
proud of the high quality urns we produce
the old-fashioned way, one at a time in
America by people who care.
Macro Plastics (#1126)

The MacroTrac family is a full line of durable
and environmentally-friendly injectionmolded plastic flooring and roadway products
which have been used successfully to cover
some of the most valuable turf and most hostile terrain in the world. MacroTrac products
are the ideal choice for gravesite services,
events and construction applications.
Matthews (#805)
Matthews International will invite customers to register for eVantageSM, its new,
easy-to-use online design and ecommerce
tool that will offer an improved family
memorial purchase experience. Matthews
will also present its consultative approach to
developing cremation gardens that leverages broad and deep industry expertise in
designin, building, marketing and pricing.
Also showcased will be distinctive bronze,
granite and mausoleum offerings.
Mathews Cremation (#918)
Matthews Cremation is the premier manufacturer of five global brands of equipment:
Industrial Equipment & Engineering (IEE),
ALL Crematory (ALL), GEM Environmental Systems (GEM), Furnace Construction
Co. (FCC) and Todaysure Projects Ltd.
(TPL). We are your total solutions provider
for cremation equipment, filtration, heat recovery systems, service and repair, supplies
and memorial arts products.
38
ICCFA Magazine
McCleskey
Mausoleums (#928)
Since 1961, McCleskey has been a
trusted partner with
knowledgeable
personnel who have
designed/constructed
over 1,000 custom
mausoleums in over
40 states. As market conditions changed,
McCleskey developed innovative concepts
that better served clients, creating a personal
approach that resulted in outstanding repeat
customers. McCleskey professionals are
now ready to discuss your next project.
Corporate office: 1.800.622.5759
Meadow
Hill
(#1022)
Meadow
Hill brought funeral service a new category
of keepsakes 17 years ago, one that uses
fingerprints to create memorial jewelry. Our
quality and service remain unparalleled.
Now, use those same prints to strengthen
your decedent identification: take prints
with TFScanner; secure prints in Print
Vault; and finally, compare prints to verify
identity using Last Touch. Its that simple.
Mekus
Tanager
(#1067)
Mekus
Tanager
is an
expert in architecture, planning and interior
design. With over 250 projects and 30
years of service to the cemetery industry,
we have an in-depth understanding of the
issues and needs of the industry. Visit or call
us today to see how we can help you add
value for your cemetery or funeral home.
312.661.0778; www.mekustanager.com
Memorial
Payment
Solutions
(#1151)
Memorial
Payment
Solutions LLC is a single-source solution for
at-need funeral payments. Our software is
intuitively designed, with funeral directors
involved in development. As our industry
moves away from traditional sources of revenue, time/cost of money becomes critical.
Memorial Payment Solutions LLC offers a
single stop for credit card processing, check
verification, insurance assignments and
short-term loans.
Memorial Business Systems (#557)

NEXUS: The best part of going to work.
Software that flows: inventory, ownership, installment accounting, automated
taxes, trusts and commissionsintegrated
with color coded GIS mapping, and 250+
reports. Now with CRM lead control with
Dashboard instantaneous company-wide
reporting. Customers pre-approve data conversions, fixed cost and legendary support,
and two-three free annual upgrades. Call
1.800.844.4447.
Messenger (#560)
Messenger is the leading manufacturer of
funeral stationery products, including register books, service folders, acknowledgements, prayer cards, laminated bookmarks
and Make It! personal stationery. Weve
been proudly serving the industry since
1913. Be sure to visit our booth to view a
wide variety of products on display, including, the Expression Guest Registry, Deaton
Kennedy Co. products and Legacy Touch
keepsakes. www.messengerstationery.com
Memoriams.com (#1245)
Memoriams.com is a free service that allows you to submit and pay for multiple
obituaries in any newspaper. You can see
the price immediately, allowing you to execute contracts with families, and eliminating
edits and credits. Designed with newspapers
and funeral directors, Memoriams.com
allows you to focus on the families you
serve in their time of need. Contact us,
info@memoriams.com.
Memory Glass
(#1109)
Memory Glass,
the original
glass keepsake
company, continues to be the leader in this
market since 2002. Skilled artists create memorial keepsakes utilizing a small
amount of cremated remains, soil or sand
suspended within solid glass. Our products
provide incremental sales opportunities and
do not replace urn sales. Become a vendor
by emailing Kim@memoryglass.com or
call 813.765.7386.
Funeral Home Gifts AD

FULL PAGE
page 39
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Miller
Architects
(#574)
Miller
Architects &
Builders is your single-source funeral home
specialist for development, architectural
design and construction services. With over
140 years in business and 40 years in funeral
home design and construction, we understand the needs of the funeral home industry.
Planning new construction, a second location,
expansion/remodeling, let our team guide you
through the process. 1.800.772.1758;
www.millerab.com
Milne (#342)
Since 1953, Milne
has been the industry
leader in the design
and construction of
quality poured-in-place
concrete mausolea and
columbaria throughout
the United States, Canada and Australia.
Milnes services and products include cemetery master planning, architectural design,
construction, vandalstop screws, Westminster
lowering devices, Lifes Memories SGX
glass memorials, virtual reality videos, and
a ViewFINDER inventory control program.
www.milneconstruction.com
Monumate (#772)
Monumate designs
and manufactures
creative, functional
and long-lasting
memorial flowerpot
holders that stay
away from the mowing and landscaping
needs of cemeteries. Based on the concepts
of our successful memorial products, we
have also developed a line of premium
commercial/residential flowerpot holders
for sidewalks, landscape gardens, special
occasions and many other creative locations. Made in USA with pride.
www.monumate.com
National
Mortuary
Shipping
(#1208)
NMS assists
hometown directors with out-of-town deaths
and has been the funeral industrys trusted
source as a full-service provider for over 30
years. We are proud to offer domestic and
international shipping, cremations, removal
services, embalming, livery, airline transfers,
flight booking, graveside services and disinterments, as well as assistance with shipping
requirements, death certificates and airline
requirements.
40
ICCFA Magazine
Natural
Legacy
(#1130)
Natural
Legacy
USA offers an innovative
line of woolen caskets that are gentle on the
eye and soft to the touch. When combined
with an earthen box outer burial container, these biodegradable caskets allow
funeral professionals an easy to implement
natural burial solution. Got questions? See
us online at www.naturallegacyusa.com or
stop by booth 1130.
Neutrolene (#1121)
Neutrolene provides earth-friendly products
which neutralize the worst organic odors
imaginable, including decomposition and
formaldehyde. Neutrolene odors are not
masked or deodorized but instantly neutralized, leaving a pleasant scent. Please stop
by our booth to receive 10 percent off your
complete order. For more information, visit
www.neutrolene.com
New Memorials
Direct (#1007)
At New Memorials
Direct, our mission
is simple: Provide
high quality cremation jewelry, urns and
keepsakes at the lowest
cost. Outstanding
customer service, easy
online ordering and a
no-hassle, 100 percent satisfaction guarantee make New Memorials Direct the logical
choice for any funeral home seeking to
maximize both client satisfaction and bottom line results. 1.877.996.8767;
www.newmemorialsdirect.com
NFDA
(#733)
NFDA is
the leading
and largest
funeral
director association in the world. NFDA
is the strongest advocate for the funeral
service profession. We offer comprehensive
educational resources and access to the largest network of funeral service experts. Join
us in Nashville, Tennessee, October 12-15,
for the NFDA International Convention &
Expo. Visit www.nfda.org today.
National Guardian Life (#728)

National Guardian Life Insurance Co.
(NGL) specializes in providing unique
solutions for funeral pre-funding. NGL
has been one of Americas most successful
and highly rated independent mutual life
insurance companies for over 100 years,
supported by an A- (Excellent) rating from
A.M. Best and assets nearing $2.9 billion.
Learn more at NGLIC.com.
Nomis (#520)
Nomis Publications Inc.
publishes the
most widely
circulated media
for the funeral and cemetery industries. Annual publications include the Funeral Home
& Cemetery Directory and Buyers Guide.
Funeral Home & Cemetery News, a trade
newspaper, is published monthly.
www.nomispublications.com offers a
comprehensive online directory, FH&C
News online and online classifieds. P.O.
Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514;
1.800.321.7479; Fax 1.800.321.9040;
www.nomispublications.com;
info@nomispublications.com
OM Stone
(#1127)
In a world that
is primarily black and
white, Glass
Art splashes
color, detail,
artistic diversity, and longevity for memorialization, signage and art. Bronzstone uses the
technology of Glass Art to solve all the issues
of bronze memorials (price, deterioration,
theft). Bronzstone brings a new level of permanence and beauty at a fraction of the cost.
Osiris Funeral Home Software (#800)

Osiris Funeral Home Software by Funeral Directors Resource Inc. delivers funeral home
software as a service with no upfront cost and
no long-term obligation, just a low monthly
fee starting at $65 per month. Accessible
from any computer or even your smartphone,
Osiris uses your existing forms and can integrate with your website and Quickbooks.
Live Oak Bank AD

FULL PAGE
page 41
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Look for the

signs in the
Expo Hall:
first-time
exhibitors
(above, So
Impressives
booth at the
2012 convention), PLPA
(Pet Loss
Professionals
Alliance)
supplier
members
and 2013 KIP
(Keeping it
Personal)
award
winners.
42
ICCFA Magazine
Paradise
Pictures
LLC
(#532)
Paradise
Pictures
is a leading producer of memorial portraits
made entirely in the United States. In addition
to our portraits, we offer state-of-the-art GPS
connected online memorials that are free with
our portraits. No QR Code required. Please
stop by our booth for a personal demonstration of our technology. 1.800.960.8040;
www.admiredlife.com and
www.paradisepictures.com/iccfa
Passages
International
(#1006)
Through
innovation and
high standards,
Passages International leads the funeral
industry in providing environmentallyfriendly caskets and biodegradable urns. Our
extensive selection of urns, scattering tubes
and wicker caskets are sure to exceed your
families expectations. We have the profitable
solutions you need, to cater to the ever-changing funeral consumer. Stop by booth 1006 or
call 1.888.480.6400 to get started.
Physicians
Mutual
(#1042)
The Physicians
Mutual Family proudly
offers preneed
services to better meet the needs of funeral
home owners and their families. Comprised
of Physicians Mutual Insurance Co. and
Physicians Life Insurance Co., we are in
a select group of carriers that have been
in business for over 110 years. We are
financially secure and rated A (Excellent) by
A.M. Best. Physicansmutual.com/preneed.
Polyguard
(#334)
Polyguard has
designed and
engineered the
new Poly-Crete
vault. An aesthetically pleasing double wall polypropylene vault with
a concrete core is the first of its kind. The
Poly-Crete vault can provide an opportunity
for the cemetery to realize revenue lost to
cremation. See the new product and learn
about the low start-up cost in booth 334.
See you in Vegas!
Pontem (#1223)
Flexible, affordable, easy to useits no
wonder Pontems cemetery management
software is a No. 1 choice among cemeteries nationwide. A powerful data manager,
standard and GIS mapping options, image
and document management, an online
burial search with genealogical information,
living memorial pages, a mobile application
and kiosk option and more. Call toll-free,
1.888.742.2378; sales@pontem.com;
www.pontem.com/movie.
Precoa (#542)
Precoa (The Preneed
Co. of America)
continues to be a preneed industry leader,
providing funeral
homes with solutions
to build their market share and serve more
families. Our ProActive Preneed program
offers leading funeral homes proven sales
methods, effective marketing programs, innovative technologies and positive customer
experiences. Coupled with excellent financial
security, Precoa builds lasting partnerships
with unrivaled results.
Premier Columbaria (#547)
Highest quality columbaria at extraordinary
prices. Premiers belief
is that good
design and high
quality should
be affordable. We focus on designing and
manufacturing the best value columbaria
and cremation memorial products. From a
large custom project to the smallest order,
our staff will strive to exceed your expectations. Installation available worldwide.
Premier has manufactured memorials since
1896. www.premiercolumbaria.com;
1.800.426.5973
Raj India (#1319)

Raj India offers a large selection of cremation urns to todays funeral providers. We
stand behind our quality, service and pricing. Were proud supporters of ICCFA and
were happy to offer a 10 percent discount
to all members on their initial order. Please
visit our website, www.rajindia.com, for
a complete catalog of products. Phone:
1.800.845.3665; email: sales@rajindia.com.
Sauder AD
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exhibitor profiles
RBC Wealth Management (#1053)

RBC Wealth Management is a leading
full-service investment, advisory and wealth
management firm based in the United
States, with access to global resources and
expert support from Royal Bank of Canada
(RBC). Pat Severo is the lead advisor for
SB Wealth Strategies, a highly specialized
team with extensive experience managing
and investing assets for funeral and cemetery trusts. 310.205.7797;
www.sbwealthstrategies.com
Regions Bank (#445)

Regions Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services
takes a consultative approach to providing comprehensive solutions that meet the
investment and trust administration needs
of our clients. Learn how our dedicated
team of 25 funeral and cemetery trust
service professionals can help you. Call Jim
Breaux, director of administrative services,
at 713.693.5300.
Remembrance Creations (#851)
The Urn Memorial delivers a dramatic
presentation of the
urn and
displays
a framed
portrait
photo and
mementos of the
dearly
departed
at the cremation memorial service. The urn
is placed upon an illuminated glass surface
where the patented LED light box produces
a soft glow effect to the urn, creating a
unique visual presence. Complete product
line at www.remembranceltd.com.
Riveira Tailors (#926)

Since 1962, Riviera Tailors has been the
leading custom tailor from Hong Kong
specializing in custom-made shirts, suits
and uniforms. Our quality and value will
make you come back to us again and again
with confidence. Visit George Balani at our
booth for a complete range of fabrics for
shirts and suits. 718.809.4234;
email: gbalani@rivieratailors.com
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ICCFA Magazine
RK Productions
(#669)
The Everafter
Collection, unique
carved stone urns,
keepsakes and candle holder urns all
handmade in North
America. Original designs; custom engraving available.
Hand-painted, real natural carved stone
designed with families in mind. Celebrating
life with art, all at very affordable pricing.
We are the largest North American producer
of handmade stone products. Toll free,
1.888.275.7763; www.rkurns.com.
Roberts & Downey (#1028)

Roberts & Downey Chapel Equipment, a
family-owned business, has designed and
custom hand-crafted fine hardwood chapel
furniture since 1987. View our products
online at www.robertsanddowney.com. Call
us with your questions at 1.800.331.9093.
Rock of Ages (#955)
Rock of Ages
(www.rockofages.
com) is Americas
largest integrated
granite quarrier and
manufacturer of
brand name mausoleums, estate, cremation, family and
civic memorials. The company owns
and operates multiple active quarries and
several manufacturing facilities. Rock of
Ages distributes their memorials through
approximately 130 authorized memorialists
and cemeterians. All Rock of Ages branded
memorials are distinguished by a perpetual
warranty.
Sauder
Funeral
Products
(#526)
Offer
more. Thats the essence of the cremation
and burial caskets from Sauder Funeral
Products, a second- and third-generation,
family-run business. Made in America,
the SFP casket line is revolutionary in
value and unparalleled in appearance and
quality. Hand-built, finished throughout in
the finest wood patterns, our engineered
wood caskets offer a no-compromise value.
1.866.419.3010;
www.sauderfuneralproducts.com
SCCFA
(#573)
The
Southern
Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is a regional organization established
to help promote the funeral industry in our
region by coming together as family.
Please stop by our booth to see how being
part of the Southern family can benefit you.
Join us at our 2014 annual convention at the
Imperial Palace in Biloxi, Mississippi, on
July 27-30.
Security National
Life (#343)
We provide life
insurance and annuity products to fund
prearranged and
prepaid funerals. We
believe the preneed
industry is as service-oriented as our funeral
home client base. Our goal is providing client relationships with competitive preneed
products and services. Our strategy is educating clients on how our service approach
to marketing increases their ability to serve
families.
Shiva Shade (#865)

Shiva Shade, home of eco-friendly products
such as Absorb-it, Very Berry and Very
Lavender. New Blood BeGone, a vegetable
soap, removes dried blood and fingerprints.
No lather, residue or scent. New Suture
BeGone means no more stitchingjust
apply Suture Begone to dry surface (skin or
cranium), pinch closed and you are done.
516.665.8323
SRS Computing
(#525)
SRS Computing isa premier
software developing
company focusing
on management
software for the funeral home, crematory
and cemetery industry. Since 1999, SRS
software products are nationally recognized
as cutting-edge applications that are utilized
by clients to manage their businesses across
the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy
and Poland. Free demo software is available at www.srscomputing.com or call
1.800.797.4861.
Kryprotek AD
1/2 H
Triple H AD
1/2 H
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March-April 2014
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exhibitor profiles
Star Granite & Bronze (#806)

Star Granite and Bronze is a full-service
granite and bronze memorialization company
offering a comprehensive product line of
bronze memorials, monuments, grass markers, memorial benches, features, columbariums and private mausoleums. Star Granite
and Bronze is committed to providing quality
memorials, blended with excellent customer
service beyond our customers expectations.
For more information, call 1.800.241.7242 or
visit our website, www.stargranite.com.
Starmark (#1118)
Starmark products are sold direct to funeral
homes, cremation societies and crematories
nationwide. Products are packaged on skids
and shipped via common carrier to provide
the most competitively priced products
available. Starmark products are designed to
appeal to consumers in design, function and
price while providing funeral professionals
the ability to price their products competitively and generate higher profit margins.
StarService Alliance (#1050)

StarService Alliance is the fastest growing network of independent cemeteries and
funeral homes in the US. The suppliers in the
group provide solution options that improve
revenue and profits. Membership in the alliance provides a secure portal to communicate
with each other on a real-time basis for sharing operational ideas and questions to grow
your business. Call 832.818.4897;
www.starservicealliance.com.
Suhor
(#1031)
Suhor
Industries
/Bruce
Memorials have been in the memorial and
cemetery construction business since 1987.
We have completed over 500 cemetery
construction projects, including lawn crypt
gardens, columbaria, features and mausoleums. SI Memorials provides quality granite
memorials to more than 300 cemeteries
nationwide and has constructed numerous
veterans memorials across the country.
Chris Carson, 620.421.4434,
ccarson@suhor.com; Mike Forbes,
1.800.635.5399, mforbes@suhor.com
46
ICCFA Magazine
Summit
Associates (#443)
Summit Associates is your
glass, stone and
bronze front niche
specialist for your
indoor facility
needs. We provide
a state-of-the-art product which offers a
total turnkey program, along with various
features and benefits. To review our product
line, call 905.817.0707 or go to
www.summitassociates.ca.
Sunset Memorial (#735)

With over 20 years of experience manufacturing custom columbaria, Sunset Memorial
is turning heads in the industry for its high
quality granite columbaria designs. Working
collaboratively with cemetery management
and architects from coast to coast, Sunset
is recognized for its innovation, quality
craftsmanship, key lockable aluminum interior niche design and outstanding customer
service. 1.800.363.3393;
www.sunsetstone.com
SunTrust
Bank (#1045)
SunTrust provides a variety
of financial
services to
death care organizations of all sizes, and has
grown to become one of the countrys largest financial service institutions servicing
the death care industry. We feature a range
of funeral and cemetery trust dervices to
cover all of your individualized needs.
T Industries
(#1232)
T Industries
provides your
organization
with options
for your motorcycle enthusiast clients. Built
from genuine Harley Davidson cylinders
our custom urns are perfect for your biker
customers. We also offer license plate and
guardian bell keepsake urns. Per demand,
on the way are real gas tank urns offered in
brass or chrome plating along with custom
paint jobs.
The Champion Co. (#531)

For the last 135 years, The Champion Co.
has provided the funeral profession with
leading edge technology in the development
of preparation products. Champion presents
a full line of traditional, reduced exposure,
formaldehyde-free and eco-certified products.
Consider Champions specialty products, formulated for even the most difficult of cases.
Call us at 1.800.328.0115 or view us online at
www.thechampioncompany.com.
The Davey Tree Expert Co. (#234)

The Davey Tree Expert Co., with U.S. and
Canadian operations in more than 45 states
and five provinces, provides a variety of tree
care, grounds maintenance and consulting
services for the residential, utility, commercial and government markets. Founded
in 1880, Davey is employee-owned and has
more than 7,000 employees who provide
proven solutions for a growing world. Please
visit www.davey.com.
The Davis Whitehall
Co. (#1065)
Davis Whitehall
creates one-of-a-kind
customized cremation urns. Handcrafted
in America, using
domestic and exotic
hardwoods, each urn
is designed to honor and memorialize the
uniqueness of every individual. When preserving a memory, it must be perfect.Terry School, president of The Davis Whitehall
Co. Contact us at 1.800.818.8414 or design@
davis-whitehall.com. Visit our website at
www.davis-whitehall.com
The Dodge Co.
(#427)
A family-owned
and -operated business since 1893,
The Dodge Co. is
the manufacturer and distributor of a full line
of funeral, cremation and cemetery supplies
and equipment. Please visit our brand new
website with access to the Dodge webstore
at www.dodgeco.com. Our partners Consolidated Funeral Service, Insight Books and
Capture Bead Keepsakes offer solutions to
enhance your business.
Doric AD
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exhibitor profiles
The Foresight
Companies (#1146)
The Foresight Companies
is the premier financial
and management consulting firm helping
funeral homes and cemeteries throughout
North America. We provide consulting and
action objectives on valuation, merger and
acquisition, securing financing, increasing
profit, human resources, and this year unveil
a revolutionary survey project that can help
your business immeasurably. We can help
increase your profits and reduce your stress.
The Tribute Companies (#538)

Taking your idea to the next level and beyond. Tribute offers architectural design and
planning services to cemeteries and funeral
homes. Our precast division manufactures
concrete products including mausoleum
crypts, columbarium niches and lawn crypts
to compliment your design needs. Call us
today or visit our booth for assistance with
your next project.
262.367.9991; www.tributeinc.com
Tile Artisans Ditigal Imaging (#1326)

A Florida based company, Tile Artisans one
of Americas largest provider of memorial
portraits in porcelain and steel. In addition,
the company is the leading fabricator of
sacred art murals, art in public places
murals, and historical murals in ceramic tile
and hand cut glass mosaics. Visit our two
websites, www.tileartisans.com and
www.artisanmemorialportraits.com.
1.800.601.4199
Timberland
Urns (#1234)
Timberland
Urns is a wholesale memorial products
manufacturing
division of
Carvax Inc.,
which is a custom sculpting, carving and
jewelry designing company located in the
Twin Cities. We specialize in the creation
of original and handcrafted cremation urns
and keepsakes for people and pets. www.
timberlandurns.com
48
ICCFA Magazine
TombFinder (#1153)
TombFinder is a unique cutting-edge web
service which combines GPS cemetery
mapping, a strong customer service platform and an ongoing new stream of revenue
for our cemetery partners. Our Eternal
Memorial accounts link your patrons to
a digital record page of their loved one,
allowing you an addition benefit to provide
for them and revenue for you.
Trigard
(#631)
Want to
grow? Come
see whats
new at Trigard. For four generations, the Darby familys goal has been to maintain positive partnerships. From vaults to bronze memorials,
pet products to cremation memorial rocks,
your success drives everything we do. At
booth #631, youll learn how our innovative
products and customer-focused philosophy
can help you grow. 800.637.1992.
www.trigard.com and
www.trigardmemorials.com.
Triple H (#619)
Triple H manufacturers and distributes
cemetery, crematory,
mausoleum and funeral products. It was
founded in 1950 by cemeterians Robert E.,
David N. and David W. Hepburn. For many
years the tradition continued under the
supervision of Robert, Ellen and Jim Hepburn. Today, Jim and his fine staff continue
to provide quality products and service.
Call 1.800.252.3444;
website: www.triplehcompany.com.
Trust 100
(#1054)
Trust 100
specializes
in preneed,
having
demonstrated
longevity and stability since 1979. We have
the programs, the systems, the strategies
and the people to help funeral home owners
prepare for the new era of funeral service.
Partnering with Trust 100 assures you have
a committed focus for the future of your
business. Bob Ekins, 513.470.1266;
bob.ekins@trust100.com;
www.trust100.com
Tukios (#249)
Tukios provides easy to use tribute videos
and webcasting. The Tukios video creator
is integrated with Bass-Mollet and Tributes.com, as well as,Consolidated Funeral
Service, Frontrunner Professional, Funeral
Innovations, FuneralNet, FuneralTech and
Universal Technologies websites.
Urns of Distinction (#1156)

We are a family-owned business and a leading national wholesaler to the funeral industry since 1988. We are passionate about offering unique high quality urns at affordable
prices. Our customers love that we now
offer custom engraving and personalization.
Visit our booth and see our incredible show
special, our best-selling urn bundle.
www.urnsofdistinction.com; 1.800.400.8767
US Cremation
Equipment
(#766)
U.S. Cremation Equipment
manufactures human and animal cremation
systems for the domestic and international
market. Recent introductions to the Classic
line of human cremators are the midsize
Classic Plus and high-production Classic
X-CEL. We also provide service, repairs,
replacement parts, cremation supplies and
operating tools, along with an assortment
of memorial and pet urns and appliqus for
personalization.
US Metalcraft (#548)
Metalcraft memorial flower vases are available in a broad range of colors and finishes
to accent any memorial you may choose
to design. From our antiqued finishes to
our exclusive granite-matched colors,
Metalcraft has a finish to compliment any
memorial to create a tribute that is unique
as the individual it memorializes. Call us at
1.800.633.1190; www.usmetalcraft.com.
FrontRunner AD
FULL PAGE
page 49
4-COLOR
exhibitor profiles
Look for the KIP Award display in the

Expo Hall to learn about the 2013 winners.
Check out
the ICCFA
Welcome
Lounge in the
Expo Hall,
where youll
find seating
and information about
the association. Enjoy
the food and
beverage
service while
visiting with
old friends or
making new
ones.
Vantage
Products (#958)
Vantage Products Corp. is
a premier manufacturer and provider of a
wide range of funeral and death care interment products. Vantage has spent years
of R&D to create and provide products
that exceed all expectations, made from
engineered materials that deliver superior
performance for the ultimate in strength
and protection. Vantage Products Corp.,
960 Almon Road, Covington, GA 30014;
1.800.481.3303.
Veracity
Payment
Solutions
(#671)
Veracity
Payment
Solutions is a merchant acquirer and
provider of payment transaction processing
services, related software applications and
other value-added products to businesses
of all sizes and vertical markets. Veracity
Payment Solutions processes more than $7
billion in electronic payment volume annually for over 35,000 merchant locations in
North America.
Webcemeteries.com (#1224)
We
integrate
Living
Memorial pages
on your
website
with your own public app for GPS navigation and tours. Our administrative apps also
allow you to index your trees, sell property,
and create work orders from the field. WebCemeteries.coms other services include
onsite document scanning, data entry,
digital maps and more. Already computerized? These tools also integrate with other
software programs.
WhatFriendsDo.com (#1055)
A web-based care and support resource,
WhatFriendsDo (#1055) provides a unique
client engagement solution designed to
promote business growth by generating
and nurturing leads through a centralized
customer relationship management (CRM)
system and maximize ROI via marketing
automation tools. Visit our booth to learn
more. www.whatfriendsdo.com
50
ICCFA Magazine
Whitehall
Bronze
Memorials
(#1056)
Whitehall
Bronze
Memorials feature an aluminum core, encased in a
bronze shell. Thirty-year equivalent corrosion and weatherization testing showed zero
cracking, chipping, breakdown or UV fade.
As an extra measure of preservation, Whitehall Memorials are sealed with a durable
clear coat that resists impact and scratching
from lawn maintenance equipment. This
revolutionary process reduces cost without
compromising performanceguaranteed.
WithumSmith +
Brown (#1030)
We are a fullservice public
accounting and
consulting firm
serving private and publicly-held companies, with specialized support to more than
a dozen major industry sectors, including
death care services. Our team of 450+ staff
across six states brings a unique level of
quality to every client engagement, providing greater assurance, increased profitability
and long-term growth. www.withum.com
Worldwide
Family
Associates
(#1144)
Worldwide family associates is the oldest
third-party marketer in the U.S., tracing its
roots back to 1972, and is the industries
leading sales recruiting and training organization. To find the many benefits to partnering with Worldwide, Forethought, MBD
Marketing and Our City Entertainment, call
1.800.779.7526 or visit
www.worldwidefamilyassociates.com
Zontec (#1026)
For over 20 years, the Zontec system has
been the most environmentally friendly
way to eliminate all odors and control those
nasty phorid flies. It cleans the air electronically, while not masking the odors with
chemical agents. It is Mother Natures own
fresh air formula, and it works. Visit Rainy
Day at booth 1026. Call 1.800.474.0105;
rainy@zontecozone.com; or visit
www.zontecsolution.com.
New Members
Providing exceptional education, networking
and legislative guidance and support to
progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation
professionals worldwide
For information about the ICCFA and Membership:

Go to www.iccfa.com/membership to download a benefits
brochure and an application form. Call 1.800.645.7700 to have
membership information faxed or mailed to you.
Regular
Accent Funeral Home

Meridian, Idaho
Chas Verheyden Inc.
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
City of Grand Island
Grand Island, Nebraska
Cobb Funeral Home & Cemeteries
Blytheville, Arkansas
Creech Funeral Home
Middlesboro, Kentucky
Cremation Society of Georgia Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Evergreen Memorial Park Co Ltd.
Leamington, Ontario
Fellows Helfenbein Newman Funeral
Home
Centreville, Maryland
Heritage Crematory
Plano, Texas
Jellison Funeral Home Inc.
Peterborough, New Hampshire
K K Hamsher Funeral Home Ltd.
Fox Lake, Illinois
Kane & Fetterly Funeral Home
Montreal, Quebec
Lemke Funeral Home
Clinton, Iowa
Membership applications
Admission to ICCFA membership normally requires a majority vote
of those present and voting at any meeting of the executive committee. The names of all applicants must be published in this magazine.
ICCFA members objecting to an application must do so in writing
to the ICCFA executive director within 45 days of publication. In the
event of an objection, the executive committee will conduct an inquiry. If an applicant is rejected, they will be granted an appeal upon
written request. The decision of the Board of Directors shall be final.
McCoy & Blossom Funeral & Cremation

Center
Troy, Missouri
New Hope Funeral Home & Memorial
Gardens
Sunnyvale, Texas
Pleasant Valley Cemetery Dist Assn Inc.
Overland Park, Kansas
Rose Mortuary
Knoxville, Tennessee
Serenity Hills Memorial Park
Dalton, Georgia
Solana Memorial Park
Redlands, California
Sullivan-Ellis Mortuary Ltd.
East Moline, Illinois
Professionals: Pet Loss Services

Heavenly Acres for Pets
Elm Grove, Louisiana
Paris Pet Crematory Inc.
Union Grove, Wisconsin
Rex & Roxys Inc.
Decatur, Georgia
Professional/Supplier/Allied
Artful Ashes
Sammamish, Washington
Bowman Funeral Business Consultants
Washington, D.C.
Direct Access Marketing
Burlington, Ontario
Duncan Stuart Todd Ltd.
Boulder, Colorado
Gordon Marketing
Noblesville, Indiana
Nordmark Jacobsen
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Permavase
Banks, Oregon
Preneed Funeral Program
Metairie, Louisiana
SouthWest Direct Inc.
Fort Myers, Florida
TWC Inc.
Willmar, Minnesota
Uono
Oberhachng, Germany
Vaughan Landscape Planning & Design Ltd.
West Vancouver, British Columbia
Whitebridge Financial
Uniontown, Ohio
r
FDR Osiris AD
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March-April 2014
51
Onsite to help you in Vegas

at the ICCFA convention
Most of the ICCFA staff will be on hand at
the Mandalay Bay Resort to make sure
the 2014 ICCFA Convention & Expo is the
educational and networking experience
cemetery, cremation and funeral professions expect.
In addition to Molly Jin, profiled on this
page, the following staff will be on hand:
Nadira Baddeliyanage
director of operations
Sheila Cephas
membership manager
Bob Fells
executive director &
general counsel
Karen Gray
meetings coordinator
Susan Loving
ICCFA magazine managing
editor (shes the one walking
around with a camera)
Daniel Osorio
product development &
expo coordinator
(habla espaol)
I C C F A ST A FF PROFILE
Planning educational programs for you
Name: Molly Jin

Started with the
ICCFA: October 2013
Job title: education and
programs manager
What you do for our
members (primary
duties): I was hired to
manage and develop
all of the ICCFAs
education and program
offerings. My goals
here are to continue to
offer ICCFA members
world-class education
Molly Jin takes a break from planning educational programs
and to develop new
for ICCFA members.
and exciting program
or funeral profession that has surprised
opportunities.
you the most? I had no idea how far the
Professional background prior to coming
industry
has progressed beyond just funerals
to the ICCFA: Prior to coming to the
and
funeral
homes. There are so many unique
ICCFA, I had been involved with several
members,
services
and products out there.
other associations, developing and managing
member programs. I have a real passion for
Whats your answer to people who say,
association work and am looking forward to
You work where? I usually let them know
getting to know and work with the ICCFAs
that its a thriving and fascinating industry
members.
that Im happy to be a part of.
What do you like most about working
Outside interests/hobbies/accom
at the ICCFA? Ive discovered just how
plishments: Outside of the office, I love
fascinating the death-care industry is. I learn
baking and cooking with my husband and
something new each day.
step-daughter. Our hands are full with our
What have you learned about the cemetery new puppy, Huckleberry Jin, but we cant
r
imagine life without him.
Rick Platter
supplier relations manager
Kelly Spann
meeting planner
Rob Treadway
director of communications &
member services
52
ICCFA Magazine
I C C FA N E W S
2014 ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPOSITION APRIL 8-11 LAS VEGAS, NV
Sessions added on cremation, marketing; film screenings preview
he 2014 ICCFA Annual

how recognizable major brands
Convention and
are using it to win
Exposition is only a
Exploring the consumers
ANNUAL CONVENTION
month away! This cant-missjourney including their behavior
& EXPOSITION
convention, to be held April
changes and habits when it comes
APRIL 8-11, 2014 LAS VEGAS, NV
8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at
to end-of-life brands
MANDALAY BAY RESORT & CASINO
the Mandalay Bay Hotel &
Learning intriguing new
WWW.ICCFACONVENTION.COM
Casino, will provide four days of
efforts to apply ZMOT thinking
learning and networking with some of the top talent in our industry.
in funeral service, resulting in a strong online presence and
Educational sessions will be held the afternoon of Thursday, April
boosted brand awareness
10, and all day on Friday, April 11.
Discovering ways to gauge how your firm is performing at
In addition to our existing educational sessions, ICCFA is
the critical moment-of-truth
excited to announce the addition of two brand new sessions at the
Identifying key steps that firms may take to make more of
convention! These newest sessions are:
the ZMOT opportunity
The Art of Cremation Phone Inquiries, Lacy
Simplifying social media strategies to include the ZMOT
Robinson, CFSP, Aurora Casket Co.: This session will
philosophies
offer a consultative approach designed for anyone
Rethinking the funeral homes marketing content and
who communicates with families inquiring about
explore cost-effective ways to create a digital emotional
cremation on the phone. Ensure all of your staff
connection with the consumer
members consistently convey a professional and valueAdditionally, the breakout session Three Ways
Robinson
focused image when communicating with families.
to Profit From Cremation, presented by ICCFA
Learn how to answer cremation inquiries effectively
Cremation Central, has been updated to include
while creating open communication. Develop an action plan for
Beth Cavanaugh. She is the director of marketing
exceeding the callers expectations so that the phone inquiry has
for Batesvilles strategic business units, responsible
positive results for both the family and funeral director. Participants for all marketing for cremation options, specializing Cavanaugh
will have the opportunity to practice suggested dialogue with the
in cremation products. Over the course of her career,
trainer. Robinson will address four specific roles and provide tools
she has launched four business lines, 100+ consumer
for each one:
products and 100+ integrated nationwide marketing campaigns for
Funeral directors
consumer products and services.
Pre-arrangement counselors
Other highlights of this years convention include:
Administrative assistants
35+ breakout sessionsearn up to 17.5
Cemetery sales professionals
hours of CE credit
The Zero Moment of Truth: Where Death Care Marketing
11 hours to explore the 550+ booth
Gets Left Behind, Paul Seyler, Competitive Resources Inc.: In
expo hall
the last few years, Google (among others) has advanced the idea
Free food & drink during all expo hours
that most brands begin their relationship with the consumer too
Two film screenings: A Will For the
late for their own good. Even before the First Moment of Truth in
Woods, about one mans quest for a
the classic marketing model, brands have an opportunity to begin
natural burial, which leads him to the
a dialog with their future customers. Dubbed the Zero Moment of
burgeoning green submarket; and
Truth, or ZMOT, its the impression before the first impression
Furever, about the contemporary
and the most successful marketers are using it to their advantage.
state of the human-pet bond in society,
They use the ZMOT to reach consumers at the beginning of their
including a cross-spectrum of the pet
journey, and give their brands more time and opportunity to win
loss profession
them as buying customers.
Several special events during which
In the funeral industry, weve historically missed
to visit with industry friends and meet
the ZMOT opportunity. Most consumers begin their
valuable new contacts
funeral service journeys without any guidance from
Chances to win cash and prizes in the
us, and then too many of them end up in a destination
Next Generation and PAC raffles, and
we dont like. We usually begin our conversation with
from exhibitor giveaways
them near the end of the journey, when too much of the Seyler
An attendee directory full of prospective customers contact
opportunity has been wasted. This presentation looks
information
at the ZMOT opportunity and how death care brands
NON-MEMBERS: Register at the non-member rate and
could be using it to grow their businesses. Specifics include:
receive a FREE one-year ICCFA membership
Taking a close examination at the basics of the ZMOT and
Learn more about whats in store and register online today at
www.iccfaconvention.com.
q
ALL STAR
March-April 2014
53
I C C FA N E W S
Salespeople, suppliers, marketing professionals build on the

fundamentals of selling at 2014 Wide World of Sales Conference
early 400 sales counselors and managers got their ROI

@ RIO in Las Vegas, January 15-17, at the 2014 Wide
World of Sales Conference. Powerful keynote speakers
reminded everyone of their passion for sales and marketing,
breakout sessions steered attendees toward creating the ideal
sales strategy for their businesses, and it was all kicked off with a
performance by Michael Jackson (well, OK, an impersonator).
Congratulations to the following raffle winners:
Marcia Perkes, Larkin Sunset Gardens, Sandy, Utah:
$900 in Next Generation Committee 50/50 raffle
A. Benjamin Cumbie IV, Foothills Planning Services,
Central, South Carolina: Samsung Galaxy Gear
wristwatch phone
Kim Conliffe, Floral Hills Memory Gardens,
Lancaster, Ohio: Apple iPad 2
Mark Simard, Holyrood Catholic Cemetery, Seattle,
Washington: Apple iPad 2
Larry Hawkins, Forest Park West Cemetery,
Shreveport, Louisiana: $75 gas card
Constance Wruck, Greenlawn Mortuary & Cemetery,
Bakersfield, California: $75 gas card
Christine Jacob, Krause Funeral Homes, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin: Lego cemetery provided by Answering
Service for Directors
Join us in Las Vegas again next year. Details about the 2015
Wide World of Sales Conference will be announced in late
summer/early fall at www.wideworldofsales.com.
q
54
ICCFA Magazine
I C C FA N E W S
1. (from left): Lauren Blevins, Williams Funeral Homes & Crematory, Columbia, Tennessee; Abbie Brammer Quiocho,
Gibraltar Remembrance Services, Indianapolis, Indiana; Andres Aguilar, Los Parques, Guatemala City, Guatemala; and
John Blevins, also with Williams Funeral Homes & Crematory. 2. Keynote speaker Noah Rickun kicking the conference
off with his presentation on Building Sales Success to Last a Lifetime. 3. (from left): Conference co-chairs Kathleen
Berry, CFSP, Kathleen M. Berry & Associates LLC, Cleveland, Ohio; and Gregg Strom, CCE, StoneMor Partners LP, Levittown, Pennsylvania; joined by ICCFA Sales & Marketing Committee Chairwoman Nicole Wiedeman, Forethought Financial Group, Cincinnati, Ohio. 4. Georganne Bender (left) and Rich Kizer discussing the different ways men and women
shop and how you can optimize your sales approach to appeal to both sexes. 5. (from left): Shawna de la Cruz, Richard
Gutierrez and Celia Banegas, all from Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuary, Los Angeles, California; and Jake Johnson, Johnson
Consulting Group, Scottsdale, Arizona. 6. A Michael Jackson impersonator inspires everyone to not only achieve their
2014 sales goals, but to Beat It. 7. A group of attendees from Dignity Memorial in San Bernadino, California,
at the welcome reception. Front row (from left): Margaret Velez, Leticia Pena, Rosalinda Gaona and Wilmar ValenciaRestrepo. 8. (from left): Rosalinda Gaona and Jose Morfin from Dignity Memorial in San Bernadino, California, and Linda
Jankowski, Midwest Memorial Group, Detroit, Michigan. 9. Marcia Perkes, Larkin Sunset Gardens, Sandy, Utah, (left)
claims her $900 prize from the Next Generation Committee 50/50 raffle. The raffle also raised $900 to provide a scholarship for someone to attend the
2015 conference. 10. A group
from Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuary
in Los Angeles enjoys some networking time at the welcome reception. 11. (from left): Kathleen
Berry; Nancy R. Lohman, CCFE,
StoneMor Partners LP, Ormond
Beach, Florida; and Julie A. Burn,
CCrE, CSE, StoneMor Partners
LP, Willowbrook, Illinois.
10
11
NOW AT WWW.ICCFA.COM
2014 WWS session recordings now available for purchase

All industry members now have an opportunity to hear the
various presentations given at the 2014 Wide World of
Sales Conference. The following session recordings are
now available for download:
Keynote Speaker Noah Rickun, Building Sales
Success to Last a Lifetime
Jodi Clock, CPLP, Seven Uncomplicated Ways to
Generate Leads Without Breaking the Bank
West Foulger, Preneed Leads in Disguise
Poul Lemasters, Esq., Limiting Liability for
Cremation Salespeople
Gary Freytag, CCFE, Innovative Approaches to

Cremation Consumers
John Rasiej, Getting Over the Fear of Public
Speaking: 5 Tools to Make Speaking Pay Off for You
Ty Lohman, Setting Up & Delivering Great Group
Presentations
Lacy Robinson, CFSP, Turning Silver into Gold: Keys
to Enhancing the Arrangement Conference for Seniors
... plus many more. Each download is only $10. Place your
order now at www.iccfa.com/wwsrecordings.
q
March-April 2014
55
I C C FA N E W S
2013 KIP Award recipients excel in personalization
he International Cemetery,
Cremation and Funeral Association
has named its 2013 KIP (Keeping It
Personal) Award winners, recognizing the
best in personalization in the cemetery and
funeral service profession in five categories.
This years contest attracted 49
entries from not only the United States,
but also Canada, Chile, Malaysia and
Australia. Communications and marketing
professionals from outside the cemetery
and funeral industry performed the judging.
Grand prize winner El Camino
MemorialSorrento Valley Chapel will
receive a free registration to the 2014
ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition,
April 8-11, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and
Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The winners:
MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE OR

MEMORIAL
First Place & Grand Prize Winner

El Camino Memorial Sorrento Valley
Chapel: Benedict Marfori Service
San Diego, California
When Benedict Marfori was diagnosed
with cancer and told he had six months
to live, he decided to spend his days
building model airplanes. He defied the
odds and lived three years beyond his
diagnosis, during which time he built over
500 model airplanes. When he died, El
Camino Memorial honored his passion
by placing his casket in front of a custom
painted airplane backdrop, playing a DVD
that showed Benedict with every plane he
had built, and playing Danger Zone, the
theme from Top Gun, during his service.
Honorable Mention
Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home:
Mr. Claytons Service
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
BEST PRACTICE
First Place
French Funerals & Cremations/Sunset
Memorial Park: University of New
Mexico Funeral Packages & Lobo
Pavilion
Albuquerque, New Mexico
French Funerals & Cremations has
partnered exclusively with the University
of New Mexico and built a special pavilion
56
ICCFA Magazine
INNOVATIVE/PERSONALIZED
PRODUCT (SUPPLIERS)
specifically dedicated to and themed

around the UNM Lobos. The pavilion uses
specific UNM colors and has rights to use
every UNM logo, if the family chooses.
Central to the pavilion is a custom bronze
statue of the schools mascot and niches
can be purchased surrounding this statue
that come with a miniature replica. They
also have designed several Lobo-themed
funeral packages that allow the family to
incorporate UNM Lobo themed items into
the funeral itself; items include themed urns
and caskets, neckties, flags and blankets.
Honorable Mention
Cook Funeral and Cremation Services:
Infant Services
Grandville, Michigan
EVENTS
First Place
Cook Funeral and Cremation Services:
Tree Lighting Service
Grandville, Michigan
The holidays can be a particularly
tough time for those who have lost loved
ones, so at that time of year, Cook invites
their community to participate in a treelighting and memorial service. A banner
is placed near the tree that includes all of
the names of deceased loved ones from
the community. Families search for their
loved ones names and, as they touch them,
the scene is reminiscent of the Vietnam
Memorial. Once the tree is lit, it stands day
and night as a visual reminder of all the
loved ones the community has lost.
Honorable Mention
Chapel of the Roses: Sandy Hook
Elementary Snowflake Drive
Atascadero, California
First Place
webcemeteries.com: GPS Living
Memorials App
Virginville, Pennsylvania
The GPS Living Memorials App offers
any cemetery the ability to provide for their
families with mobile and online memorials,
printed copies for graveside service, photo
galleries, public submission options and
integration with social mediawithout
having to wait until all the records and
maps are in the computer. Each cemetery
is able to brand its own app and publishes
the memorials to its own website. Visitors
can download the app for free or borrow
a tablet from the cemetery to use on the
grounds.
Honorable Mention
Project Repat: T-Shirt Blanket
Boston, Massachusetts
Honorable Mention
Paw PODS, LLC: Paw Pods
Lake Orion, Michigan
MOST PERSONALIZED PET SERVICE

OR MEMORIAL
First Place
Until We Meet Again Pet Memorial
Center: The Whistler Sled Dogs
North Vancouver, British Columbia
The community of Vancouver was
outraged when 100 sled dogs were brutally
killed and dumped in a mass grave in
Whistler. The Vancouver SPCA and Until
We Meet Again teamed up to give these
dogs the care and final resting place they
so deserved. Once the dogs were cremated,
each dog was placed in black velvet bags
embroidered with Until We Meet Again...
At the Rainbow Bridge and buried
together. Until We Meet Again also donated
the headstone to mark their final resting
place, which was inscribed with We Will
Never Forget ... Run Free.
All first place and honorable mention
winners will be recognized at the 2014
Annual Convention & Exposition in Las
Vegas and will also be featured in ICCFA
Magazine. For more information on all
winners, visit www.iccfa.com/kip.
q
I C C FA N E W S
THANK YOU TO OUR ALL STAR ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPO CORPORATE PARTNERS
Carriage Services
NGL Insurance
Group
StoneMor Partners LP
Batesville Casket
Company Inc.
Matthews
International
Service Corporation
International
Northstar Memorial
Group
Physicians Mutual
Insurance
Astral Industries Inc.
Forethought Financial
Group
American Funeral
Financial
Cedar Memorial
Iowa Cremation
Coldspring
Cypress Lawn
Johnson Consulting
Group
Live Oak Bank
NOMIS Publications
Precoa
Spring Grove
Cemetery &
Arboretum
Wilbert Funeral
Services Inc.
Carrier Mausoleums
Construction Inc.
Forest Lawn
Memorial-Parks &
Mortuaries
Guerra & Gutierrez

Krause Funeral
Mortuary
Homes
Riviera Tailors Ltd.
Messenger Co.
The Signature Group
Sinosource
Funeral Directors
Stone Orchard
Life Insurance Co.
Software
IMSA
All City
Madelyn Co.
Communications
Star Granite
Funeral Service Credit
& Bronze
Union
Starmark Funeral
Green Hills
Products
Memorial Park
Independence
Halo International
Trust Co.
Corp.
Answering Service for
Milne
Directors (ASD)
Construction Co.
Eckco Products
Citadel Management
Funeral
& Dyanne Matzkevich
Home Gifts
ICCFA partners with CANA on 2014 cremation training sessions
CCFA and the Cremation Association of North America

(CANA) are proud to announce a new partnership to present
cremation education at a variety of locations around the
country. Together, ICCFA and CANA will offer two types of
cremation training: the one-day ICCFA Cremation Arranger
Certification Program and the one-day CANA Crematory
Operations Certification Program (CANA COCP).
With the national cremation rate fast approaching 50 percent,
personnel from every funeral home and crematoryowners,
managers, funeral directors, and even support staffcan benefit
from attending these valuable sessions.
The dates and locations for the 2014 programs will be

announced in the next month, so check www.iccfa.com and
www.cremationassociation.org often for updates.
CREMATION
CENTRAL
Save the date: 4th Annual PLPA College comes to New Orleans
he dates and location for the 4th Annual PLPA College

have been finalized. Everyone in the pet loss
profession is invited to join us August 23-27 at the Hyatt
French Quarter in New
Orleans, Louisiana, for
three days of learning and
networking. For all those
who work in the pet loss
profession, you wont want
to miss this career-changing event. Full program and
registration details are coming soon at www.myplpa.com.
q
March-April 2014
57
interview by ICCFA Magazine

P RO FE S S IO N A L DE V E L O P M E N T
sloving@iccfa.com
ICCFA Magazine subject spotlight

Gary OSullivan,
CCFE, is head of Gary
OSullivan Co. He
works with clients in the
areas of leadership and
management development, service and sales
processes and corporate
culture. He has been
recognized twice by the
iCCFA as Speaker of the
Decade. He is the author of Sales Never
Get BetterPeople Do, and co-author,
with David Shipper, of The System, a
complete preneed selling process. This
year will be his 26th at ICCFAU as either a
professor or dean. He received an honorary ICCFAU doctorate in 2009.
go@garyosullivan.com
www.garyosullivan.com.com
Todd W. Van Beck,
CFuE, is general
manager of Forest Hill
Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Memphis,
Tennessee. He received
his degree in mortuary
science from the New
England Institute of Funeral Service and holds
a bachelors degree
from Mount Mercy College and a masters
degree from Mount Saint Marys Seminary.
He received an honorary doctorate from
the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral
Service in 2005. He has been dean of the
ICCFA College of Funeral Home Management since 1992.
tvanb@stonemor.com
www.toddvanbeck.com
More about this subject
April 8-11, Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas

OSullivan and Van Beck will receive
the first Educational Foundation Lasting
Impact Awards during the ICCFA 2014
Convention & Expo at the Mandalay Bay,
Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the reception in their honor, which will be 6-7 p.m.
on Thursday, April 10, may be purchased
at the ICCFA Registration Desk onsite in
Las Vegas. Proceeds will go toward the
foundations scholarship programs.
58
ICCFA Magazine
Professor Gary OSullivan, left, sharing a meal at ACA University in 1991.
From indifferent students to

teachers who make a difference
f someone had told the teen-aged Gary

OSullivan and Todd W. Van Beck that
they would someday receive achievement
awards from an educational foundation,
neither would have have believed it.
Both will be honored with the ICCFA
Educational Foundations first Lasting Impact
Award during the ICCFA Convention & Expo
in April. Neither covered himself in glory in
high school, yet both have become famous
speakers and teachers, closely associated
with ICCFA University, starting when it was
still ACA (American Cemetery Association)
University. Both have been deans for years,
Van Beck of the College of Funeral Home
Management and OSullivan of the J. Asher
Neel College of Sales & Marketing.
ICCFA Magazine talked to them about
their backgrounds and the importance of
continuing education.
What is your own educational background?
Who were your mentors?
OSullivan: My background is not very
impressive. My father only had a sixth
grade education and my mother went to the
eleventh grade, so education was not a high
priority in our family. Just the fact that I
graduated from high school was a big deal.
Because of my fathers lack of education,
he was very introverted. So if we were
looking for a place to rent and he saw an
Todd W. Van Beck shows off his impressive high school science fair project,
which involved embalming a pig.
empty house, hed say to me, Go up there

and knock on that door, boy, and see if they
know who owns that house thats for rent
next door.
Im a kid; what do I know? I would just
get out of the car and knock on the door and
ask them if they knew who owns the house
thats for rent. Probably thats the reason I
didnt mind knocking on doors for sales.
When I graduated from high school, I
hadnt taken the college boards. My guidance
counselors said there wasnt much use for
me to do that, my grades were so bad. I was
working at a grocery store. My dad taught me
to be a hard worker, a person of discipline, a
person of integrity, so I was a good employee.
They were going to train me; Id have been a
Wilbert AD
FULL PAGE
page 59
4-COLOR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
store manager after several
dreams of being a country
years. But one day a lady
music star.
came by and sold my parents
Ive learned that there
some cemetery property.
are three things that
She said, Were looking for
affect us in life: people,
people who can help families
information and experiences.
do what Ive helped you do
Information comes through
tonight. With the following
reading books and going to
sentence, my father changed
seminars and conventions.
the direction of my life:
And, without being overly
Weve got a boy that talks
dramatic, I hope that going
a lot.
to ICCFAU is an experience,
The manager said they
because of the in-depth
didnt hire anyone under
relationship we have with
OSullivan making a point
30 because of the subject
during a class at the ICCFAU students. Thats one of the
matter. But I was a kid, and College of Sales and Manage- things that makes me willing
what I was interested in was ment, wearing his famous
to come back every year.
girls and cars. This guy was merrcle t-shirt.
My wife keeps telling me
driving a brand new car; the
Im on my 10th last year at
grocery store manager drove a 20-year-old
the university. Its because its such a unique
Ford pickup. I said, Did you make enough
experience, different from seeing somebody
money working here to buy that car? He
at a convention. The experiences at the
said, Yes. I said, Then I want to talk to the university have really been impactful to me
guy you work for.
and very humbling.
I quit my job at the grocery store even
Van Beck
though they told me I was nuts to start selling
doing his
cemetery property on straight commission.
favorite
I was 18 years old. Thats how I started at
thing
(not)
Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Greer, South
working
Carolina. Thats how I met Fred Renner, who
with a
changed the course of my life and taught
comme about success. For whatever reason, he
puter.
believed in me. Im an avid reader 42 years
later because of him.
Fred said, It doesnt matter where youve Van Beck: From grade school to my
been, it matters where you want to go. If
graduation from high school, I was an
youll do the things I tell you to do, even if
absolutely dysfunctional student. I was kind
you dont stay in this business, Im going to
of seen as the dunce, and on top of that, I was
teach you the things you need to succeed in
attracted to this really odd line of work
life. Id never heard about success, and Id
funeral directing. The guidance counselors
never heard about opportunity.
told my poor parents that I didnt have the
Fred was a hard teacher, very disciplined.
brains to get through mortuary school.
A lot of people quit our company because
But when I got to mortuary school in
they didnt like him, but he taught me about
Boston, I ran into a man by the name of
success. He taught me that if you do certain
Edgar N. Jackson, professor of psychology at
things the right way, do them consistently,
the New England Institute. I have a portrait
you can succeed. My passion through the
of him in my office, because he was seminal
years has been to encourage other people.
in changing my life. Hes the one who, when
Just recently, I told someone I was working
I was still a student, pulled me aside one day
with, I have one major goal in life: I want to and we had a chat about whether I could ever
be Fred Renner in somebodys life.
see myself teaching.
There have been other mentors, other
And theres Mr. Heafey, of Heafey &
coaches, people who have helped me,
Heafey Mortuary in Omaha, Nebraska, where
encouraged me, educated me, corrected me
I got my first job, when I was 16. He taught
and directed me through the years. But it
me about excellence in funeral service. They
was my father, then Fred. And my mother
were the two people I connected with. I wish
was a big inspirationshe taught me to be a
Id known then what I know now, because I
dreamer, because she always had these great
would have paid more attention.
60
ICCFA Magazine
A third person was Al Marsh; I recently

wrote a story about him. (ICCFA Magazine,
December 2013, The winning personality.)
I think anything I really learned about trying
to be a kind person, understanding of other
people and their problems, I learned from Al
Marsh, a gentle and wise soul.
I was very fortunate that I ran into these
three men almost right off the bat.
And theres Edwards Deming, the one
who taught Japan about quality after World
War II. He was a seminal figure in business
management quality services. I used to be
sort of a groupie of his; I helped him out at
seminars, because he was so old. Ive studied
as many business theories as I could, and
concluded that Demings fits cemetery and
funeral service like a glove.
What was your first experience of being the

teacher rather than the student?
OSullivan: Probably about a year after I
started selling, when the sales manager quit.
They made me sales manager. Was it because
I was intelligent, a child prodigy? No, I was
the last man standing. So there I was, 19 or
20, hiring and training people.
Im sure I did an absolutely pitiful job.
There are probably a lot of people not selling
today because I was their teacher early on.
My training method was probably, Watch
me. But Ive learned through the years
that training has to be information that is
transferable and actionable.
Van Beck: The seed was planted when
Jackson said I might have something to
contribute, but I gave my first talk while I was
a teenager working at Heafeys. A Catholic
girls school was doing some lessons on death
and dying and wanted one of the funeral
directors to talk to them. I said, Ill go.
I found I just had a knack for it. Some if it
made it upI was 16 and had no idea what I
was talking about, but I just made it up, and it
sounded good, and they invited me back.
Years later, I kind of fell into education
by default. I had gotten divorced and was
a single parent to a 3-year-old, so I wasnt
able to do night work and couldnt work in a
funeral home. A job came up in Cincinnati at
the mortuary college. I didnt enjoy teaching
in mortuary colleges all that much. My
lectures were popular, but I didnt connect
well with young people the way I do with
practicing cemeterians and funeral directors,
people who have been in the field and
have their war wounds. And I like trying to
help funeral directors find solutions to the
Paradise Pics AD
FULL PAGE
page 61
4-COLOR
The ICCFA Educational

Foundation lives to give
A brief interview with Educational Foun
dation Chairman Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE.
Why were Todd Van Beck and Gary

OSullivan chosen as the first Lasting
Impact Award recipients?
Due to their long-term commitment to
education in our profession. Nothing
speaks more loudly about their service to
the training and development of others
than their generosity. I believe true
generosity isnt an occasional event, it
comes from their hearts and permeates
every aspect of their many commitments
to the profession. They have touched
thousands in our profession by dedicating
themselves to educating, coaching,
developing and mentoring.
Whos on the ICCFA Educational
Foundation Board of Trustees with you?
Ray Frew, CCFE, founder and former

chairman; Bob Gordon Sr, CCFE, CCrE,
CSE; Mark Guzniczak; Jay Dodds and
chairman Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE.
What got you involved in the foundation?

Several years ago, I told Ray Frew I
wanted to become further involved.
Like many others, I believe we all have
a responsibility to give back to our
profession.
What are your goals for the Educational

Foundation?
As you know, the Educational Foundation
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt
organization whose sole purpose is
to provide scholarships for members
and employees. We want to provide
opportunities for students who have a
passion for funeral service to expand their
training and education so they can make a
difference in the lives of the families they
serve. These are the future leaders of our
profession. We believe they are worth the
time, effort, energy and resources that
developing them requires.
I believe ICCFA University and the
ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference
are the two most significant programs
available to the profession. My goal is
to make more people aware of these
programs and raise more money so the
foundation can award more scholarships.
What should people expect at the

reception?
It will include a hosted bar, hors doeurves
and raffles. Supporters and donors,
as well as inaugural Lasting Impact
Award recipients Gary OSullivan and
Todd Van Beck, will be honored; 2014
scholarship winners will be announced;
and the foundations new website will be
previewed.
r
62
ICCFA Magazine
challenges theyre up
against, developing
creative ideas to address
problems.
How did you become
involved with the U?
What keeps you coming
back?
OSullivan: I had done a
OSullivan
few things for Southern
shows he still
(Southern Cemetery,
has a t-shirt
from the Ameri- Cremation and Funeral
can Cemetery
Association), and J.
Association
Asher Neel called the
University days. dean at ACAU and told
him they should have me as a speaker. The
first time I did one session, something on
leadership. I got asked back year after year,
and finally Patrick Downey, then dean of the
sales college, asked me to be co-dean and
then take over,
because he was
going to become
chancellor. Ive
been privileged to
be dean ever since.
sometimes the process is that what you learn

is something you knew but forgot. Its easy
for us to get off track, to stop doing what we
need to.
Our world is changing, probably at an
unprecedented rate: Technology, demogra
phics, the workforce, business practices.
Sitting down and brainstorming an idea
with somebody or thinking about something
youve never thought about before, or realize
that you tried something and it didnt work,
but now you see that it was a four-part
process and you did three of them the wrong
waythats invaluable.
Theres an ongoing relationship between
learning and continuing education. When
somebody knows it all, theyre done. I know
its been said before, but I think you want to
stay growing, stay green, because when you
get ripe, the next stage is rot.
Van Beck: I
started out at
ACAU, during
the transition to
the association
Van Beck talking to some students at the ICCFAU College of
accepting funeral
Funeral Home Management.
directors. Bob
Van Beck: I dont believe that mandatory
Gordon, graduate college dean, heard me
state continuing education is effective. I
speak and asked me to me come in and do
think voluntary continuing education is
a class about customer service. Then Pat
outstanding, and I think thats why ICCFU
Downey, who was chancellor, heard me
University does so well.
speak somewhere else, and he came up to me
Its one thing to stand up in front of 300
afterward and said, Ive got a proposition
people who are there because if theyre not,
for you: We need to start a college for funeral
their license is going to expire in 10 days. But
homes. So we mapped out the first funeral
a group of people who have traveled to go
college, 20 years ago. And its been a joy to
to a course because they want to be there
work with the ICCFA over the years.
thats an entirely different environment. The
I really enjoy the students; they all have
Academy of Professional Funeral Service
been pretty damn good people. The strength
Practice is an example, ICCFA University is
of the profession is in the basic decency and
an example. The students are basically the top
commitment the people have to the work.
of the cream. Theyre so interested.
And thats what keeps me going back.
One year I had five students from South
How do you feel about the importance of
Africa at ICCFAU. I thought I was going
continuing education?
to teach them something, but it turned out
OSullivan: John Maxwell says people
to be a stellar mutual learning experience.
overestimate the power of an event and
Everybody was hanging on every word
underestimate the power of the process. Some they said, because what they came up with
people think going to a convention is going
was so differentand what a learning
to change their life, and its not. Its what
experience! Only ICCFAU offers that in our
r
you learn there and what you do with it. And
line of work.
Continental Computer AD
FULL PAGE
page 63
4-COLOR
by Glenda Stansbury, CC, CFSP

glenda@
insightbooks.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Stansbury is vice
president of marketing for

In-Sight Books, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma.
www.insightbooks.com
She is a licensed funeral director and em-
balmer and trains funeral directors, cemeterians and others as Certified Celebrants who
meet with families to talk about their loved
ones and plan personalized funeral services.
She is adjunct faculty with the funeral
service department at the University of

Central Oklahoma, where she teaches
courses in funeral service communication
and the psychology of grief and oversees
practicum students.

Stansbury will be at the ICCFA Convention at the Insight Books booth, #425.
Editors note
The ICCFA believes in celebrant training for
funeral directors and cemeterians who wish
to better help families and to be successful in
the 21st century. In addition to articles by Stansbury, ICCFA Magazine is running, as a regular
feature, stories by celebrants about specific
services they put together for families.
Contact ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor
Susan Loving, sloving@iccfa.com, if you are
a celebrant with a story about a service that
the family involved is willing to let you share..
How to become a celebrant

Becoming a celebrant involves more than
learning how to conduct a personalized funeral
or memorial service. Stansbury and former
minister Doug Manning of the In-Sight Institute
teach celebrants how to talk and listen to grieving
families and how to work with funeral directors.
The ICCFA University College of 21st Century
Services includes celebrant training. Students
successfully completing the course receive certification from the In-Sight Institute as celebrants.
ICCFAU 2014 will be July 18-23 at the Fogelman Conference Center, Memphis, Tennessee.
Details will be available in the spring of 2014 at
www.iccfa.com or by calling 1.800.645.7700.
Contact Stansbury (glenda@insightbooks.com)
or go to www.insightbooks.com, the In-Sight
Books website, for information about celebrant
training sessions scheduled around the country.
64
ICCFA Magazine
C E L E BR A N T S
Families choosing cremation to keep things simple

may, in the same spirit, select a low-cost, cremation-only firm.
Many rue the choice after its too late.
A tale of two familiesand

why funeral directors matter
he was 63 years old; well call her

Sally. She was having surgery on
a broken ankle that had not healed
properly. Her two children had come to see
her at the hospital the night before, hugged
her and told her they would see her in the
morning after she came out of surgery.
There was no danger; it was supposed
to be a routine operation. And then she was
dead. Heart attack or aneurysmno one
could be sure. All that was certain was that
a mother, grandmother, sister and aunt was
suddenly gone, and her 27-year-old daughter
and 25-year-old son were left with decisions
and plans that no one was ready make.
She was going to be cremated. The son
and daughter, well call them Mike and Jane,
chose a cremation-only firm with the word
affordable in the business name.
This company is run by very nice
professionals, well-meaning people who
believe they are providing a service that
people are looking for. They advertise that
they are serving the needs of those who wish
a simple, dignified disposition for their loved
ones without the added cost of involving a
traditional funeral home. They are very clear
in their message: We are here to take care of
the body.
Im not sure why Mike and Jane chose
that company, but my assumption is they
knew their mother wanted to be cremated and
this was the first firm they found on the web.
They had never planned a funeral; they had
no idea what they were going to need.
I received a call from the daughter. She
had called my church because her cousin
attended it for a while and she didnt know
where else to turn. My minister referred
her to me (see previous articles about my
unofficial parish funeral director role). He
no longer conducts funerals for non-members
and sends all such inquiries to me.
When I visited with the daughter, she was
distraught. She wanted to have a service for
her mother, to honor her life and to gather
friends and family together, but had no idea

where to turn. She was willing to spend the
money. She just didnt know how.
When family members choose a
cremation-only firm, they are virtually set
adrift to fend for themselves, to take care of
all the details that a funeral director would
routinely handle. Families do not know this
when they make that choice. They find out
after the fact exactly what they are missing.
Jane had many questions: Where can
we have the service? Who takes care of the
obituary? How do we get service folders?
What about a video tribute? Who will play
the music? Where do I start???
She asked about having the service at
my church, but we both agreed that for
smaller gatherings, the sanctuary is simply
too large. So she embarked on a search and
found a lovely little historic chapel in the
art district of our city called the Old Trinity
on Paseo. You can look it up online to read
about how it was built in New Brunswick,
Canada, in 1842 and then moved to
Oklahoma City, of all places.
It is almost exclusively used as a wedding
chapel, and the women who run the chapel
are wedding planners and floral designers.
Janes cousin had attended a wedding there
and suggested calling to see if they would
be willing to host a funeral. They were most
gracious and agreed to a date and time.
I arrived the next day at Sallys sisters
house for the family meeting and was met
by a flustered family. The sister and brotherin-law, two nieces, Mike, Jane and Janes
husband all sat there looking at me with the
proverbial deer in the headlights stare.
They knew that there were many, many
details to take care of and they had no idea
how it was all going to get done. Before
we could even begin the family meeting
during which I could hear the stories about
Sally, we had to spend almost an hour
talking through all the elements they wanted
incorporated into the service that they were
Star Granite AD
FULL PAGE
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4-COLOR
CELEBRANTS
Poor Jane was beside herself trying to get everything organized.
Finally, I gently said to her, Sweetie, if you had chosen a funeral home, the funeral directors
would be doing all of this for you. She looked at me in amazement. Really? Yes, really.
going to have to handle on their own.

around and visited and shared stories, I
After our meeting, Jane was headed
saw Mike and his father, Sallys former
to Kinkos to try to design a service
husband, hauling plants and flowers to
folder and have a picture enlarged
their cars, making multiple trips to try to
to display at the service. Mike was
fit all the floral tributes into vehicles not
diligently working on the video tribute,
made for such cargo. Again I thought,
and we had a conversation about how
Where is the funeral director to help
it would be played and what kind of
the family?
sound system the chapel might have.
I hugged the family and they were
We spent some time working on the
overcome with thanks for taking their
obituary, and we discussed music
hands and walking them through the
Old Trinity on Paseo, a chapel usually used for wed- most difficult days of their lives. They
selections.
In other words, I spent the first hour dings, agreed to host a funeral when a family using said they had no idea that the service
a disposition firm wanted to hold a service.
of my family meetingthe time we
would be so wonderful and so perfect.
celebrants spend with family members
They loved the heart necklaces and the
And so, at 12:40, 20 minutes before a
to help them on their grief journey and to
weaving
of all the stories of their mother,
1 p.m. service, I was downloading the video
gather information for the servicedealing
sister
and
aunt.
tribute onto a flash drive and setting it up on
with all the issues and tasks that a funeral
They
thanked
me for helping with the
my laptop, which I knew would connect with
director would have expertly taken on, if
video
tribute
and
for
just being there. I was
the speaker.
there had been a funeral director involved.
truly
glad
that
I
was
there.
I was truly sad that
As I sat there on the floor in my funeral
Poor Jane was beside herself trying to get
a
funeral
director
was
not.
suit, plugging things in and making sure
everything organized. Finally, I gently said
everything was working, my only thought
to her, Sweetie, if you had chosen a funeral
Another sudden death,
was, Why isnt there a funeral director who
home, the funeral directors would be doing
another cremation
could take care of this for us?
all of this for you.
He was 70 years old. Well call him Bill. He
The service itself couldnt have been
She looked at me in amazement.
had had some health issues over the past two
lovelier. The chapel only holds about 100
Really? Yes, really.
years, and the last bout of pneumonia had
people, so it was standing room only as
She was at sea, and didnt realize that she
put him in the hospital on a vent. His loving
people snugged themselves in to pay tribute
didnt need to beif only they had chosen
and attentive wife of 50 years and his four
to a wonderful woman.
a full-service funeral home, rather than a
As people arrived, they were greeted with children and their spouses sat vigil with him
every day.
disposition firm. She kept saying, I dont
a table of goodies and a glass of wine if they
On Wednesday, the doctors told the family
know how to do this without your help.
wished. The entire ambiance was warm and
that
he was much improved and they were
Honestly, she should have been saying that
felt like a giant hug for this bereaved family.
going
to take him off the vent and put in a
to a funeral director, not a celebrant. (Though
During the service, I shared her story and
trach
so
his lungs could continue to heal.
I am a licensed funeral director, these days I
talked about her heart, her strength and her
They
all
hugged and kissed him and went
work as a celebrant and educator.)
love for her family. One of the things she
home.
And
then he was dead.
The day of the service came and I arrived
loved to do was buy little trinket jewelry for
Heart
attack
or aneurysm, no one could
at the chapel an hour early. As anyone who
her 4-year-old granddaughter, so I had found
be
sure.
But
what
was certain was that this
has attended our celebrant training will tell
necklaces with beads in the shape of hearts to
husband, father, grandfather and greatyou, we are pretty insistent about showing up be the memory take-away.
early.
At the end of the service, Amy and Alisha grandfather was suddenly gone, and his wife
and children were left in shock, trying to plan
Jane, her husband and Mike were already
handed out glasses of champagne, while I
there, trying to get things set up. Amy and
handed out heart necklaces to everyone. Then a service.
He was going to be cremated. They called
Alisha, the chapel coordinators, had arranged her niece, who adored her like a mother, gave
a
funeral
home that uses Certified Celebrants
to rent a projector and screen so they could
a beautiful toast and everyone stood, wearing
quite
often,
and as soon as they said they had
show the video tribute, but had no way to
their heart necklaces, and toasted Sally.
no
church
affiliation,
no one they wanted
hook the computer up to their sound system.
The service folders were beautiful; the
to
lead
the
service,
the
funeral director said,
I had brought along my Jambox, a bluemusic went off without a hitch, played from
you
need
a
celebrant.
tooth wireless speaker (I am not receiving
Janes iPod by one of the chapel assistants;
When I arrived the next day for the family
payment for mentioning it in this article) and the video tribute worked. It was a very good
meeting,
I had 16 people in the rooma
tried to connect it to the computer. Mikes
day.
large
group
of people, all still having a hard
computer was a Mac and it was being a snob
After the service, as everyone stood
time grasping what had happened. However,
and not wanting to affiliate with my speaker.
66
ICCFA Magazine
MKJ AD
FULL PAGE
page 67
4-COLOR
CELEBRANTS
Family members should not be messing with a computer

20 minutes before the service; they should be hugging
and crying and soaking in the love and support
of the people who came to join them in their sorrow.
Funeral directors are event planners

and more event planners are realizing
they can plan funerals as well as weddings and other celebrations.
we were able to spend our entire family

meeting time sharing stories and talking
about Bill, because the family knew that all
of the details were being taken care of by the
funeral home.
Family members had already brought
pictures for the video tribute to the funeral
home, had told the funeral director what
music they wanted played and had dropped
off memorabilia to be displayed. They could
relax, because their funeral professional, who
had given them options and guided them in
the planning, was handling everything.
When I got to the service an hour early the
next day, the video tribute was playing, the
flowers were set up, the display and pictures
were ready, the register book and service
folders were beautiful and waiting.
The family arrived about 10 minutes
before the service, knowing that they didnt
have to be there early to set anything up. I
watched as the funeral director gently guided
and escorted them into the service, making
sure that everyone was taken care of and
comfortable.
I watched again as, after the service, the
funeral director took the hand of the bereft
widow and led her to the foyer, where she
could receive hugs, tears and support from
the 100 friends who had come to honor her
husband.
During the service, we talked about how
much Bill had loved his family, and how he
enjoyed putting together bags of goodies to
give to his kids or to leave as a surprise on
their doorsteps.
I had little gift bags to give everyone so
they could remember how much he reveled
68
ICCFA Magazine
in giving things to others. I asked two of his

young granddaughters to help me hand them
out to everyone there.
The daughter-in-law who had been in
charge of most of the arrangements said to
me, That was so very much more than I
could have even imagined. The gift bags just
blew us away; that was so perfect. Thank
you for telling his story. I was truly glad I
was there. I was also truly glad that a funeral
director was there.
What we can learn from these stories
There are several lessons to be learned from

these two families stories.
1. Busy families are not grieving
families. When family members are left
adrift, forced to take care of all the service
details by themselves, they literally have no
time to process, to reflect, to think.
Even for people using a funeral home,
the days leading up to a funeral are pretty
hectic. Family members are coming into
town. Pictures need to be located. Calls and
condolences are flooding in. But when you
are sitting at a Kinkos at 10 p.m. the night
before your mothers service, you have
absolutely no time to allow yourself to feel,
much less begin the grieving experience. You
are focused, exhausted and overwhelmed.
Family members should not be messing
with a computer 20 minutes before the
service; they should be hugging and crying
and soaking in the love and support of the
people who came to join them in their sorrow.
The ex-husband should not have to haul
flowers for his former spouse, no matter how
understanding his current wife might be.
2. Families want the option of food and
drink. I say this to my all of my colleagues
those who can offer food and beverages and
those in states that prohibit it: People want to
offer hospitality and find a moment of normal
in this very unfamiliar situation.
When guests come to your home, your
first instinct is to offer sustenance. When
guests come at your invitation to honor your
loved one, your first instinct is to welcome
and thank them with food. People want food
and drink!
Some firms have figured this out and
are making a wonderful impression and

a wonderful profit from these additional
services. Some firms choose to offer snacks
or even full catered meals, but refuse to allow
wine or beer for a variety of reasons.
Some firms in the few states that do not
allow food in funeral homes are very happy
that they are prohibited from this option. One
funeral director I was talking to about this
snorted and said, I didnt go to mortuary
school to be an event planner.
Really? And what exactly do you think a
funeral service is, if not an eventthat you
are planning?
That sweet family I helped in the absence
of a funeral director just wanted to be able to
offer guests a small glass of wine when they
arrived, and wanted a way to toast their loved
one at the end.
This was not a kegger; no one was going
to drink to excess, and nothing was spilled.
Everyone was comfortable and it was
wonderful that the chapel was more than
willing to accommodate the request.
3. People dont know what they dont
know. I know this is a clich used in training
all the time, but just because youve heard it
before doesnt mean it isnt the truth.
A large majority of people who choose
stand-alone, cremation-only businesses have
no idea that they will be receiving no support,
no guidance, no assistance in creating a
service. They do not understand what they are
facing and that they will be facing it alone.
Would it be helpful if those businesses
explained options and offered referrals to
another funeral home that would be willing
to help families who want services, not just
efficient disposition? Would it be helpful if
these firms had a list of celebrants who could
accompany and assist the family?
Yes, that would be great, but I dont see
that kind of collaboration or cooperation
happening anytime soon.
Would it be great if people experienced
meaningful, personalized services and
realized that they were worth choosing to go
to a funeral home that would provide those
services for them?
Yes, that is my eternal hope, and it is why
we continue to carry the celebrant banner.
RBC AD
FULL PAGE
page 69
4-COLOR
CELEBRANTS
Some firms in the few states that do not allow food in funeral homes are very happy
that they are prohibited from this option. One funeral director I was talking to about this
snorted and said, I didnt go to mortuary school to be an event planner. Really?
And what exactly do you think a funeral service is, if not an eventthat you are planning?
A class photo for the students who attended Certified Celebrant training in January at the Rio Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The next training session in conjunction
with the ICCFA will be part of the College of 21st Century Services during ICCFA
University, July 18-23, at the Fogelman Conference Center, the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. Check out Events/ICCFA University at www.iccfa.com.
We believe in the value of funeral service,

and in our assertion that your potential future
customers are the people sitting in your
chapel today, deciding whether or not what
youre offering is something they want when
the time comes for them to deal with a loved
ones death, or to preplan their own service.
Would it be a wonderful day if funeral
homes could use their time and advertising
dollars to explain how important a funeral
is to the grieving family instead of, or in
addition to, showing off their chapels or
selling preneed?
Yes, that would be a huge step in the
right direction, if we could convince funeral
directors that families need to know what
they have to offer and why they need to have
a professional take care of them. Tell families
how you can serve them, not what you can
sell them.
4. Vacuums are quickly filled. The other
interesting result of the service for Sally
was very predictable. Amy and Alisha, the
wedding coordinators at the chapel the family
used, grabbed me after the service. They are
very smart businesswomen. They can see an
opportunity when it presents itself.
I think we should put a funeral tab on
our website, Amy said. This is the third
funeral weve been asked to do in the past
70
ICCFA Magazine
few months. Our chapel is not booked during

the week or during the day on weekends, and
this would be perfect.
We chatted for a while, and I mentioned
some of the details that they would need to
consider, all of which they are more than
capable of handling, given their experience
with weddings.
And so, for those lonely people at sea after
choosing what turns out to be a body disposal
firm, this chapel, and thousands of other event
and wedding chapels just like it across the
country, would be thrilled to step in and fill
the void.
They are more than happy to fulfill any
request that a family has, they understand
the concept of catering and serving drinks
and they are proud to be considered event
planners. They can learn how to produce
video tributes, if they arent already offering
those for weddings. They certainly can design
and print service folders; they know how to
greet guests and arrange flowers.
They would be thrilled to have a list of
Certified Celebrants for referrals to conduct
services, rather than telling families, We
always use the Rev. Rolodex.
When we first began training celebrants,
one of the concerns voiced by a few funeral
directors was that we would take services
away from funeral homes. I can assure you
that 99 percent of the services I am privileged

to conduct are in funeral homes.
But I can also assure you that if funeral
homes do not find ways to offer the services
that todays families are looking for, others
will be more than happy to make use of our
skills.
Wedding chapel professionals come to this
opportunity focused on serving the customer.
They dont understand the words Weve
never done it that way before or My
families dont want that or We dont allow
that at my firm.
The time is now. When cremation is
the overwhelming choice, a funeral home
is an optional choice. We need to have a
conversation about the message we are giving
our buying public.
Either we believe in the sacred time of
gathering, how healing it is for families,
and the importance of having a funeral
professional present to assist the family, or we
all decide to become stand-alone cremationonly firms. There is very little leeway in
between.
Can we begin to examine how we talk
to our families about the value of funeral
service?
Can we end the debate about receptions
and serving alcohol?
Can we possibly consider that we need to
create liaisons between cremation-only firms
and full-service funeral homes that could
help the family with a service? Can we at
least hope that stand-alone cremation-only
firms need to rethink their message to the
public that disposing of the body is the only
important thing that needs to be done when a
loved one dies?
Can we embrace the concept that
celebrant-led services are among the best
advertisements you could possibly place in
front of your community?
Can we honor and appreciate tradition
while embracing and accepting the challenge
of a changing world?
Its very lonely out at sea, alone. We
shouldnt leave our families there to try to
navigate the waters by themselves. If funeral
directors dont step up to help them find their
way, someone else will respond.
r
Forethought AD
FULL PAGE
page 71
4-COLOR
Matt Hollebeek
matthollebeek@
lifestorynet.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Hollebeek is a third-
generation funeral director

and vice president of Heritage
Life Story Funeral Homes in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. His lifes work is
finding the nuggets.
P E RS O N A L IZ AT IO N
Families making arrangements are often unable to concentrate

on details. Its the arrangers job to gather the nuggets of information
that are the key to planning a meaningful and memorable service.
Rich Karelse is a Certi-
fied Celebrant through the

Insight Institute in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma. Celebrants
are trained in grief work and
in working the themes of a
life into a funeral or memorial
service.
Richkarelse@lifestorynet.com
www.lifestorynet.com
Editors note
The ICCFA believes in celebrant training

for funeral directors and cemeterians
who wish to better help families and to
be successful in the 21st century.
In addition to articles by celebrant trainer
Glenda Stansbury of the InSight Institute,
ICCFA Magazine is running, as a regular
feature, stories by celebrants about specific services they put together for families.
Contact ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor Susan Loving, sloving@iccfa.com:
if you are a celebrant with a story about
a service that the family involved is willing
to let you share in order to inspire others or
if you have any tips for conducting
good celebrant services.
How to become a celebrant
Becoming a celebrant involves more than

learning how to conduct a personalized
funeral or memorial service. Celebrants
trained by the InSight Institute learn how to
talk and listen to grieving families and how
to work with funeral directors.
The ICCFA University College of 21st
Century Services includes celebrant

training by Stansbury and minister Doug
Manning. Students successfully completing
the course receive certification from
the InSight Institute as celebrants.
ICCFAU 2014 will be July 18-23 at the
Fogelman Conference Center, Memphis,
Tennessee. Details will be available in the
spring of 2014 at www.iccfa.com or by
calling 1.800.645.7700.
Contact Stansbury (glenda@insight

books.com) or go to the InSight Books
website, www.insightbooks.com,
for information about celebrant training
sessions scheduled around the country.
72
ICCFA Magazine

Photo by Nancy Sheer
Family and friends follow the coach taking avid runner Jim
Kelley to the cemetery.
Finding the nuggets that are

the basis of a meaningful service
im Kelley was a remarkable man.

Loved by many, he mentored many.
Engaging and full of life, he was an
indefatigable runner. And I never got the
chance to meet him. He was killed in a
pedestrian-car accident while running on
November 4, 2013.
When making arrangements with
families, I try to make it very clear that I am
just there to provide them with information
and experience. I am not going to tell them
what to do. If asked, I will provide some
insight or suggestions, but ultimately the
decisions are to be made by the family.
Aside from the details, my primary
focus is to unearth some key nuggets about
the persons life and use them to build a
memorable and meaningful service.
Guiding the family
From the moment we first met, Jims wife,

Teri Kelley, placed her trust in me. She
had a few specific ideas of her own, but
was mostly in a fog of grief. She wanted
his service to be different, a celebration of
Jims life and glorifying to God, first and
foremost.
She wanted Jim to be dressed in his
Boston Marathon jacket (the first nugget).
We talked about pallbearers and
tossed around the idea of them wearing

running shoes, which turned into running
attire, which gave me the idea to ask in
the obituary that everyone arrive for the
visitation and service in running attire
(nugget No. 2).
We talked about a lunch after the
service, which is something the Kelleys
church regularly handles. But instead of
considering it taken care of and going on to
the next item, I asked what Jims favorite
food was. The answer: hot dogs and cherry
pie (nugget No. 3). The menu had been set.
The Kelleys regularly attend the
contemporary service at a very traditional,
conservative church. Teri knew many of
Jims fellow runners from the Running Club
would be in attendance at the funeral and
wanted the service to share Jesus love for
all. It was to be upbeat, with lots of music,
laughter and tears.
Visitation was held at the funeral home
the day prior to the service. I asked the
family to bring in Jims running medals,
pictures of him at races, running t-shirts,
awards, etc.
The family arrived first, holding a private
viewing and setting up the memorabilia
around the room. The mood was heavy. As
soon as the first guest arrived, in running
P E R sonalization
attire, the mood shifted. It wasnt about
Jims death anymore, it was about his life.
The last nugget
That night, I lay awake in bed, thinking

there was something missing, one more
nugget to be found. The following day, as
my staff and I arrived at church (wearing
our running shoes and suits) to begin
setting things up, I told them about my
concern. Could we have the pallbearers
run to the cemetery? I asked.
Rich Karelse, a Certified Celebrant on
staff, asked, Why not have everyone run
to the cemetery behind the coach? And
there it was, the last nugget. I quickly
shared this in confidence with Teri, and the
tears that welled up in her eyes signaled
her approval.
During the service, I called our police
department to see if there was any way it
could send a squad car to lead us to the
cemetery. Lets remember why we are here
and how his death occurred.
The sergeant told me I would need a
permit and that the runners could not in
fact follow the coach but had to remain on
the sidewalk. Thank you very much, I
replied, undeterred.
As the service concluded, I went
forward to share some announcements:
lunch would be served, a procession to
the cemetery would follow. But the
procession is going to be Jim style. We
are asking that you not take your cars, but
run to the cemetery. The last and biggest
nugget had been found.
And so, following a lunch of hot dogs
and cherry pie, we gathered together in the
church parking lot. The group included
his wife, children, friends, the pastorall
running together. I knew a photographer,
Nancy Sheer, a member of the Running
Club, was going to be there and asked if
she would take some pictures and send
them to me. The rest is history.
A few weeks later, the picture was
submitted to Runners World with a great
article written by Jims good friend,
Jason Anderson, and quickly went viral
(www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/
jims-last-group-run?page=single). The
picture itself received over 12,000 likes.
Its not about the casket, the urn or the
color of the walls and carpeting in the
funeral home. Its about the nuggets you
can unearth and how you use them to help
r
the family.
Directors Choice AD
1/4 H
4-COLOR
ACMC AD
1/6 H
Madelyn AD
1/4 H
4-COLOR
March-April 2014
73
by Coleen Ellis, CPLP

P UBL IC RE L AT IO N S / P E T S E RV IC E S
What should you do when an irate client blasts

your company online? How should you react when the
shoddy practices of a pet crematory completely unrelated
to your company are all over the news?
How to handle complaints

in the era of the customer
is always right ... and online
photo by Liz Kaye Photography
Coleen@TwoHeartsPetLossCenter.com
ICCFA Magazine author spotlight

Ellis co-chairs the
ICCFA Pet Loss Professionals Alliance,
which will hold its fifth annual conference
as part of the ICCFAs 2014 Convention &
Expo, April 8-11, Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Coleen Ellis Two Hearts Pet Loss
Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, provides
consulting services for organizations that
want to offer death care services for pets,
and information about pet grief. With her in
the photo above are Crisco and Ellie Mae,
who previously appeared with Ellis on the
cover of ICCFA Magazines March-April
2006 issue.
www.TwoHeartsPetLossCenter.com
In 2004, Ellis opened the first standalone pet funeral home in the United
States, Pet Angel Memorial Center, Carmel, Indiana. She later sold the business,
which is still operating and has expanded.
She received the first death and grief
studies certification specializing in pet
loss companioning from Dr. Alan Wolfelts
Center For Loss, Fort Collins, Colorado.
She has also completed the educational
requirements to be certified in thanatology.
Ellis started in the human death care
industry, working for Forethought, Batesville, Indiana, beginning in 1990. She has
a bachelors degree in marketing from Fort
Hays State University, Kansas.
74
ICCFA Magazine
hink about the times when youve

had a beef with how poorly you were
treated as a customer, either through
bad customer service or a shoddy product,
and how you wanted to let everyone know
about it.
Back in the old days, you perhaps
penned a letter waxing poetically about
your disappointment to the management.
Sometimes, if you were particularly mad,
you may have even written two letters:
one to the establishment in question, and
another to the local newspapers Let
it Out section. You licked stamps and
dropped them in the mailbox, feeling pretty
good, right?
Then you waited. It would take about
three days for your masterpiece of a
complaint to arrive at the business or the
newspaper. You then waited again for either
a phone call or a written response to address
your concerns. At the same time, you
checked the newspaper every day to see if
by chance your message made it into print,
alerting the world of this less-than-reputable
business, warning everyone so that they,
too, would not be treated the way you were.
Days passed. No phone call or letter
from the company. And, no mention in the
paper. The only thing left was the power
of word-of-mouth as a way to spread the
news about how you were treated by that
company. While it was a laborious process,
at least you could take some satisfaction
from knowing that your message was being
communicated, even if you could only
deliver it to one person at a time.
As we all know, those days are long
gone. We now live in the era of Facebook,
Yelp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Trip Advisor,
Around Me, You Tube and many, many
other on-line social networks and tools
designed to let the world know how we feel.

Networks that give us the satisfaction of
immediacy and of knowing our message is
reaching many more people than we could
ever have reached even if the newspaper
had printed our letter. A post, tweet,
rate now, send or connect is all it
takes to get our message out there.
It can be comforting to know that its
that easy.
And it can be frightening to know its
that easy, especially when youre on the
receiving end of a bad service reviewa
possibility faced by the owner of any
business, no matter how small.
It is so easy these days to tell the whole
world about a poor experience. And,
while we as good businesspeople can do
everything possible to ensure that customer
concerns are resolved as quickly and
completely as possible in order to avoid
negative posts going viral, its smart to be
prepared for the time it happens.
Respond quickly and transparently
Lets first talk about your internal business

practices. Did you know that typically 67
percent of clients will not become return
clients because of the indifference of just
one staff member they came in contact
with? Take a hard look at your staff and
make sure you have a team that cares,
a team who is authentic in providing
good customer service and a good client
experience. Train your team implicitly on
that basic concept.
Even though we have all had to deal
with those less-than-fun clients, you
should really adopt the simple philosophy
that the customer is right. Yes, I did leave
a word out of that saying as youve heard it,
the customer is always right. Always
Coldspring AD 2 of 2 (other on p 3)
FULL PAGE
page 75
4-COLOR
PUBLIC REL ATIONS/PET SERVICES
With the power of the Internet, its equally important

not only to conduct business in a very transparent way but also
to handle issues in a very transparent way. Be open.
Be honest. Be authentic. The world will see that.
PLPA convention:
Reception, movie &
breakout sessions
he PLPA will kick off its fifth annual

convention with a reception on
Tuesday, April 10, 2-2:50 p.m. The PLPA
Convention sessions are:
Honoring fallen K-9 heroes: Your
role in this important task, by Sgt. Tony
Knox.
Pet crematory due diligence, by
PLPA Ethics & Standards Committee
panelists Poul Lemasters, Esq.; Jon
Remkus, CPLP; Sky Stevens, CPLP; and
Kevin Woronchak, CPLP.
What you can learn from recent
events by Poul Lemasters, Esq.
A screening of the film Furever:
Lessons learned and takeaways for your
business, followed by a discussion
including producer-director Amy Finkel.
Pet parent products: An educational
experience, by PLPA Supplier
Committee panelists Jeremiah Nevill,
Terryear Urns and Memorials; Toni
Noel, Memory Vessels; Sandy Haworth,
A Keepsake Co.; and Terry Swalley,
Pet Memorial Resource by Kap-Lind
Enterprises.
Four core communication skills of
highly effective caregivers, by Dr. Jane
R. Shaw, DVM, Ph.D.
Zoonotic disease concerns for
pet loss professionals, by Dr. Richard
Hobart, DVM.
All my children wear fur coats:
How to leave a legacy for your pet, by
Peggy Hoyt.
PLPA members may also attend any
of the other ICCFA convention sessions.
Many of the suppliers exhibiting in the
Expo will have pet-related products on
r
diplay.
76
ICCFA Magazine
might be a stretch, so lets just adopt the

philosophy that the customer is right.
After all, people have so many options
about where to spend their discretionary
income these days, it is important that we
do everything within reason to maintain a
client.
Train your team on how to handle
an upset client, diffuse anger and get to
common ground on a solution. This is
the first rule of thumb in dealing with
negativity. By stopping it internally and
handling an upset client immediately, the
odds of bad news going viral on social
networks drops immensely.
Next, lets just say that a particularly
negative circumstance does go viral
regarding your service or product. (And
remember, it only has to be spread widely
in your own community to impact your
business.) You should be prepared with a
company policy or procedure for how you
will handle such an occurrence.
In most cases, you can calmly, quickly
and publicly acknowledge the issue, in a
very matter-of-fact, non-argumentative
fashion. A written statement that you might
use could look something like this:
Betsy, our sincerest apologies for
your experience with our company. Per
our conversations with you, we have
investigated your concerns and have taken
measures to correct this business practice
so that this will not happen again. Thanks
for bringing this matter to our attention and
please know that we are doing everything
possible to avoid a repeat occurrence of this
with our future client families.
Youve acknowledged her complaint.
Youve not argued with her. Youve let her,
as well as others reading her complaint,
know that you have heard her out; youve
made adjustments where needed (this might
just be some internal attitude adjustments);
and you care.
You may then follow up with a phone
call and re-post, citing changes youve
made, on the social site in question. Show
others that you are taking every measure
to correct what was either a perceived or
actual wrong.
With the power of the Internet, its
equally important not only to conduct

business in a very transparent way but also
to handle issues in a very transparent way.
Be open. Be honest. Be authentic. The
world will see that.
I want to digress for a moment. Lets
say that a particular issue has happened that
has caused distress with numerous clients
(potholes in the parking lot, a street closure,
systems down or delay in service, for
instance) or that there has been a problem
with someone else in your profession that
has gotten publicity. Always be proactive
in such cases and consider getting your
thoughts to be public before they post their
blasts.
When there has been an issue with
someone else in the profession, you can
be proactive by putting a spotlight on your
proper business practices. For instance,
across the country there are various pet
crematory tests being done to assure the
validity of the cremation process.
In cases reported in Vancouver, Canada,
over a year ago, and most recently in New
York (as well as on the radio podcast show
Freakonomics), pet crematories practices
were not exactly shown in the most positive
light, and Im being kind when I put it that
way.
Use these stories with the media or your
own social networks to shine a positive
spotlight on your business, assuring people
that your practices are absolutely proper,
and that your families have no reason for
concern. As professionals, we have an
obligation to educate clients and families.
Do it!
Preventing bad news and dealing

with it when it happens anyway
Consider these best practices and remedies:

From the very outset, have a credi
ble third-party resource validate your
cremation procedures and business prac
tices, from a full facility check to paperwork
review, using a checklist of objective criteria.
Use this third-partys report in your marketing
calls within the community, especially with
the veterinary community.
Have an open house periodically
(monthly, quarterly, bi-annually) to educate
P U B L I C R ela T I O N S /
PET SERVICES
the public and the veterinary profession about
proper business practices and to show off
your facility.
An objection I continue to hear about
doing is that veterinary professionals dont
take the time to come. Find creative ways to
want to make them come. Offer continuing
education in exchange for their time, a
motivational speaker or another incentive to
bring them in.
Also, after the event, use a press release
to share its success with the state veterinary
medical associations newsletter, as well
as with your local newspapers and pet
publications. Make these pieces interesting
and exciting.
Use your smartphone at the event to
record testimonials to use on your website
and social sites such as Facebook so that
others can hear from their colleagues about
the amazing session and worthwhile time
spent at your facility.
Always keep educating. Let other see
that you have a vested interest in making sure
that proper business practices are shared at all
times. This increases your credibility when
others can look at your website or Facebook
page and see that you have a history of
making an effort to see that things are done
the right way.
Are you maintaining a blog and posting
regularly? This is a great medium to use for
sharing casual yet informative tidbits about a
variety of topics. Furthermore, having a blog
on the home page of your website will assist
in the SEO of your website by providing
a constant diet of fresh, new material for
Internet search engines to feed on.
Create a working relationship
with the media in your market. Never
underestimate the value of this relationship.
When something does goes wrong, whether
its in your market or elsewhere, you want to
be the person whos considered an expert in
the profession, someone the news media will
call on to comment, to provide context or to
educate others.
If you do find that you have done
something wrong, dont hide it, and by all
means, dont lie. As Poul Lemasters says
when it comes to potential wrongdoing, Its
not what you can say you didnt do, its what
you can prove you did do.
Tackle the situation head on, fix what
happened and then take the proactive route by
letting everyone know your commitment to
r
righting a wrong.
Grever & Ward AD

1/4 H
Holy Land Stone AD

1/6 H
4-COLOR
Mortuary Financial AD
1/4 H
March-April 2014
77
Johnson Ad AD (2 of 3; 1st one on p. 13)

FULL PAGE
page 78: center spread
4-COLOR
Johnson Ad AD (3 of 3; 1st one on p. 13)

FULL PAGE
page 79: center spread
4-COLOR
by Lauren Blevins, CC
laurenablevins
@gmail.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
M A N A GE M E N T
Blevins is COO of
Williams Funeral Homes
& Crematory and Polk
Memorial Gardens in
Columbia and Mount
Pleasant, Tennessee.
The funeral firm was purchased by the
Blevins family in 1982, which then acquired
the cemetery, added an on-site crematory,
Cemetery Memorials of Tennessee and a
pet-loss division, Family PALS.
Do you have a plan for dealing with worst-case scenarios

at your funeral home, cemetery or crematory?
Williams Funeral Homes had a flood plan ... but got hit by a fire.
www.williamsfh.com
She graduated from Belmont

University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 2008
with a bachelors degree in business
administration and recently received her
masters degree from Trevecca. She
became a licensed funeral director in 2009
and is also a Certified Celebrant.
She is a member of the ICCFA Board of
Directors.
Williams Funeral Homes central location in Columbia burned

in April 2012.
A fire taught us to prepare

for the worst-case what-ifs
ut of suffering have emerged the

we spent so much time there, it was our
strongest souls; the most massive
home. Standing in front of it at that moment,
characters are seared with scars. watching the flames engulf our home, I felt
Khalil Gibran. While these words sum up my like our entire life was folding in on us.
thoughts now, they were far from my mind
on April 17, 2012. That night, I watched in
Grief and recovery
horror as the main location of my familys
The grief was difficult for us to handle; the
business was engulfed in flames. Over the
questions were overwhelming. But though
course of nine hours, our funeral home
the days that followed that destruction were
burned to the ground.
foggy, we and our faithful staff met early the
Our family owns and operates several
following morning and began to devise a
funeral homes and cemeteries in middle
recovery plan.
Tennessee. While we have several locations,
The immediate priority was having a
only one is what we consider to be central.
plan to take care of the families we were
This facility was far more than a building to
currently serving. Fortunately, even before
our family. It
the fire
is where we
trucks began
held every
showing up,
major event in
we were able
my own life,
to remove all
as well as the
of the loved
lives of my
ones in our
siblings. It is
care at that
where I got off
time from
the bus in the
the building
afternoons for
except for one
many years
gentleman in
not without
the crematory.
some ridicule, The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Williams
In our time of
I might add.
need, another
Funeral Home, a year after the building was deBecause
local funeral
stroyed by fire.
80
ICCFA Magazine
M A N A GE M E N T
Above, a damaged photo of the old funeral home sign, and the new one, with a
digital component included for easily announcing events.
Above, Lauren Blevins and her father,

Alan Blevins, go through the funeral
home, to assess the damage and salvage what they can. Among the losses
were old family photos, such as the one
of Lauren and her brother John (below).
Above, the building

after the fire. Fortunately, records were
kept in a downstairs
area that was built as
a bomb shelter.
Left, Laura Blevins
and her father Alan
are all smiles as the
rebuilding is well
under way.
March-April 2014
81
M A N A GE M E N T
Upper left, razing the old building. Above and below,

the new building going up. Left, Alan and Lauren
Blevins tour the building under construction.
home came to our aid.

After making plans for our current
families, we had to start from scratch, finding
a temporary location, getting phone lines
set up, surveying the damage to see what
could be recovered from the remains of the
82
ICCFA Magazine
building. Suddenly having nothing really

gives you perspective on what you had been
taking for granted. However we had thought
of our lives before the fire, it now seemed like
we had had everything.
Nearly two years later, we have come
out of that crisis with a beautiful new

building in place and a great many new
opportunities to better serve our families.
The losses we faced are still difficult to
accept, but what the fire did not destroy was
more valuable. Im sharing this experience
Eickhof AD
FULL PAGE
page 83
4-COLOR
M A N A GE M E N T
The new funeral facility

(above right)
includes large
windows for
natural lighting
(above), a large
chapel featuring screens for
showing DVDs
and movable
seating (right),
and the Legacy
Cafe (far right).
now only because I want to talk about how

important it is for people to be prepared for
these worst case scenarios. Of course we
all feel something like a devastating fire will
notor cannothappen to us, but as we
learned, the harsh reality is that they can.
Our original buildingthe one
destroyed by a firewas built as a bomb
shelter for our county, with a basement 16
feet underground and thick concrete walls
upstairs. That doesnt sound like a building
youd have to worry about being ravaged by
fire, does it? But bomb shelter or not, it was.
In the building, we had many paper files,
as Im sure many of you do. Fortunately, the
information was not irreplaceable.
We were using Directors Assistant to
enter cases into our computer system. A
backup had been installed the previous year
at an off-site location, along with a backup
of all of the current Directors Assistant
84
ICCFA Magazine
files, as well as of the computers we were

using on our network.
So essentially everything we had was
backed up on a computer at an offsite
location, which was key. This brings me to
the first of four points I want to make about
how to be as prepared as possible in case
the unthinkable happens at your funeral
home, cemetery or crematory.
1. Back up everythingand keep a
backup offsite. If everything is backed
up onto a server, so that you dont have to
worry about losing files when an individual
computer crashes, thats great. But unless
your server is offsite, or a copy of whats
on the server is kept offsite, you still run
the risk of losing all your data if something
happens to the building.
Having a server as well as an offsite
location is best. Any I.T. company can talk
to you about how to set up a secure offsite
location where everything thats on your

server can be backed up every day.
2. Review your insurance policies
regularly. We had reviewed ours, and
it turned out to be a crucial step in our
recovery. This is imperative.
At last years ICCFA Convention &
Expo, I asked several people when was the
last time they had taken a good look at the
insurance coverage for their buildings and
contents. All said they hadnt done so in
years.
As the years go by, we buy new
furnishings, computers, flat-screen
televisions and many other items. We
repaint, install new carpeting, turn a
merchandise room into a reception area.
Even without upgrades, our buildings
often increase in value simply through
appreciation.
Its likely that if you have not been
M A N A GE M E N T
Outside the reception room (above left),

a terrace (left) provides additional seating
during warm weather. A large stone fireplace (above center) anchors the area, and
a grill sits at one end (above right).
4. Have a plan. It might seem silly

to have a plan for every what-if, but its
necessary. We had a flood planbut not a
fire plan.
Even so, while our flood plan wasnt a
perfect fit for dealing with a fire, we were
able to follow some of the basic emergency
procedures we had in place for dealing with
flooding. Still, a great deal of chaosnot all
of it, but certainly some of itcould have
been avoided if we had had drawn up a plan
for dealing with a fire.
increasing your insurance policys

coverage, it no longer covers what it would
cost to rebuild your business.
Some people prefer to fall back into
it wont happen to me thinking because
increasing your insurance for something
you hope will never happen can cost you
money. You need to weigh that against the
consequences your business will face if you
do need to file a claim and your insurance
doesnt begin to pay for what needs to be
done.
In any case, its certainly worth your
time to sit down and review your insurance
policies periodically instead of making a
decision to let your coverage stagnate by
default.
3. Keep an up-to-date inventory. Know
whats in your building. We had been in that
location for more than 50 years, and it was
chock full of items that were either used in
the day-to-day running of our business or

were full of history.
Could you and your employees sit down
now and make a list of everything thats
in every room, every desk, every closet in
every building? No; no one can do that.
When you need to know what needs
to be replaced, trying to reconstruct from
memory the contents of your building is
painstaking, to say the least. But you need
to know, because your insurance will only
reimburse you for what you had.
We now know that the best thing to
do (and what we wish we had done) is
to record, either via photographs or in a
recording, each room, showing the dcor,
the furnishings and the full inventory of
what you have.
And, of course, this is something else
that needs to be duplicated, with copies kept
somewhere other than in the building itself.
During the year that passed between the

destruction of our central funeral home and
the opening of a new one, I often had to
remind myself that with great crisis, comes
great opportunity.
After the immediate shock had worn off
and we had developed temporary operating
plans, we were able to focus on turning
what had been a tragic event for the family
and staff into an opportunity.
We redid many things from the bottom
up. We reevaluated our priorities, and we
picked the brains of many of our friends
from the ICCFA for new ideas to adopt. We
learned about processes and best practices in
place at other funeral homes and chose the
ones we thought would work well for us.
While I would not choose to go through
the pain and confusion generated by that
fire and its aftermath ever again, I feel we
made the best of the cards we were dealt.
And Ive learned that though we cannot
guarantee that disasters wont strike our
businesses, we can prepare ourselves to be
less vulnerable to lasting damage.
r
March-April 2014
85
by Poul Lemasters, Esq.

M A N A GE M E N T / S E C URIT Y
Cemeteries, crematories and funeral homes all can

become victims of theft, the financial damage of which is often
compounded by bad publicity. As always, its better to be prepared
and proactive than to just hope it doesnt happen to you.
513.407.8114
poul@lemastersconsulting.com
ICCFA Magazine author spotlight

Lemasters is principal of Lemasters
Consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio.
www.lemastersconsulting.com
He is an attorney and funeral director,

graduated from the Cincinnati College of
Mortuary Science in 1996 and from Northern Kentucky University, Chase College of
Law, in 2003. He is licensed as a funeral
director and embalmer in Ohio and West
Virginia and admitted to practice law in
Ohio and Kentucky.
He is the ICCFAs special crema-
tion legal counsel. ICCFA members in

good standing may call him to discuss
cremation-related legal issues for up to 20
minutes at no charge to the member. The
association pays for this service via an
exclusive retainer.
Lemasters also provides, to ICCFA members in good standing, free GPL reviews to
check for Funeral Rule compliance.

Lemasters will give the following presentations at the ICCFA 2014 Convention
& Expo, April 8-11, at the Mandalay Bay,
Las Vegas, Nevada:
Five cremation issues that are affecting
us all.
What you can learn from recent events,
part of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance
program
He also will be part of a panel on Pet
Crematory due diligence, part of the
PLPA program.
Go to www.iccfa.com to the Cremation

Coaching Center, where you can post a
question for Lemasters to answer.
86
ICCFA Magazine
Stop, thief!
Steps to help you prevent, spot & react

to theft in the deathcare profession
id you happen to see the person

who stole your money, maam?
No, the victim says. In fact,
I dont even know when they stole my
money. The officer, quite matter of factly
says, This is pretty common, and most
likely we are not going to be able to find
out anything. But well let you know if
something turns up.
If you have ever been robbed or lost
anything, this dialogue may seem quite
normal. But what if were talking about
not a stolen wallet or car but the theft of a
bronze vase, or of preneed funeral funds
or even an urn, perhaps containing the
remains of a loved one? Now the story
really hits home to cemetery, cremation
and funeral professionals as well as the
victims.
And today, you not only have to deal
with the aftermath of the crime itself but
also with the publicity thats likely to ensue,
especially now that the Internet makes
it easy for anything out-of-the-ordinary
(because lets face it, the theft of bronze
doors from a mausoleum is a lot more
unusual than a purse-snatching) to spread
all over the countryand the world.
Sadly, these stores are happening too
often in the deathcare profession. Whats
worse is that whether your organization is
directly affected, these types of stories and
problems affect all providers.
While theft can take many forms, this
article attempts to identify three common
areas of theft in three deathcare sectors:
cemeteries, funeral homes and crematories.
Keep in mind that these are just examples,
and none of these scenarios are unique to
just one sector. For example, preneed theft
can happen anywhere that sells preneed,
not just at funeral homes.

This article is meant as a general
overview to identify three areas of theft and
how a business can take steps to identify the
problem, react to the issue, and then prevent
the problem from happening againor at
least reduce the chance of it recurring.
Cemeteries: Bronze thefts
There have been stories circulating for

years now about people stealing bronze
vases, bronze doors, copper fixtures
and anything else they can take from
cemeteries and resell. Sad to say, this
theft is a growing concern for cemeteries.
Whats even sadder is that the negative
publicity is sometimes directed at the
cemeteries, despite the cemeteries as well
as the families involved being victims.
Identifying this issue is not difficult,
but many times it comes too late. A typical
case involves numerous thefts, such as of
bronze vases, over a period of time. Its not
just one family affected, its 10, 20 or 100.
Do routine inventory checks. To spot
this problem immediately, your cemetery
must have routine inventory checks
in place. Have your grounds crew do
consistent random checks on property
throughout the cemetery.
Maintain a complete inventory. Make
sure your cemetery is among those that
keep an inventory of various products
within your boundaries. It is surprising
how many cemeteries do not have an
actual count of what is in their parks
including markers and vases actually
owned by families. Take the time to
document everything and periodically
confirm and update this inventory log.
Do a thorough investigation. If a theft
MANAGEMENT/SECURITY
Some of the simplest measures help a lot, such as locking the gates and doors of your facility
after hours. There are countless stories about cemeteries having been robbed when they were closed
but the doors and gates had been left wide open. Nothing like making it easy for the thief!
occurs, reacting properly is crucial. First,
any business that is a victim of theft should
investigate. You do not want to react to
one theft that happened to be reported
by a family when in fact there have been
hundreds. Your business needs to know the
extent of the problem to decide how far
you need to go with a resolution.
If a single theft is noted, the resolution
might be as simple as talking with the
owner and, depending on the value of
what was stolen, perhaps having their
homeowners policy cover the replacement.
Of course, anytime you are going down
this road, it is important to make sure your
rules and regulations clearly define who is
responsible for what damage.
If it is a larger problemperhaps
numerous thefts or the theft of something
large such as bronze doorsyour reaction
needs to be proportional. Again, you need
to investigate internally to see the extent
of the problem, and, Im sad to say, to
find out if any of your employees were
involved.
Contact the police. The police need to
be brought in. If there are going to be any
insurance claims, either from you or the
families involved, typically an incident
report will be needed for the claim.
Be ready for the media. Lastly,
be awared that the press may become
involved. It is possible the families you
serve and/or the press could try to blame
the cemetery for the problem.
Your reaction needs to be quick
and concise so that you can control
the direction of the story. After all, the
cemetery is a victim as well, and your
business needs to be on the offensive, not
having to react defensively, and on the side
of fixing the problem, not causing it.
Focus on prevention. As Benjamin
Franklin said so perfectly, An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure. It
still applies today. The key is preventing
theft, not trying to solve the problem
after it occurs. Prevention comes in many
forms and includes security, notices and
awareness.
Security on cemetery grounds is
becoming more and more common,
and the cost can be minimal, especially
compared with the potential loss.

Cemetery security can range from cameras
to security personnel. While personnel
may seem expensive, many local security
agencies can arrange drive-throughs of the
grounds on a nightly basis for a minimal
fee. Sometimes, cemeteries can arrange
with local enforcement to do regular drivebys of the grounds.
Some of the simplest measures help a
lot, such as locking the gates and doors
of your facility after hours. There are
countless stories about cemeteries having
been robbed when they were closed but the
doors and gates had been left wide open.
Nothing like making it easy for the thief!
Prevention, even at its best, cannot
guarantee that a theft will not occur. But
some prevention needs to be in place to
handle problems that might occur. This
includes proper rules and regulations
so that the families are aware of their
responsibilities for monuments and other
items, and proper insurance to cover cases
in which your cemetery is responsible.
Many times families who report a
theft say they had no idea they were
responsible for insurancethey thought
it was the cemeterys responsibility, since
the items are in the cemetery. When the
theft involves an older memorial, any
living descendents (assuming they can be
located) may be grandchildren who do not
have coverage for such thefts. Decisions
about what to do in such cases may need to
be made on a case-by-case basis, but you
should be aware of the possibility.
Cemeteries typically dont have
coverage on markers/monuments because
they are not the cemeterys property.
However, a business can have theft
insurance to cover claims where it might
have responsibility. An example of this
would be theft by an employee. By having
a crime policy and/or fidelity bond, your
business may be able to get coverage for
such a loss.
While these riders are common, they
typically are underfunded. It is common to
see a $5,000 crime policy that, in the grand
scheme of things, provides little coverage.
For little difference in premiums, a
business can have much more coverage.
Funeral homes: Preneed thefts
Preneed is not the sole product or problem

of funeral homes, but it has been an issue.
In fact, there are many states that are in
the process of or having discussion about
making changes in regulation to better
protect and react to the theft of preneed
funds.
The stories that continue to be reported
by the media are disturbing, and a black
eye on the deathcare profession. One of the
worst parts about preneed theft is that it
is a direct harm to the consumer from our
profession. There is no one else to blame,
so the results are harsh.
Identification of preneed theft is
typically done when family members
arrive to make arrangements on an at-need
basis and they say, We are so glad that
this was all taken care of.
The funeral home then looks for a file
and discovers either that there is no file
at all or the file has only informationno
funding. The typical response from the
funeral home is, Well, are you sure it was
with our facility? Perhaps you can find the
paperwork and bring it in.
The family brings in the paperwork, and
then the funeral home knows: This preneed
was funded, but we took the money. Its
important to say we, because it doesnt
matter which individual stole it. The
funeral home is on the contract, so it will
be responsible.
What then happens is never good. While
a funeral home may take every step to make
this family whole and perhaps avoid the
press, the state board, and the state attorney
generals office, this is just the beginning.
Rarely does one unfunded preneedone
theftoccur as an isolated incident. The
discovery of one is typically the beginning
of uncovering a much bigger problem.
Investigation is critical upon making the
initial discovery. Unfunded preneeds are
easy to hide because typically the funeral
homes dont know what they dont know.
In other words, the contracts that were
never funded typically do not ever appear
that way in the files, so going back and
checking individual files will lead to little
information. Confronting the individual
who sold that first unfunded contract is
March-April 2014
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MANAGEMENT/SECURITY
I also suggest printing on all contracts that Checks must be made payable to (name your funeral
home and/or the preneed company) and you must be given a receipt of this transaction.
With this notice, consumers know what they should do to receive confirmation of the process.
critical, but you need to make three phone
calls first.
First, call your attorney. (It doesnt
need to be me.) You want to document and
proceed properly on this issue, so having
your attorney involved is crucial. Some
states have laws specific to employee
theft and what you can and cannot do, so
making sure you go down the right path is
important. Your attorney can also advise
you in your initial investigation and help
determine who should be involved, such as
an accountant, for example.
Second, call your insurance agent.
Your insurance may provide reimburse
ment and coverage for theft. You want to
get your insurers involved early because
if they are not involved, and not put on
notice in a timely fashion, you may put
your coverage in this case at risk.
Third, call the authorities. The
authorities include the police and your
states regulatory agency. Keep in mind
this call needs to be discussed and should
come from your attorney.
There are some pros and cons of getting
outside authorities involved, but overall
the pros typically outweigh the cons. The
pros include:
leverage to catch and punish the thief
(keep in mind that the police typically
do not help return money, but the fear of
prosecution can motivate);
positioning for press (while your
business may take a hit, its better to be
open and discuss the problem and present
it as one bad employee/agent that has been
dealt with than hide it and risk being seen
as part of a cover-up); and
assistance with resolving the issue
(this is especially true with state regulators,
and if you go to them they are more likely
to help resolve the issue than if they
discover it on their own).
The main con of reporting is public
notice. Once you call the police or the
state board, the case typically becomes
public record and you run the risk of
media attention. As in the case of cemetery
bronze thefts, keep in mind that these
thefts are against you and your business as
well as against the consumer.
Media attention on this is not usually
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ICCFA Magazine
positive, but its usually something you

cant avoid. Every case is different, but
you should understand that not reporting
these thefts can have consequences that
may be more harmful than anything the
press could ever do.
Focus on prevention. Prevention of
preneed theft is the ultimate key. Most
thefts, especially employee thefts of any
kind, are due to ease of access. If your
business removes the easy paths to it,
it is quite possible to almost eliminate
employee theft.
One of the easiest steps to take is to
separate job duties so that no one person
has the ability to collect, record and
deposit money. For preneed sales, it means
having someone else finalize insurance/
trust applications with the money so that
an employee/agent can collect money but
not deposit it.
Another tool is numbered contracts.
Imagine your exposure if your checks
were not numberedanyone could write
a check and there would be no way of
knowing it was out there. Unnumbered
preneed contracts are blank checks.
Your business should number all of its
contracts so that each employee/agent is
accountable. Instead of being given 25
blank contracts, an employee would sign
out contracts 201-225.
You also need to keep a log so that each
contract is accounted for. If a contract
is made in error, it must be voided and
turned back in. By eliminating free access
to contracts, you remove the possibility of
blank contracts being used.
I also suggest printing on all contracts
that Checks must be made payable to
(name your funeral home and/or the
preneed company) and you must be given
a receipt of this transaction. With this
notice, consumers know what they should
do to receive confirmation of the process.
Crematories: Urn thefts
It may seem crazy, unreal, or just impos

sible to imagine, but it happens more than
you think. People steal urns. The urns
may contain cremated remains or may
be empty, but in both cases, people are
stealing them.
There was a recent case in Cincinnati

where a crematory with a mausoleum had
thousands of urns housed. Their stolen
urns (with the cremated remains left
behind) included some more than 100
years old; the urns were sold for scrap.
Sadly, because so many of the urns were so
old, no owners could be contacted because
there is no history of remaining family.
Keep in mind there are even cases
where families have stolen their own urns
and then cried wolfor, rather, damages!
Identifying this problem can be difficult
if the urns stolen are in niches, because
niches are typically not difficult to open.
The problem might be easier to spot in the
case of glass-front niches, but then again,
there are usually unused/unsold niches
mixed in with ones containing urns.
Some of the worst cases are those that
involve a disinterment where the urn is
found to be missing when the niche is
opened. While this can be an issue of a
wrongful interment, it can also be an issue
of theft, but without good documentation,
the likelihood of it being proven as a theft
is slim to none.
While any theft is horrible, the theft of
cremated remains especially devastating.
While most thefts involve money or
personal property, this is the theft of a
loved one. The issue of emotions and
emotional damages has now entered the
equation.
This has a direct affect on how a
business reacts. Reaction needs to be
quick and decisive. While an investigation
is still critical, the initial interaction and
communication with the family is crucial.
A resolution needs to be in the works from
the beginning. Keep in mind that this may
very well be beyond a businesss comfort
zone, so making a call to your attorney is
always a suggested step.
Focus on prevention. Prevention is
more difficult with this type of theft, but
there things you should do. One is not only
to have an inventory of your urns, but also
to make sure they are under lock and key,
something that many crematories do not
do. A simple holding area, such as a locked
cabinet, with an inventory log with signin and sign-out sheets can help limit the
MANAGEMENT/SECURITY
Remember that no release

will protect a business
from theft and give it a
get-out-of-lawsuit-free card.
opportunities for things to go missing.

It is common for crematories to have
not only urns but also personal effects
of the deceased, as well. Those personal
effects are a huge potential liability, and
without documentationsuch as receipts
and logs accounting for thema business
is leaving it to chance that there will be no
issues.
Of course having the family understand
the potential risks through proper notice
included in contracts, such as notification
that the crematory does not take respon
sibility for personal effects left with them,
also can help. But remember that no
release will protect a business from theft
and give it a get-out-of-lawsuit-free card.
Overall, theft is a real problem that
affects all businesses, even those in the
deathcare profession. The examples above
are just a sample of theft in this profession,
but in no way cover all the potential issues
out there.
However, the common element to any
theft issue, whether discussed in this article
or not, is that you need to protect your
organization by going through the process
of identifying, reacting and preventing.
By reading this article, youve started
identifying the problem. Know that your
business is susceptible and take a look at
what areas specifically could affect your
organization.
Reaction depends on the specific
problem, but know that it generally
should involve more people than just you.
Typically you need to reach out to others
for help.
Last but most important, you should
focus on prevention, to try to cut down on
the need for reaction. So many times, its
after an organization has been damaged
by theft that the managers learn all the
if-I-hads that could have prevented the
problem from occurring. If I had locked
the gates If I had numbered the
contracts If I had reviewed and
increased my insurance coverage
Make this article your wake-up call
and do that review now, before you find
r
yourself saying, Stop, thief!
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March-April 2014
89
by Stephanie Jones
stephanie@adfinity.net
CO M M UN IT Y O UT RE A CH / M A RK E T IN G
Jones is a project man-
What if you held a grand opening and nobody came?

Make sure you do the work before, during and after every event
at your funeral home or cemetery to maximize its benefits.
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
ager for adfinity who has

worked in marketing and
advertising for more than
15 years.
www.adfinity.net
Founded in 1999, adfinity, Tampa, Florida, is a full-service marketing

and advertising agency that specializes in
the funeral industry.
You should have banners announcing your event on your Facebook page, your website and on your property, where they can be
seen by passersby.
Generating publicity before,

during and after an event
o, you have just

walk through or stay
built the most
and learn about all you
amazing and
have to offer? Are you
innovative funeral
catering to families,
home/crematory
businesspeople or
combination, or
seniors?
Before you make
the most beautiful
decisions and set them
mausoleum, in town.
in stone, you should
Or maybe youve
decide on your target
renovated, or added
audience, the people
a reception area or
youre hoping will
coffee bar or cremation
attend.
viewing room or new
Make sure your website advertises
Press releases.
cemetery garden.
your grand opening on the home
Once
youve selected a
Congratulations!
page, with a link to more details.
day and time, write up
Its time to show it
off to your community. Grand opening
the information about your grand opening
events can help attract new families,
in the form of a press release and send it
gain media attention and create goodwill
to local newspapers, radio and television
with neighboring businesses. But before
stations, business journals and community
you order a cake and start taking photos,
magazines.
here are some suggestions for generating
Include organizations that publish on
publicityand eventually revenue to help
a weekly or monthly basis, along with
pay for the constructionbefore, during
those published daily. When you decide to
and yes, even after, a grand opening.
hold a special event, submit the time, date
and place to area event calendars well in
advance.
Before
If you are announcing a brand-new
First, a month or more before your grand
business or service, the newspaper would
opening, sit down and consider exactly
what it is you are trying to accomplish with love to hear about itand your advertising
plans. While they are trying to earn your
this event. Is it merely awareness of your
business, give them a press release on
new facility, or are you hoping to generate
your grand opening and suggest they write
preneed leads? Do you want people to
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ICCFA Magazine
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91
COM M UNIT Y O UT RE A CH / M A RK E T IN G
The draft of an ad informing the public

about a new cremation garden and inviting people to the grand opening.
When you have an event coming up,

advertise it with your email signature.
92
ICCFA Magazine
a story about it. In addition, submit the

release online to any other community news
sites in your area for added exposure.
Social media. Social media sites such
as Facebook and Twitter are ideal for
promoting events of any kind. If your
organization has a Facebook page (and it
should), create an Event and start promoting
your grand opening as soon as you start
planning it. Continue to post in the weeks
and days leading up the event.
Good photos highlighting such things
as attractive rooms, dcor and landscaping
make nice posts. If refreshments will be
served, you can post a photo showing some
of the treats (and/or vendors) people can
expect when they attend your event. If there
will be entertainment, promotional photos
you can post should be easy to obtain.
Newspaper advertising. If you cant
convince the paper to run an article about
your grand opening, the next best thing is
an ad or ad campaign promoting the event
weeks and days in advance.
Signage. If youve created a newspaper
ad or a flier for your event, simply re-size it
to fit letter-sized paper and ask your friends
and surrounding business owners to post
the event announcement in their storefront
windows or on bulletin boards.
Have staff members (particularly any
you have recently hired), go around to
hand out these posters, which will get them
out into the community and making or
reinforcing connections.
More signage. One of the key reasons
businesses of any kind stage a grand
opening or similar event is to attract new
customers. By using yard signs and hanging
banners, you can attract additional families,
even on the day of the event.
When it comes to these type of events,
try to do as much outside (parking lot, front
lawn, etc.) as possible to get the attention
of people who are passing by, said Lori
Spooner, adfinity project manager. Many
people will stop by just to see what is going
on.
Invitations. If there are specific people
or businesses you would like to partner
with, consider using a more formal
invitation. This could be a postcard or card
sent inside an envelope.
Invite every caregiver from your local
Hospice. Invite the mayor and other elected
officials. And dont forget local clergy and
hospital staff.
Community contacts. Most Chambers
of Commerce will work with local

businesses to promote their openings
through formal ribbon-cutting ceremonies
and photo opportunities. Be sure to reach
out to them and any other community
organizations that might help.
Website. Place a banner ad or
announcement on your website announcing
the grand opening date and time for people
who might find you online. If you dont
already have one, create an Events page
where you can post updates about your
grand opening agenda.
Email. If you are holding a grand
opening for a new location or garden, be
sure to invite local families you have served
in the past to attend.
Using email is a quick and inexpensive
way to invite everyone in your contact
database. Try a program such as Constant
Contact or evite to send out a formal
invitation.
You also can use your day-to-day emails
to promote your event by including a link
to your event information in your automatic
email signature.
Direct mail. Using the traditional direct
mail process or the US Postal Services new
Every Door Direct Mail, you could invite
all of the households within a specific radius
of your new facility to the grand opening.
To ensure you get the most bang for your
buck, consider adding a preplanning
message to the invitation for those who
cant attend.
When Rob Loose held a grand opening
for his new cremation garden, The Garden
at Willowcrest Park, in May 2013, he used
a combination of newspaper ads, posters,
press releases, Facebook and postcards to
get the word out.
The Garden at Willowcrest Park
Grand Opening was a success because we
got the information out to the town using
a wide variety of media, said Spooner,
adfinity project manager for that event.
We also started planning the event months
in advance, so we had time to orchestrate
everything.
During
While your grand opening or other event

is happening, it helps to provide activities
for your guests. If you would like people to
stay for a period of time, be sure to include
food and drink and have plenty of seating
available to encourage mingling.
Activities. If you want people to stay,
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COM M UNIT Y O UT RE A CH / M A RK E T IN G
have activities throughout
(someone with the ability
your facilityinside and
to take well-composed
outside, if possible.
shots) to take lots of
When it comes to
photos of guests and staff
grand openings and open
for use in newsletters and
houses, Im a believer
on social media.
If youre having an event for a pet service, be sure to include pet photos
in the P.T. Barnum
While action photos are
in your advertising and marketing, since if theres one thing Facebook has
philosophy, said Jeremy shown us, its that people cant get enough of cute dog and cat photos.
great, pictures of groups
Watkins, general manager
of people looking directly
hopefully, share the experience on social
of Georgia Cremation in Duluth, Georgia.
at the camera (think yearbook) are easiest
media afterward.
Have as much going on as possible
to tag. Tagged photos of people enjoying
Have guest speakers/service
bounce houses, musical acts and foodso
your property can be seen by all of those
providers. To increase your grand
you appeal to the masses and generate
peoples Facebook friends, even those who
openings appeal, have an attorney and/
interest to passersby.
have not liked your page.
or financial planner available to consult
Include the community. Sometimes
with guests on living wills, wills, estate
you can increase attendance at a grand
After
planning, designation of healthcare
opening by inviting musicians or other
When the grand opening or other event
surrogate or power of attorney.
people who draw an audience.
Tours. If you have a large facility and/or is over, you can still use it to generate
Invite a chorus or band from local
interesting grounds, tours are a great way to awareness for your funeral home or
schools. Invite the entire Chamber of
cemetery. After the event, use photos and
show off your new space or garden, and/or
Commerce. Do a tribute to local veterans, your facility and grounds as a whole. Tours stories to generate publicity so people who
suggested Doug Clery, mastermind at
didnt attend still are aware of it, Clery
also give guests the ability to ask funeral,
adfinity. Anything that will get parents,
said.
cemetery or cremation-related questions in
grandparents and friends to attend and,
Social media. Post photos of your grand
smaller groups where they might be less
opening on Facebook, Google+ and even
shy about speaking
out. Be sure the tours LinkedIn, and encourage people to tag
are led by your most themselves. On Facebook, for example,
knowledgeable staff. each time a person is tagged in a photo,
his or her name and the event name appear
Promotions. At
in the top right corner of all their friends
the grand opening,
Facebook pages. Think about the potential
consider offering a
reach.
special preplanning
Newspaper. Say thanks to attendees in
price or package
a newspaper ad. Not only is it a gesture of
just for attendees
goodwill, but you also can promote your
(if allowed by your
new location and the services you provide
state).
at the same time. Depending on the size
Also, set up
of your local newspaper, you may be able
a table off to the
to get the paper to publish photos of your
side and have
event on the social or business pages.
informational
Postcards. Using the contact
handouts and
information you gathered at the grand
branded giveaways
opening, you should have enough
for guests to take
information to mail all attendees a personal
awayyour logo
note or postcard thanking them for
should make it
attending. You also could include a special
back home with
follow-up offer or invitation for a private
attendees.
preplanning consultation.
Take
When holding a grand opening, the
attendance. If
possibilities for promoting the event (and
possible, have a
sign-up sheet where your organization) before, during and after
it are endless. With a little planning and
guests can put their
help from your staff and neighbors, your
names, addresses
and emails for future event will be a success and a source for
business and referrals in the years to come.
follow-up.
P.S. Dont forget all of these ideas
Take pictures.
Postcards can be sent out to publicize your event ahead of
also apply to grand re-openings and open
time, or afterward to the people who attended, with a person- Delegate one staff
al note thanking them and perhaps a special follow-up offer.
r
member or volunteer houses.
94
ICCFA Magazine
Dakota AD
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by Gail Rubin, CT, CC

Gail@
AGoodGoodbye.com
505.265.7215
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Rubin, Certified in
Thanatology: Death,
Dying and Bereavement, is
author of the award-winning
book A Good Goodbye:
Funeral Planning for Those
Who Dont Plan to Die and
The Family Plot Blog.
P O P UL A R C ULT URE
These days, a funeral and permanent memorialization

are no longer givens when a death occurs. Yet Walter White,
a fictional character, got bothcourtesy of grieving fans.
www.AGoodGoodbye.com
http://agoodgoodbye.com/the-familyplot-blog/
She is a death educator, Certified

Celebrant, and pioneering Death Caf host
who uses radio, television and funny films to
help start funeral planning conversations.
Her 12-episode TV
show, also called A Good

Goodbye, helps bring the
funeral planning conversation home. The fourDVD set is now available
and the program is rolling
out to cable systems
across the U.S.
http://agoodgoodbye.com/
radio-tv/a-good-goodbye-tv-series/
Read Rubins 30 Funerals in 30 Days

Challenge blog posts at http://
agoodgoodbye.com/30-day-challenge/
Her funeral planning
conversation-starter,
The Newly-Dead
Game is available as
an electronic download
from http://agoodgoodbye.com/to-diefor-shopping/the-newly-dead-game/.

Rubin will present Jewish Funeral Traditions on Film during the JFDA program at
the ICCFA Convention & Expo, April 8-11, at
the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada. She
will use comedic film clips to illustrate key
information.
96
ICCFA Magazine
A descanso (roadside memorial) for fictional character Walter White of

Breaking Bad, considered one of the best TV shows of all time.
Breaking Bad fans mourn

end of show with a funeral
(S
poiler alert) Now that the highly

acclaimed TV series Breaking
Bad has finished its run, if you still
havent gotten around to watching it but
plan to and dont want to know how it
ends, dont read this article.
Still reading? Dont say I didnt
warn you. The main character, Walter
White, who evolves (devolves?) from
mild-mannered science teacher to meth
manufacturer and drug lord, dies in the last
episode.
Here in Albuquerque, where the series
was based and filmed, local fans released a
torrent of emotion. Their tributes included
a paid obituary in the newspaper and a
funeralfor a fictional TV character!
The outpouring provides an interesting
commentary on the value of funeral
services.
On October 3, David Layman, an
Albuquerque high school science teacher,
and members of the Unofficial Breaking
Bad Fan Tour Facebook page placed a
paid obituary in the Albuquerque Journal.
A fan paid for an obituary for Walter

White after Breaking Bad ended with
his death. It was run in a separate section
from the newspapers real obituaries.
After five seasons of watching

Breaking Bad, Layman had grown to
love the character and the TV show. He
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Antram
From the start, the funeral was designed

to be a fundraiser for a worthy cause. With
series creator Vince Gilligans blessing,
Buzzell contacted Bernalillo County Sheriff
Dan Houston to ask his advice about which
charity should benefit. Albuquerques
Health Care for the Homeless organization,
which helps many whose lives have been
damaged by drug abuse, was selected.
Buzzell then approached FRENCH
announcements. That issue of the
Funerals-Cremations about holding a
newspaper sold out in many locations,
graveside funeral service for Walter White
and out-of-state orders poured in to the
at Sunset Memorial Park. They agreed
Journals circulation department.
to hold the funeral after being assured
The online story about the obituary
they could remove the memorial should it
became the most-read article on the
become an attractive nuisance.
newspapers website since the Journal
The goal was, number one, to raise
started keeping track of statistics in 2006.
money for a good cause, said Tom
According to the Journal, the obituary itself
Antram, CEO of FRENCH Funeralsor news about it was posted to a myriad of
Cremations, which operates Sunset
websites, including The New York Times,
Memorial Park.
Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post,
He continued, Number two, it was to
Huffington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
raise awareness of what [Walter White]
The Seattle Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox,
died from. He lived a lifestyle that is
MSN and many more.
common in New Mexicodrugs are
prevalent everywhere. We thought this
Fans gather for funeral
would be a great opportunity for people
Jackamoe Buzzell, an actor who auditioned
to realize that living that type of lifestyle
for a role in Breaking Bad and a fan
ends up at the cemetery.
of the show, saw the obituary and said,
The idea evolved from theory to reality
Well, we need a funeral. Hes currently
within four daysmuch like a real-life
playing the role of a gangster doorman at
funeral. More than 200 people attended
the speakeasy-themed theater restaurant
the event on October 19. Fans came from
Vernons Hidden Valley Steakhouse.
[Walter White] lived a lifestyle that is common

in New Mexicodrugs are prevalent everywhere.
We thought this would be a great opportunity
for people to realize that living that type
of lifestyle ends up at the cemetery.
Tom Antram, CEO of FRENCH Funerals-Cremations
was quoted in the Albuquerque Journal

saying, Ive been a humongous Breaking
Bad fan since the beginning. Putting
the obit in the paper was fitting, because
the series was based in Albuquerque and it
provides some of us some closure.
Heres how the obit read:
WHITE, WALTER: a.k.a. "Heisenberg,"
52, of Albuquerque, died Sunday after a
long battle with lung cancer, and a gunshot
wound. A co-founder of Gray Matter,
White was a research chemist who taught
high school chemistry, and later founded a
meth manufacturing empire. He is survived
by his wife, Skyler Lambert; son Walter
Flynn Jr.; and daughter Holly. A private
memorial was held by his family. In lieu of
flowers, donations can be made to a drug
abuse prevention charity of your choice.
He will be greatly missed.
The announcement, which included
a photo of actor Bryan Cranston as
Walter White, ran in another part of
the paper separate from the real death
Breaking Bad fan
Jackamoe Buzzell,
an actor who saw the
obituary paid for by
another fan and arranged
for a funeral for Walter
White, poses with the
memorial. It was moved
from FRENCH FuneralsCremations Sunset
Memorial Park to this
courtyard outside
Vernons Hidden Valley
Steakhouse, where the
post-funeral reception
was held and where the
memorial is installed.
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Fans felt they knew and loved Walter White and

wanted closure when the series ended. This was one stellar
example of community grieving and the closure funerals can
help provide. When families dont hold a funeral, one might ask:
Just what does it take to be a beloved star in ones own life?
Pins combining Albuquerques famous

balloon fiesta with Walter Whites
Heisenberg personna were a big
seller at the 2013 featival.
Walter Whites funeral drew 300 fans, who paid for the
privilege of attending. Funds were donated to charity.
Worthen Memorials in Albuquerque
created a memorial for the character.
Links:
walterwhitefuneral.weebly.com/
www.abqjournal.com/277991/
news/descanso-honors-tvs-walterwhite.html
www.abqjournal.com/275038/news/
abq-news/it-provides-closure.html
www.abqjournal.com/276439/
news/breaking-bad-obit-triggersfrenzy.html
www.facebook.com/
groups/161417077202383/
100
ICCFA Magazine
across the United States, as well as from

Mexico, Canada, England, Switzerland and
Ireland. About 20 FRENCH employees,
some fans of the show, volunteered to staff
the event.
The funeral procession started at the
Walter White descanso in Albuquerques
North Valley. Descansos are a common
sight in the Southwest. These roadside
memorials, usually in the shape of a cross,
mark the spot where someone has died.
Unfortunately, someone stole the marker
shortly after the funeral.
The funeral procession included
Bernalillo County Sheriffs deputies, the
beat-up tan RV made famous in the show,
a hearse, and 80 cars carrying diehard fans.
The procession shut down streets and took
10 minutes to pass.
The event lasted over an hour, with a
eulogy by Breaking Bad set decorator
Michael Flowers. Fans deposited handfuls
of earth on the grave. People brought
bouquets and had their pictures taken with
the headstone.
The event, which was to be carried
live online, was pulled from YouTube
when copyrighted material from the show
appeared. Nonetheless, the funeral was
recorded and can be viewed online at
www.WalterWhiteFuneral.com.
Worthen Memorials in Albuquerque
created Whites rectangular tombstone. The
granite marker features a laser engraved
image of Walter White before he broke

bad. The designated resting spot was an
unused space near a planter, a distance from
actual cemetery plots.
However, some families with loved ones
interred at Sunset Memorial Park were
upset by the Walter White funeral and the
idea of having his headstone there. During
the funeral, some people in the large crowd
stepped on flat-to-the-ground memorial
markers and nearby graves.
About 50 to 60 families complained or
expressed concern. Of the tens of thousands
of individuals buried at Sunset Memorial
Park, it was a statistically small percentage,
but the local news media publicized the
negative reaction.
We underestimated the impact this had
on certain family members, said Antram.
He reached out to each family to express
his sensitivity to their concerns. I dont
second-guess getting involved. I still think
it was the right thing for us to do.
Due to how late in the day the funeral
was held, the headstone was never set. It
was immediately taken to Vernons Hidden
Valley Steakhouse in Albuquerques North
Valley for a post-funeral reception and
safekeeping.
The marker is now set into a wall in
a courtyard across from the restaurant. A
live streaming webcam will be installed
for security and to enable tourists to wave
to the folks at home. The vault containing
mementos from the show, which was to be
buried at Sunset Memorial Park, also will
be interred nearby.
Funeral, merchandise sales

raised thousands for charity
More than $30,000 was raised for

Albuquerques Health Care for the
Homeless from proceeds related to the
funeral, which fans paid $20 each to attend.
Sales of programs, T-shirts, special VIP
receptions and baby blue silicon bracelets
imprinted with Walter Whites name
contributed to the total.
Other folks jumped on the
merchandising bandwagon. During the
2013 Albuquerque International Balloon
Fiesta in early October, the hottest item in
balloon pins was a Walter White/Breaking
Bad pin.
Balloon pins are usually created for real
balloons. There is not currently an actual
Walter White balloon, and this was not a
fundraising item associated with the funeral.
Nonetheless, there was a run on the limited
edition Ballooning Bad pin.
The fundraising isnt over yet. The
Vernons Steakhouse Walter White
Endowment Fund at the Albuquerque
Community Foundation continues to
receive money from sales. There will likely
be other celebratory events in the future,
perhaps a party on the anniversary of Walter
Whites death.
Michael Baird, owner of Vernons
Steakhouse said, Walter Whites legacy
and final amends will have a positive
impact on Albuquerque for many years to
come.
Buzzell said of the series ending, It
was a perfect ending, absolute genius. It
couldnt go on forever. He noted a prequel
to Breaking Bad is in the works, called
Better Call Saul, which focuses on Walter
Whites crooked lawyer. Buzzell may have
a shot at getting a part in that show.
Why did so many get caught up in
memorializing a fictional TV character?
And why do people hesitate to do the same
for real people in their lives?
Fans felt they knew and loved Walter
White and wanted closure when the series
ended. This was one stellar example
of community grieving and the closure
funerals can help provide. When families
dont hold a funeral, one might ask: Just
what does it take to be a beloved star in
r
ones own life?
Whitebridge AD
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March-April 2014
101
by Glenn H. Gould
ggould@
mkjmarketing.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Gould is CEO
of MKJ Marketing,
Largo, Florida, which
helps funeral homes
and industry vendors
establish marketing and
advertising plans and
conduct market research.
www.mkjmarketing.com

MKJs 2014 seminars will address
price competition strategies. Visit

mkjmarketing.com for information.

MKJ Marketing (booth #1160) and sister
company Cremation With Confidence
(booth #1263) will be exhibiting at the
ICCFA Convention & Expo, April 8-11, at
the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las
Vegas, Nevada.
102
ICCFA Magazine
M A N A GE M E N T
How shouldand canyou respond when a discounter

enters your market? You definitely should not ignore
the threat to your market share and revenue,
and yes, there are many things you can do about it.
What to do when a low-price

competitor enters your market
ne of the toughest decisions facing

owners of heritage funeral homes
is whether to respond to a lowerpriced competitor, and how to do so.
When heritage funeral businesses attempt
to define the nature and magnitude of the
threat presented by a discount competitor,
whether its a discount funeral home or a
minimum cremation provider, they often
underestimate the challenge. Sometimes
owners are so focused on their traditional
competitors, they dont even recognize the
threat developing from a low-price rival.
Complacency and arrogance produce
blind spots that delay a response and leave
incumbents vulnerable. What were Ohios
leading funeral homes thinking when
Newcomer began advertising low-price
funerals throughout the Buckeye State? What
about Church & Chapel in Milwaukee and
the Walker Funeral Home in Cincinnati?
Low-cost competitors build momentum
in slow-moving and subtle ways, factors
that established players might do well
to pay closer attention to. Low-price
challengers build their presence quietly by
competing in undeveloped segments of a
market. How many owners regret thinking
the discounter did them a favor by taking
the undesirable business?
In other cases, competition between
low-cost entrants can produce unintended
second-level effects that escape the notice
of incumbents until its too late to prevent
severe market share erosion.
After all, it isnt very difficult for a
low-price competitor to reproduce funeral
services offered by a local market-share
leader. Nearly all discount operations
offer the same caskets, vaults, jewelry
and other merchandise as their full-priced
competitors. All discounters have chapels
and arrangement rooms; some even have
on-site crematories and reception rooms.
Taking time to gain momentum
Low-cost challengers start out by taking

business the primary firms consider unde
sirable, or on the fringe of the incumbents
markets. As a result, the initial lost volume
is disguised.
Many funeral businesses continue to
grow even with a low-price competitor in
the market. This dynamic is a particular
issue for funeral businesses operating in
growing communities, or in rural areas,
where market share data is often less
transparent. As a result, the incumbents
share of the overall market is falling but
they continue to grow in volume, lulling
them into a false sense of security.
Another indicator operators overlook is
a suspicious increase in the average sale.
Because the discount funeral home attracts
those families most likely to arrange
lower-priced funerals, an incumbents
average sale will increase as it loses
volume.
This is often misinterpreted as a
positive indicator, when it is actually just
the opposite. Unless something happens
to change the trend, the average sale will
continue to increase as the incumbent firm
loses more and more volume from the
bottom up.
Competing with a cremation society is
partially a matter of price, but it is also a
matter of convenience, and even changing
priorities. As a result of the dramatically
lower prices offered by minimum
cremation services, families create new
traditions. Instead of discussing price
with the funeral firm their family used for
generations, affluent families may make
their arrangements on cremation society
websites, making payment with credit
cards.
One of the most difficult realities for
funeral directors to accept is that they
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MANAGEMENT
Low-cost challengers start out by taking business the primary firms consider undesirable,
or on the fringe of the incumbents markets. As a result, the initial lost volume is disguised.
can completely satisfy a family and lose
the family at the same time. Theres a big
difference between being satisfied and
deriving value. A funeral home can provide
the perfect service, and yet the family may
conclude that the service failed to deliver
something of value.
Mobility can certainly be a contributing
factor to this phenomenon. Many families
no longer live close together, so having a
funeral makes less sense to them. After
all, it makes more sense to travel to see
a loved one before death occurs versus
traveling for a funeral.
Filling capability gaps
Some low-cost competitors grow more

quickly than premium players anticipate
by offering highly desirable services and
finding clever ways to overcome capability
gaps. For example, low-priced competitors
typically offer more liberal credit terms,
including no credit check financing and
extended payment terms.
Many discounters start out in minimal
facilities, often leased, and typically
inferior in terms of dcor and maintenance.
However, when low-cost newcomers get
under way, they will begin making quality
changes that narrow the gap between
themselves and their higher-priced, betterestablished competitors.
Lower-priced competitors sometimes
gain market share through the support of
local families who believe their community
deserves options in funeral service.
Hospice, certain churches and even local
politicians are often quite keen to have more
funeral home choices in their communities.
Casket suppliers also can be
instrumental in the start-up of lowerpriced firms, particularly when their
company does not have a good customer
in a particular town or section of a larger
city. Often, the support can include
information garnered from the suppliers
other customers, so there is a transfer
of knowledge and experience that may
otherwise take a decade to accumulate.
The role of second-order effects
The initial impact of low-price players

on incumbent funeral homes may not be
the most important consideration. If a
market is particularly easy to enter (for
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ICCFA Magazine
example, state laws in many northeastern

states preclude the sale of preneed, which
makes it much easier for discounters to
get a foothold) a number of low-price
competitors may enter the market.
There might be enough business for
everybody at first, but as direct competition
intensifies, one or two of the low-cost
companies may try to differentiate their
offerings and move up in the market.
As they do so, they represent a much
more direct and formidable threat to the
traditional players than the original lowcost strategy, since they typically offer an
enhanced product or service built on a lowprice base.
Fighting back
Legacy funeral businesses have many

options for responding to the low-priced
competition. Some are relatively easy,
while others require fundamental changes
in the business owners philosophies and
operating policies.
The first step for many owners is
to realize that families set a budget for
funerals just as they do for automobiles,
homes and weddings. Regardless of
whether the family selects a traditional
funeral home or a firm that advertises
lower prices, the sale will very likely to be
about the same.
The point is, just because a funeral home
advertises low price does not necessarily
mean every arrangement is made at the
advertised pricein fact, it is safer to
assume just the opposite. Once their budget
is set, the family may spend more, but it is
unlikely they will spend less.
For many firms, the first step in
competition is to overcome the rumor
initiated and perpetuated by low-price
competitors that the traditional firms
prices are very high and the discounter
will save families thousands of dollars.
The reality is, the difference in price is
relatively small.
Therefore, job one is to dispel
the rumor, which is relatively easily
accomplished with advertising that posts
a starting price for funeral services. The
price for a one-hour visitation preceding
the funeral, a 20-gauge casket and a grave
liner represents an entry-level traditional
funeral, and is typically priced lower than
most families anticipate.

The next response level is to accept that
most if not all of the savings delivered by
lower-priced funeral homes come from the
selection room, not the arrangement room.
Every funeral home should offer some
high-eye-appeal, lower-priced caskets in
addition to the higher-end caskets in their
merchandise selection rooms.
These caskets typically come from
suppliers other than the big three simply
because high-eye-appeal, low-priced
caskets do not fit well in their pricing
structure. If a 20- or 18-gauge casket is too
attractive, it will necessarily undermine
the sale of heavier-gauge caskets, which
is why the lower-priced caskets from the
major suppliers tend to be less attractive.
Have some lower-priced but attractive
units available when necessary to match
the prices being offered by a lower-priced
competitor.
Use the Internet: A website is no
more than a brochure that offers valuable
interactive functions. Many websites based
on standard templates fail to highlight an
individual firms competitive advantages,
such as community rooms, or even
cemeteries that offer mausoleums, niches
and graves.
In addition, the Internet offers you
a way to compete with low-price firms
by offering an online price estimator (so
that families can see what your services
actually cost) as well as online cremation
arrangement.
Providing training
Every funeral arranger needs training

and sales aids, such as arrangement room
posters, to improve their performance. But
even with training and sales tools, some
funeral directors are going to be better at it
than others.
Large-volume firms are beginning to
appreciate the advantage of identifying
their best arrangers based on their
measured performance. Management
needs to use the capabilities of funeral
home software packages that record each
arrangers casket sales, funeral sales and
cremation sales.
Few funeral directors receive
constructive communications skills
training, which is why firms lose so
MANAGEMENT
Part of winning the price-shopper battle involves finding ways to bring down cost
while maintaining profitability. One way to accomplish this is to offer a non-advertised special
price package that offers a significant savings but places restrictions on the family.
many price shoppers, and why so many

cremations are direct disposition.
One of the benefits of training is that
the firm develops a culture or generally
accepted practice about how things are
accomplished, including:
Presenting reception services
Making cremation arrangements
Generating preneed appointments
from at-need families
Developing creative ways

to compete on price
Every business with a high cost of entry,

including restaurants, hotels and airlines,
has a means of liquidating excess capacity.
Restaurants offer early-bird specials to
fill tables during early evening hours.
Hotels liquidate vacant rooms through
Hotels.com and Expedia.
Airline offer lower fares to casual
travelers who book in advance than to
business travelers who purchase tickets as

the need arises.
Part of winning the price-shopper
battle involves finding ways to bring down
cost while maintaining profitability. One
way to accomplish this is to offer a nonadvertised special price package that offers
a significant savings but places restrictions
on the family, such as weekday, early
morning or late afternoon services and use
of smaller, less desirable chapels.
A challenge common to all funeral
homes is that the last firm a family
collects funeral prices from can undercut
competitors with a price quote below
whats printed on its own price list.
This is a very difficult challenge to
overcomethe only possible way is to
keep a family whos visiting your firm
from visiting other funeral homes. One
way of accomplishing this is to make
competitors price lists available to
families while they are in your funeral

home.
The family will compare competitors
published prices against yours and you
can make adjustments as required, thus
precluding the competitions opportunity
to offer a lower price.
Funeral directors always regret that they
didnt anticipate the scope of a low-cost
threat and respond forcefully. Its never
too late to compete, but its much more
difficult to eliminate the challenge after the
competitor has become strong.
To be sure, a failure to foresee new
competitors is an example of the forces
of creative destruction at work in
capitalism. But companies alert enough to
identify the nature and magnitude of the
challenge will be in a better position to
find ways to hold the new competitors at
bay.
r
Love Urns AD
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March-April 2014
105
by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS

1.800.426.0165
danisard@f4sight.com
CE M E T E RY M A N A GE M E N T
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Inventory managementchoosing the right inventory,

changing it as your communitys preferences change and pricing it
properlyis crucial to generating enough revenue for your cemetery.
Isard is president of
The Foresight Companies
LLC, a business and
management consulting firm in Phoenix,
Arizona. He is the author of several
books and publishes the monthly
Preneed Perspective.
www.f4sight.com

Educational information, including
copies of this article, can be found at

www.thefuneralcoach.com
His semi-monthly video blog can be

seen at www.f4sight.com
You can follow Isard on Twitter at
@f4sight and like his page on Facebook.

The Foresight Companies (booth
#1146) will be exhibiting at the ICCFA
Convention & Expo, April 8-11, at the
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las
Vegas, Nevada.
106
ICCFA Magazine
The design and redesign

of new and aging cemeteries
fter being around cemeteries from

a professional point of view for 30
years, I place them in one of three
categories:
New Design
Historic Design
Contemporary Design
A New Design cemetery is exactly
what the name says: It is a cemetery being
created from scratch. We have raw land,
we have an idea and we have the risk
involved in a new enterprise.
There are not many new cemeteries
being created. There are very few created
by individual investors. Occasionally we
will see a municipality create a cemetery.
But regardless of whether a private owner
or a municipality is involved, there are
not many newly formed cemeteries. In my
career, I think I have been a consultant for
about 25 being planned, but only 10 of
those actually were constructed.
In any case, when a new cemetery is
built, the platting is (or certainly should
be!) clean and crisp and the recordkeeping
infallible and usually computerized. Of
course, time has not let errors intrude yet;
changes in technology have not yet left
them behind.
Historic Design cemeteries are
plentiful. These are more than 100 years
oldsome 150 to 200 years old. They
may have begun as city-, benevolent
association- or church-created cemeteries.
In a few cases, they started out being
owned by a city or church but have since
been acquired by a more modern business
owner.
The recordkeeping is generally a blend
of computerized records, paper records,
color maps and someones memory. The
accuracy of this mish-mash is 50 percent,
so when selling a new space or before
interring, you poke the area with a rod and
it either does or doesnt hit an existing
interment. (Thus the 50 percent accuracy.)

Most cemeteries fall into neither the
New Design nor Historic Design
category. That is why I refer to them as
Contemporary. Their creation usually
was prompted as part of the move to
replace historic graveyards. Many of these
new, modern facilities used flat markers
to avoid the cluttered look of the upright
markers and provide a more pastoral
vision.
The Contemporary Designs
have records that are as good as the
management from its inception to present
day, which means that some have excellent
records and others dont.
The one thing all cemeteries still
accepting interments have in common
is the need to develop inventory with as
much efficiency as possible within their
remaining acreage.
This is not your grandfathers cemetery
regardless of the label I would put on
the property. This is a business. Like any
business, we cannot have money tied up
creating inventory that is beyond a normal
business cycle. (And this is also true of
nonprofit cemeteries, which still have
to generate enough revenue to pay their
staffs, maintain their grounds and serve
their communities.)
I would ask that you allow me to use
examples that are totally hypothetical.
This is not an effort to fix pricing among
cemeteries. I simply have to use concrete
(if hypothetical) examples to explain the
math in demonstrating my pricing and
development theories, which I believe you
should consider as you review your own
pricing policies.
The other thing I would ask is that you
tolerate is my use of the phrase good,
better and best.
What I believe in doing is creating
inventory that by price, feature or supply
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CEMETERY MANAGEMENT
There usually are graves available for sale in older areas, but often the sales team has lost sight of
them. A grave for sale in an area 95 percent sold out actually has more value to an at-need consumer.
and demand allows you to establish
appropriate pricing.
taken place for 30 or more years. If there are

roads within that area, they might be able
to be recaptured. Or, you could see if some
Step 1: Reclaim, reprice, refocus
roads could be converted from two lanes
Reclaim inventory. The first thing you
(about 18 feet wide or more) to one lane
should do is study what can be done
(about 9 feet of road width), creating a oneto reclaim available inventory within a
way road.
developed area. Before you start to bring in
This redesign frees up 9 feet times the
roads, water lines and other utilities for new
linear road length, and 9 feet is wide enough
development, take another look into areas
for a grave. So, if you reclaim 100 feet of
previously developed and sold.
roadway by converting a two-lane road into a
There usually are graves available for sale one-lane road, you create room for about 25
in older areas, but often the sales team has
or more graves, side by side.
lost sight of them. A grave for sale in an area
You could develop this former road area
95 percent sold out actually has more value to as family estates, for a whole new look. The
an at-need consumer.
new look and the fact that the site is adjacent
Therefore, I would reprice those graves
to the road would make it very attractive and
to reflect their higher value, and make sure
especially high in value, being new inventory
salespeople are letting families know of their in an otherwise fully interred area.
availability.
I often see a lot of shrubbery and paved
I also would research the history of graves walkways around statues, features and
that were purchased more than 20 years ago
religious icons. I have to tell you, to me,
but not used. In many cases, these graves are these are very expensive. Walkways can be
not going to be used. People move, they make converted to niche graves or ground niches
other plans, their families choose cremation
while still retaining a pathway. The shrubbery
without interment when the time comes.
can be replaced with graves for which people
If you can find these lot owners, any
will pay a premium in order to be near the
offering you make to buy back the lots is
feature.
found money for the owner. You can create
If you still have 100 acres to develop and
a market just like some consignment shops.
are doing 100 interments a year, you dont
For example, you could agree to buy a grave
need to worry about this, but if you are down
for, say, 50 percent of the original purchase
to 30 years worth of inventory, every square
pricewhen you have found a new buyer.
inch of space matters.
Assuming the new buyer will be paying
current prices, there should be a significant
Step 2: Survey, and then survey
profit for the cemetery.
My objective in developing new inventory for
Using my hypothetical figures, if you
a client is for them to have their investment
back within one or two years. That doesnt
wind up having a 25 percent cost of grave,
mean they will sell out their new inventory
a new sale, even if you pay a salesperson
within a year or two, but they will have their
a 10 percent commission, has a 65 percent
investment back in that time period.
profit marginwith no period of holding
The best way to do this is to survey your
the inventory. Once the grave is finally used,
families. If you have an acre, you can either
you will also receive the opening/closing
develop that for (approximately) 1,000 singlecosts, along with the document fee and other
depth graves, 1,000 double interment graves,
revenue options your cemetery offers, from
100 family estates or 5,000 or more crypts.
monuments to floral programs.
How do you decide which to do or what
Rexamine your property. Take a look
mix to use on that acre of land? The simplest
at your property with new eyes. Look for
way is to ask your community.
spaces in developed areas that could be used
You deal with two or three types of
for columbaria and crypts. Boundaries, if they
communities. First, lot holders and their
have 5 to 7 feet of space, often can be used
familiesthe community you are now doing
for a crypt wall. Corners of areas can make
business with. Second, the community you
for perfect columbaria or niche burials.
Roadways also can be reclaimed. Assume may be doing business with in the overall
community. If you have a funeral home
you have an area where no interments have
108
ICCFA Magazine
associated with your business, you have a

third community (and a fourth) with at-need
and preneed consumers.
Get contact information for all of them.
Create a survey to inquire about their future
interment decisions. Create a survey that has
several parts to it:
background identity
previous preferences
future preferences
marketing questions
pricing questions
Allow me to explain each point.
Background identity gives us infor
mation on the party completing the form.
Age, gender, zip code of residence, marital
status and even religion are all good data
points. Based on these data points, I can sort
the replies to see how to market to these
groups and what each group wants for the
future.
Previous preference questions ask
people to qualify what they have done in the
past. This allows us to contrast patterns. For
example, How long ago did you make your
last cemetery interment decision? Give them
choices of periods of time in the past (e.g. one
year, between one and five years, between
five and 10 years, more than 10 years).
Then ask: When you last made cemetery
arrangements, did you plan to bury, inter
within a crypt or mausoleum, cremate and
retain the cremated remains, cremate and
place the cremated remains within a niche or
columbaria?
Then ask the important question: If you
had to make plans for a loved one today,
would it be to bury, inter within a crypt or
mausoleum, cremate and retain the cremated
remains, cremate and place the cremated
remains within a niche or columbaria?
Future preference survey questions
take the actions and thoughts of the past and
bring them into the future. Many factors can
influence the future, so when dealing with
opinion surveys, we need to help limit the
range of conditions.
For example, ask questions about
the future prefacing it with the phrase,
Assuming what you know now, or, for
pricing, Assuming todays dollars. These
answers will help you make fair assumptions
for the future.
Marketing questions are very important
to ask. You have someone that has started to
CEMETERY MANAGEMENT
give you their opinions. My goal in designing
surveys is to keep the time it takes to
complete the survey to under eight minutes.
The ideal is between six minutes and eight
minutes. Thats still plenty of time to ask
some marketing questions.
They can be simple, such as: Please
indicate all of the following cemeteries you
consider to be convenient to you and where
you might consider buying interment rights.
This will give you a list of your regional
competitors.
To discover your real competition, follow
that with: Please rate, starting with number
1, the competitor which you would consider
to be your first preference; second preference
and so on.
You also can ask questions to find out
what, specifically, people like about the
cemeteries in your area, such as Which of
these has the best entry portal? or Which of
these has the best roads? Be sure to include,
I dont know as an option, since in many
cases people arent familiar enough with the
different properties to answer. Including the
I dont know option is important to the
validity of the survey overall.
Another way to approach marketing
questions is with an eye to generating leads.
Ask, Do you currently have an interment
spot purchased? Then follow up with, Do
you have a cemetery you are definitely going
to use when you are ready? Lastly, Is it our
cemetery you are planning on using?
Now you have a lead, and with the right
coding on the survey, you will be able to
reach out to this person in the future.
Pricing questions might seem crass and
invasive, but the survey is being completed
in the privacy of a peoples homes or offices.

They are alone. There is no pressure on them
to give answers to every question, but most
will.
Sometimes you want to prompt answers
because someone might not have any idea of
what prices are. For example, How much is
a reasonable price for a single grave? Instead
of leaving it open-ended, give choices: Less
than $1,000; $1,000 to $1,500; $1,500 to
2,000 or $2,000 or more as an example.
This will help you comprehend your
consumers mentality.
For New Cemeteries, the survey should
be the first step in understanding inventory
needs and price points. If 90 percent of the
people you survey want mausoleum spaces
but want to pay no more than $5,000, you
will probably want to consider a communal
garden mausoleum. If the price point most
people select is double that, you can consider
an indoor mausoleum.
New Cemeteries also can use the price
question results to help them design grave
options. For those wanting more modest
options, double interment spaces are a good
choice. We know that many people like
the idea of double-deep interments without
regard to price, but for the price-sensitive
consumers, that design feature helps increase
sales.
Using the good, better, best concept,
double-deep interments offered at, say,
two-thirds of the cost of two single-depth
interments is a great option. For example,
if a double-depth grave is $2,000 ($1,000
for each) and a single interment is $1,500, a
couple can buy two graves for either $2,000
or $3,000.
Dont forget the law of supply and

demand: As the supply of one of these two
types of inventory is sold down, the price
should go up. Also, if you are raising the price
of double-depth spaces to $2,400, the price
of the singles should go up to at least $1,600.
That keeps the pricing in harmony.
There is an old carpenters motto,
measure twice, cut once. I think that the
same applies to the redesigning and new
developments in cemeteries, regardless of
age. Measure your community twice, but
design the inventory only once.
Of course, five or 10 years later, when
you are ready to create new inventory, you
will need to measure again. However, the
results of future surveys will tell you even
more about your community. New survey
results will indicate your communitys future
inventory desires, and they can be compared
and contrasted against the results of previous
surveys.
One more thing: Do the math correctly.
I remember doing some work for a funeral
home client 20 years ago whose cremation
rate was 4 percent. About seven years later,
their cremation rate was 10 percent.
The client, not a math wizard, said,
Dan, our cremation rate is up 6 percent! I
said, No, it is up 150 percent. A 6 percent
increase would have taken the cremation rate
from 4 percent to 4.24 percent. We need to
pay heed to the power of surveys and then do
the math on the interpretation correctly.
The survey is the focus group for your
immediate future. Respect what it tells you.
Dont create the inventory for 1930; create
the inventory for 2030. That is what you are
r
selling now.
AFCTS AD
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March-April 2014
109
by Paul Elvig
paul@elvig.org
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Elvig retired in 2008 as
P RE S E RV IN G H IS T O RY
In the process of trying to document and preserve

the history of every person buried or cremated
at Evergreen-Washelli, researchers are learning about
fascinating pieces of our past. Meet 15-year-old
Pfc. William Westlake, who died defending his country.
general manager of Evergreen-Washelli Memorial

Park and Funeral Home,
Seattle, Washington.
He is a past president
and former secretary of the ICCFA. His
interest in cemeteries as guardians of our
nations heritage continues.
Elvig previously worked as an administrator at the Washington state Department

of Licensing, where he assisted in the
redesign of Washington cemetery law.
He has testified in Washington, D.C.,
on behalf of the ICCFA a number of times,
including at the hearings of the Senate
Special Commitee on Aging.
www.washelli.com
Due to his age, William Westlakes memorial did not

come easily. A 15-year-old wasnt entitled to a veterans
memorial. His grave appears not to be decorated; local
relatives cannot be found.
Documenting the service

of Seattles youngest hero
aipan Marine, 15, To Be Buried

Here Did I read that right?
Fifteen!? I held in my hands a
1948 news story published along with an
obituary announcing the burial of Marine
Pfc. William Westlake some four years
and eight days after he was killed in action
in Saipan during World War II. (Delayed
burials were not uncommon following the
war.)
We were scanning old news items, this
one published in the Seattle Times, about
a young man who convinced a Marine
recruiting officer that he was 18 rather
than 15 and who, less than a year later,
was with the Marines as they landed on the
beaches of Saipan. Three thousand four
hundred and twenty-six Americans were
killed; Westlake was one of them. He was
wounded and died almost immediately.
How could this have happened? Didnt
the services check ID, or confirm with
parents, or seek some proof of age when
people were enlisting in 1944? I found
myself with a new mission: I must find
out how he managed to enlist, and I must
locate his grave.
110
ICCFA Magazine
Preserving history
Working with the University of Washing

tons historical records unit, EvergreenWashellis goal is to save through scanning
all documents and obituaries related to
those buried or cremated at EW. The idea is
to make this treasure trove of information
available through the university to future
generations wishing to do historical
research.
Researching old newspaper articles and
what limited public records are available,
one learns from Westlakes burial story that
as a lad of 13, he helped out each day at
noon during Seattles WWII Victory Square
programs.
He had been scolded by a police
officerin addition to the operator of the
public address systemfor scribbling his
name on the squares pylon. Pointing to
the pylon with the names of the war dead
inscribed on it, he told his scolders that
maybe someday my name will really be up
there. How sadly prophetic!
After looking up the interment record
signed by Westlakes mother, Mrs. B. M.
Atwell, we (a cemetery crew member
StoneMor AD (2 of 2; color ad is on p 29)

FULL PAGE
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B&W
Veterans of Underage
Military Service
PRESERVING HISTORY
eterans of Underage Military Service is a veterans

organization established
exclusively for those who qualify,
so clearly 15-year-old Pfc. William
Westlake was not alone. Group
founder and Past Commander
Allan Stover reports that we have
identified more than 2,600 kids and
more than half of them are still active
members.
Through this group, one learns
that though it was not common
during WWII, some kids in their
early teens did enlist, fight and die in
the line of duty.
The youngest WWII United
States enlisted serviceman was
Calvin Graham, age 12. After boot
camp, he was sent to Pearl Harbor,
where he was assigned to the USS
South Dakota.
During the 1942 battle of Guadal
canal, Calvin was thrown down three
decks of stairs and seriously wounded by
shrapnel that tore through his jaw and mouth.
In spite of his injuries, he helped pull fellow
sailors from danger. He was awarded the
Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
But news of his true age came out, and
Calvins captain said that he did not want a
12-year-old on his ship. He was thrown into
the brig and stripped of his medals. In April
1943, he was kicked out of the Navy without
an honorable discharge and without veterans
benefits, reports the Veterans of Underage
Military Service.
In 1978, the Navy reinstated his medals,
with the exception of the Purple Heart. In
1988, President Reagan signed legislation
that granted Graham full disability benefits.
Calvin Graham died at his home in Fort
Worth, Texas, in 1992 at the age of 62. On
June 21, 1994, his Purple Heart was presented
to his widow, Mary, by the Secretary of the
Navy in a ceremony in Arlington, Texas.
During the Vietnam War, young teens did
try, and in several cases succeed at, enlisting.
Fourteen-year-old Dan Bullock, a native of
Goldsboro, North Carolina, altered the date
of his birth certificate, making him 18 years
old. He was stationed at An Hoa Combat
Base in Quang Nam Province, where he was
killed instantly by North Vietnamese Army
small arms fire during a night attack. It was
r
1969; he was 15 years old.
Standing at Pfc. Westlakes grave facing east, one has a sweeping view of
Washellis veterans section, with its memorial tower located on high ground.
For years, this was the only veterans cemetery in the Seattle area and is still
the center of Memorial Day special programs.
and I) located the grave with ease. Atop a

Westlakes memorial. The crew member
grassy knoll and in view of nearby Highway was surprised when he did the math:
99, we stood in respect and read aloud
Really, was he only 15?
Yes, really! How could that be? Could
such a thing happen today? Why would a
young teenager, or for that matter, anyone
want to go to war so badly he would lie
in order to enlist? Would a kid today be
willing to forge records claiming he was 18
so that he could go to war? Have outlooks
and desires changed? One wonders if,
following 9-11, kids that are too young to
be in the military have tried enlisting.
Checking further, we learned that in
1949, Evergreen-Washellis 15-year-old
veterans name was removed, along with
all names appearing on Seattles Victory
Square pylon. The monument was demo
lished. Times had changed.
Pfc. William Westlakes name, along
with the rest of the names on the original
pylon, now appear on Washington States
War Dead permanent memorial at Benaroya
Hall in downtown Seattle, and also can be
found on their website.
More Internet research uncovered a
The Westlake memorial (second in this
group called Veterans of Underage Military
row) is located in an area where many
Service. See the sidebar to learn more about
veterans are buried. His row is a mix of
them.
r
vets and non-vets.
112
ICCFA Magazine
VKM AD
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Duncan Stuart
Todd AD
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March-April 2014
113
by ICCFA Magazine columnist

Todd Van Beck, CFuE
P RO FE S S IO N A L DE V E L O P M E N T
toddvanbeck@sbcglobal.net
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Van Beck is one of the
most sought-after speakers

and educators in funeral
service.
www.toddvanbeck.com
He is the general manager of Forest
Hills Funeral Home and Memorial Park,

Memphis, Tennessee. He is also director
of education for StoneMor Partners.
www.foresthillfh.com
He is dean of ICCFA Universitys
College of Funeral Home Management

and is on the faculty of ICCFAUs new College of Embalming and Restorative Arts.

The ICCFA Educational Foundation is
honoring Van Beck and Gary OSullivan
with the first ever Lasting Impact Awards at
a reception on Thursday, April 10, 6-7 p.m.
If you dont already have tickets, you can
buy them at the ICCFA Registration Desk
in the Expo Hall. (Story, page 58.)
Subscribe to Van Becks
blog at the ICCFA Caf (its
free) at www.iccfa.com.
Youll get an e-mail notifying
you of new posts, such as:
I met the future of our profession in

Tennesseeand I liked what I saw. (A visit
with the students at John A. Gupton College and the Tennessee Funeral Directors
Association.)
Grief is grief, and pain is pain He
weighed eight pounds. He had little ability
to learn much. In fact he actually never
learned how to play. He was with us a
short time; just a year and a half, and
on Thursday last he died. His name was
Baxter Van Beck, and he was a very small
little tiny dog who changed our lives, all for
the good.
114
Like Todd Van Beck

on Facebook today!
ICCFA Magazine
Civility costs nothing and buys everything.

Lady Mary Wortley Montague
How to keep your calm

when other people dont
have been so blessed in my career.

I have been privileged to have
hobnobbed with some excellent funeral
professionals over the years.
Without exception one of the finest I
have crossed paths with was a wonderful
professional from France. He is the owner
of one of the largest funeral companies in
the world. This humble man once relayed
the following story: One day he made a
surprise visit to one of his many locations.
He overheard a client complaining to the
funeral home location manager about
the quality of service, and her annoyance
with some little courtesies of service that
she felt had been overlooked. The owner
overheard the entire conversation.
The manager of the funeral home was
totally unaware that the owner had heard
this, and was surprised to learn that he was
even in the building. The manager acted as
normal as ever, behaving as if nothing had
happened.
Finally, the owner of this outstanding
funeral operation began questioning the
location manager about the annoyed client.
The location manager seemed stunned
that the owner had any knowledge of
this incident, and started stammering,
muttering something about the annoyed
woman being ill-mannered, a crank,
someone absolutely no one in the funeral
home could please. She was a kook!
The owner of this marvelous
organization told me he just hit the roof
and exclaimed, Of course she is! But it
is our business to please cranks. Anybody
can please a client who doesnt complain!
In my career, I long ago discovered
that every day we come into contact with
people of all types, and many of them are
truly hard to please. Some are cranky and
ill-mannered, and they seem to harshly
judge what we say and do. These days,
it appears this group is actually growing
instead of getting smaller; I guess it is just
a sign of the times.

However, no matter how cranky,
grumpy or fussy anyone is, a professional
funeral or cemetery person, a funeral
home or a cemetery, does not develop a
following through any feats of rabbit-outof-the-hat magic.
I still firmly believe that clients are won
through the time-honored barometer of
excellent service, personal attentiveness,
sympathetic courtesies and just simple
common-sense kindness. I have found no
computer hardware, software or website
that can accomplish this; it is a distinctly
human quality.
How attractive are we to our public?
How attractive are we in our service to
others? In fact, as tough as these questions
are, I believe the toughest question that
anybody in our profession can be asked is
this: Tell me my I should call your funeral
home or cemetery, or both?
Thats honestly a tough one, because so
many are quick to the trigger and answer
Because we are the best! In our highly
questioning, cynical society, many people
will fire right back with Prove it!
As old-fashioned as this all sounds,
it is worth pondering that observing the
rules of good conductbeing courteous,
thoughtful and patientis as essential in
a profession as it is socially. You really
cannot separate the three. Nearly every
successful funeral home and cemetery can
trace its success to the thoughtful service
of the men and women who work there.
Book smarts vs. people smarts
Some years backwell, many years

backI was the president of a mortuary
college. I had a student who excelled in her
work4.0. She was academically brilliant.
She literally never missed an examination
question. She knew the textbooks from
cover to cover, and she was the first person
to tell you directly how intelligent she
Homesteaders AD
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4-COLOR
If this funeral director had not gone the extra mile, we all know the results could have been
mighty unpleasant, including losing this persons businessand possibly that of the entire family
to another firm. That risk is an-ever present possibility in our profession simply because
of the number of funeral homes and cemeteries most people can choose from these days.
was and how utterly stupid the rest of the
human race was.
This student aced every paper she every
wrote, and in her written words she was
kind, gentle and highly sensitive to the
human condition of grief, but when she
attempted to convey these same thoughts
verbally, she became an arrogant, selfrighteous, self-centered and totally selfabsorbed person. I ended up disliking her
tremendousl,y even though she aced the
National Board Examination.
She graduated with every cum laude
you could think up. She graduated class
valedictorian, and in her valedictory
address, she lost no opportunity to
tell everyone present just how smart,
wonderful, beautiful and accomplished she
was.
She was devoid of human courtesies
and manners, and over the next calendar
year she experienced one failed
employment opportunity after another.
One fateful afternoon, I looked up
from my desk and there she stood in the
doorway to my office. I invited her in, and
as she sat down she started to weep.
I asked her what the trouble was, and
in a New York second she began blasting
everyone from every funeral home that had
tried to employ her, to give her a chance to
complete her internship and work with her.
It was all their fault, all their doing, and
she concluded that these buffoons she
worked for just were too stupid to see how
gifted and intelligent she was.
I have made many mistakes in my
life, and what happened next was one of
them. I decided to be straight with her, to
explain how her arrogance was translating
into an ill-mannered, haughty, conceited
persona, and that she needed to confront
this character disorder or else this situation
would simply repeat itself time and again.
When I finally stop and took a breath,
she launched on a diatribe against me.
Truth is, my faults as she enumerated them
were mostly legitimate, but she really went
for the jugular, and finally marched out of
my office in a rage. I have never seen or
heard about her since.
116
ICCFA Magazine
Give clients every consideration
Good manners are the art of doing the

correct thing at the right time, and showing
consideration for the other person. That is
basically it. Simple, isnt it?
The power of this simple old-fashioned
idea is shown in the fact that with just
such a creed, countless men and woman in
funeral and cemetery service have climbed
from handling the day-today routine to
being in positions of leadership in this
profession.
Certainly there are people who do not
have good manners and yet appear to be
successful, but, in reality, they have failed
at a key component of life. Certainly my
former student was a failure in being
a well-mannered human being, and, in
her case, paid the consequences for such
unbridled rudeness and insensitivity.
This key component, this truth about
funeral and cemetery manners is this:
The client has a right to every possible
consideration. And this applies to every
one, from the gravediggers to the owner of
the company.
If we adopt this simple rule of always
exhibiting good, old-fashioned manners,
we will usually be on safe ground and
positioned to make friends, draw clients
and build relationships, which is essential
to keep our companies successful.
You cant operate a funeral home or
cemetery unless people like you.
I have a good friend who is a top-notch
funeral director. He ignores the sharp
tongues and hasty actions of ill-mannered
clients and always focuses on finding
solutions to the problems that have led
to their nasty looks and sour remarks.
This friend is no Pollyanna; he is simply
devoted to winning people over and
making friends. Its that simple.
A funeral director in Iowa tells this
story: Recently, I was standing in the
foyer of the funeral home. Suddenly
a woman rushed up to me and said, I
have never seen such a place as this. I
want some more acknowledgement cards
and I cant get anyone to give me any
attention.
This was right in the middle of a

conversation this funeral director was
having with another family. He apologized
and quickly decided he would have to
do something special, something beyond
just getting her a box of cards, something
to soothe her. This funeral director was
devoted to ensuring her goodwill and future
patronage.
This Iowa funeral director followed
up on his apology by showering her with
extra attention. She was taken to his private
office (which was neat and orderly). She
was relieved of the bundles she had been
carrying and she was brought a hot cup of
tea and Danish.
Then the two sat down and proceeded to
have a 10-minute conversation. Finally this
courteous funeral professional asked if she
needed a ride home. She said yes, and one
of the funeral home associates transported
the formally irate woman back home.
The last thing this sensitive funeral
director did was to get her the box of cards
she had been so annoyed about just 15
minutes earlier. Later the funeral home
associate who drove her home reported that
she was all smiles as she left.
One week later, this funeral director
received a thank-you note from her.
Of course, our efforts dont always
bring forth these results, but in the end what
are our other options? Are they any better
than what this Iowa funeral professional
did? I would suggest that they are not.
If this funeral director had not gone the
extra mile, we all know the results could
have been mighty unpleasant, including
losing this persons businessand possibly
that of the entire familyto another firm.
That risk is an-ever present possibility
in our profession simply because of the
number of funeral homes and cemeteries
most people can choose from these days.
Try a courtesy week
Good manners are so essential in the

funeral and cemetery service profession
that one thing I suggest to managers is
having a courtesy week.
This may sound strange at first (most
new ideas do), but the courtesy week
concept simply involves the members of
the funeral home and/or cemetery staff
keeping a log of every courteous act they
perform in a weeks time. At the end of the
week, everyone compares notes and learns
additional ideas for ways to show courtesy.
This is a powerful concept. When we
cultivate good people from top to bottom
on a consistent basis, families are attracted
to us and we will enjoy the satisfaction
that comes from an ever-growing personal
following. Have you ever wondered why
some funeral directors have an impressive
following and some dont? Much of it can
be linked to old-fashioned courtesy.
The opposite of love and liking is
indifference. It is a cancer in society, the
attitude of Im doing you a favor just
by waiting on you, or You are mighty
lucky to have me as your funeral director/
cemeterian!
One funeral director ran into an
interesting situation several years ago
when confronted with a family that was
personally visiting funeral homes and
comparing prices. When the family came

into the funeral home, they were most
candid about their mission.
The funeral director took them into
the arrangement office and gave them a
general price list and said he had to leave
for a minute. He went to the employee
lounge to announce that he had a bunch
of shoppers and then gossiped for a few
minutes with the other employees.
A minute turned into five, five minutes
turned into 10, and after 15 minutes, the
funeral director still did not want to leave,
because he wanted to find out which
contestant on The Price Is Right was
going to win the showcase prize from Bob
Barker.
When the funeral director returned to
the office, the shopping family was gone.
That afternoon, the manager of the
funeral home heard about the shopping
incident and the people involved. The
manager cornered offending funeral
director. What on earth is the matter with
you, Jim?
Oh, said Jim, they were just a
bunch of shoppers. Lord, we get a ton of

those people. They werent going to buy
anything from us, anyway, I could tell.
SHOPPERS! the manager thundered,
Why, those people you are talking about
have used this funeral home for years.
You fumbled this terribly. You should
have flooded them with courtesies and
attention!
That fumbling funeral director was also
shopping the next dayfor a job!
To be indifferent or condescending, to
be short and curt with clients or to indicate
by our manners or lack thereof or tone of
voice that we think our clients are too hard
to please is simply bad manners and has no
place in our noble profession.
Simple isnt it? To be helpful, pleasant,
patient, accommodating and considerate
in our contact with our valued clients and
our work associates is the cornerstone of
funeral and cemetery work. It enables us to
build enduring relationships and our own
professional future by elevating the great
funeral home or cemetery we represent. r
Heritage Flower AD
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4-COLOR
March-April 2014
117
by Kay Paku
office@
evansfuneral.co.nz
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Kay Paku of Evans
Funeral Services, Gisborne, New Zealand, is

the winner of the 2013
Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand
Presidents Award writing
competition. Applicants
were required to write an essay addressing the question: The Value of a Funeral
Why Do We Do the Things We Do?
The judges were Professor Mike Marfell
Jones, chair of the New Zealand Funeral
Service Training Trust; Eion McKinnon,
FDANZ president; and Kay Gregory,
funeral celebrant and PR consultant. The
prize was a trip to the Dodge Seminars in
Hawaii in 2014.
http://evansfuneral.co.nz
Editors note: This article reprinted courtesy of Funeralcare, the magazine of the
New Zealand funeral profession.
www.funeralsnewzealand.co.nz
118
ICCFA Magazine
E S S AY
Funerals have changed during the past generation.

What do they mean today? What should they accomplish?
The value of a funeralwhy

do we do the things we do?
.S. poet and undertaker Thomas

Lynch describes a good funeral as
one that gets the dead where they
need to go and the living where they need to
be. Not all funerals achieve this goal. So,
what makes a funeral good, and what makes
a funeral not-so-good? Where is the value in
a funeral?
A reflection of changing societal mores,
the funeral of today is a very different affair
to the funeral of 15 or 20 years ago. It is more
personalised, and less ritualised, than ever
before. In contrast, more and more people
are opting to forgo the funeral service. The
focus becomes the disposal of the deceased
according to their wishes.
We have more personal choice than
any other generation. Church attendance
has steadily declined in our lifetime, and
personal religious affiliation has died with
it. The world has become a smaller place,
giving wider access to alternative religions
and a new view of spirituality. We are living
longer, but less collegially. Community has
been superseded by individuality. We often
live a long way from where we grew up, and
pride ourselves on being self-sufficient. We
embrace new things, and discard old things.
It is no wonder, then, that we have, almost
universally, rejected the traditional, generic
funeral in favour of the highly personalised
life celebration. But what causes the
pendulum swing to the opposite extreme, the
dont-go-to-any-trouble-just-bury-me-in-acardboard-box view?
Oscar Wilde famously wrote, Nowadays
people know the price of everything and the
value of nothing. It is hard to believe he
originally penned those words in 1890, as
they ring so true today. So, is the cost of the
funeral causing us to lose sight of its value?
In her critique of the American funeral,
author Jessica Mitford cited cost as a reason
to do away with the funeral. But to discard
the funeral rather than reform it would seem
to be, as my grandmother would put it,
throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
U.S. pastor Paul Irion acknowledged that
some funerals lacked meaning, but warned

against the summation that, by extension, all
funerals do.
So what is the value of the funeral?
Irion saw clearly that the value to an
individual of a funeral was as personal and
variable as the funeral itself. He believed that
the degree of helpfulness depended upon the
relevance and importance to the individual
of culture, society, economy and religion. He
considered the funeral to be of value when it
met the religious, social, and psychological
needs of the mourners.
Similarly, Doug Manning, an American
minister-turned-author who specialises in
grief and elder care, sees value in offering
a safe place to grieve both individually and
communally, acknowledging the significance
of the life of the deceased, and using symbols
and ceremony to reinforce the reality of the
death.
Dr. Alan Wolfelt, founder and director of
the Center for Loss and Life Transition in the
U.S., observes that the loss of a loved one
disconnects us from ourselves, and from
the world around us. He, too, believes that a
meaningful funeral is vital to regaining our
balanceemotionally, physically and
spiritually. He describes six needs of the
bereaved which the funeral can satisfy:
acknowledging the reality of the death;
moving toward the pain and the loss; remem
bering the person who died; developing a
new self-identity; searching for meaning; and
receiving ongoing support from others.
Lets examine these in detail.
Reality check
Wolfelt says, Grief is not something you

overcome, it is something you experience.
The first step on the journey of grief is to
accept the reality, and the finality, of the
death.
We need to understand the death
intellectually, to get our heads around it,
before we can experience it emotionally. We
often hear family members speak of feeling
numb until some time after the funeral. The
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Maori culture has a strong sociological mindset, and places value in spending time
with the body of the deceased. Maori customarily dress their loved one,
and the healing power of this is abundantly evident in their mood once this is done.
emotional, or heart grieving is necessary to
begin to let go of the person who has died.
Michael Leming and George Dickinson,
authors of the annual Dying, Death, and
Bereavement book, also see the move from
intellectual understanding to the emotional
experience of grief as a vital first step in
reconnecting with the living.
Funerals can help us with intellectual
understanding through the things we must do
at the time of the deathfrom contacting a
funeral director and choosing clothes, to the
many decisions we make in arranging the
funeral service. In carrying out these tasks
ourselves, we cannot avoid the reality of the
death.
Irion warns that delegating all the
responsibility to the funeral director may
lead to detachment, and therefore delay
grieving. In the community I work in, such
detachment is relatively rare, perhaps due
to our high Maori population and the wide
influence of that culture locally. Maori
culture has a strong sociological mindset,
and places value in spending time with the
body of the deceased. Maori customarily
dress their loved one, and the healing power
of this is abundantly evident in their mood
once this is done.
Irion, Leming, Dickinson, Manning and
Wolfelt all say viewing of the body is often
recommended as a way of reinforcing the
reality of the death. Viewing the corpse is not
always therapeutic however, and must remain
a matter of personal choice.
Dr. Christine Valentine, a teacher and
researcher for the Centre for Death and
Society at the University of Bath, England,
reminds us that viewing does not necessarily
provide unequivocal evidence of social as
well as biological death, and I agree.
When my best friend died, I found it
difficult to reconcile the bright and bubbly
person with her lifeless corpse. I ran into a
lady some weeks later who didnt realise my
friend had died. Instead of thinking shed
missed the news, I decided (albeit briefly)
that she hadnt died at all. Obviously the heart
understanding wasnt yet there.
As well as reinforcing reality, the funeral
should support the finality of death. The
visual impact of having the casket present
and witnessing the disposition assists in
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thisably summed up recently by a bereaved

husband immediately following the burial of
his wife, Well, that was final.
When we are trying to find our feet, we

need the ground to be stable underneath us,
and not shifting.
Search for meaning
Redefine the relationship
The finality so aptly communicated in that

comment seemed brutal in the cold, harsh
light of day. Is it any wonder, then, that so
many of us look for evidence of an afterlife to
reassure us in our grief?
With traditional religious worship becom
ing less and less popular, does spirituality still
have value in the modern funeral service?
The traditional religious funeral followed a
precise structure, and was heavy on ritual and
symbolism. It was possible to get through it
without hearing mention of the deceased in
either name, or nature. There was little solace
to be gained from such a service, unless it
reinforced personal faith and reassured the
mourner in their own belief that dying is
going home to God.
Todays funeral brings together a congre
gation with a myriad of different beliefs about
life and death. But its theosophical value
endures, as it encourages us to question the
mystery and meaning of life and death. A
funeral forces us to deal not only with the
death of someone close, but to reflect on our
own mortality.
To heal in grief we must explore the ques
tions we are faced withWhy did they die?
Why did they die at this time? Why did
they die the way they did? Where are they
now?to decide why we should go on
living before we can get to how we will go
on living. Leming, Dickinson and Wolfelt
say that though the funeral cannot provide
the final answer to this question, it can place
death within a context of meaning that is
significant to those who mourn.
The search for meaning engages the heart,
and helps us on the journey of emotional
understanding of the death.
Value can also be found in retaining
structure in the funeral service. Like a good
story, a funeral must have a beginning,
a middle and an end. It is reassuring to
mourners in an emotional state to find
familiarity. If we reflect on our own times of
crisis, it is evident that reassurance is found
in familiarity and routine. When we are
feeling vulnerable, we dont like surprises.
When he died, a part of me died, too.

We hear this comment from time to time,
and have probably felt it, too. It describes
a sense of loss, not only of our loved one,
but of our relationship with them.
The funeral has a role in assisting those
most closely affected by the death in their
change of status, and in reinforcing that
change amongst those who have gathered
to grieve. Wolfelt calls this need the
development of a new self-identity. The
transition from wife to widow, husband to
widower, child to orphan. He observes that
the funeral helps us to reorient ourselves, and
make the transition from life before the death,
to life after the death.
Death disrupts relationships and social
networks, and the funeral can assist in recre
ating and reestablishing ties between family,
friends and colleagues. The death of a group
member alters the dynamics of the group and
their shoes must be either filled or removed.
Marian Barnes sees the funeral as a
catalyst for change through considered
reference to the passage of time. She became
the first civil funeral celebrant in New
Zealand, in 1979. Acknowledging that time
takes on an altered quality for the bereaved,
she encourages us to consider past, present
and future. The past, reflecting on the life
of the deceased and our relationship with
them; the present, experience of grief and the
isolation it brings; and eventually optimism
for the future and what life has yet to bring.
Leming and Dickinson observe that while
change is an overt value of the funeral, it is
often also an unintended consequence of it,
resulting from the renewal of family ties and
reunion of social groups.
Irion describes three phases in the
grief journey which the funeral can help
with: separation, transition and incorpor
ation. Separation of the deceased from the
bereaved is an obvious part of the funeral
as a whole. Separation of the bereaved from
the wider community has also occurred
at the time of the death, and the funeral
has an important value in reintegrating the
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mourner with the community. This transition
phase is also significant in encouraging a
diminishing relationship with the deceased.
The ability to picture the deceased in a
new state of existence usually follows the
disposition of the body, and the recognition
by the community of the changed status
of the bereaved, is what Irion refers to as
incorporation.
Community support
Community involvement in the funeral can

be seen as a valuable means of welcoming the
bereaved back to the fold. It is also a way
that the wider groups of friends and family
can offer physical, emotional and practical
support to those closest to the deceased.
This support takes many forms:
practically, from calling in with food, to
helping organise aspects of the funeral;
physically, a comforting hug or an arm
around the shoulders; emotionally, a phone
call, a message, a listening ear. All of these
things let us show those we know well that
they are not alone.
A lack of understanding of the value of
community support at the time of a death
can lead some families toward a private
service. While there are times when this is an
appropriate choice, it can deprive the wider
circle of family and friends by preventing
them from showing their pain, their respect
and their support. They might also feel
rejected, and that their grief is not valid.
Irion urges us to consider that a funeral
is not intended as a public display of grief,
but a way for a group to share their sorrow at
the loss of one of its members. He believes
that group participationthrough singing,
reciting of a poem or prayer in unison
assists all mourners in the grief journey.
Particular community groups in which
the deceased was involved can both give
support and draw consolation from a shared
tributea song, a eulogy, a reading or a
guard of honour.
A funeral can also be a family reunion in
its own right, reuniting the extended family
and the immediate. It can reunite estranged
family and friends, healing old wounds and
providing a forum for the honest expression
of feelings. A funeral provides a place for
the wider community of mourners to gather
together and grieve.
A place to grieve
For some, the funeral is the only place they

feel free and able to show their grief. Funerals
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are an accepted place for us to grieve openly,

confront our sadness and provide an outlet
for our pain. They give us a forum and an
opportunity to release authentic feelings.
They encourage and allow us to dwell on
the deceased and their importance to us
personally. This is true not only for the
immediate family, nearest and dearest, but for
neighbors and business associates.
The funeral also provides an outlet for
disenfranchised grief, the grief of the ex-wife
for example, that is often overlooked or not
sanctioned. Grieving as a group can also
be more cathartic than grieving alonea
problem shared is a problem halved. People
need the support of others during times of
intense emotion.
Leming and Dickinson observe that all of
the groups associated with the deceased will
grieve to some extent over the death of their
relationship with them. The funeral provides
for them not only an accepted atmosphere
in which to grieve, but a network of support
from others in the group.
Attending my first tangi at the age of
9, I remember being overwhelmed at the
rawness of emotion and sorrow on such a
large scalethe intense wailing, the open and
unselfconscious display of sadness and grief.
These people were grief-strickenit was
hard to picture them being able to recover
from their loss. I felt confused when this
gave way to joking, storytelling and laughter
following the burial. My grandmother
explained simply that there is a time and
place for everything.
Remember the life
George Bernard Shaw wrote in 1906 that

Life does not cease to be funny when
people die any more than it ceases to be
serious when people laugh. (Wish Id
known that when I was 9.)
Todays funeral, in remembering the life
of the deceased, is often as full of laughter as
it is full of tears.
Manning suggests that the sharing of
memories at the funeral affirms the worth we
have placed on the deceased, and in doing
so legitimizes our feelings. He believes there
is great value in sharing the significance
of the person who has diedthat we find
consolation in the knowledge that they were
also important to others, and that their life
made a difference.
There is no doubt that knowing how
valued their loved one was by the wider
community brings consolation to the family.
Listening to tributes from others, whether as a

formal part of the funeral service or as part of
the story-telling at the after-match function,
helps the bereaved to remember with a smile.
Once again, group participation in the funeral
helps us to gain a comprehensive picture of
the person who has died, as each of us are
different things to different people.
Barnes supports this, underlining the
value of the celebratory, life-appreciation
part of the funeral. Commemorating a life
in eulogy, music, photographs and other
things of meaning to the deceased makes the
funeral a unique tribute to a unique person.
We are acknowledging not just the life
and achievements of the deceased, but the
importance of that life to those closest, and
the significance of the loss to them.
Wolfelt believes that to heal in grief
we need to move our relationship with the
deceased from the physical realm to the realm
of memory. The funeral has value, therefore,
when it invites us to share our own memories
of the deceased and to focus on our past
relationship with them.
Personalisation of the funeral can
also provide a source for later reflection.
Recordings and slideshows can be a physical
memento or keepsakea lasting and tangible
memory.
Conclusion
There are many ways we can enhance the

funeral ritual to make its value evident.
Personalisation of the funeral doesnt mean
the same thing for everyone. The degree
and form of personalisation is as diverse
and varied as people are themselves.
The important part is to encourage the
bereaved to grieve by recognising those
things that help people on the journey that is
griefto experience grief instead of avoiding
it, to express it rather than suppressing it and
to embrace life again by looking to the future
rather than living that life in the past.
As Manning so aptly observes, The
funeral, done right, is vital to the healing of
broken hearts. And that is the value of the
funeral.
Dr. Christine Valentine has written for
Funeralcare. Her article The role of the
corpse in bereavement was published in the
June 2011 issue.
Marian Barnes, the first civil funeral
celebrant in New Zealand, has written a series
of books exploring non-religious services for
funerals. The most widely-known of these,
Down to Earth, was published in 1991. r
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interview by ICCFA Magazine

L A N DS CA P E DE S IGN
sloving@iccfa.com
ICCFA Magazine
subject spotlight
craig@halvorson
design.com
How do you add a new building to the grounds

of a historic cemetery without mucking it up?
Craig Halvorson,
FASLA, founded Halvorson Design Partnership,
Boston, Massachusetts,
in 1980. His landscape
architecture work has
included historic cemeteries; urban park
and streetscape design; historic landscape
master planning; commercial and mixeduse development; schools and colleges;
and garden design for private estates.
www.halvorsondesign.com
His honors include the Gold Metal of the

Massachusetts Horticultural Society and
election to the Council of Fellows of the
American Society of Landscape Architects
(ASLA). A graduate of the University of
Massachusetts, he is certified with the
national Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards and is registered
in nine states.
The companys design of the Lakewood
Garden Mausoleum at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, received
the 2013 ASLA Award of Excellence.
More about this subject

The ICCFA 2014 Convention & Expo,
April 8-11, at the Mandalay Bay, Las
Vegas, Nevada, will include a breakout
session on historic cemetery master
planning featuring Halvorson, Lakewood
Cemetery Association President Ron
Gjerde and architect Joan Soranno, FAIA,
HGA Architects, designer of the Lakewood
Garden Mausoleum, which has won 22
national and international design awards.
Paul Crosby
ICCFA members may go to www.iccfa.
com/iccfamag to download a pdf of the

July 2012 story about Lakewoods Garden
Mausoleum.
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ICCFA Magazine
Paul Crosby
A large central lawn anchors the space around which Lakewood Cemetery Associations Memorial Chapel, Garden Mausoleum and Community Mausoleum are
built. The lawn accommodates Memorial Day events for upwards of 350 people.
Comfortable, contemplative spaces have been designed around the perimeter for
more intimate gatherings.
Preserving a historic landscape

while adding a modern building
he architects who helped Lakewood

Cemetery Association construct a
modern mausoleum on its historic
grounds in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have
won many awards for their work. The
building design was featured in the July
2012 issue of ICCFA Magazine.
For this issue, we talked to landscape
architect Craig Halvorson, who worked
with Lakewood officials to choose an
architect and to integrate the building into
the cemeterys landscape, making changes
that would improve rather than detract from
the historic property. Halvorson discussed
the Lakewood project and how good
landscape design and master planning can
benefit cemeteries.
Was the work your firm did for Lakewood
your first experience with cemetery
design?
No. Weve worked on about a dozen ceme
teries, mostly historic garden cemeteries,
starting with Mount Auburn in Cambridge,

Massachusetts. We did a historic master
plan for Mount Auburn in the early
90s, and continued to work with them
doing implementation projects and other
things. We also have done other historicrelated work, even a couple of Frederick
Law Olmsted-related projects. Before I
started my own company, I had worked
on the veterans cemetery in Cape Cod,
Massachusetts.
What were your concerns when it came to
planning Lakewoods new mausoleum?
The major concern was to have something
that would feel like its part of and fits
into the cemetery, not an intrusion on the
cemetery. And at the same time, we wanted
it to stand the test of time. I think we had a
sense that a lot of newer mausoleums are
totally out of scale with historic cemeteries,
and dont contribute to their historic
integrity.
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Paul
Crosby
The new
reflecting
fountain is
a zeroedge
pool with
a less than
1-inchdeep
scrim of
water over
a layer of
pavers on
pedestal
mounts.
When
drained in
the winter,
it becomes
an active
plaza
space.
Circulation was shifted away from the building to allow for the creation of a series of
sacred zones defined by raised bronze or
granite curbing.
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ICCFA Magazine
Above, mature trees were preserved through air spading, root pruning and shoring with sheet piling at the back wall of the mausoleum. Terraced walls ease the
transition between building and landscape and offer opportunities for future
memorialization. Below, the green roof allows the cemeterys lawn plan aesthetic
to seamlessly
extend to a newly
created overlook.
The union between architecture
and landscape is
epitomized by the
bronze framed
earth forms containing skylights
to the crypt rooms
below.
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l andscape design
Halvorson Design Partnerships analysis diagram shows the new Garden Mausoleum
situated near the existing Community Mausoleum, which is directly across from the
Memorial Chapel. The mausoleums are both tucked into the side of a natural dell.
In addition to making sure the building

was well designed, we needed to
understand Lakewoods personality and
come up with a plan so that the mausoleum
would fit in and make sense for the
cemetery long term. In other words, so its
not something that looks like it just fell out
of the sky and landed there.
How does something like this work,
in terms of collaboration between the
building and landscape architects?
In the case of Lakewood, we were there
first, and we actually helped them write the
RFP for building architects and did some
preliminary site massing and landscape
plans to help the architects know what we
were looking for.
What does site massing mean?
Basically figuring out where it is on the
site, the scale of it, how it relates to most
existing structures on the site, as well as the
landscape. Its a preliminary site analysis,
mocking up where the buildings might go
and how they would work with the existing
structures on the site. Whether you are
planning a mausoleum or another project,
you would probably go through the same
steps.
The area appropriate for a mausoleum
was identified in the master plan, done
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ICCFA Magazine
more than 10 years ago.

Often cemeteries considering adding
mausoleums are basically looking at them
as a good use of land because they can get
more interments per acre, bring in more
revenue. And many cemeteries dont have
the resources that Lakewood has to have
this level of custom work done. How can
working with a landscape designer help in
these cases?
A cemetery is a land-oriented project, and
I think it makes sense to have someone
make sure development fits with the land.
Just putting up a building without doing
planning can be short-sighted.
Im not saying everyone has to put up
a Cadillac, but I dont think it costs a lot
more to have a good architect than a notso-talented one do the work. I think doing
things right ensures the long-term health
and financial success of the cemetery.
In several cases, weve been brought in
by cemeteries because they recognized that
theyve made some mistakes and are trying
to correct them. Im not a business guy,
but I think doing things right produces good
value and thats part of what cemeteries are
marketing and selling.
I think it makes sense and is more
efficient to take a look at not just what
are we going to be doing in the next two
years, but what are we going to be doing in

the next 25-50 years. When people buy in
Mount Auburn, for example, theyre willing
to spend more, because theyre looking
not just at their grave but at the entire
landscape, and they want to be a part of it.
Its almost like buying into a community.
At Mount Auburn, the master plan has
been able to give them burial options well
into the future. They didnt think they were
going to be able to continue as an active
cemetery for much longer, but at this point,
there doesnt seem to be an end to it, and
that definitely translates into dollars and
cents, while preserving their historical
integrity.
What are some of the other things
cemeterians need to consider about their
landscape design? I assume how it will
look year-round, in all four seasons, is one
factor.
Thats true. The Minneapolis climate is
why the pool is just a thin layer of water.
Fountains or pools only work for half the
year in a climate like that, so you have to
design something that will look good the
rest of the year and wont be a blight on the
landscape.
The water is just a skim coat over a
granite slab, and its drained in the winter.
There had been a fountain there, and when
it was drained, it just didnt look very
pleasant. Of course, if youre designing
something for Southern California, thats
not an issue.
At a cemetery, youre selling all year
long, so you want the grounds to look good
all year long. And youre trying to create a
place for people thats contemplative and
provides a respite for them, which is also
part of what youre marketing and selling.
The other problem with the climate in
Minneapolis is that not too much grows
thereits almost like tundra. So selecting
trees that are going to live and be durable is
also a significant part of your work.
The caption to one of the photos looking
from the inside of the mausoleum out onto
the grounds says that close attention was
given to coordinating views from interior
spaces to the landscape beyond, so it
sounds like your company was working
closely with the building architects.
Right. The initial planning focused on how
does the new building relate to the existing
ones on the site and how does it relate to the
landscape in general so its seamless and isnt
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l andscape design
Close attention was given to coordinating views from interior spaces to the
landscape beyond. Subtle articulations
on the ground plane and a simple plant
palette create a sense of enclosure while
extending the buildings geometries into
the landscape.
an intrusion on the overall character of the

cemetery. How does it work with traffic and
parking, how do people go in and out of it?
In the case of Lakewoods mausoleum,
there was a large dell, which allowed us
to put the building into the side of a hill to
keep the scale down and ease the transition
to the rest of the cemetery.
Its easy to create a nice space, but
dealing with how it relates to the rest of
the landscape and transitioning in terms of
a series of rooms or spacesthats what
Olmsted did really well.
From what youve seen, what would you
say are some of the major design mistakes
cemeteries make?
I think its mostly scale. You see these big
buildings go upand yes, generate quite
a bit of moneybut while some of them,
regardless of architectural style, fit into the
landscape very well, a lot of them end up
looking like they could be a Goodyear Tire
store, and that gives the whole cemetery
sort of a negative connotation.
You dont want the buildings you put in
to destroy the historic imagery or sequence
or the landscape space, but creating a
positive rather than a negative is hard to do.
Part of the master planning process
we have developed involves viewing the
cemetery as having different rooms. For
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ICCFA Magazine
Photos Paul Crosby
The Serviceberry tree derives its name from its delicate blossoms, which signified to
early American colonists that the ground had thawed enough to dig graves and have
burial services. River stones direct rainwater to a below-grade infiltration system.
example, there may be a Victorian section, a

landscape lawn section, etc., which we think
of as a series of rooms within the cemetery.
We want to bring out the character
of each one of those rooms or districts
and then work on how you tie the whole
cemetery together to provide an overall
image or feeling for that cemetery. Every
cemetery is different; each has its own pros
and cons. You just have to try to find the
personality of each place, and then how
individual projects fit into it.
Lakewoods philosophy of having
buildings designed according to the style
of the era when theyre builtrather
than, say, decreeing that the cemetery style
was going to be Gothic, or Victorian
must be both more interesting and more
challenging for designers.
Different eras had different ideas about
death and dying, too. In the case of the
Lakewood project, we didnt require
an architect with a lot of mausoleum
experience. We just wanted to find a really
good designer, because we wanted this
difficult integration of the new building into
the existing landscape done seamlessly.
The architect had to have a good sense
of what a cemetery is, which Im not sure
if all of the finalists did. But the architects
who were chosen (HGA Architects and
Engineers) understood that cemeteries are
spiritual places. They understood the need
for contemplation. They talked a lot about
the scale of the building. And they tried to
find out what Lakewood was all about.

Theyre in the neighborhood, in
Minneapolis, so they knew the place pretty
well, and they reacted to Lakewood as
a unique place rather than saying, We
could put up a building for $5 a square foot
cheaper than the next guy.
Again, I think thats long-term value, so
I think its probably money well spent. The
mausoleum is selling very well.
Marketing and understanding whats
going to sell and whats not going to sell is
also critical to design. In some ways, thats
more important in decision-making than
how perfectly you can execute the design.
Is there anything else you wanted to say
about this particular project or cemetery
landscape design in general?
From the point of view of the designer, one
thing thats important to remember is that
youre only as good as the people youre
working for. Lakewood has a really good,
intelligent board and durector. Clients who
understand their cemetery and work with
designers as a team, rather than dictating,
produce a better product in the end.
Lakewood is one of the more beautiful
cemeteries in the country in the landscape
lawn style, and part of the reason is they
havent done anything to muck it up.
Theyve stuck to their original principles
and theyve done a really nice job. Its
pretty easy to work with a place thats
beautiful to start with. It just becomes your
r
challenge not to mess it up.
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Interview by ICCFA Magazine

sloving@iccfa.com
nancyw@mountcalvary
cemetery.com
716-908.9154
ICCFA Magazine
subject spotlight
Nancy Weil, a professional speaker and

consultant, provides
training to businesses,
associations, cemeteries and funeral homes about how to learn
how to live without stress, how to create
an aftercare program and how to harness
the power of humor to increase sales and
customer service.
www.thelaughacademy.com
She is the author of the
book If Stress Doesnt Kill

You, Your Family Might,
which is filled with effective tools you can use to
reduce stress in your life.
Weil is director of grief
support for 11 cemeteries in the Mount Calvary

Cemetery Group and the Catholic Diocese
Cemeteries in Buffalo, New York.
www.mountcalvarycemetery.com
www.buffalocatholiccemeteries.org
Weil has a degree in business and

has received certifications as a Laughter
Leader, Grief Management Specialist and
Certified Celebrant.
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ICCFA Magazine
M ANAGE M EN T
Do you ever get stressed out? No, never? Well then,

you can skip this article. Everyone else, sit back, relax
and learn more about good stress vs. bad stress and how
to manage the bad kind, from laughter expert Nancy Weil.
Nancy Weil knows how to stop stress

from ruining your dayor your life
ancy Weil is known for the wideranging grief support programs she
has developed for the cemeteries in
the Mount Calvary Cemetery Group and the
Catholic Diocese Cemeteries in Buffalo, New
York, and for being the laughter lady, who
believes in the healing power of laughter. But
her first book isnt about working with grief
or healing through laughter, its about dealing
with stress.
ICCFA Magazine talked to Weil about
her book, If Stress Doesnt Kill You, Your
Family Might, how stress can be a positive
or a negative force, how she recommends
dealing with stress in general and the stresses
peculiar to working at a funeral home or
cemetery.
What did you mean to imply with the title?
That your family might kill you if stress has
made you unpleasant to live with?
As I like to say when Im doing programs, it
could just as easily be titled If Stress Doesnt
Kill You, Your Co-Workers Might. And
truly, we know stress kills people. A majority
of emergency room visits are either due to
stress conditions or stresses underlying the
condition.
And when we are under high stress, were
not fun people to be around, to be working
with or living with. When we learn what
to do to bring us out of a stress cycle, we
become a lot healthier. We become better at
our jobs because were able to focus more on
our work, on working with families. Were
nicer to each other in the workplace.
You started working at a cemetery eight
years ago. Do you find that there are
different kinds or particular kinds of stress
in that kind of job?
Absolutely. We deal with things that are
unique to our industry. First of all, were
working in a very emotionally charged arena.
Families who are coming to us are not at a
great time in their lives. Theyre coming to us

because their life has changed in a way that
they didnt want it to change.
Whether you work at a cemetery or
funeral home, people are coming to us for
our advice and guidance and support, and we
are dealing with people at their most fragile,
vulnerable state. We need to be completely
present with that family, which requires us to
be there, not distracted by other things that
might be pressing on us.
Add to that other issues. This winter,
weve been having wind chill temperatures
of 35 below zero, and yet were doing
burials. Our field guys are out there. The
funeral directors are leading processions from
churches all over the area, driving people
through snowstorms. So we have to deal with
the weather.
Sometimes we have to deal with really
unusual situations. I was talking to a field
guy yesterday and he was telling me about
one time where he went to finish opening a
grave started the day before, and when he
got there, he found a skunk had fallen into
the grave. So hes thinking, How do you
get a skunk out of a gravewithout being
sprayed? They had to make a little ramp
and then encourage the skunk up and out of
the grave calmly.
Who else deals with things like that? We
have to deal with such a variety of issues,
including the people, who run the gamut from
those who are so appreciative of what we
do to those who are just angry and turn their
anger on us, even though its not about us.
Now add the C wordcremation,
which has everybody in the industry
concerned. The popularity of cremation is
changing the way we need to do business and
our bottom line, and the way were looking at
the families were serving. So were dealing
with financial pressures, including the overall
economy and the changing attitudes about
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M ANAGE M EN T
People say to me, Oh, you never have a bad day? I say, No, I dont.
I may have a bad couple of hours, but I use these tools to reverse whatever cycle Im in.
Because in our industry, we know the value of a day. We know there is no certainty of tomorrow.
So Im not going to let something steal my inner peace for an entire day.
Nancy Weil brings some support staff to help her with a presentation at a New York State Association of Cemeteries meeting.
ceremonies concerning death.

Things are changing, and change generally
will create stress, because we resist change.
When were resisting something, were going
to get stressed.
Add all of this up, and you can see why
our industry can become very stressful if
people dont have the right tools to deal with
stressand nobody teaches these tools.
I know of one high school that actually
included a semester about stress-reducing
techniques in their health classuntil the
administration cut that course out of the
curriculum.
I say every school should have that course.
I speak at colleges, and the stress level among
college students is through the roof. College
isnt happy Animal House days anymore.
These kids are working full-time jobs some
times as well as going to school.
What led you to apply for a job at a
cemetery?
I always say the Divine. A funeral director
I knew called and left a message on my
answering machine saying, Nancy, I was
over at Mount Calvary, and theyre looking
for someone to do sales and work in the
office. And I dont know why, but I thought
of you. If youre interested, give me a call.
When somebody says, I dont know
why, but I thought of you, pay attention.
So I went in for an interview, and was hired
and eventually took the job from what it was
into an entirely new arena. The cemetery
was gracious enough to allow me to do that,
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ICCFA Magazine
because my job was handling sales, both atneed and preneed, and helping with interment
orders, customer service and all of the things
that go into the daily running of a cemetery.
Within months of being hired, I realized
that people bring their grief back to the
cemetery, and I wondered what we were
doing to support the people who keep coming
back. And the answer was, Very little. We
did a few remembrance services and not
much else.
I went out, attended trainings, got certifi
cations and began to develop grief support
programs. Our program now is the most
comprehensive of any cemetery or funeral
home in the countryin the world, I would
say, with the variety of programs we offer.
I have become the go-to resource within
our community when someone wants
information. If a social worker wants to find
out how to get a client some grief-related
support, they call our cemetery. Ive created
a grief professionals alliance of 60 members
and growing.
Its been a growth process for me, going
from dealing with immediate needs to
walking people all the way through their
journey of grief, staying with them and
watching as they adjust to their new life.
What made you decide to write the book?
I was doing a lot of speaking on the health
benefits of laughter. One of the things I say
is when I started to work at the cemetery,
laughter came back into my life. I was a
Certified Laughter Leader but hadnt been
using it very much. When we started offering

talks to the community, we listed things like
veterans benefits and cremation and burial
options. And I said, Oh, put Laughter for
the Health of It on the list. And it was the
only topic that got booked.
After youve given a talk over and over,
you start to get bored, so you do more
research. I ended up creating my own
company, The Laugh Academy, to help
people understand the health benefits of
laughter and why were wired to laugh.
One of the benefits of laughter is stress
reduction. When I started to do more
corporate work, I quickly learned that those
people didnt want to know more about joyful
jobs, they wanted to know how to get out of
the stress cycle theyre in. Laughter is one
of the tools you can use, but there are many
others.
One day, I was giving a talk to a group of
cancer patients and one man kept asking me,
Where did you get all this stuff from? I kept
telling him, This is just how I live; these are
the things Ive found that work. What book
is it in? Its not really in a book.
And he just kept hassling me about it: So
theres no book? I cant get a book with all
this information in it? Finally I said, Ill
start writing it tonight. And thats exactly
what happened.
What I learned is there are two ways to
write a book like this. You can do a very well
researched book with appendices, or you can
just write what you know and what works,
and thats what I did. I took that talk I was
M ANAGE M EN T
Eustress is actually a positive stress. Planning a funeral service with a family is a eustress.
Yes, it might cause some stress for us to get all the details down, work with the family and get everything
right. But we know we have the ability to handle it and its not long-term. But distresswhich is what I say
leads to dis-easethats long-term, out of our control. We dont know how we can handle it.
givingthat I give still to this day
feel today is because they make
called, All Stressed Out and Ready
every inconvenience into a
To Blow, and put it into a book so
problem?
people can use it as a reference, a
I know it. Its a very important
go-to guide for reducing stress in the
distinction. We tend to get dramatic
moment.
and blow things up very quickly to
People say to me, Oh, you
being catastrophic, a huge problem.
never have a bad day? I say, No,
But again, I do think people in our
I dont. I may have a bad couple of
industry are in a unique position.
hours, but I use these tools to reverse
When you deal with the issues we
whatever cycle Im in. Because in
deal with, people who are dying,
our industry, we know the value of
people who have just had a loved
a day. We know there is no certainty
one who died, it really puts into
of tomorrow. So Im not going to let
perspective, my car didnt start this
something steal my inner peace for
morning. Well, heres a woman who
an entire day.
woke up next to her husband of 55
Nancy Weil and some co-workers try on clown noses
More than anything this is my
years to find that he had died during
which are going to be sent to troops overseas.
urgent message to people. When you
the night. Heres a family who just
but its not funny. Youre funny.
work with death, when you work
lost a baby. I dont have problems.
I had written that entire book with my left
with grief, when you work with loss, you
When I think Im having a bad day, I go
realize really quickly whats important in life. brain. Ooh, Im writing a book, I have to
out to our infant section and I walk around
write a certain way. They were right; I didnt and look at those little stones, the dates and
People always say go to a guru and find out
bring any right brain creativity into it.
the meaning of life. I think everybody in this
the carvings and the things people leave
So I sat down one day at my desk for 14
industry knows the meaning of life: Spend
behind on the graves when they visit, and I
hours with hardly any breaks and started
time doing what you love with people you
say to myself, I dont have any problems.
adding in some fun stuff. I cracked myself up
love.
I think our industry allows us to get that
Were here to help one another, to be there writing it. It was important to bring myself
perspective. We realize very quickly how
into the book more, to include the fun, the
for other people. Our natural state of being,
much of what were dealing with is an
lighthearted, the silly trivia, the random
our pre-set emotion, is joyful and happy.
inconvenience, not a problem. The people
musingsbecause thats what I do when I
Thats why when we dont feel that, were
were serving have problems.
anxious, were fearful, were stressed or mad. speak.
Of course, serving families and making sure
I worked closely with my graphic
It doesnt feel right. We want to get out of it,
you get everything right can be stressful,
designer. When I was ready to hand it over
but we dont know how.
because youre so concerned about getting
to her to create all the graphics and lay out
The tools I outline in the book are ones
everything right for them.
the book, she was pregnant and throwing
I use, and they work. Theyre simple, and
Yes, you dont get a second chance. Theres
up so much she ended up hospitalized. In
they bring you some relief right nownot
only one funeral. Theres only one burial. You
the middle of all of that, her husband got a
tomorrow, not next week, now.
dont get a do-over in our business. You need
Sometimes if Im in traffic or Im running job transfer and while they were looking for
to do it right for every family every time. And
a house, they lived in the back room of her
late or Im stuck somewhere, Ive been
mothers house with their Labrador retriever. sometimes youre dealing with families who
known to drive with my clown nose on. Ill
have a lot of different issues going on around
It was just unbelievable.
put XM Radio on the comedy station and
them beyond just the fact that someone has
I said, Ill wait, and the book waited
just listen to comedians, and start laughing. It
until things had settled down for her, probably died.
relieves my stressboom, done, goneand
You have to be able to navigate human
Im transported to a place where I think, Its a six-month delay. But it was okay, because I
wanted her to do the book. When people riffle behavior, human psychology, and at the same
OK; Ill get there eventually.
time, youre juggling your own workload
through the book, they say, Wow, this looks
Was writing the book joyful or stressful?
and things that need attending to. It can build
fun. Thats what I wanted. Her graphics set
It was a little of both. I went back and forth,
up and be stressful. Funeral directors have to
the tone of the book.
back and forth with the editor, and when I
chase down doctors to get death certificates
I especially liked the distinction you made
finally thought we had it the way we wanted
signed, they have to check with families
between an inconvenience and a problem.
it, I sent it out to a few people to read. Every
about detailsand theyre not usually just
Do you think that part of the stress people
one of them came back and said, Its good,
working with one family at a time, theyre
March-April 2014
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BO O K E X CERP T
Tool 2: The power of thoughts and visualization

A chapter from Nancy Weils book, If Stress Doesnt Kill You, Your Family Might; drawings by Sandra Russo
What the mind can conceive and believe it

can achieve.Napoleon Hill
ur minds are quite powerful; thoughts
and images flow through pretty much
unrestricted 24/7, even when were sleeping.
Seldom do we check in or monitor what we
are thinking or picturing, because the mind
can run on autopilot.
Did you know that over 80 percent of our
thoughts about ourselves are negative? We
dont need anyone else to put us down, as
we do such a good job of it ourselves. Begin
to monitor your thoughts and you will be
shocked how many times one races by and
reminds you that you are ugly, fat or unable to
look good in hats. Hey, we cant all carry off
the suave, sophisticated Lady Di look. Some
of us just end up with a bad hair day once we
remove our bonnets.
Here are some other lies we tell ourselves:
I should have made it to the gym today.
I am just lazy.
I am so dumb; I cant believe I made that

mistake.
Why cant I keep my mouth shut? I
should not have said that.
When I listen to the words people
use when talking about themselves, I
am astounded at the constant put downs,
questioning, judgments and criticisms. And
these are the words that are expressed out
loud. Imagine what the tape that is running
internally is saying. Some of these words
were programmed into our minds when
we were just children. Someone we trusted
said something about us, we believed it and
the tape has played ever since. Thought
monitoring is important, because it is from
those thoughts that come the manifestations
in your life. Napoleon Hill wrote, If you do
not conquer self, you will be conquered by
self.
The other day, a gentleman asked me how
he could stop worrying. His whole life he
had wakened at night with worry and spent

the day continuing to worry. It had become a
habit he was ready to break. He knew that it
did not make him feel better to worry, and it
did not change the situation he was worried
about. Yet he fell back into this mental habit
again and again. He challenged me to give
him a tool he could use to stop the constant
tide of anxiety that filled his thoughts.
It is quite simple, I told him. You have
to have a contrary, positive thought to replace
the destructive thought. Since you cant
hold two thoughts at the same moment, when
you find yourself with an old negative tape
running, just put your hand out in front of you
and say out loud, Stop! That will interrupt
the thought (and startle people in the room
with you.) Then replace it immediately with a
different thought you have ready.
For instance, I used to worry about having
enough time to get my projects done. I would

to page 138
M ANAGE M EN T
juggling multiple families and services.
So yes, it can get very stressful in our
industry because of the nature of our work,
the fact that there is no room for error. Youre
not allowed to have an off day, and striving
for perfection while being human can put
pressure on us.
I think whats amazing is the fact that
most of the time, we get it right. The
question is, at what cost to ourselves? Are
we taking time for what I call the chocolate
moments? For self-care? Are we giving our
lives balance?
I guess the people who cant handle that
level of performance just have to get out of
doing cemetery and funeral work.
I wrote an article titled, Care or Get Out.
I once had a conversation with a girlI
think she was 16who had suffered a
neonatal loss. She called to ask the price
of a grave for her son. I started to give her
some information, but she stopped me and
said, Before you keep going, let me tell you
something. Im 16, Im unmarried and Im
Hispanic. And I said, OK.
She said, So youll keep talking to
me? I said, Honey, your heart hurts
as much as anybodys. She said, Ive
already talked to two funeral homes and a
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ICCFA Magazine
cemetery and once they learned that, they

didnt really want to talk to me, and they
got rude.
I officiated at the service for that family.
The father was back in Puerto Rico, so we
arranged to film the service so they could
send him a copy. The baby was in a little
casket, put in an urn vault, surrounded by
blankets and rattles and notes from family
members. It was the most touching, powerful,
healing service I think Ive ever done.
I cared, and all the people at the cemetery
and the funeral home they worked with, the
monument dealer who donated a small baby
marker, cared. This is an industry where you
need to care. Its a business, but its a business
of caring, a business of compassion.
Yes, you have to be extremely organized,
to have extremely good attention to detail.
You have to have your system in place, all the
left-brain stuff, and then the right-brain stuff,
the heart, can come out with the families.
This was sort of a long way to answer
your question, but yes, if someone cant
handle all this, there is probably a better fit for
them somewhere else.
I was also interested in your discussion
about eustress, which is a word I wasnt
familiar with, versus distress.
Very few people are aware of this. Were

told stress is bad; stress kills you. But theres
a reason for stresswe wouldnt have
it if it didnt serve a biological function.
Stress is really about what I call running
from the dinosaurs. Our bodies respond
physiologically to a threat in order to get us
somewhere where we can be safe. So there
is a need for stress. The challenge we have is
that we tend to stay in the stress cycle once
the danger is past and the dinosaur has gone
off to hunt somewhere else.
Eustress is actually a positive stress. Its
short-term. Its something we feel is under
our control. We can handle it. Planning a
funeral service with a family is a eustress.
Yes, it might cause some stress for us to get
all the details down, work with the family and
get everything right. But we know we have
the ability to handle it and its not long-term.
But distresswhich is what I say leads
to dis-easethats long-term, out of our
control. We dont know how we can handle
it. The death of a loved one would be a great
example, or the long-term illness of yourself
or a family member. When families come
to us, many of them have been under a huge
amount of distress.
When youre planning a vacation and
you have to make sure everythings taken
M ANAGE M EN T
So much of grief involves looking back with regret or looking forward with fear.
When were laughing, were in the present moment, which is when healing can take place.
care of before you leave, and you have to get
somebody to water your plantstaking care
of all these details can be stressful. But thats
eustress.
The challenge is, like with inconvenience
and problem, people confuse the two. People
facing a eustress situation react to it as if its
distressbut its not.
Im developing a new program called
Stress for Success, for companies that want
to be able to harness the benefits of stress.
Because sometimes stress motivates us, it
pushes us to achieve. Those Olympic athletes
were under stress while they were getting
ready for Sochi, right? But it was a good,
positive, motivating stress.
We paint all stress with the same brush,
but all stress is not the same. We have to
know what kind of stress were under so we
know how to react appropriately to it.
That goes back to the point of your
laughter work. What do you say to people
in the profession who think all this
laughter is inappropriate?
I dont think there are a lot of people who
think that, because we tend to be a pretty fun
bunch. Its also that dark humor, that bonding
humor youll find in any industry, where
you use humor amongst yourselves as a way
to diffuse stress. Laughter reduces stress, it
drops the cortisol stress hormone level.
I actually did research into how humor
helps us to cope after the death of a loved
one, and listened to stories and talked to
people. If you want to laugh, laugh. If you
feel like crying, cry. Tears are healing, too. I
never say to my grief group, Oh, lets just
laugh and then well feel better. Sometimes
we need to cry to feel better. Its not either/or,
we need both, a balance.
But laughter not only reduces stress,
it boosts our immune system. It helps us
to focus and concentrate more. So when
someone is grieving, it elevates their mood,
it brings them into present moment. So much
of grief involves looking back with regret
or looking forward with fear. When were

laughing, were in the present moment, which
is when healing can take place.
Are you going to go in and start cracking
jokes with a family who has just lost a loved
one? No. But if you realize a family is using
humor as a coping, dont shut it down. Allow
them to be wherever they are as they try to
cope.
Whats the most important takeaway in your
book for people in funeral and cemetery
business?
Stress happens; its unavoidable. But some
people think theres nothing we can do about
it when it happens except wait it out, which
is untrue. There are tools you can use the
moment you recognize youre in a stress
cycle. And as you reduce your stress level and
start feeling better, you are better able to do
your job on every level.
We dont want to become one of our own
customers.
r
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B O O K E X CE R P T
from page 136
wake in the middle of the night panicked that
I had forgotten to tend to an important detail
or that I needed to remember to make a phone
call the next day.
Any outstanding item was open to my
scrutiny and worry. Consequently, I have
learned to keep a notepad next to my bed. If
I should wake, I simply write down the task,
lay my head back on the pillow and silently
say to myself, All that must be done, will
be done. There are
no projects more
important than rest at
this moment. All is
well. At other times, I say to myself, Go
back to sleep. You cant keep Johnny Depp
waiting.
You can do this with any negative
thought. Each time you exchange the
negative thoughts, you create a more
positive environment in your brain. Just by
shifting your thoughts from negativity and
worry to support and optimism, you can
reduce stress. A lot of stress begins with a
worry thought. If you can control those
thoughts, the stress will disappear.
Lets practice
Close your eyes and picture the room you

are sitting in. Not yet, dont close your eyes
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ICCFA Magazine
Mindfulness is one of the most important things you can

practice. Being aware is being clear and being clear leads to
becoming peaceful. So many people get stressed because
they are uncertain what to do next or where their life is going.
There are so many possible options, and they just want to know
what to do. By quieting down the monkey-mind chatter, you can
artwork by
access the inner knowledge that is always present. Once you
Sandra Russo
get clear, you can begin to block those annoying contrary thoughts that spring up
out of fear, by returning back to your inner knowing and bringing your thoughts
back into alignment with your peaceful place.
yet. If you do, then how will you know what
the exercise requires? Envision where each
piece of furniture is placed and where you are
in reference to them. Imagine the colors, the
fabrics, the textures of the room.
Now close your eyes and try this. If the
room is familiar, it was probably easy. Of
course, there may have been small details you
forgot to notice like a book or a throw pillow
or the lucky troll doll you won at the carnival
in fifth grade. Yet you were able to do this
exercise without resistance.
By utilizing this technique, you can take a
mini-vacation in your mind and create calm
in your life, no matter the circumstances.
Each of us has a place that brings up relaxed
feelings. Perhaps it is a place where you spent
a vacationa beach or a cabin in the woods.
Maybe you relax at the spa or in your comfy
chair under a blanket. Perhaps it is a place

you have never actually seen, but the pictures
of it on TV or in a magazine mentally
generate a calm, beautiful place to visit.
Once again, wait until after you read this
paragraph, then close your eyes and picture
that place; insert yourself there. Listen to any
sounds that are around you. Are you alone or
with other people? Are there any fragrances
associated with this place? Are you sitting or
standing? Mentally scan in as many of the
details in this relaxing scene as possible. Pina
Colada anyone? This will become your
sacred spot for stress relief. This is the vaca
tion spot you can return to without getting on
a plane or behind the wheel of your car.
Whenever you need to, you can return
instantly just by closing your eyes and
remembering.
Many people envision a place outdoors.
They are at the beach or in the woods or in
their garden, etc. Intrinsically, we know that
nature heals. We feel good when we are out
side. Perhaps its because we are away from
our desks, our computers and our phones, of
course, we could take our technology with us,
but in this vision we have no Blackberry in
our pocket. There are no texts that can break
into our quiet, private, sacred moment. We
can just be. Think of it as a step back in
time, back into the early days of history when
there were no Facebook pokes, no texts, no
instant messenger, no tweets, no IM - nothing
to disturb your solitude. You know, step way
back to the 1980s!
The next time you feel yourself getting
stressed, stop the worry-thought train, close
your eyes and go to your vacation spot. It
only takes a moment to refresh, renew and
revitalize. Banish worry, eradicate negative
self-talk and get outside, even if only in
your mind. Me? Im going to the beach with
Johnny Depp (on his private island.) Hey, its
my visualization and I can imagine anything I
want to.
r
Zontec AD
1/4 V
McCleskey AD
1/2 V
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Flowers for Cemeteries

AD
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March-April 2014
139
Update
Send in news about your cemetery, funeral home, crematory or association to sloving@iccfa.com. If you publish a newsletter,
please email a copy to sloving@iccfa.com or mail to: Susan Loving, ICCFA, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA 20164.
Above, Boy Scouts erect a bat house at White Haven Memorial Park as part of an
Eagle Scout project. Below, the scouts pose for a photo after finishing their work.
n White Haven
Memorial Park,
Pittsfield, New York, has
housing for bats as well
as bluebirds. Bat houses
might not sound as cute
as bird houses, but since
bats help control the
mosquito population,
the addition is a practical
as well as ecologically
beneficial one. One bat
can eat anywhere from
500 to 1,000 mosquitoes
a night. The bat population has been declining
due to a fungus called
White Nose Syndrome,
which appears to be especially bad in the
Northeast. Bats also have been losing habitat.
Boy Scout Killian Bestrams Eagle Scout
project was to build and install bat houses
to give the creatures a safe place to roost.
The houses were placed in White Havens
Bluebird Sanctuary and near the cemeterys
cremation Nature Trail.
Local companies donated the materials
for the houses and Killian, other scouts and
adult volunteers from BSA Troop 341 in
Pittsford installed the eight bat houses.
I have never seen any bats on the houses,

but I guess that is to be expected since they
only come out at night when I am not there,
said Andrea Vittum, CCE, White Haven
president and CEO.
We did have a frequent visitor to our Nature Trail, which is right next to the bat houses,
tell us that she thought the bats must be doing
a wonderful job because there were fewer
mosquitos than in past years. Im not sure our
grounds crew would agree, but it was nice that
she appreciated the bat houses.
r
n The national association of colleges

of mortuary science,
Dallas, Texas, has named
Wayne Cavender, CFSP, as
executive director. Cavender has taught for nearly
20 years at Dallas Institute
Cavender
of Funeral Service, teaching pathology, chemistry and embalming
discussions, among other courses. He serves
as administrative assistant to the president
and co-sponsor of the Epsilon Chapter of Pi
Sigma Eta Fraternity at the college. He holds
an sssociates degree from Dallas Institute
of Funeral Service, a bachelors degree from
Missouri Western State University, and a
Masters degree from Amberton University. He is a licensed funeral director and
embalmer in Missouri and Texas. He has
served on numerous American Board of
Funeral Service Education accreditation
visiting teams and on the national board liaison committee and was recently appointed
to the curriculum committee.
n Patty Hutcheson, president of Gupton-Jones
College of Funeral
Service, Decatur, Georgia,
has announced her retirement from Gupton-Jones,
effective in August. She
has dedicated 26 years to
the college and its students, Hutcheson
serving as president since
2000. She has also served as a professor
in grief psychology and restorative art.
Hutcheson plans to complete her tenure
by finalizing the formal submission and
process of reaccreditation of Gupton-Jones
by the American Board of Funeral Service
Education, scheduled for the summer.
Hutcheson also has worked to advance
funeral service education through service
to the American Board of Funeral Service
Education, including a term as president
of the academic accreditation agency.
She is also a licensed funeral director and
embalmer and a Certified Funeral Service
Practitioner. She and her husband, Danny,
own Hutchesons Memorial Chapel and
Crematory in Buchanan, Georgia, which
they started in 1984.
n Hampton Funeral Home,
Prescott, Arizona, was named Business of
2013 by Sunup Rotary in Prescott. Henry
Butch Hampton accepted the award on
behalf of the business. (The funeral homes
service to the 19 Hotshots killed in an
Arizona wildfire were detailed by Kathy
Hampton in the October 2013 issue of
ICCFA Magazine.)

140
ICCFA Magazine
to page 142
UPDATE
In memoriam
Franklin Shill Bueller
Franklin Shill Bueller, 69, of, Camp Verde,
Arizona died January 19. After serving a
full-time mission in the southern states
for The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day
Saints, he served in the US Army. He attended the Cincinnati College of Mortuary
Science and returned to the family business
in Arizona. In 1986, he moved his family
to Prescott, Arizona, and worked for many
years there as a funeral director. In 2005, he
moved to Camp Verde and assisted his son,
Benjamin, with the funeral home.
He was preceded in death by a son,
Adam. Survivors include his wife, Karen;
sons Samuel, Ethan, Jonathan, Benjamin,
Alexander, Graham and Elliott; his mother,
June; three siblings; and and 17 grandchildren. A visitation was held, followed by a
funeral service at 11 a.m., at The Church of
Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints in Chandler,
Arizona. A Camp Verde visitation also
was held, at the familys home, followed
by a funeral service at The Church of Jesus
Latter-day Saints, Camp Verde Chapel.
The family requested that those wishing
to honor his memory perform a quiet act
of service.
Cremation w/Confidence AD
1/2 I
4-COLOR
Lee R. Scott
Lee R. Scott, 79, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died February

10. A Marine Corps veteran who served during the
Korean War, Scott founded
Shadow Mountain Mortuary
in 1975 and served countless families in the funeral industry, for 50
years. He was called on often to serve fallen
members of law enforcement, and took
special pride in caring for their families.
He was the past president of the Arizona
Funeral Directors Association and founded
the AFDA Foundation for Children. He
was one of 10 trustees in the United States
and Canada for the York Childrens Foundation.
Survivors include his wife, Sonia;
daughter Stephanie Chavez; sons Michael
and Timothy; three siblings, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He
was preceded in death by a daughter and a
grandson. A visitation was held, followed
by funeral services, both at Shadow Mountain Mortuary, Phoenix. Interment was at
Paradise Memorial Gardens.
Memorial Contributions may be made
to AFCCA Foundation for Children,
azfoundationforchildren.org or c/o AZFCCA, 1418 N. Scottsdale Rd., PMB 541,
r
Scottsdale, AZ 85257.
Were having a
FIRE SALE
THROUGH APRIL 30
MASSIVE AMOUNT
OF SALE ITEMS
WWW.ICCFA.COM/STORE
March-April 2014
141
UPDATE
n The shopping mall kiosks by and
for Forest Lawn MemorialParks & Mortuaries, Glendale,
California, recently received a wave
of national publicity, stirring up the predictable amount of morbid fascination.
One night David Lettermans top 10 list
was about top shopping mall funeral
stores, such as Dead, Bath & Beyond.
The kiosks are not all that recent,
however; the first one went in two
years ago, in March 212. It just took the
media a while to notice.
We started in Eagle Rock, a couple of years ago, and were still there,
said Ben Sussman, Forest Lawns vice
president for community relations
and media management.
We try different locations and see
how it goes. Right now, we have five
locations and wed consider adding
more, but we want them to be geographically close to one of our parks. One of the kiosks Forest Lawn has placed in a shopping mall.
Its been going well for us. Weve
appointment-setting outreach efforts.
all the hours.
gotten a really positive response from
People approach us in the mall, SussSussman isnt sure why the kiosks sudthe community and weve been able to proman said, and if theyre interested in more denly received so much attention. There
vide a lot of information to families.
information, we set an appointment for
was a story on the West Covina mall locaIn addition to printed materials, the
them to come to the park or for us to go to
tion last summer, he said, and the story got
kiosks display some keepsake jewelry and
their home.
picked up by some other papers. Eventually
a few urns. Though advance planning
The kiosks are open whenever the malls someone from the Associated Press was
personnel staff the booth, they do not make
calling him for comment.
r
sales there. This is simply one of their many are, so staffing is handled in shifts to cover
from page 140
n Terry Burd has retired from Gibraltar Remembrance Services, Indianapolis, Indiana. Burds cemetery career
began in 1967 at Rest Haven Memorial in
Louisville, Kentucky. Most of his career
was spent at Gibraltar Mausoleum, which
he joined in July 1983 as cemetery manager
in Corpus Christie, Texas. He continued in
several roles at Gibraltar, working his way
Terry Burd, fourth from left, at an open

house at Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery.
142
ICCFA Magazine
to the corporate office in Indianapolis, and

remained with the company through the
merge with SCI in 1995.
In May 2005, Burd was part of the team
that started Gibraltar Remembrance Services, serving as vice president of cemetery
operations. He said he will greatly miss all
the people has worked with and come to
know during his 46 years in the cemetery
business. In announcing Burds retirement,
company President Jay Brammer said, I
will miss Terrys comradery, the debates
we had that I know I grew from and his
consistent approach to business.
n Edward sagel, founder of Edward
Sagel Funeral Direction Inc. and manager
for many years of Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapels Inc., Washington, D.C., has
been awarded the opportunity to acquire
these two prominent Jewish funeral homes
from Service Corporation International,
Houston, Texas. SCI was under a requirement from the FTC to sell the Edward Sagel
Funeral Direction Inc. business, which Sagel
founded in 1994 and later sold to SCI. The
company elected to sell the DanzanskyGoldberg business as well due to the strong
synergies with both businesses. DanzanskyGoldberg has served Washington metropolitan area for over 93 years, and Edward
Sagel Funeral Direction, for over 20 years.
n park lawn corp., Toronto, Ontario,
a publicly-traded cemetery, cremation and
funeral services business, has acquired
Tubman Funeral Homes and its affiliated
entities. The properties include Tubman
Funeral Homes and Cremation Ltd., J.A.
Tubman Funeral Services Inc., Cadieux
Funeral Homes Ltd., Kerry Funeral Homes
and Chapels Ltd., Julie Tubman and DaCor
Family Trust and A.L. Tubman Ltd. Park
Lawn owns and operates six cemeteries in
the greater Toronto area, and operates the
crematorium at the Brampton Crematorium
and Visitor Centre. The companys Harmonia business operates in Quebec City, Laval,
Saint Apollinaire and Montreal.
n pittsburgh institute of mortuary science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recently held its 148th commencement
exercises. Anthony J. Quahliero, president
of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association,
gave the commencement address, Involvement is your future. College President
UPDATE
Eugene Ogrodnik presented Quahliero with
the PIMS Lifetime Achievement Award. Ten
percent of the graduates received the Mu
Sigma Alpha Award recognizing students for
scholarship and good citizenship. Recipients
were Charissa Hamilton, John Kenderdine,
Walter Smolarek, Thomas Verdi and Benjamin Zonker.
Verdi received the Memorial Award,
having been chosen by his classmates as the
student who, through qualities of leadership,
professional conduct and good citizenship,
best typifies the ideals of the student body.
Melissa Cameron received the John Rebol
Award for the highest scholastic average for
the 2013 school year. The William J. Musmanno Memorial Award was presented to Joshua
Hicks in recognition of his outstanding ability,
attitude, commitment and achievement in the
clinical setting. Michael Kuruc presented the
Pierce Chemical/Royal Bond Award to Jessica
Quinn in recognition of her outstanding ability, commitment, attitude and achievement in
restorative art and cosmetology.
n The Pierce Mortuary Colleges,
Jeffersonville, Indiana, recently held the
first Continuing Education program for
funeral professionals that featured a realtime video broadcast of a live-audience
presentation to remote locations with
additional audiences. All sites were able to
watch the presentations as well as interact
with the presenters via video and audio
feeds. Funeral professionals received three
hours of CEU credit for the three presentations streamed from Atlanta, Georgia,
where Wilbert licensee Piedmont Precast
of Atlanta hosted the live presentation.
Sexton Wilbert hosted one remote location
in Bloomington, Indiana, and SI Funeral
Services hosted the second remote location
in Overland Park, Kansas.
We plan to reach out to funeral service
state associations and others who may want
to provide similar continuing education
events for their members, said Michael
Hays, president of Mid-America College.
To learn more or discuss the program opportunities, contact Hays at 812.288.8878 or
mhays@mid-america.edu.
n West Laurel Hill Cemetery,
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, recently hosted
their first Death Caf. Now a growing trend
in the United States, Death Cafs adopt a European salon model of freeflowing conversation around the topic of death from any angle.
In smaller groups of four or five, this is an opportunity for people to explore their own notions on death and life in an intimate setting.
Leading the discussion were Rachel Zeldin
and Simcha Raphael. Zeldin is pioneering
technology in funeral planning. She founded

to page 145
From left, PIMS

graduates Lisa
Gabauer, Ben
Zonker, Walter
Smolarek, Samantha Hundley and
Jamie Kidwell.
Madeiras y Metales AD
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Optimized.
TAP INTO the dynamic

online supplier network
of the ICCFA with the
ICCFA Supply Link.
Powered by MultiView,
the ICCFA Supply Link
is the premier search tool
for your industry. All the
products and services
you need, all within the
supplier network of the
associaton you trust.
Start your search at
our homepage
www.iccfa.com.
March-April 2014
143
UPDATE
Taking we will never forget 9/11 to heart
the pentagon.
Red, white and blue bunting
funeral director and 9/11 memorial
coordinator, Daniels Family Funeral
was placed on the gates that
Services, Albuquerque and Rio Rancho,
surround Vista Verde Memorial
New Mexico
Park. Retired New Mexico
uesday, September 11, 2001, began
State Police Officer Chris Maes
like many other days, but within
played Taps at approximately
hours, the world would change because
6:46 a.m. (Mountain Standard
of the unforgettable terrorist attacks on
Time), the exact moment the
American soil.
first plane crashed into the World
The statistics can be mind-numbing:
Trade Center (8:46 a.m. Eastern
Nearly 3,000 lives were lost, of which
Standard Time). The hundreds of
343 were firefighters and paramedics
people who drive by Vista Verde
Daniels Family Funeral Services 9/11 observance.
and 23 were police officers. Three
Memorial Park each day cannot
thousand fifty one children lost a
help but to slow down and look
parent; 46,100 jobs were lost in New
at such a remarkable display of
York. The clean-up cost $600 million;
patriotism and reflection.
422,000 people now claim to have Post
Our annual 9/11 Memorial
Traumatic Stress Disorder because of
Service is held at 6 p.m. in
the attacks. Only 291 human remains
front of the memorial. The
were found intact. There were 1,717
Rio Ranch Police Department
families who received no remains at
posted the U.S. and New Mexico
all. Over 36,000 units of blood were
flags. Last year, Cottonwood
donated, but only 258 were actually
Classical Preparatory Schools
used. The numbers are staggering, and
choir sang the National Anthem
if you allow them to ring in your mind,
and America The Beautiful.
they can become deafening.
Ida Huber Mitchell, a world
I remember being unable to move
renowned soprano soloist,
from the television set. I vowed, like
sang The Lords Prayer.
large bronze memorial honors New York
countless others, that We will never forget.
New
Mexico
Department of Public Safety
City; Arlington, Virginia; and Shanksville,
Fast forward to today. So much time has
Secretary
Gorden
E. Eden Jr. was the
Pennsylvania. Three granite benches on the
passed, hasnt it? Chronologically, yes. But
guest
speaker.
The
Bernalillo County Fire
outside of the pentagon honor police officers,
for some, it seems like the attacks happened
Department,
under
the direction of Chaplain
firefighters and emergency personnel. A
only yesterday. In our profession, we have
Bill
Henson,
presented
the Final Alarm
fourth bench describes the memorials
built our careers on memorializing each life.
Ceremony,
which
is
a
special
fire-bell-ringing
purpose.
We ask family members leading and thoughtceremony
to
honor
a
fallen
firefighter.
All
Close to 3,000 U.S. flags are placed in
provoking questions to help us learn about a
past
and
present
public
servants,
military
the Public Servants Garden in honor of those
loved one who has died. Have we done the
whose lives were lost. The garden is reserved personnel and chaplains were recognized.
same for the victims and surviving families of
The New Mexico Army National Guard
for police, fire and emergency medical
9/11/01?
Honor
Guard presented Military Honors.
personnel and looks up to the 9/11 Memorial.
The National 9/11 Memorial has been
Paula
Fay,
owner of Enchanting White
Last year, we introduced the Heroes
built in New York. But what are we doing in
Doves,
provided
a dove release following the
Hand-in-Hand project, joining children from
each of our communities to remember 9/11?
Military
Honors.
The dove release coincided
the Childrens Cancer Fund of New Mexico
Each community and every resident of the
with
the
National
White Wings Over America
with members of the Albuquerque Area
United States of America was affected.
Dove
Release
held
each September 11. MacFirefighters Random Acts group, as well as
At Daniels Family Funeral Services,
Tire
of
Skye
Pipe
and
Drums marched in
others from police, fire, emergency medical
we have taken the words We will never
and
surrounded
the
9/11
Memorial to play
services and chaplains. Together, Heroes
forget, to heart. It is our goal, as well as that
Amazing
Grace.
Hand-in-Hand handwrote the names of each
of the city of Rio Rancho and neighboring
Remembering September 11, 2001, takes
of the victims of 9/11 onto dove labels that
Albuquerque, to put those words into action.
vigilance.
As each year passes, it is our
were then attached to white flags.
Since 2008, we have hosted a 9/11 Memorial
responsibility
as Americans to make sure that
Early on the morning of Friday, September
Service at Vista Verde Memorial Park.
the
tragic
events
of 9/11 do not fade from our
6, Daniels Family Funeral Services employ
Located inside the park is a huge 9/11
memories.
We
owe
that to the victims of 9/11,
ees and community volunteers came together
Memorial, a replica of the Twin Towers
to
their
families
and
to ourselves. Forgetting
to place the U.S. flags in the Public Servants
jutting out of a replica of the Pentagon. A
r
is
not
an
option.
Garden and the 3,000 white dove flags inside
by Joan E. Stasi
144
ICCFA Magazine
UPDATE
n The funeral services program at Tidewater Community college, Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been awarded Service Corporation Internationals Advancing
Mortuary Science Education Grant. The
program received a grant of $10,000. Upon
completion of this project, we at TCCFS
will be able to provide our students with the
enhanced digital training needed to simulate
funeral planning with the use of technology
currently being used by professionals in the
field, said Frank Walton, program director.
The goal of the SCI Advancing Mortuary
Science Education Grant is to promote the
development of innovative funeral service
programs that provide opportunities for
students to develop their skills in delivering
From left, Kimberly

Jones, associate
professor of funeral
services, Tidewater
Community College;
Michael Summers,
provost of the Virginia Beach Campus; Joseph Fairchild, dean of social
sciences and public
services, Virginia Beach campus; Robert Vandenbergh, SCI; Blair Nelsen, CFuE,
SCI; Michael Gony, SCI; Frank Walton, mortuary science program head.
exceptional customer care and service. As

leaders, we believe investing in education will
have a positive impact on the future of the
funeral service profession, said Steve Mack,

SCI senior vice president of operations.
r
National database aims to identify unclaimed cremated remains

n Michael Neal, a funeral director in
Washington, Pennsylvania, has launched
a website, Forgotten.Ashes.com,
to help identify unclaimed cremated
remains. The task of trying to reconnect
families with loved ones cremated remains
in this way has never been done and it
would be a shame not to harness the power

of the Internet when addressing such an
important problem, Neal said.
Anyone can log on to view the registry,
and cremation providers may apply for
online privileges to upload information
related to their own unclaimed inventory
at no cost. The Forgotten Ashes database

contains the names of the cremated as well
as possible survivors, when available, and
allows for the easy sharing of that information through social networks.
Neal can be contacted at
UnclaimedAshes@gmail.com.
r
from page 143

and manages Im Sorry to Hear, the TripAdvisor of funeral planning, with the goals of simplifying decisionmaking in funeral planning,
driving transparency in funeral planning and
encouraging sharing of experiences amongst
the community. Raphael is a death awareness
educator and a bereavement counselor. He
is the director of DAAT Institute for Death
Awareness, Advocacy and Training. The event
was held at Bringhurst Funeral Home, located
on the cemetery ground.
The cemetery also hosted Dr. Lauren
Van Scoy, author of Last Wish: Stories to
Inspire a Peaceful Passing, for a discussion of sensitive end-of-life issues and the
struggles families endure when making
difficult decisions. Dr. Urvashi Vaid, an
attending physician in pulmonary and
critical care at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital; Dr. Robert Promisloff, pulmonary
and critical care physician with Respiratory
Associates Ltd.; and Alicia Bloom from VITAS Innovative Hospice Care; joined Van
Scoy in the discussion. Copies of Van Scoys
books were sold on the cemeterys website
and in the office. Attendees had an opportunity to ask questions of the panel, to meet
the panelists after the discussion and to
have their books signed. Light refreshments
were served. The event took place at the
r
cemeterys conservatory.
Forever Pets AD
1/3 Square
4-COLOR
March-April 2014
145
Supply Line
Wilbert Funeral Services was recently

featured on Manufacturing Marvels.
Right, Porcelains Unlimited can now
imbed a link
to a memorial
webpage in
a memorial
picture.
Below, a
ceramic
cremation
marker from
MemryStone.
READERS: To find the products and services you need online, go to www.iccfa.com
and select directory to find the ICCFAs:
Directory of Providers. Search by category
or type in the name of a specific company
to find contact information and a link to the
companys Web site.
Web Expo Directory of Suppliers and Professionals, another way to find suppliers,
listed by category.
Supply Link Search
Engine, the fastest way
to find the products and
services you need at your
funeral home, cemetery or
crematory.
SUPPLIERS: Send your press releases
about your new products and services,
and about awards, personnel changes and
other news to sloving@iccfa.com
for inclusion in Supply Line.
146
ICCFA Magazine
n Wilbert Funeral Services,

Broadview, Illinois, was profiled on Manufacturing Marvels on The Fox Business
News Network in February. This project
was both an honor and a challenge for us,
said Mark Klingenberger, Wilbert vice president sales & marketing. We had less than
two minutes to tell consumers about the
diversity of cremation and burial products,
graveside services, the function of a burial
vault, how our licensee network works with
funeral professionals, and more. But it was a
great experience.
1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com
n Porcelains unlimited, North
Port, Florida, has launched a new product,
Eternal Timekeeper, that links memorial
photos on monuments to personalized
web pages. The web pages can include
features such as pictures, obituaries and
stories from loved ones. Eternal Timekeeper
gives a memorial picture on the monument
or bronze plaque the ability to share stories
through the companys online memorial site
using NFC (Near Field Technology) via a
smartphone or tablet held near the photo.
A QR code is not needed.
1.866.620.4460; info@porcelainsunlimited.
com; www.porcelainsunlimited.com
n William BT Hathaway, a fourth-generation funeral director serving southeastern Massachusetts for more than 20 years,
has created memrySTONE, Fall River,
Massachusetts. MemryStone is a handcrafted ceramic cremation marker designed to
redefine how families and survivor groups
interact with the cremation process.
Survivors inscribe each stone with a
message using a regular pen and transfer
sheet, and then place the stone with the
deceased to travel through the cremation
process. The transferred words or images
become infused with the ceramic during
the cremation itself. These markers return
intact with the final remains, and in this
way provide a personal form of identity
confirmation and a lasting touchstone.
There are more than a million cremations each year in America, most of them
ending with an ugly black plastic box and
a generic serial number, Hathaway said. I
think survivors deserve more meaning and
peace of mind, even if they forego the complex rituals of the past. Multiple stones may
be used so that each individual in a family
has the opportunity for personal expression.
The stones come in four different colors
and two different designs . The individually
boxed stones are all shipped priority mail
direct; overnight shipping options are available. 1.800.886.3679; bt@memrystone.com;
www.memrystone.com
n Astral INDUSTRIES, Lynn, Indiana,

has added equipment to allow it to produce
hardware in-house. The recent addition
of the SPRINT 20 linear CNC lathe, which
produces casket hardware parts, increases the
efficiency and capabilities of Astrals production floor. Astral also has added increased
flexibility to its hardware supply chain with
the acquisition of a vacuum metalizer, allowing the company to metalize durable, attractive casket hardware in-house.
1.800.278.7252; sales@astralindustries.com;
www.astralindustries.com
n Funeralnet, Portland, Oregon,
has joined with an Iowa firm, Funeral
Innovations, to create a social media tool,
Social Media Co-Pilot, designed specifically for the death-care industry. It gives
funeral homes and cemeteries the ability
to address Facebook in a meaningful way
without dedicating significant staff time to
doing so, since its operation is automated.
1.800.721.8166; sales@funeralnet.com;
www.funeralnet.com
n Directors choice, St. John, New
Brunswick, has introduced DC to Go v2,
the upgrade of the companys mobile
app for the iPhone. The application allows
funeral directors to manage messages,
recordings, staff and services from a smartphone. The upgrade includes the following
enhancements: the ability to toggle multiple
accounts through one login, enhanced
service information organization, enhanced
communication with DC in real time, push
notification and a new look. Mobile applications for the BlackBerry and Android will
follow suit with an update with the same
new features as the iPhone within the year.
1.888.920.1900; askus@dchoice.com;
www.dchoice.com
n Alan Creedy of Alan Creedy &
Co., Raleigh, North Carolina, has received
accreditation from Human Synergistics
International, an assessment company
committed to transforming lackluster
groups into high-performing teams. I
had long believed the prevailing culture in
deathcare is passive-aggressive, a culture
where more energy is put into thwarting
things than achieving thembut done in
the nicest way, said Creedy.
During my accreditation process, I
administered the HSI culture assessments to
more than 80 funeral homes. This measurement tool enabled me to quantifiably verify
my belief about organizational culture and
their resistance to change. What I didnt expect was that it also revealed to me why this
culture prevails and how to move it toward
high performance. 919.926.0688; ;
www.alancreedy.com; creedyroundup.com

to page 148
IMSA AD
FULL PAGE
page 146
4-COLOR
S U P P LY L I N E
Gerry Givnish, Frank Joyce and Jim Cummings facilitate a discussion with attendees at Life Celebrations retreat.
from page 147

n Life Celebration Inc., North
Wales, Pennsylvania, was founded by
funeral directors Gerry Givnish and Jim
Cummings to provide funeral professionals with strategies, training and resources
to stage memorable and meaningful
experiences. The companys first retreat and
roundtable event featured a session with
Jim Gilmore, co-author of The Experience Economy and a special advisor to the
company. 1.888.887.3782;
jcummings@lifecelebraton.com;
www.lifecelebrationinc.com
n Homesteaders,
Des Moines, Iowa, has hired
Kristie Lynch and Eolo
Nizzi as account executives
based at the home office.
Lynch previously served as a
licensing and
compensation
Lynch
specialist at
Homesteaders.
Prior to joining Homesteaders, she worked as a customer
relationship management
business administrator at The
Principal Financial Group.
Nizzi
Nizzi brings more than a
decade of sales experience from his prior
positions. Before joining Homesteaders, he
worked as a marketing service specialist at
American Equity.
Homesteaders also recently honored
a number of account executives at its
national sales meeting. Joan Schoborg,
148
ICCFA Magazine
senior account executive,

home office region, was
named Graham J. Cook
Account Executive of the
Year. The award recognizes
the account executive who
best demonstrates the wide
variety of qualities necesSchoborg
sary to provide exceptional
service and support to
Homesteaders customers. Schoborg joined
Homesteaders in 2002, and became the
companys first home office-based account
executive in 2009. She also was named the
Home Office Region Account Executive of
the Year.
Steve Brodie, a senior account executive
in the West region, received the Daniel M.
Voecks Award for producing the highest annual volume in a calendar year. Honored as
regional account executives of the year were
Debi Fledderman (Midwest), Ron Amato
(Northeast), Phillip Anglin (Southeast) and
John Ledford (West).
1.800.477.3633;
www.homesteaderslife.com
n Sauder funeral products,
Archibold, Ohio, has upgraded its Heritage
casket line by increasing to a 24-and-ahalf-inch size. Affecting three caskets, one
in a golden cherry finish, one in an oak finish and a third in a new American chestnut
finish, these wider products have a deeper
shell to meet the needs of todays growing
Americans. However, these larger caskets
still fit in a standard vault.
1.866.419.3010;
www.sauderfuneralproducts.com
n Axiom Business Systems, Australia and Omaha, Nebraska, is launching

Axiom Insight, a customer relationship
management system that integrates with a
cemetery or funeral homes existing management system, at the ICCFA Annual
Convention. It will allow firms to extend
the life of their investments in a current
business management system, while gaining
the benefits of quick access to information in the form of interactive dashboards.
Axiom Insight is built on the Sage CRM
platform, which provides a robust and scalable customer service, sales and marketing
management system that allows companies
to, for example, have an automated service
to send anniversary cards. To see a live
demonstration, visit Axiom at booth #536.
1.866.588.2842;
Rachel.Colla@AxiomBusinessSystems.com;
www.AxiomBusinessSystems.com
n Marcia Akins, a software developer
for Memorial Business Systems,
Franklin, Tennessee, has received the
Microsofts Lifetime Achievement Award
in Visual FoxPro, only the
15th person to receive that
honor worldwide, and the
second MBS recipient in the
last three years. She joined
the MBS staff last May after
15 years as an independent
consultant. She also is a 10time winner of Microsofts
FoxPro MVP award, given
to those who have demonstrated expertise and leadership in the growth of Visual
FoxPro technology. She has
Akins
published two books on VFP
and spoken at user groups and conferences
all over the world.
1.800.844.4447; www.mbs-intl.com
n clearpoint federal bank
& trust, Batesville, Indiana, is the new
name for Forethought Federal Savings
Bank. Now is the perfect time for us to
establish our own identity outside of the
Forethought brand, said President George
Junker. Although weve been independently owned and operated since 2007, the
recently completed acquisition of Forethought Financial Group Inc. by Global
Atlantic Financial Group Ltd. opened the
door for us to make this move. ClearPoint
Federal continues to operate with the same
management team and support staff in the
same locations in Batesville, Indiana, and
Houston, Texas. 812.933.6683
George.Junker@clearpointfederal.com;
www.clearpointfederal.com
S U P P LY L I N E
n R&S Design Gallery, Indianapolis,
Indiana, recently donated marble urns to
the Missing in America Project. The projects
mission is to locate, identify and inter the
unclaimed cremated remains of American
veterans. R&S Designs has donated nearly
1,000 marble urns, with more to be donated
later this year. Fred Salanti, MIA Project executive director, said: I am speechless at the
generous donation from R&S Designs; their
support will allow MIAP to offer all veterans
and their dependents that have been located
and verified to not be interred in a fiberglass,
state-ordered container, but rather a beautiful
marble urn. The urns donated will be distributed all over the country to local branches of
MIAP. 1.866.763.0485;
www.RSMemorialProducts.com
n A Simple Thank You, Alsip, Illinois, has launched ASTY Mobile. Guests
now have the option to sign the guest
book by entering their name, address and
email address and also can leave a personal
condolence from anywhere in the world by
using their smartphone, tablet or desktop
computer. Guests have multiple ways to take
advantage of ASTY Mobile. They can search
for services by using the funeral home name
or by the name of the deceased. They can
scan a QR code created by A Simple Thank
You and displayed at the funeral home. Or,
funeral homes can use the option of displaying or linking to a unique URL for ASTY
Mobile on their website. 1.800.483.0671;
info@asimplethankyou.com;
www.asimplethankyou.com
n amplivox, Northbrook, Illinois, has
introduced a new line of multimedia presentation furniture integrating cutting-edge
technology. AmpliVoxs new multimedia
lecterns accommodate a multitude of devices
such as computers, tablets and smartphones,
with dedicated shelving, lockable storage and
integrated outlets to simplify connections.
www.ampli.com
n Batesville, Batesville, Indiana, has
named Bob Sheridan as e-commerce
product manager at the
companys headquarters.
He will be managing and
leading Batesvilles consumerfacing technology products
and business lines, including
its sympathy flower, gift and
card offerings, video tributes,
print on-demand offerings,
Sheridan
plus online obituaries and
media. Sheridan spent 17 years in a variety of
marketing, IT and production management
positions with Herff Jones. He received a BBA
in marketing from Saint Josephs College and
earned his MBA from Indiana University.
During February, Batesville partnered

with Taylor Insight Worldwide LLC to
create and deliver career and businessoriented digital content for funeral directors and professionals in celebration of
Black History Month. Taylor is a New
York-based leadership development and
management consulting firm. Throughout
the month, the company shared information through a dedicated website, BatesvilleHonors.com, to help funeral professionals
achieve business goals and manage their
businesses more effectively. The website also
included free blog posts, video segments
and downloadable tutorials developed by
author and entrepreneur Andr Taylor.
812.934.7500; www.batesville.com
n ASD, Media, Pennsylvania, has created a full-scale weather response plan to
ensure that clients calls can be answered
regardless of storms. The company has
an onsite generator that ensured the office
could remain operational during the snow
and ice storm that impacted more than 30
states in January. During major weather
events, the company provides incentives and
accommodations so staff can stay overnight
if necessary. More than 10 call specialists
camped out the night before the winter
storm hit. More than 40 camped out during both Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane
Irene. This year, ASD is highly focused on
growing the companys remote capabilities
so that team members also can work from
home if necessary. Kevin@myasd.com;
1.800.868.9950; www.myasd.com
n everplans, New York, New York,
has announced a number of key hires.
Editorial Director Gene Newman is former
editor-in-chief of Maxim.com, and Chief
Technology Officer Warren Habib is
formerly of MTV Networks, Fotolog and
AddThis. Both roles will help the company
to generate content and utilities for Everplans new platform, which is currently in
invitation-only Beta. Everplans closed a
significant seed round of funding in the
summer and is widely releasing its new
personal planning product this year.
Everplans also added expertise from the
death care and financial services industries.
Elizabeth Meyer, funeral planning expert
who will be the voice of Funeral Guru,
spent the past four years serving as a family services liaison at New Yorks Frank E.
Campbell funeral home and Riverside Memorial Chapel. She will be the voice of the
Funeral Guru. Michael Herman, formerly
a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch, is
director of business development.
www.everplans.com

Batesville made special content available during Black History Month.
Missing winter? The effects of a snow

and ice storm outside ASD headquarters, which continued to operate, using
its weather response plan.
Everplans website.
to page 150
March-April 2014
149
S U P P LY L I N E
BirdBGones heavy-duty bird netting.
One of MKJs ads designed for

high-definition television.
An online cremation shopping cart

designed by MKJ for funeral homes
that have gotten into the minimum
cremation business.
Duncan Stuart Todds PrepWash, a

body wash developed at the request
of a funeral director for a ritual washing tool.
150
ICCFA Magazine
from page 149

n Bird-B-Gone INc., Irvine, California, offers Bird Net 2000, a professional
grade heavy-duty netting designed to
block birds from areas where they are
not wanted. Made of polyethylene knotted
net, it is U.V. stabilized as well as rot-proof
and waterproof, subzero stable and flame
resistant. It is available in three mesh sizes
three-quarter inch, 1 and one-eighth inch
and 2 inchas well as in three colors: black,
stone and white. Custom cuts and same
day shipping are available, and company
technicians can help design an installation.
1.800.392.6915; www.birdbgone.com
n mkj marketing, Largo, Florida, has
more than 30 top quality television advertisements suitable for viewing on high-definition flat-screen TVs, available for funeral
homes to license on an exclusive basis. The
spots were produced specifically for highdefinition viewing and address a number of
different issues, including pet cremation services, cremation, preneed, controlling funeral
costs, local ownership, services for veterans,
competing with lower-priced competitors,
celebrant services, cemetery/mortuary combinations and cremation societies and discount
funeral services.
Also, since many of MKJ Marketings
traditional funeral home clients have ventured
into the minimum cremation business, the
company has developed an e-commerce
cremation website that educates consumers
as well as allowing them to make and pay for
their arrangements online.
Also, MKJ has announced
that longtime associate
Sandra Deal has relocated to
Portland, Oregon, to assume
the position of West Coast
marketing advisor. Sandra
has developed expertise in all
Deal
areas of MKJs business over
her seven-year career in deathcare marketing. She is particularly knowledgeable of media strategy and placement,
website development, SEO and social media,
and has managed video and still photography
shoots. She can be reached at 1.855.206.4813
or sdeal@mkjmarketing.com.
1.888.655.1566; www.mkjmarketing.com
n Duncan stuart todd, Boulder,
Colorado, has introduced Todd PrepWash,
a new body wash with versatile applications in the funeral home embalming and
dressing room. Developed at the request of
a funeral director for a ritual washing tool,
the specialty product can meet any need for
washing or clean up. It is supplied with two
hoses, a 12-foot clear hose and an 8-foot
stainless steel hose with a soft spray head. The
unit is compact, made of stainless steel and

easy to clean. It is deck-mounted, and the hot
and cold mixing faucets are operated by hand.
In many situations, the religious practice of
ritual cleansing takes place in the preparation
room of the funeral home where water service
is available. By installing PrepWash in the
dressing room, a more suitable environment
can be provided for those who are required
to observe the ritual, while at the same time
keeping the preparation room available for its
primary function. The device is also adaptable
to other uses and locations throughout the
facility. 1.877.832.6898;
info@duncanstuarttodd.com;
www.duncanstuarttodd.com
n Codi Shewan has
launched everlearn
associates, Toronto,
Canada, a comprehensive
training and development
firm for the funeral profession. Training is available
in several areas that affect
Shewan
a companys bottom line,
including sales, customer
service and operational effectiveness, as
well as tools to support training efforts such
as performance management, incentive
program development and client surveys.
Shewan previously worked 14 years with
Arbor Memorial Services Inc.
647.654.2634; www.everlearnassociates.com
n Forethought life insurance
co., Indianapolis, Indiana, has launched a
new preneed imminent annuity, providing a solution for funeral homes and their
customers when a death is expected within
a year. These customers can effectively plan
their final arrangements and funeral homes
can avoid commission chargebacks due to
firstyear death. The annuity can be issued
for ages up to 105 years old. In conjunction
with the annuity launch, a new combination
enrollment form, which supports the sale of
both the annuity product and life insurance
product, rolled out. The combination enrollment form is simplified to two pages with
four health questions, and allows payment
via check, credit card or APA.
www.forethought.com
n Star service alliance, The
Woodlands, Texas, has added Crystal
Remembrance, Columbus, Ohio, as a supplier partner. Crystal Remembrance offers a
hand-crafted glass art piece containing a small
amount of cremated remains to memorialize
a loved one. info@starservicealliance.com;
www.starservicealliance.com
information@crystalremembrance.com;
1.888.930.7363;
www.crystalremembrance.com
S U P P LY L I N E
n Kelco Supply Co., Minneapolis,
Minnesota, is celebrating its diamond
anniversary, having served the death-care
industry for 75 years. Founded in 1939 by
Leo Hodroff, it was originally named L.H.
Kellogg Chemical Co. The company went
through two corporate transitions until it
ultimately ended up back in independent
hands in 1990. Current owner Alicia Carr
continues to her mother Nira Meskers
legacy. 1.800.328.7720;
www.kelcosupply.com
n Security national
life insurance co.,
Archibold, Ohio, has hired
John Little and Karla Kesting as market
sales managers in its
preneed diviLittle
sion. Little is
covering Northern California
and Kirkland, Central California. Current manager Andrew Pavela is transferring Kesting
from Illinois
to cover Southern California. Little has more than 25
years of experience in sales,
marketing and sales management. Kesting has many years
of life and preneed insurance
experience, in addition to exPavela
perience in customer service
and marketing. Prior to his current position,
Pavela worked as a planning advisor in the
preneed insurance industry, bringing nearly
two decades of experience in the consulting and sales industries. He is a graduate of
Western Illinois University. He is Six Sigma
qualified and a recipient of several Million
Dollar Club awards as well as Presidents
Circle. www.snlabetterway.com
n tributes.com, Boston, Massachusetts, has formed a partnership with Topix,
the leading news community on the web, to
power a custom obituary section providing
timely obituary news to supplement Topix.
coms local content delivered to every city
and town across the country. Tributes.com
documented over 80 percent of the deaths
in the country in 2012 and possesses one of
the largest databases of obituaries and death
notices within the United States97 million
records and growing.
www.tributes.com/sales
n Unity FInancial Life Insurance Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, has hired
Cynthia English as vice president, operations. She has 26 years of life insurance
operations experience and is a graduate of
Ohio State University, a Fellow of the Life
Management Institute, a Chartered Life

Underwriter and a Certified Public Accountant. 1.877.523.3231; www.uflife.com
n Holland supply, Holland, Michigan, has added a 15-by-15-foot aluminum
roll-arount tent to its their rolling tent
line. Constructed of 2-inch-square, anodized aluminum tubing, this frame weighs
less and is virtually rust proof. It comes with
added reinforcement in the corners of each
frame along with a choice of 12-inch or 14inch heavy-duty wheels and casters. Tents
can be personalized with choice of color,
name plate and walls.
1.800.527.8818; sales@hollandsupply.com;
www.hollandsupply.com
n Funeral Directors Life INsurance Co., Abilene, Texas, has hired Rick
Kure as director of sales development for
Illinois. He more than 30 years of funeralrelated experience, working as a funeral
director in the Chicago area for 10 years and
in insurance and casket sales for more than
20 years. A graduate of Lewis University
with a bachelors degree in business administration, he received his associates degree
from Southern Illinois University and is a
licensed funeral director in Illinois.
www.funeraldirectorslife.com
n FRONTRUNNER
PROFESSIONAL, Kingston,
Ontario, has hired Poul
Lemasters of Lemasters
Consulting as legal counsel.
A portion of FrontRunner revenues received from
monthly licensing and hostLemasters
ing fees will cover a retainer
fee to allow clients to access Lemasters services for any funeral related legal concerns,
including obituary piracy, which is causing
funeral directors to lose online revenue.
Lemasters serves as the cremation counsel
for the ICCFA and advisory counsel for the
PLPA.
Also, following a leave
of absence, Paul Orlando
is back at FrontRunner
full time. He had been with
FrontRunner for almost
seven years when he took
some time away to help his
wife create Orlando Creative
Orlando
Studios. 1.866.748.3625;
www.FrontRunner360.com
n Kubota, Torrance, California, has
introduced a new line of front-mount
commercial diesel mowers. The F90 Series
consists of three models: the F2690E, F2690
and the F3990. The F3990 is the top-ofthe-line, four-wheel-drive model with the
highest-ever horsepower among all Kubota
Billion Graves is using crowdsourcing

to gather information from and photos
of cemetery memorials all over the
world with the help of a free app.
n Billion graves, Kaysville, Utah,

has partnered with MyHeritage, an
online family history network, to launch
a global crowdsourcing initiative
to preserve the
information in the
worlds cemeteries.
BillionGraves is a
free iOS and Android application
that lets users easily
photograph and
document gravestones, providing
an important
source of information for people
intrigued about
their ancestors and
family history.
Using patent-pending technology, BillionGraves is the only mobile application
of its kind. With the help of MyHeritage,
the app will be available in 25 languages,
and will support Gregorian, Hebrew and
Julian dates. It records the GPS locations of
gravestones to make them easy to find and
sp volunteers can easily see which areas of
any cemetery remain undocumented, to
maximize efficiency and avoid duplication.
The gravestone photographs are then transcribed by volunteers on the BillionGraves
website, resulting in searchable digital data.
All records collected are made available
for free on the BillionGraves and MyHeritage websites. support@billiongraves.com;
r
801.885.4659; www.billiongraves.com
March-April 2014
151
Calendar
E-mail calendar listings and additions or
corrections to Association Pipeline to
bclough@iccfa.com
For continually updated meeting listings
and direct links to websites for professional

associations, go to www.iccfa.com; select
Directory, then Industry Association Directory.
To see all industry conventions and meetings for

a particular month, go to www.iccfa.com; select
Directory, then Industry Calendar.
March 18-20: Ohio Cemetery Assn. Spring Conf.,

Doubletree Hotel, Worthington.
www.ohiocemeteryassociation.com
March 19-20: Delaware Funeral Directors
Assn. Bi-Annual Convention, Sheraton, Dover.
302.762.8448
March 20-22: California Assn. of Public Ceme

teries 56th Annual Conf., Embassy Suites Man
dalay Bay, Oxnard. publiccemeteries@aol.com
March 21-23: Tanexpo, Bologna, Italy.
www.tanexpo.com
March 24-27: The Center for Loss & Life Transition

course with Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Comprehensive Bereavement Skills Training, Fort Collins, Colorado.
www.centerforloss.com
March 24-27: MKJ Seminars The Hybrid Funeral
Home: How to Compete on Both Ends of the Price
Spectrum, and Preneed Marketing: New Ways to
Grow Market Share, Whats Working and Whats
Not, Sarasota, Florida. www.mkjmarketing.com
March 26-27: Louisiana Funeral Directors Assn.
Winter Mtg., Cecil J. Picard Center, Lafayette.
lfda@lfdaweb.org
March 27-29: International Order of the Golden
Rule Annual Conf., Charleston, South Carolina.
www.org.org
March 29: Rhode Island Funeral Directors Assn.

Annual Installation Dinner, Chapel Grill, Cranston.
www.rifda.org
April 2: Florida Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral

Assn. Maintenance Expo, Lakeland, Florida.www.
thefccfa.com
April 4: Massachusetts Cemetery Assn. Annual

Mtg., Renaissance Hotel Gillette Stadium, Foxboro.
www.macemetery.org
April 7-9: North Dakota Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Ramada Plaza, Fargo.
www.ndfda.org
April 7-10: The Center for Loss & Life Transition

course with Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Understanding and
Go to www.iccfa.com and choose Directory/Industry Calendar to see a monthly

calendar of industry association meetings worldwide.
Responding to Complicated Mourning, Fort Collins, Colorado. www.centerforloss.com
April 8-11: ICCFA Annual Convention, Mandalay

Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
www.iccfa.com
April 8: MKJ Seminars Battling the Discounters:
Lets Get Ready to Rumble, Las Vegas, Nevada.
www.mkjmarketing.com
April 9-11: British Columbia Funeral Assn. 86th
Annual General Mtg. & Conf., Marriott at River
Cree, Edmonton. www.bcfunerals.com
April 14-16: Academy of Graduate Embalmers of

Georgia Annual Clinic. www.ageg.org
April 14-16: Oklahoma Funeral Directors Assn.

112th Annual Convention, Embassy Suites Hotel &
Convention Center, Norman. www.okfda.com
April 17: Alliance of Illinois Cemeterians
Workshop, DOH Services, South Holland.
www.aicemeterians.org
to page 153
S U P P LY L I N E
front-mount mowers, featuring 39 hp at
2,500 rpm. Each F90-Series model has a
single-speed pedal hydrostatic transmission allowing for quick response directional
changes and varying speeds to keep the
operators hands free for steering and implement control. Each model has a 16.1 gallon
fuel tank and auto-assist four-wheel-drive
that works in forward and reverse. The
Series PTO shaft drive offers a smooth and
direct power transfer from the engine to the
deck and other PTO-driven attachments.
And, because there are no belts or pulleys,
less overall maintenance is required. The
heavy duty commercial mower deck comes
with an improved baffle to prevent cut grass
152
ICCFA Magazine
from discharging to the front, and a larger

discharge chute for better discharge performance. The side or rear discharge mower
is available in 60- and 72-inch widths and
both tilt up 90 degrees for easier cleaning
and blade sharpening. A tilt steering wheel
and adjustable, deluxe high back seat, plus a
large operator platform and ergonomically
placed levers, are standard with any F-Series
model.
Also, Kubota and ECHO Inc. have
announced a U.S. dealer alliance. As part
of the alliance, ECHO and Shindaiwa will
become the preferred brands of hand-held
outdoor power equipment and ECHO
Bear Cat the preferred brand of chippers,
shredders, log splitters and wheeled trimmers within the Kubota dealer network.
1.888.458.2682, ext. 900; www.kubota.com
n The Center for Loss and Life
Transition, Fort Colllins, Oregon, has
announced the locations of Dr. Alan Wolfelts educational workshops that explore
various topics related to grief, mourning
and the importance of meaningful funeral
ceremonies. Sponsors include hospices,
hospitals, universities, funeral homes and a
variety of community agencies throughout
the United Sates and Canada. 970.226.6050;
www.centerforloss.com
r
C alen d a r
from page 152
April 21-25: Catholic Cemeteries of

the West 27th Annual Convention,
Hilton El Conquistador, Tucson.
www.ccwecare.org
April 23-26: Assn. for Death
Education 36th Annual Conf.,
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel,
Baltimore, Maryland. www.adec.org
April 27-29: Texas Cemeteries Assn.

Annual Convention & Gravediggers
Classic Golf Tournament, Hyatt
Regency Lost Pines Resort, Bastrop.
www.txca.us
April 29: ICCFA Cremation Arranger
Certification Program, Gupton-Jones
College of Funeral Service, Decatur,
Georgia. www.iccfa.com
April 29-May 1: New Jersey
Cemetery Assn. Annual Convention,
Golden Nugget, Atlantic City.
thenjca@gmail.com
April 30: ICCFA Crematory Operator
Certification Program, Gupton-Jones
College of Funeral Service, Decatur,
Georgia. www.iccfa.com
April 30-May 1: New York State
Assn. of Cemeteries 37th Annual
Public Affairs Seminar, Hilton Albany.
www.nysac.com
May 4-7: Kansas Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Wichita
Marriott. www.ksfda.org
May 4-7: Oregon Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, The
Riverhouse, Bend. www.ofda.org
May 5-8: The Center for Loss &

Life Transition course with Dr. Alan
Wolfelt, Exploring the Shadow of the
Ghosts of Grief, Fort Collins, Colorado. www.centerforloss.com
May 6-7: Nebraska Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Younges
Conf. Center, Kearney.
www.nefda.org
May 7-9: South Dakota Funeral
Directors Assn. Annual Convention,
Deadwood. www.sdfda.org
May 8-9: Funeral & Cremation
Services Council of Saskatchewan
Annual General Mtg. & Spring
Symposium, Radisson Hotel,
Saskatoon. www.fcscs.ca
May 12-14: North Carolina Funeral

Directors Assn. Ed. Conf. & Expo,
Hilton Wilmington RIverside,
Wilmington. www.ncfda.org
May 12-15: South Carolina Morti

cians Assn. Annual Convention,
Embassy Suites Hotel & Conf. Center,
North Charleston.
scmainc@gmail.com
May 13-15: Iowa Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention (golf May
12). www.iafda.org
May 14: Florida Cemetery,

Cremation & Funeral Assn. Regional
Mtg. & Embalming Seminar, Orlando.
www.thefccfa.com
May 14-16: Ohio Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention &
Exhibition, Hilton Columbus at
Easton, www.ofdaonline.org
May 19-21: Minnesota Funeral
Directors Assn. Annual Convention,
Earle Brown Convention Center,
Minneapolis. info@mnfuneral.org
May 21-24: Funeral Service Assn.
of Canada Annual General Mtg. &
Convention, Delta St. Johns, St.
Johns, Newfoundland. www.fsac.ca
Check the classified announcements

at www.iccfa.com/employment.htm
To place a classified, contact Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com
Fort Lauderdale area
Largest premier family-owned

cemetery-funeral combo in
Florida. No micro-management
or corporate pressure; no need for
Florida insurance license.Benefits
include: health, life, dental,
vision, 401K, bonuses,vacation.
Applicant needs to hav the
work ethic to succeed and the
sales ability to be financially
June 16-19: Funeral Directors &

Morticians Assn. of North Carolina
Annual Convention, Durham Con
vention Center. www.fdmanc.org r
secure. An experienced, moneymotivated, high-caliber individual

is what we are looking for.
Please forward resum to
Scott Hand, shand@fredhunters.
com, or David Graddy, dgraddy@
fredhunters.com, or you may call
Scott at 954.494.2786 or David at
954.494.5866.
All inquiries will be held in
strict confidence E.O.E.
r
|800|426.5973
June 2-5: The Center for Loss &

Life Transition course with Dr. Alan
Wolfelt, Comprehensive Bereavement Skills Training, Fort Collins,
Colorado. www.centerforloss.com
June 4-6: Arizona Funeral, Ceme

tery & Cremation Assn. Annual
Convention, Omni Tucson National
Resort. www.azfcca.org
June 4-7: Independent Funeral
Directors of Florida Annual Conf.,
Kissimmee Embassy Suites, Lake
Buena Vista South. www.ifdf.org
June 5-7: Tennessee Funeral
Directors Assn./Tennessee
Funeral Supply Sales Club Annual
Convention, Embassy Suite Hotel
& Conf. Center, Murfreesboro.
1.800.532.1599
June 8-10: Mississippi Funeral
Directors Assn.Annual Convention,
Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino, Biloxi.
www.mississippifuneraldirectors.com
June 8-11: Pennsylvania Funeral
Holiday Inn, Grantville. www.pfda.org
June 9-11: West Virginia Funeral
Morgantown. www.wvfda.com
June 9-13: Texas Funeral Directors
Assn.Annual Convention, Galveston.
www.tfda.com
June 15-18: Alabama Funeral Direc
tors Assn. 128th Annual Convention,
Marriotts Grand Hotel & Spa, Point
Clear. AFDA06@bellsouth.net
June 15-18: Georgia Funeral
King & Prince Hotel, St. Simons.
www.gfda.com
June 16-18: Western Pennsylvania
Funeral Directors Assn. 106th Annual
Convention, Ambassador Conf.
Center, Erie. www.wpfda.org
Classifieds
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE/WWW.ADOVERMARKER.COM
For classified, display, WIRELESS and website

advertising, contact Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com
March-April 2014
153
129 Abbott & Hast

23 Adfinity
109 AFCTS
73 American Cemetery/Mortuary
Consultants
123 American Columbarium
119 ASDAnswering Service for Directors
17 Astral Industries
89 Axis Corp.
93 Bass-Mollett
103 Batesville Casket
133 Biondan North America Inc.
4 Carrier Mausoleums Construction
101 Cherokee Casket
3 Coldspring
75 Coldspring
123 Columbian Financial Group
63 Continental Computer Corp.
89 Cooperative Funeral Fund
141 Cremation With Confidence
91 Custom Air Trays
95 Dakota Granite Co.
73 Directors Choice
47 Doric Products
113 Duncan Stuart Todd
2 Eagle Coach
83 Eickhof Columbaria

121 Elegante Brass Co.

129 Ensure-A-Seal
51 FDR-Osiris Software
139 Flowers for Cemeteries
71 Forethought Life Insurance Companies
145 Forever Pets Inc.
49 Front Runner Professional
9 Funeral Call
39 Funeral Home Gifts
99 Funeral Services Inc.
21 Great Western Insurance Co.
77 Grever & Ward
117 Heritage Flower Co.
125 Holland Supply
77 Holy Land Stone
115 Homesteaders Life Co.
129 Honor Life
133 ICCFA Service Bureau
146 IMSA
125 J. Stuart Todd Inc.
13 Johnson Consulting
137 Kinkaraco Green Funeral Products
45 Kryprotek
41 Live Oak Bank
105 Love Urns LLC
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ICCFA Magazine
23 LP Bronze
73 Madelyn Co.
143 Maderas y Metales SA de CV
31 Matthews International
139 McCleskey Mausoleums
113 Meadow Hill Corp.
119 Mekus Tanager
155 Merendino Cemetery Care
33 Messenger
35 Messenger
37 Messenger
101 Milne Construction Co.
67 MKJ Marketing
77 Mortuary Financial Services
11 National Guardian Life Insurance Co.
156 National Mortuary Shipping
123 Nomis Publications
53 Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &
Hippel
61 Paradise Pictures
25 Passages International
107 Physicians Mutual
91 Pontem Software
15 Progressive Environmental Services
69 RBC Wealth Management
43 Sauder Funeral Products
119 Security National Life Insurance Co.
89 SEP Technologies
131 Southern Cemetery, Cremation &
Funeral Association
5 SRS Computing
65 Star Granite & Bronze
27 Starmark Funeral Products
29 Stonemor Partners
111 Stonemor Partners
143 Supply Link
129 SVE Portable Roadway Systems
7 The Tribute Companies
19 Trigard
45 Triple H Co.
97 U.S. Metalcraft
121 Vantage Products Corp.
113 VKM International
101 Whitebridge Financial
59 Wilbert Funeral Services
121 WithumSmith + Brown
127 Worsham College
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Rebuilding after a devastating loss Recording the sacrifices of underage vets

Finding the nugget

Profiles of firms exhibiting

National Mortuary Shipping AD

SRS FULL PAGE

Top: Lauren Blevins and her father, Alan

From indifferent students to teachers who make a difference

Bottom: Some of the landscaping for

A tale of two familiesand why funeral directors matter

Finding the nuggets that are the basis of meaningful service

74 public rel ations/Pet service

How to handle complaints in the era of the customer is always right

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

A fire taught us to prepare for the worse-case what-ifs

Molly Jin, Planning

52 ICCFA staff onsite at the 2014

ICCFA Convention & Expo to

53 ICCFA Annual Convention

& Expo, April 8-11: Sessions

54 ICCFA Wide World of Sales:

Salespeople, suppliers, marketing

2014 WWS session recordings

56 KIP Awards: Recipients excel

57 All Star partners Thank you

to all our convention & expo

57 ICCFA partners with CANA on

2014 cremation training sessions

57 PLPA Save the date:

4th Annual PLPA College

Generate publicity before, during and after an event

Breaking Bad fans mourn end of show with a funeral

What to do when a low-price competitor enters your market

106 Cemetery Management

The design and redesign of new and aging cemeteries

110 Preserving history

Documenting the service of Seattles youngest hero

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

Submit your news

n Write it down. It doesnt have to be

How to keep your calm when other people dont

The value of a funeralwhy do we do the things we do?

124 l andscape design

Preserving a historic landscape while adding a modern building

2014 Fall Management

Check us out on Facebook!

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

n To apply for ICCFA

Youve come a long way, baby!

educational events each year.

Nancy Lohman, LFD, CCFE, president

Fred Lappin, CCE, president-elect

Susan Loving, managing editor

Robert Treadway director of

Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

2014 by the International Cemetery, Cremation

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

friends, mentors and teachers, including Ernie

benefits such as compelling programming at

It is not the destination that matters,

In 2004, Nicki Wiedeman asked me to parti

Thanks, my mentors, my friends

A friend is one of the nicest things you

Lowell and Nancy Lohman begin the year

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com