ICCFA Magazine May 2016

May 2016
MAGAZINE
CEMETERY
CREMATION
FUNERAL
2015 KIP Award

winners, plus:
Lemasters on
photographing
the deceased
Preparing for
rising OSHA fines
Accounting
for cemeteries
Building sales
via relationships
2016
ICCFAU
colleges
US Metalcraft AD
FULL PAGE
page 2 (C2)
4-COLOR
Johnson AD
FULL PAGE
page 3
4-COLOR
4 5
MAY 2 0 1 6 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
10 management/legal
KIP Award winners: 1. Striffler-Hamby

Funeral Home/SCI, page 20; 2. Beyond
the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial
Center, page 36; 3. Rose Hill Cemetery,
page 32; 4. Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services, page 28; 5. Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services, page
34; 6. Catholic Cemeteries Archdiocese
of Newark, page 24.
8 Washington report
Funeral service again at the
bottom of FTCs list of consumer
complaints
by Robert M. Fells, Esq.
47 Update
47 Roselawn dedicates butterfly

cremation garden
56 Supply Line
65 Calendar
65 New Members
66 Classifieds
66 Ad Index
Someone take my picture: To take or not take photos of the deceased

The $55 million award in the Erin Andrews case has convinced some
death-care providers that they should never take photographs of the
deceased in their care. While there are lessons to be learned from the
case, thats not one of them.
by Poul Lemasters, Esq.
12 management/safety
OSHA fines going up soon Are you ready for a visit from OSHA?
Fines are going up this year, so now is the time to make sure your
workplace meets safety standards.
by Shannon DeCamp
14 Sales
Building better relationships first will result in better sales later

Being able to present product options is only part of selling memorials.
The crucial first step is showing the family that you care and can be trusted.
by Jeff Miller, CFSP
16 management
Cemetery Impossible: How should the purchase of a cemetery be

recorded, and what comes after that? A cemetery is a special place,
not only to families but also to accountants. Its not a typical business,
and decisions about how to record the business of a cemetery need to be
made with an eye to consistency.
by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS
20 KIP: Most personalized service or memorial
Grand Prize Winner: Personalized visitation touches family

Striffler-Hamby Funeral Home/SCI
22 The KIP Awards

May 2016
VOLUME 76/NUMBER 4
ICCFA officers
Michael Uselton, CCFE, president
Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Paul Goldstein, vice president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
vice president
Scott R. Sells, CCFE, vice president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, treasurer
Daniel L. Villa, secretary
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
general counsel
Magazine staff
Susan Loving, managing editor

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

communications & member services
robt@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Katherine Devins, communications assistant
kd@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1218
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)
danielo@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1215
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
2016 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 201644468. 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.
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
Coldspring AD
FULL PAGE
page 5
4-COLOR
ICCFA news
61 ICCFA University, July 17-22:
An invitation from Chancellor

Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
62 College of 21st Century Services
Includes celebrant training by Doug

Manning and Dean Glenda Stansbury
62 College of Cremation
Services Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
63 College of Funeral Home Man-
agement Dean Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
63 College of Land Management
& Grounds Operations

Dean Gino Merendino
63 College of International
Studies Dean Jim Hammond
47 J. Asher Neel College
of Sales & Marketing

Dean Gary OSullivan, CCFE
51 College of Leadership,
Administration & Management

Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE
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!
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 & 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.
Questions? Need some guidance?
Email ICCFA Magazine
Managing Editor Susan Loving
at sloving@iccfa.com.
6
ICCFA Magazine
TA B LE OF CONTENTS
24 KIP: Events
Dozens of teens build birdhouses, bring life to Catholic cemeteries

Catholic Cemeteries Archdiocese of Newark
27 How to plan a birdhouse-building program at your cemetery
28 Picnic offers food, fun and fellowship
Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services
32 KIP: Best Practice/Personal touch
Memorial urn cover adds dignity to committal services and

increases family satisfaction Rose Hill Cemetery
34 Ornaments, treats and attention help families know that theyre

not forgotten during the holidays
Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services
36 KIP: Most Personalized Pet Service/Memorial
Honoring the life and service of Officer Pepper

Beyond the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial Center
40 KIP: INnovative personalized product
Cemetery360 allows people to visit cemeteries anywhere via virtual

reality Cemetery360
42 ASDs Web Chat gets funeral directors talking live with
telephone-shy consumers Answering Service for Directors
44 Frazer Consultants captures hand-written info digitally
to generate keepsakes and thank-yous Frazer Consultants
46 Frontrunners Simpler Times aimed at cremation families
FrontRunner Professional
ICCFA calendar
go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship info
Cremation Training
May 25 (operator) & 26 (arranger)

Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas, Texas
ICCFA Cremation Program Coordinator Poul Lemasters, Esq.
2016 ICCFA University
July 22-27 Fogelman Conference Center, Memphis, Tennessee

Chancellor:Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
2016 Fall Management Conference
October 5-7 Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah

Island, South Carolina Conference Chairs: Gwen Mooney,
CCFE, and Wanda Sizemore
2017 Wide World of Sales Conference
January 11-14 Hyatt Regency, Phoenix, Arizona

2017 Annual Convention & Exposition
March 29-April 1 Charlotte Convention Center & The Westin Charlotte,
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.iccfa.com
Directories
www.iccfa.com/directories
Web Expo directory of suppliers
and professionals
Association directory
Industry event calendar
Matthews AD
FULL PAGE
page 7
4-COLOR
Washington Report
by ICCFA General
Funeral service again at the bottom
Counsel Robert
M. Fells, Esq.
of FTCs list of consumer complaints
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 from this author,

about this subject
Funeral Radio. ICCFA
General Counsel Robert Fells,
Esq., talks about legal and
legislative issues affecting
funeral, cemetery and
cremation businesses at
www.funeralradio.com
More resources
Wireless. ICCFA members,
send us your email address and
well send you our biweekly electronic newsletter full
of breaking news.
n March 1, the Federal Trade

Commission published its annual
tally of consumer complaints based
on the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network. This
report is important because it contains not only
complaints received by the FTC itself, but also
similar data from the IRS and other federal
agencies, many state consumer protection
agencies and, most important for the ICCFAs
purposes, all of the North American Better
Business Bureaus.
As the number of agencies contributing
complaint data increases each year, it is
important to track the number of funeral-related
complaints that are included.
For 2015, the Sentinel Network received
3,083,379 consumer complaints. This number
is an increase over the totals from the last two
years: 2,629,987 in 2014 and 2,175,355 in 2013.
The top categories are debt collection, at 29
percent, and identity theft, at 16 percent.
We are pleased to find that the number and
percentage of funeral-related complaints have
declined for the second consecutive year, even
as the number of total complaints overall rise:
2013: 1,296 funeral-related complaints, or
0.06 percent of the total
2014 1,222 funeral-related complaints, or
2015 1,123 funeral-related complaints, or
These numbers are important because they
show that the number of funeral complaints
is declining not only as a percentage of total
complaints, but have actually declined, even as
the number of overall complaints continues to
increase. As it is, the number of funeral-related

May 2016
VOLUME 76/NUMBER 4
ICCFA officers
Michael Uselton, CCFE, president
Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Paul Goldstein, vice president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
vice president
Scott R. Sells, CCFE, vice president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, treasurer
Daniel L. Villa, secretary
general counsel
Magazine staff
Susan Loving, managing editor

sloving@iccfa.com; slovingiccfa@yahoo.com
Rick Platter, supplier relations manager
rplatter@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1213
ICCFA Magazine
complaints are in decline despite the increase in

total complaints.
Some people may claim that there are many
more complaints that go unreported because
consumers dont know where to file or they will
not take the time to file a complaint. It seems
realistic to admit this is likely, but the question
is, how many complaints do go unreported? For
purposes of discussion, it is not unreasonable to
add 10 percent to the total, which still adds up to
a small number of funeral-related compalints.
Some consumer advocates and others would
extrapolate a much higher number of unreported
complaints, despite lacking any documentation
to justify higher numbers. The real value of the
Sentinel data is that it is the one objective report
that documents actual complaints rather than
engaging in conjuncture.
We may want to view the FTC report as more
of a barometer indicating a general condition
(fair or stormy) rather than as a thermometer
that would provide an exact temperature. In
that sense, the FTC report on funeral-related
complaints suggests sunny skies more than
anything else.
This year for the first time, the FTC report
lists 30 categories of consumer complaints,
and includes funeral service complaints
at the very bottom. The list includes tax
preparers, charitable solicitations, Internet
auctions and buyers clubs, all of which drew
more complaints than funeral service. These
categories add up to less than one percent out of
the total of 3.08 million complaints for 2015.
The FTC report can be viewed at www.ftc.
gov/reports/consumer-sentinel-network-databook-january-december-2015.
r
Robert Treadway, director of

communications & member services
robt@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Katherine Devins, communications assistant
kd@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1218
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)
danielo@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1215
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
2016 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 201644468. 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.
by Poul Lemasters, Esq.

513.407.8114
poul@lemasters
consulting.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Lemasters is prin-
cipal of Lemasters
Consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio.
www.lemasters
consulting.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.
ICCFA membership benefit
Lemasters is the ICCFAs special
cremation 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.
Go to www.iccfa.com to the Cremation Support section, where you can post a

question for Lemasters to answer.
More from this author
Lemasters will be part of the ICCFA

Cremation Operator and Arranger training
at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service,
Dallas, Texas, May 25 & 26.
Lemasters will be
a professor at ICCFA
University, July 22-27,
at the University of
Memphis Fogelman
Executive Center:
College of Funeral Home Management,
The legal aspects of funeral service
J. Asher Neel College of Sales & Management, Doing the right things for the
right reasons
College of Leadership, Administration
& Management, Business law: Funeral
home and cemetery legal outlook
College of Cremation Services: Arranger
curriculum: Reducing your liability to add
to your bottom line
www.iccfa.com
10
ICCFA Magazine
MANAGEMENT / LEGAL
The $55 million award in the Erin Andrews case has convinced
some death-care providers that they should never take
photographs of the deceased in their care. While there are
lessons to be learned from the case, thats not one of them.
Someone take my picture

To take or not take photos of the deceased
ince this issue is all about the

KIP awardsand everyone gets
their picture taken when they get
an awardit seems the right time to
discuss taking photos of the deceased.
Not to mention the fact of that recent $55
million jury verdict over a hotel allowing
unauthorized photographs/video to be taken
of one of their guests. [Erin Andrews v.
Michael David Barrett and Marriott Hotel
(West End Hotel Partners and Windsor
Capital Group)]
Since that ruling, some people have
developed a fear of allowing photographs
to be taken of people in their premises. So
what, if anything, does the case mean when it
comes to photographing a deceased person?
First, lets make sure we know the basics
of the Andrews case. Andrews filed suit
sometime around 2011, after Barrett secretly
took a video of her through a peephole in a
door while she was staying at a Marriott in
Nashville, Tennessee.
The jury found Barrett and the hotel
negligent, and awarded Andrews $55
million, with Barrett to pay 51 percent of
the damages, and the hotel owner to pay
the remaining 49 percent. As a side note,
Barrett was criminally charged in 2011 and
sentenced to 2 years.
The reason Barrett was liable was easily
proven and easy for the average person to
understand. But many people do not see the
reason for the hotel owner being found liable
as well.
The main argument from Andrews
was based on the theory that the hotel was
negligent because it helped Barrett, and
provided him with the means to take the
video. It was shown that the hotel did three
things to help Barrett: 1. the hotel revealed
Andrews was a guest at the hotel; 2. the hotel
disclosed her room number; and 3. the hotel
provided him a room next door to Andrews
room. These actions on the part of the hotel

all added up to negligence.
Why were these three things so impor
tant? Because Andrews had an expectation of
privacy in her room. Furthermore, the hotel
had procedures in place to protect guests
privacy. In fact, all three actions cited violated
hotel procedures!Hotels are not supposed to divulge the
names of guests; they are never supposed
to give out room numbersthats why they
write your room number down on a card
rather than saying it aloud; and unless both
parties agree, hotels should not give guests
adjoining rooms. So, this case was really
about a renegade individual who didnt have
any rules and a hotel that had rules but didnt
follow them.
So, how does any of this apply to deathcare providers?
Taking photos of the deceased is an area
that raises eyebrows and concerns among
providers today, despite the popularity
of after-death photos in the 19th century.
Some providers consider photographing the
deceased completely taboo, and never allow
it. Others take a photo of every deceased
person who comes into their care.
This article is not about the pros and cons
of taking photos, though it is my opinion that
proper photo ID can help lower your potential
liability in many areas, including cremation.
(Look for that topic to be covered in a future
issue.) The question for today is simply
may you take photos, and if so, are there
procedures you should follow?
The vast majority of legal rulings and
laws are clear: A business may take a photo
of the deceased. There is case law that says
a business may take a photo of a deceased
even without permission from the family, as
long as it has a legitimate business purpose in
doing so.
Thats right: If your business has a
MANAGEMENT / LEGAL
The jury found the hotel owner liable because it had procedures to protect guests
but did not follow them. If you, as a provider, have policies/procedures in place to never allow photos
and then photos are taken in violation of those policies/procedures, you risk liability as well.
legitimate reason, perhaps identification of
the deceased, then you may take a photo and
you dont even need permission to do so. But
wait! You know that just because the law says
you may do something that doesnt mean you
should do it.
I still recommend you get the familys
permission before photographing the
deceased. It is very easy to include permis
sion in existing forms and it will provide
you with an extra layer of protection.
Recall that in the Andrews case, the
jury was very concerned that the hotel had
specific procedures that prohibited certain
actions (sharing room numbers and guest
names), but ignored those procedures.
Your business should have in place
policies/procedures covering how/if you
allow photographs and then follow them.
If you have policies/procedures clearly
spelled out and disclosed to all families you
serve, you have already provided yourself
a level of protection. (Assuming you and
all of your employees follow those policies
and procedures.)
But what about that rogue employee
or crematory operator who takes photos
and then publishes them on the Internet?
Well, this is exactly like what happened
in the Andrews case. If you have a rogue
employee who decides to do that, your
policies and procedures may not be able to
save you, but they could help.
There are death-care providers who
think the Andrews verdict is a reason to

prohibit all photographs of the deceased in
their care. With that $55 million verdict out
there, they feel any photography is risky
and want to take a better safe than sorry
approach.
But the Andrews case isn't analogous
when were talking about death-care
providers taking photographs for identifi
cation purposes.
Nevertheless, the Andrews verdict
should make death-care providers take a
look at their policies and procedures to
make sure they offer as much protection as
possibleand are being followed. (Perhaps
a review at the next staff meeting would be
a good idea.)
The jury found the hotel owner liable
because it had procedures to protect guests
but did not follow them. If you, as a
provider, have policies/procedures in place
to never allow photos and then photos
are taken in violation of those policies/
procedures, you risk liability as well.
On the other hand, lets say your
business policies/procedures require
all deceased to be photographed for
identification purposes. This procedure is
explained and notification of it is provided
to all families you serve.
In this circumstance, families expect a
photo to be taken. If the photo is released
or gets out, you still have some risk, but at
least you followed your procedures.
I realize there is a group of providers

who think photographing the deceased
is a huge area of liability. The fact is,
current cases show that the lack of proper
identification of the deceased is the great
area of liability.
Really, its amazing how many providers
worry about the release of a photo of the
deceased as the ultimate privacy liability
case. They should be worrying as much
(or more) about all the other information
in their care that is legally protected, such
as all that credit card information so many
of us capture and keep on file. How many
providers have procedures and take steps
to protect their files containing all of the
information we have about families?
This article is not meant to encourage
providers to photograph the deceased. It
is simply meant to encourage providers to
have policies/procedures in place, to be
transparent about them and to follow them.
The case where a photograph was
taken when your procedures state We at
Poul Funeral Home never photograph a
deceased person in our care is potentially
a lot more damaging then a case where you
photograph the deceased pursuant to your
procedures for a legitimate reason and with
the permission of the family.
So, if you take photos of the deceased,
make sure your policies allow it. Make sure
you have the familys permission. And take
r
steps to safeguard the photo, as well.
Enduring Images AD
1/3 H
4-COLOR
Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com
May 2016
11
by Shannon DeCamp
shannon_
decamp
@tencon.net
ICCFA
Magazine
author
spotlight
DeCamp is
client services
manager for
TechneTrain Inc., Milford, Ohio.
1.800.852.8314
www.technetrainonline.com
She researches OSHA safety

regulations and initiatives in order
to help businesses stay in compliance and develops products to help
businesses conduct safety training.
TechneTrain has a full line of
training programs and reference
materials to help you keep your
cemetery, funeral home or crematory in compliance with OSHA Regulations. These products are available from the ICCFA at discounted
prices.Contact the ICCFA for more
information at 1.800.645.7700.
More about this topic
TechneTrain Inc. has a full line of
training and reference materials with

detailed information on OSHA compliance requirements for the death care
industry. These products are available
from the ICCFA at discounted prices.
For further information regarding
OSHA Compliance requirements for
cemeteries and funeral homes, visit
www.technetrainonline.com, or contact TechneTrain at 1.800.852.8314.

DeCamp will be
among the professors at this years

ICCFA University,
July 22-27. She
will speak at the
College of Land Management &
Grounds Operations about gravesite
safety. (See page 63.)
12
ICCFA Magazine
MANAGEMENT / SAFETY
Are you ready for a visit from OSHA? Fines are going up this year,
so now is the time to make sure your workplace meets safety standards.
OSHA fines going up soon
provision in the budget bill signed by

President Obama in November raised
federal U.S. Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for
workplace safety violations for the first time
in over a quarter of a century.
The bill requires OSHA to issue a one-time
catch-up adjustment to bring penalties in
line with inflationary increases since 1990.
Additionally, the budget bill requires OSHA to
make annual adjustments going forward in order
to have fines keep pace with inflation.
OSHA has not yet announced the exact
catch-up increase; it is believed that it will
reflect the approximate 80 percent increase in the
cost of living caused by inflation from 1990 to
the present.
The increased penalties will take effect no
later than August 1, 2016, in all states regulated
by federal OSHA regulations. The law does not
automatically apply to states regulated by state
plans, but since state programs must be at least as
effective as federal OSHA regulations, state plans
are expected to increase civil penalties as well.
Assuming an 80 percent increase, the
maximum monetary penalties for OSHA
violations will be:
Other than serious: $12,600 (increased from
$7,000);
Serious: $12,600 (increased from $7,000);
Repeat: $126,000 (increased from $70,000);
and
Willful: $126,000 (increased from $70,000).
However, the initial catch-up adjustment
could be much more than the expected 80
percent, because the act sets the maximum
adjustment at 150 percent of the current penalty
structure.
Reactions to the increase have been
mixed. Some industry representatives oppose
OSHA efforts, believing that increased fines
will have a serious impact on businesses,
particularly smaller operations. Other experts
argue that even with higher OSHA fines, they
still will be extremely low compared to other
agencies, such as the EPA, which imposes such
maximum penalties as $270,000 for violating
the Clean Air Act.
The Department of Labor website cites the
following example demonstrating the inadequacy
of OSH Act penalties: when a tank full of sulfuric

acid exploded, the company responsible received
a penalty for polluting that was almost 60 times
greater than the OSH Act penalty for the death of
a worker that resulted from the same incident.
Monetary penalties are an important part
of the enforcement process, and penalties for
violations of the OSH Act are widely regarded as
too low to create an effective or credible deterrent
to noncompliance. Employers who play by the
rules may be at a competitive disadvantage.
The most serious obstacle to effective OSHA
enforcement of the law is the very low level of
civil penalties allowed under our law, as well as
weak criminal sanctions, and OSHA penalties
must be increased to provide a real disincentive
for employers accepting injuries and worker
deaths as a cost of doing business, OSHA
Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels
told a House subcommittee on October 7, 2015.
Michaels added that Unscrupulous
employers often consider it more cost effective to
pay the minimal OSHA penalty and continue to
operate an unsafe workplace than to correct the
underlying health and safety problem.
Whether you agree or disagree, this change
is coming. Employers should be prepared in
order to avoid a potentially costly encounter with
OSHA.
What to do
Employers would be well advised to:

Know what regulations apply to your
business.
Perform regular safety inspections at least
monthly. Assess your workplace for hazards and
address them as quickly as possible.
Talk with employees about their safety
concerns and address them as quickly as possible.
Ensure that your safety programs are
comprehensive and up-to-date.
Ensure that employees receive all necessary
safety training, can demonstrate that they
understood the training and that all training is
well documented.
Instill employee safety as a core company
value.
Taking these steps will demonstrate your
commitment to safety and help ensure that higher
OSHA fines are someone elses problem.
r
Perfect Memorials AD
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by Jeff Miller, CFSP

SALES
Being able to present product options is only part of selling memorials. The
crucial first step is showing the family that you care and can be trusted.
Building better relationships first

will result in better sales later
jeffm@trigard.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Miller is the vice president
of business development
at Trigard. He is a licensed
funeral director and
embalmer in Ohio, Michigan
and Illinois and has practiced
since 1980.
www.trigard.com
Trigard, Danville, Illinois,

sells burial vaults, bronze
memorials and niches.
dont know about you, but when I make a big

purchase, such as a new car or an appliance,
I like to trust the person I am dealing with. It
makes sense that wed rather deal with someone
we have established a relationship with. The same
holds true when a family comes to us to purchase a
memorial for their loved one.
It can be easy to get caught up in the details
of our products, the interment process, cemetery
regulations and paperwork. But by keeping your
focus on building a connection with the family, you
will gain their trust and potentially improve your
sale.
Start by asking questions
Its just as important to take the time to learn about

the people sitting across the table from you as it is to
learn about the products youre selling.
A casual conversation about a local sports
team or the weather helps everyone feel more
comfortable and begins to build rapport. It can be
tempting to dive right into a discussion about the
features and options of memorials, but you need to
break the ice.
Learn about the family and look for
commonalities between you. Are you both dog
owners? Do you share a passion for hunting?
As youre talking, transition the conversation to
focus on the deceased loved one. What were their
passions? Can you relate to any of the things that
were important to them?
When you ask questions and really listen to
the answers, you demonstrate that youre a person
who can be trusted and who cares about them as
individuals. Theyre not just another customer to
you. Instead, theyre a family you would like to get
to know.
Dont be a salesperson
When you picture a salesperson, what image do you

see? A guy in a checkered jacket on a used car lot,
pressuring you to buy? I dont have to tell you thats
exactly the sort of image and behavior you dont
want families to see when they look at you.
Nobody likes to be sold to, and doing so isnt
our job in the cemetery office. Our job is to help
families honor the lives of their loved ones. We need
14
ICCFA Magazine
to be seen as a resource and a guide for families, not

someone trying to earn a commission.
It is important that we focus on educating
families on the products and services we offer. By
doing this, we become someone they can trust and
someone they want to work with to honor their
loved ones life.
Whether you think of yourself as a guide, an
educator or an advisor, if you see yourself as the
familys partner, youll avoid making them feel like
youre only there to close the deal.
At the end of the day, the family is there to buy
a memorial. But its more than a piece of granite or
bronze to them. The memorial is going to capture
the story of their loved ones life and become a
permanent record of that life.
Use what youve learned
Remember that casual conversation you started with

when you first sat down with the family? It not only
helps build a connection, it also helps when the time
comes to design the memorial.
It is our job to help guide them through the
design and order process. When we know more
about the familys personality and about their loved
one, their likes and dislikes, their interests and
passions, we can more easily identify products that
will be a great fit for them.
Is this a family who is looking for a traditional
bronze or granite memorial? Or would they be
interested in something a little different, like a
memorial bench? Will they be delighted to learn
that they can include full-color photographs in their
design or will a simple cross capturing their faith be
the sort of thing they would prefer?
When you can direct the familys focus to
products that match their preferences, you increase
the trust between you. It makes them feel like you
understand what they need and they trust you more.
And theyre more likely to do business with you.
Designing a memorial is not an easy task
for a family whose loved one has just died. It is
an emotional and stressful situation. But when
we build a relationship with them, we make the
experience more than checking off something on
their to do list. It becomes a step on the path to
healthy healing.
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Heraeus Kulzer AD
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Ensure-A-Seal AD
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May 2016
15
by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS

1.800.426.0165
danisard@
f4sight.com
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Isard is president
of The Foresight
Companies LLC, a
Phoenix-based business and management consulting firm
specializing in mergers and acquisitions, valuations, accounting, financing and customer surveys.
He is the author of several books, and

the host of The Dan Isard Show.
http://funeralradio.com
Educational information, including
copies of this article, can be found at

www.f4sight.com
You can follow Isard on Twitter at
@f4sight and like his page on Facebook.
Editors note: The Cemetery Impossible

column is written by the staff of The Foresight
Companies. If you have a question you
want to be featured in this column, please
send it to danisard@f4sight.com. Dan Isard
or a member of his staff will call you to get
more information and a recommendation will
be provided via this column, helping not only
you but also others who are facing similar
challenges.
MANAGEMENT
A cemetery is a special place, not only to families

but also to accountants. Its not a typical business,
and decisions about how to record the business of a cemetery
need to be made with an eye to consistency.
Cemetery
Impossible
How should the purchase of a cemetery
be recorded, and what comes after that?
Dear Cemetery Impossible,
I just made an acquisition of a cemetery and
my accountant does not know how to book
the purchase price. Can you help me educate
him?
Dear Needs an Accountant in the Know,
You should know that cemetery accounting is
tricky. There are so many things that people
do based upon their understanding or lack
of understanding of the business. Even the
large companies differ in their accounting
principles.
Let me start by addressing the issue of
cemetery accounting from the origin of an
acquisition. In future issues, I will explain
how to complete ongoing accounting for
cemeteries.
The decisions the lawyers and brokers
make affect the actions of the accountant in a
cemetery acquisition. The difference between
a stock purchase and an asset purchase lies
with the two matters of tax and liability.
Buying via a stock purchase
First I will discuss a stock purchase scenario.

If the transaction is a stock purchase, then you
bought control of the cemetery by purchasing
shares. This method is used for a for-profit
corporation.
You continue the tax protocols of the past.
You have a basis in the enterprise for when
you sell the company. You are also assuming
any liabilities, known or unknown, from the
previous ownership.
As investor, you have basis in the shares
purchased. For example, if you paid $1
million for the shares, that is your basis.
Basis is the concept that when you
purchase an investment you can sell that
investment and have a tax-free recovery of
your investment. Your capital gain is the
amount above the price you paid for the
16
ICCFA Magazine
investment when purchased. By this example,

at the time you sell this investment the first $1
million is tax-free.
In a stock sale situation, your accountant
has very little to change from the previous
accountant. Your company will have basis in
the inventory and there is no change to the
basis in the inventory. You have to carry it
over. If the previous owner incurred a $5 cost
per grave, then it will continue, regardless
of how much you paid for the shares, unless
you enhance a grave area. Building a feature
or adding a statue will change the basis in the
interment rights for that area.
For example, let us assume you have
a section with 1,000 graves. Assume the
previous owner had a basis for each of those
graves at $5/grave. Now assume you install a
water feature with a laser light show to make
the Bellagio blush, and that cost $100,000.
You have two options. First, you can
allocate the $100,000 over the 1,000 graves
and come up with an adjusted basis for each
grave of $1,005 ($1,000 plus $5). That is
what I recommend.
Second, your accountant might elect
to treat this feature as a stand-alone asset.
Then you can write it off via depreciation
or accelerate the depreciation as allowed by
Section 179.
Section 179 is the tax incentive for small
businesses to invest in its business and write
assets off in one year, up to a limit. This
provides tax repayment more quickly than if
you add it to the basis, which does not result
in a deduction until you receive income from
those grave sales.

to page 18
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MANAGEMENT
The allocation to the developed and undeveloped land is a matter

of tax planning strategy. If you want to recover your costs of purchase more quickly,
you would put more value on the graves developed than the land undeveloped.
from page 16
Buying via an asset purchase
An asset purchase is the other alternative

when you buy a cemetery. With an asset
purchase, you receive immediate tax benefits
for your investment as you sell internments.
Typically you do not assume liabilitiesthe
only liability is whatever you might have
caused since buying the cemetery.
In an asset purchase, your purchase
document will include a schedule. The
schedule shows how much of the purchase
price is allocated to each asset. For example,
you might have the $1 million allocated as
follows:
Graves developed
$100,000
Land undeveloped-
$400,000
Buildings $200,000
Autos/machinery
$200,000
Goodwill $100,000
Now your accountant starts pulling his or
her hair out. First of all, buildings and autos/
machinery are going to be depreciated.
Buildings are typically written down over
39 years. Autos and machinery might be
written off over a five to seven-year period,
or they might qualify as Section 179 property
and be written off in one year.
Goodwill is also written off, but unlike
buildings and autos/machinery, it is an
intangible asset. Intangible assets are not
depreciated, they are amortized. Our firm
understanding, based on a tax court case, is
that goodwill is written off over its lifetime,
but over not less than 15 years.
Be aware that intangible assets that are
depreciated and used as an offset to ordinary
income can lead to recapture. When an
asset is sold for a gain after deductions for
depreciation, depreciation recapture is used to
tax the gain.
Because a deduction was previously
received from ordinary income for the
depreciation of the asset, any gain the seller
receives, up to the depreciation amount, must
be included as ordinary income to offset the
earlier deduction. Therefore, not all gain upon
a sale of assets is at the capital gain rate.
There is often some negotiation between
the buyer and seller in creating this schedule.
If something is credited to real estate, it is
written off over 39 years. However, if it is
agreed to be goodwill, it is written off over
18
ICCFA Magazine
15 years. Buyers and sellers argue over these

points as well as the value of the assets.
A point of confusion on an asset purchase
is the handling of the adjusted basis on the
graves. In the above example, we have two
items that will have an adjusted basis for sale
items.
Lets first discuss the graves developed
allocation of $100,000. Assume you buy a
cemetery with 2,500 graves that remain to be
sold. With a $100,000 allocation, each grave
has a cost basis of $40 per grave. Therefore,
each time you sell a grave that was developed
at the time of this acquisition, your cost of
goods sold is $40.
The land undeveloped is the second
accounting item. In this example, you acquire
undeveloped land for $400,000. Assume
this is 10 acres. Therefore, each acre has an
allocation of $40,000. This is the starting
allocation.
If it cost $100,000 to develop one acre
with roads, utilities, mapping and features,
you now have a basis of $140,000 for this
acre. If this land is used solely for graves and
you plan 1,000 graves in this acre, the cost of
goods sold (COGS) for each of these graves
would be $140/grave.
Suppose you plan to take half this acre for
above-ground interment. Now you need to
add the cost of a mausoleum to your basis of
$140,000 (original basis of $40,000 plus the
cost of developing this area of $100,000).
As you plan to use half for the
mausoleum, you allocate $70,000 for aboveground interments and $70,000 for ground
interments.
The COGS for the ground interment rights
remains at $140/grave ($70,000 divided by
500 graves).
If a 500-crypt mausoleum costs $400,000
to construct, the basis for the above-ground
interment mausoleum area is $470,000.
Therefore the COGS for the above-ground
interment area is $940 per crypt ($470,000
divided by 500 crypts).
Usually when you build a new
mausoleum, some area is allocated to niches.
The niches have a cost to construct. There
are a few options your accountant has for
allocating the land cost to the niches.
First is the square-foot basis. Maybe 5
percent of the land cost is under the niche
area (5 percent of $70,000, or $3,500).

Since you may have 250 niches in a
500-crypt area, this is a tiny cost-of-land
allocated per niche ($3,500 divided by 250, or
$14 per niche).
Since this is such an inconsequential
amount, another option is to just allocate all
of the land costs to the crypts and none of it
to the niches. This is an approach I happen
to like, as long as we are not dealing with a
columbaria, as opposed to a mausoleum with
a niche section. All of the land allocation is
accounted for in the crypts.
The allocation between tangible assets and
intangible assets is negotiated.
The allocation to the developed and
undeveloped land is a matter of tax planning
strategy. If you want to recover your costs
of purchase quicker, you would put more
value on the graves developed than the land
undeveloped.
To help figure this out, you need to
determine how long it will take you to sell
off the graves developed. If you have 2,500
graves and you sell about 250 per year, it will
take you 10 years to sell this off.
You might start to develop a portion of the
land undeveloped about seven or eight years
from now, when you are down to 20 to 30
percent of the current grave inventory.
In accounting, GAAP stands for Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles. This is the
game plan the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA) created for all
accountants to follow.
They have not done this for all businesses.
Since it is very rare that a cemetery needs an
audited financial statement, the AICPA has
never created GAAP for the cemetery world.
In the cemetery world, CAAP is used.
CAAP stands for Consistently Applied
Accounting Principles. This means you do
the same procedure year in and year out. To
me, consistency is the key.
I recommend you have an accountant
who is in the know. Specifically, you need
one who knows the cemetery business. This
way, for tax compliance you are in the best
position to pay the least amount of taxes each
year.
And for management purposes, your
accountant can interpret the data to give you
r
the best counsel.
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K I P A WA R D S : M O S T P E R S O N A L I Z E D S E R V I C E
The staff of Striffler-Hamby at Parkhill Cemetery

went above and beyond to make the setting of a visitation
for a young man reflect his life and loves.
First Place Winner

& Grand Prize Winner:
Striffler-Hamby at
Parkhill Cemetery/
Service Corporation
International
Columbus, Georgia
what the judges said
n The boat and iced Mountain
Dew were clearly meaningful

to the family and friends.
n Very creative and resourceful.
n A lot of thought and effort
went into making this so

personal and individualized for
this young man.
The funeral home staff provided a Jon boat for display of the deceaseds fishing gear, some of
which is pictured below.
Personalized visitation touches family
Alta Ploeger, event planner,

and Teddy Price, location manager, Striffler-Hamby at Parkhill
Cemetery.
20
ICCFA Magazine
he staff at Striffler-Hamby at Parkhill

Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia, handled a
visitation for a young man tragically killed in
a car wreck. We learned that the young man had
had a great passion for fishing, Mountain Dew and
skate boarding, said Alta Ploeger, event planner.
We asked his family if we could display his
fishing gear and other personal items during his
visitation. They brought in his favorite fishing rods,
hats, tackle box and skateboard.
To provide a focal point for display of the fishing
gear and related items, the staff cleaned up an old
Jon boat they had in storage. Inside the boat was a
galvanized tub of iced-down Mountain Dew. Several
other items were on display with his skateboard and
pictures of him while skateboarding.
The family became very emotional when they
walked into the Mill Room, where the visitation was
held, and saw the boat and all of their sons items
displayed.
They said that we captured the very spirit of
their son, Ploeger said. Over 200 guests attended
and many commented on how cool it was that a
funeral home would bring in a boat. Some guests
even took pictures of themselves standing beside the
boat and posted them to their Facebook pages.
more photos on page 22
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May 2016
21
The KIP Awards
he ICCFAs Keeping It Personal

contest drew 33 entries in 2015. The
KIP Awards recognize personalization in
funeral, cemetery and cremation products
and services.
This years judges gave the highest
marks to a service by Striffler-Hamby at
Parkhill Cemetery, a Service Corporation
International property. The grand prize
winner received a free registration to

the 2016 convention in New Orleans,
Louisiana, at which all KIP Award
honorees were recognized.
The contest was started in 2001 by the
ICCFAs Personalization Subcommittee
to encourage the sharing of ideas for
personalizing services and products to
better serve families.
A pet category was added in 2011.
2016 contest
Entries for the 2016 contest will be due

late this year. Forms will be available for
download at www.iccfa.com/kip, under
recognition/KIP Awards. You may
also download information about all past
winners.
r
K I P : M O S T P E R S O N A L I Z E D S E R V I C e / G rand P rize winner
Left, photos, including ones of the deceased skateboarding, displayed with his
skateboard and flower tributes. Above left, iced Mountain Dew, the deceaseds favorite drink, in a tub placed in the Jon boat that provided a focus for the visitation.
Above right, a closeup of the fishing lures inside a tackle box displayed in the boat.
The StrifflerHamby at
Parkhill Cemetery team.
The funeral
home won
the KIP grand
prize for a
visitation
for a young
fisherman.
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ICCFA Magazine
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K I P A WA R D S : E V E N T S
First Place:
Catholic Cemeteries,
Archdiocese of Newark,
Newark, New Jersey
A birdhouse-building project by the Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of

Newark, taught teens about the value of remembrance and cemeteries and
attracted not only birds but also visitors of all ages and good publicity.

n Great interactive event that
can help bridge understanding

about loss and remembrance
to a younger generation.
n This is a terrific opportunity

to educate youth, demystify
the cemetery, provide a grieving/memorial opportunity for
the youth and offer a service
opportunity.
n A well-conceived and
executed project.
n A great initiative to teach
lessons about life and community, and perhaps change
perceptions about cemeteries,
to see them as more than a
place to grieve.
Joseph J. Verzi, left, assistant executive director of Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of

Newark, and Tom Melito, right, construction superintendent of Catholic Cemeteries, supervise
Catholic Youth Organization students as they show their hand-made bird houses during their
visit to the beautiful Maryrest Cemetery & Mausoleum in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Dozens of teens build

birdhouses, bring life
to Catholic cemeteries
W
Cemetery staff provided personalized memorial plaques
for teens who wished to
dedicate their birdhouses to a
loved one.
24
ICCFA Magazine
hile most teens spend summer days on

family vacations or by a pool, about 70
youths in the Archdiocese of Newark
find themselves visiting the cemetery during
summer to build and install birdhouses as part of
their community service.
Since 2013, Catholic Cemeteries, a ministry of
the Archdiocese of Newark, has hosted a cemetery
birdhouse building program with teens through
the archdioceses Christian Youth Organization
(CYO), whose summer work programs typically
include a week of community service activities
such as painting churches and serving food at soup
kitchens.
The idea was to educate students in the value
of cemeteries by inviting them to visit and learn
more and demonstrating that cemeteries are a
positive, uplifting place where visitors can reflect
and remember deceased loved ones. Building
Students erect their birdhouses.

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K I P : E vents
Many teens returned with parents and grandparents to see the completed birdhouses.
As a result, some parents/grandparents became interested in the cemetery for themselves.
Above, teens paint their birdhouses. Below,

teens pray at the 9-11 Memorial at Holy Cross
Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.
Above left, students clean and plant flowers next to bronze markers for veterans at
Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, New Jersey. Above right, teens learn about Pope John
Paul II at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, New Jersey. Top, birdhouses in place.
birdhouses was a good activity for the teens

and fit nicely with the park-like setting of the
cemeteries. The birdhouses serve a symbolic
as well as practical role. Birds bring life
and nature to the cemetery and help visitors
mourning a loss.
The staff didnt know how the teens
would react on-site for the first time. But
when the students arrived, they started
building, and it turned into something deeper.
They began sharing personal stories about a
grandpa who loved building birdhouses or an
aunt who adored birds.
Based on the teens positive reactions,
they were offered them an opportunity to
personalize their birdhouses in remembrance
of a deceased loved one. This made the
project special and meaningful for them.
26
ICCFA Magazine
Staff collected the names of deceased

loved ones from the students early in the day,
and provided miniature plaques before days
end to place on the birdhouses.
Two Catholic Cemeteries locations,
Maryrest Cemetery and Mausoleum and
Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum, now
have more than 150 memorialized bird
houses. They help visitors and the properties
reflect a connection with nature. Visitors
often will see birds nesting and sometimes
consuming bees that pollinate the cemeterys
wildflowers. It is a beautiful representation of
the cycle of nature and life.
The students efforts bring renewed
life to our holy places, said Joseph J.
Verzi, assistant executive director of
Catholic Cemeteries for the archdiocese.
We know from their feedback that a

great deal was gained from their unique
experience.
Many teens returned with parents and
grandparents to see the completed birdhouses.
As a result, some parents/grandparents
became interested in the cemetery for
themselves. Eventually, these teens will help
aging parents choose a cemetery and will
consider space for themselves, too.
The resulting media coverage also has
driven new guests to the cemeteries to see
the birdhouses. Many visitors have asked to
sponsor their own memorialized birdhouses.
Overall, this cost-effective program has
been educational and commemorative, and
has helped increase business as well as
community involvement.
r
K I P : E vents
How to plan a birdhouse-building program at your cemetery
he Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese

of Newark, New Jerseys successful
birdhouse-building project cost less
than $1,000, but does require planning and
adult supervision.
Reach out to a local youth program,
organization or high school to determine their
interest in joining efforts with you to offer a
teen-oriented birdhouse-building program to
students.
Appoint a liaison on your staff to lead
this effort on behalf of your organization.
Coordinate strategic planning meetings
well in advance of the summer months to
ensure all details are covered.
Prepare any necessary legal docu
ments with the co-sponsoring organization
to confirm the participation of teens and to
ensure their safety, etc. (i.e., parental consent
forms, Protecting Gods Children certificate).
Include a photo consent form in your
information packet so photographs can be
taken and used for positive local publicity.
Purchase necessary materials for the
birdhouse building activity: wood-based
Students reflect and pray at Maryrest

Cemetery. Talking about the value of cemeteries should be part of your program.
birdhouse kits, exterior solid-wood stain,

clear exterior lacquer to preserve the wood,
contact cement glue, pressure-treated four-byfour-foot wood posts for mounting, brushes,
buckets, etc.
Ensure the materials are durable enough to
withstand the elements if you plan on keeping
them up in the cemetery for any length of
time. As an option, you may wish to seek
donations from a local hardware store or
other organization to provide these materials
or the resources to purchase them.
Consider providing customized t-shirts
with logo and program name for the teens
WithumSmith AD
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to wear during the program and to keep as

memorable keepsakes.
Offer students the opportunity to
memorialize a deceased loved one on the
birdhouse by personalizing a nameplate or
waterproof label.
Include educational aspects, such as
a discussion about the value of cemeteries
in todays society, the importance of me
morializing loved ones, a tour of the cemetery
and/or mausoleum, an information session on
the churchs rituals (for Catholic cemeteries,
include the vigil service during a wake, the
funeral Mass, and the rite of committal at the
cemetery) and a Q&A session.
Make sure adequate adult supervisors
are present proportionate to the number
of students participating in the program.
If teens are under 18 years of age, ensure
that supervisors have participated in the
Protecting Gods Children program (for
Catholic cemeteries).
Listen to the students! They can teach us
a great deal about our mission and why we
are in this ministry.Joseph J. Verzi
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K I P A WA R D S : E V E N T S
Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services brings together widows and
widowers for a festive picnic put together with love and attention to detail.
Honorable mention:
Cook Funeral Home &
Cremation Services,
Grandville, Michigan
n What a lovely idea. The pic-
nic is a chance to connect with

others living through the same
circumstance and be part of a
small and larger community.
n Excellent idea.
n This sees like a relatively
simple-to-plan event that

would meet the goal of helping
widows/widowers connect with
each other and their friends.
n Creative, positive way to

integrate a support group-type
event into a more festive
occasion.
n Strong marketing connection to Cook is a brilliant way
to cement the funeral homes
image and build relationships.
Above and below right, Cook staff members circulate during the picnic and make
sure they greet everyone at the picnic.
Picnic offers food,

fun and fellowship
A
Melissa Snead Mitchell, advance funeral and event planner, and Amber Kieliszewski,
graphic designer for Cook
Funeral Home & Cremation
Services.
28
ICCFA Magazine
fter a funeral has passed, friends and

family return to their busy lives and the
daily reality of living with a loss begins.
Many individuals may find themselves
becoming increasingly withdrawn as they
struggle through their personal grief journey.
Doing the things they once enjoyed may now
be too painful, causing some to stop going out
altogether.
The Cook family and staff are committed to
walking alongside individuals in our community
who have suffered the loss of a loved one. We
help grieving adults throughout our community
take steps to once again enjoy life.
By sponsoring a variety of social events
throughout the year, we give individuals the
opportunity to get out of the house, see new
faces and begin fostering new friendships.
Our Widows and Widowers Picnics are just
Invitations and table decorations were all
one example of these community social events. coordinated, with a red checked tablecloth and
We encourage each person attending to bring a
sunflower theme.
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29
K I P : E vents
Advice for anyone

planning an event
The best advice I can give to anyone about

organizing an event is to be sure to allow
other people to help you. By allowing
others to assist you, you will open yourself
up to a higher level of creativity and
reduce the chance of missing an important
element that would be vital to the success
of the event. You also will decrease the
amount of stress on everyone involved,
which will result in a much more enjoyable
event for all, including the organizers.
Melissa Snead Mitchell
Above and below, the invitations to the event designed for widows and widowers,
but called simply Picnic on the Green.
Above and below, attendees enjoy

socializing with one another.
Below left, every attendee received a gift bag, and the flowers were given away
through a random drawing. Below right, each attendee received a plate of cookies,
hand-decorated by Cook employees with an inspirational message, to take home.
The flower arrangements on the tables

were given away via drawings.
guest or a friend.
This outdoor venue provides a warm
and welcoming environment to visit and
share with one another. Support is both
given and received by bringing together
30
ICCFA Magazine
those who have experienced a similar loss.

A delicious picnic menu is served
buffet-style by the Cook staff.
A brief, uplifting message is often
provided during the event, and enjoyable
music is played throughout the afternoon.

It is rewarding to see so many
wonderful connections and friendships
r
being made.
Abbott & Hast

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31
K I P A WA R D S :
BEST PRACTICE
Families happy to settle for a plastic holder for cremated remains they
planned to bury were unhappy to see it at the committal service.
Rose Hill Cemetery came up with a way to better serve those families.
Honorable Mention:
Rose Hill Cemetery,
Hagerstown, Maryland
n They saw a trend and came
up with a no-cost solution to

solve the problem.
n The square glass votive

is lovely and the LED candle
seems to transform it. The
cemetery still has an opportunity to make some money
if the family chooses to buy
more votives. Well done.
n Creative, tasteful solution to
enhance the value proposition
of cremation.
A typical temporary urn used by funeral homes and crematories next to the memorial urn cover
used by Rose Hill Cemetery. The plastic urn fits inside the reusable urn cover during the committal
service. The personalized glass votive holder atop the urn cover is given to the family as a keepsake after the committal service; some families ask to purchase additional votive holders.
Nathan
Nardi, executive director
of Rose Hill
Cemetery.
32
ICCFA Magazine
Memorial urn cover adds dignity to committal

services and increases family satisfaction
expense of purchasing
ose Hill
a more decorative
Cemetery of
urn to display at the
Hagerstown,
cemetery for only a
Maryland, has deve
few people to see was
loped a new concept
not justified.
in memorialization
However, after this
for families who do
basic container was
not purchase urns for
placed on display at
burial.
the cemetery, some
With the popularity
families expressed
of cremation burials
dissatisfaction with
in our area, we
how it looked. Some
noticed that many
The presentation is completely transformed
families even asked
people were not
when the candle inside the glass votive holder is
the cemetery to
choosing to purchase lit during the graveside service.
remove the container
an urn for their loved
ones remains.
holding their loved ones remains from the table
These families were choosing to display
prior to the ceremony, replacing the container
their loved ones remains in the complimentary
with a vase of flowers so as to not have to look
container, typically an unattractive plastic box,
at the plastic container during the service. Thats
in which many funeral homes and crematories
right, families were removing their mother/
return the cremated remains to families.
father/grandmother from their theirown service!
Many of these families reasoned that the
In response to this problem, Rose Hill
KIP:
BEST PRACTICE
Funeral Call AD
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Outdoor photo of how the memorial urn

cover is used at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Rose Hills urn cover is displayed with
the temporary urn inside it by sliding
the bottomless urn cover over the top
of the temporary urn to conceal it. At
the conclusion of the committal service, staff slides the table to the side to
expose the grave, lifts off the urn cover
and buries the temporary urn. Then the
family is given the personalized votive
as a keepsake.
created a beautiful cherrywood memorial

urn cover which hides the unattractive
cremation container by sliding over top of
it, concealing it from view.
On top of the memorial urn cover is
a recess that holds a modern, five-inchsquare glass votive filled with smooth
decorative rocks and an LED-powered
candle. The front of the glass votive is
personalized with a color printed, round
label with the name of the deceased and
his or her date of birth and date of death.
The family is given the personalized
votive as a keepsake of the service and
as a gift from the cemetery. The plastic
cremation container is placed in the earth
to facilitate the burial of the cremated
remains.
This new concept is offered at no
cost to every family served who has not
selected to purchase an urn.
Family members have the ability to
purchase additional personalized votive
keepsakes after the service.
The reaction to this new offering has
been very positive. We just began offering
this service in late spring of 2015 and
every family offered this display has
used it and greatly appreciated it. They
especially like the keepsake votive.
Not only have we increased the
perceived value of our cremation burial
services by providing this service, we
also created a more personal bond with
our client by offering them a personalized
keepsake from their loved ones service. r
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33
K I P A WA R D S : B E S T P R A C T I C E
Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Service provides each family

it serves with an ornament and attention at a difficult time.
Honorable Mention:
Cook Funeral Home
& Cremation Services,
Grandville, Michigan
n A nice touch.
n A lovely idea, one I know
hospices do regularly.
n An excellent marketing
vehicle to keep te funeral
homes name and quality image in front of their consumers
at a time when loved ones are
missed the most.
Jillian VanZytveld, graphic

designer, and Melanie Ippel,
community events coordinator for Cook Funeral Home &
Cremation Service.
The inside (above) and cover

(right) of the invitation Cook
sent out with its ornament.
34
ICCFA Magazine
A closeup of one of the ornaments Cook Funeral and Cremation Service offers families.
Ornaments, treats and attention help families know

that theyre not forgotten during the holidays
ach holiday season,

the Cook family and
staff hope to encourage
families and friends to find ways
to honor their loved ones during
the holiday season.
Facing the holidays after
losing a loved one can be a very
difficult prospect. Holiday sights
and sounds trigger memories and
emotions that many of us are not
prepared to experience.
It can be a challenge to strike
a balance between honoring the
memory of those we have lost
while treasuring the relationships we have with
the people who are still with us.
We provide complimentary keepsake
ornaments to help the families we have served in
the last year to cherish their loved ones memory.
Hundreds of ornaments are selected over
several monthsangels, crosses, snowflakes and
many styles of picture frames.

With many different colors and
styles, we are able to provide a
wide variety of selections for
our families. Each ornament has
a special tag attached that says,
Remembering you at Christmas
time.
When families and friends stop
in, they are treated to Christmas
cookies and coffee. Our staff
makes certain to provide each
one the special attention they
need as they select their keepsake
ornament from the tree.
Many lovely stories are shared, as well as
explanations about why they selected their special
ornament. People often ask, May I take one
for my sister? Or Mom? Or Dad? Our answer
is always, Yes! We want our families to feel
adored and cared for with this extra personal
touch of love and attention.
r
Paradise Pics AD
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K I P A WA R D S : P E T S E R V I C E O R M E M O R I A L
First Place:
Beond the Rainbow
Pet Hospice &
Memorial Center,
Fort Worth, Texas
n I was moved by the honor,
dignity and tribute that went

into this heros farewell.
A service for a law enforcement officer killed in the line

of duty includes a number of elements to make it special.
Beyond the Rainbows service for a K-9 officer was no different.
K-9 Oficer
Pepper
pictured
off duty.
n Beautifully throught through;

every detail considered.
n Kudos to Beyond the Rainbow for a dignified salute and
service for a K-9 officer.
n The entire submission
brought tears to my eyes.
Honoring the loss of K-9
Officer Pepper was a magnificent thing to do and it
looks like they handled it with
perfection.
n Beyond the Rainbow
Hospice & Memorial Center
did this with a combination of
human kindness and marketing savvy.
n Vetery touching and
thoughtful service, done with
the utmost care and respect
for the four-legged officer.
Kate and Terry Branson, owners of Beyond the Rainbow Pet

Hospice & Memorial Center.
36
ICCFA Magazine
Service for K-9 Pepper provided full

honors for officer killed in the line of duty
n January 28, 2015, Wise County Sheriff's

Department Officer K-9 Officer Pepper
was shot and killed while in pursuit of a
wanted criminal.
On January 29, Kate Moore-Branson, a funeral
director and co-founder of Beyond the Rainbow
Pet Hospice & Memorial Center, Forth Worth,
Texas, contacted the sheriff's office and offered to
provide services for this fallen officer.
Sheriff David Walker gratefully accepted,
and Kate and Terry Branson met with the sheriff,
other department heads and Sgt. Manoushagain,
Peppers handler, a few days later to plan this line
of duty funeral.
The Bransons approached this funeral exactly
as they have when handling funerals for other
officers killed in the line of duty.
Kate immediately requested a proclamation
from Texas Gov. Abbott; obtained a U.S. flag;
secured a location, clergy and bagpiper to play at
the service; and began planning the funeral.
The sheriffs office sent notices to all
departments that the funeral would be held on
Wednesday, February 4, 2015.
Beyond the Rainbow ordered a custom urn
which was laser engraved with the officers badge
and a bronze statue of Pepper, a tribute blanket and
programs, and a glass sculpture was made by a
local artist as a gift to the department.
Pepper was transported to Texas A&M
The crowd watches the funeral service held in

a church.
University School of Veterinary Medicine for an

necropsy (autopsy), and the university honor guard
stayed with the body until the day of the funeral.
The morning of the funeral, three Texas A&M
University police cars escorted the remains the 225
miles from the university to the church in Paradise,
Texas. The Bransons, along with the Wise County
Sheriffs Department Honor Guard, received the
remains and transferred them to the custom urn.
The urn, along with K-9 Peppers harness, a
U.S. flag and the letter from Gov. Abbott were
placed on a table at the front of the church.
The Honor Guard stood watch until the service
began. More than 50 K-9 units were escorted in
and seated in a reserved section, followed by the
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37
K I P : P et S ervice or memorial
Above, the Texas A&M Honor Guard arrives with K-9 Peppers remains, along with
Lt. Steve Creed, Fort Worth Fire Department piper. Right, the memorial gifts presented by Beyond The Rainbow to K-9 Peppers handler. Below, the crowd at the
church included more than 50 K-9 units, who were seated in a reserved section.
Wise County Sheriffs Department and the

Manoushagian family. More than 800 fellow
officers and friends from all over the United
States filled the church to pay their respects
to this fallen officer.
The Honor Guard from Texas A&M told
us that they had never seen such a beautiful
ceremony for a dog.
You see, as funeral directors, we
approached this service just as we have done
when other officers have been killed in the
line of duty, the Bransons said. The death
of an officer is the death of an officer, and it
made no difference that this officer had four
legs.
The service was covered on the evening
news by the Dallas Fort Worth area
media, and a front-page article was in the
newspaper detailing the funeral. It was also
covered in two funeral service professional
publications.
r
38
ICCFA Magazine
Holland Supply AD
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May 2016
39
K I P A WA R D S : I N N O V AT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T
Consumers who want to tour a cemetery from the comfort

of home and families who want to see a loved ones grave
anytime from anywhere can do so thanks to Cemetery360.
First Place Winner:

Cemetery360,
Sacramento, California
www.cemetery360.com
n A good marketing tool for
cemeteries.
n 3D imagery is an innovative
tool.
n Good concept.
n I really like this.
Jimmy
Pinochio,
Cemetery360
founder
and CEO.
Above, cemetery grounds can be viewed on any device. Placing an Android or

Apple phone inside VR goggles (below) provides a virtual reality experience.
Cemetery360 allows people to visit

cemeteries anywhere via virtual reality
emetery360 offers leading-edge

technology in the cemetery industry,
connecting 21st century consumers
to a 19th century industry through innovated
technologies. Its latest virtual reality platform
offers the ultimate personal experience for
connecting todays consumers with cemeteries.
The companys virtual reality platform is
focused on offering consumers located anywhere
in the world a life-like experience for visiting
loved ones and connecting to everything a
cemetery property offers.
The Cemetery360 virtual reality experience is
powered through any Android or Apple mobile
device and allows consumers to engage with
loved ones and cemetery property virtually by
loading their mobile device into any virtual
reality headset.
The Cemetery360 virtual reality platform
gives individuals the ultimate personalized
40
ICCFA Magazine
K I P : I N N O V AT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T
No matter the weather, visitors can stroll through cemetery grounds without leaving their homes, or the cemetery office.
experience. Users can navigate

through a cemetery, seeing its
gardens, features, memorials and
buildings as if they were actually
visiting the cemetery in person.
Families can visit their loved ones
or learn about cemetery property
from anywhere in the world, at their
own convenience.
Cemeteries can use the tech
nology to showcase their property
during presentations in homes or at
community events. It also enables

them to take people out onto their
grounds virtually during any season
or weather.
The Cemetery360 teams core
goal is to provide an experience like
no other for the public at the most
affordable price. Since we built
this platform to be compatible with
any smartphone, this makes it more Each blue point represents a 360-degree image
easily accessible and affordable to
captured. Developing a cemetery VR tour involves
the public.
r 5,000-7,000 images on average.
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 & your staff & 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 (and 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.
If your email is a large file and bounces back, send it to slovingiccfa@yahoo.com.)
Photoshigh-resolution jpgscan be emailed. Remember you must adjust digital camera settings to take highresolution 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.
May 2016
41
Honorable Mention:
Answering Service
for Directors,
Media, Pennsylvania
www.myasd.com
When consumers dont want to call you, they look on your website
for a chat option. Answering Service for Directors has developed
a way for funeral directors to join the chat quickly, wherever they are.

n This is a useful tool.
n Good, useful online tool to
aid consumers and connect

with funeral directors.
n Solves a real issue for families planning a funeral.
n Really like this option. You

always need different means
of communication with different
people.
ASDs Web Chat Connect allows directors to connect directly into a live chat so
that they can respond in real time to questions, as shown above and left.
ASDs Web Chat gets funeral directors

talking live with telephone-shy consumers
From left, family member/owners Kevin Czachor, chief sales

officer; Chief Financial Officer Kathy Kelley; and Marty
Czachor Jr., chief technology
officer.
42
ICCFA Magazine
nswering Service for Directors has

developed the patent-pending feature
Web Chat Connect to increase the speed
of communication between families and funeral
directors while reducing friction arising from grief
or when a relative has difficulties using a telephone.
While many website providers offer web
chat, Web Chat Connect is the only solution
that allows funeral professionals to connect
directly into a live chat. Directors can
respond to questions in real time regardless
of their location.
There are many scenarios where a
family member may be reluctant to contact
a funeral home over the phone following a
death. If the person has difficulty hearing,
is located in environment where a sensitive
call cannot be made or is too overwhelmed
with emotion to talk, it can present many obvious
challenges. Or someone simply may want to gather
information without feeling compelled to make an
immediate decision.
When these circumstances arise, people will
often visit a funeral homes website and search for

a web chat button, but if someone does not get back
to them quickly, they may feel slighted and go to a
competitor.
Web Chat Connect allows both an ASD agent
and on-call director to be involved with web chat
sessions via a three-way chat. When a chat is
initiated, an ASD Agent immediately responds
to the question using information that has been
customized by director. If the question is urgent,
a notification is automatically sent to the on-call
directors mobile phone.
Directors have full control over the alert level
of their notifications. Depending upon the situation
at hand, the director can choose to join the chat in
progress via a mobile phone or desktop computer or
allow the ASD Agent to provide information.
Answers to common questions can be program
med in advance, ensuring that employment
information, driving directions, florist recommenda
tions or service details can be communicated by
ASD to website visitors within seconds. Directors
can also review a transcript of every chat session. r
Worsham AD
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Frazer Consultants Tribute eGuest captures

hand-written information in a digital format to combine
personalization with convenience for the family.
Honorable Mention:
Frazer Consultants,
Middleton, Wisconsin
www.frazerconsultants.com
n A nice adaptation of technology for an evolving demographic with added features
that extend the value beyond
the guestbook.
n This is a lovely way to capture the names of those who

came while creating a more
meaningful memento.
n Very creative, professional

and memorable. Helpful that
human eyes are incorporated
into the turn-key process.
Matt Frazer,
president
and CEO
of Frazer
Consultants.
The stylus used by Frazers

Tribute eGuest digital registry.
44
ICCFA Magazine
A family member signs a thank-you card that will be printed out. Address labels are
also digitally generated, making the famillys tasks easier to handle.
Frazer Consultants captures hand-written info

digitally to generate keepsakes and thank-yous
ribute eGuest, Frazer Consultants stylusbased digital registry, improves a funeral

homes ability to serve families, creates highvalue memorial keepsakes and offers a personalized
aftercare experience.
The value of Tribute eGuest lies in its patentpending technology. Families sign in for their
loved ones funeral service on a Samsung Galaxy
Note Pro 12.2 using a weighted stylus pen, which
replicates the traditional feel of pen on paper like
no other digital guestbook on the market. Use of a
stylus pen allows for a simple sign-in experience.
After a funeral, this handwritten data collected
during the service is converted into digital charac
ters, verified for accuracy using proprietary techno
logy in addition to human eyes and transferred into
a professionally-printed, Shutterfly-quality keepsake
book, thank you cards and address labels with just a
few clicks.
Tribute eGuest photo keepsake books offer
funeral homes an unrivaled ability to provide topnotch aftercare and added value to families. Each
book is designed around families' personal photos,
signatures captured during sign-in on the Tribute
eGuest tablet and condolences captured from the
funeral homes website, and can be personalized
using one of 500-plus themes.
Additionally, following a service, thank-you
A photo keepsake book generated by Tribute

eGuest combines photos and condolences.
cards and address labels are generated automatically

using guest data gathered from Tribute eGuest
during sign-in. Directors know how valuable this
simple service is to a family after the loss of a loved
one; instead of tracking down names and addresses
of guests who attended their loved one's service,
they can focus on their grief and healing journey.
Tribute eGuest can work offine, storing
information until a WiFi connection is established. It
also allows for the display of up to three guestbooks
at a time, so that multiple services can be held
at the same time. The digital guestbook can be
moved around and placed on any surface, just like a
traditional guestbook.
r
Funeral Data Manager AD

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page 45
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FrontRunners Simpler Times program is designed to help funeral homes

respond to consumer desires for cremation services in a modern way.
Honorable Mention:
FrontRunner Professional,
Kingston, Ontario
www.FrontRunner360.com
n Technology is revolutionizing every industry, and this
is another example of how it
can simplify and streamline a
difficult process.
n This seems like a very useful product that is responsive

to consumer demand and
offers some market share to
traditional funeral homes.
n The ability for the consumer

to plan and pay for everything
online is very appealing.
The Simpler Times website is designed to work on any device.
FrontRunners Simpler Times aimed at cremation families
rontRunners Simpler Times is a

network of reputable, independent
funeral professionals across North
America who are listening and responding to
the evolving wishes of consumers who prefer
simpler cremation over traditional funerals.
It is designed to help funeral professionals
dramatically expand their service radius to
attract new client families and new revenues.
With its nationally branded approach,
consumers worldwide will know the Simpler
Times program and expect its promise.
As a growing segment of the population
demands a shift away from traditional
funerals toward more practical and less
expensive solutions, funeral professionals
need to effectively respond to these wishes.
More families want less: cremation with
or without a memorial service at a later
date. When families recognize that a funeral
firm is listening and responding to their
needs, they will see who the right choice
is to support them with trusted disposition,
memorialization and grief support services.
This comprehensive and modern solution
helps funeral professionals offer lower-cost to
complete service options to serve cremation
families. As Simpler Times providers,
they gain access to a nationally recognized
46
ICCFA Magazine
FrontRunners management team, from

left, Jules Green, Stephanie Montroy, Jason Truesdell, Kevin Montroy and Ashley
Montroy.
cremation brand, creative business strategies

and a powerful marketing program designed
to regain consumers trust in the funeral
industry.
The technology and marketing behind
Simpler Times gives providers a complete
turn-key cremation solution. Providers will
operate their cremation business with fewer
staff resources by taking advantage of the
single-data-entry management software
and provide exceptional cremation services
without jeopardizing their existing funeral
home brand.
They will attract families through:
Their optimized Simpler Times website;

SimplerTimes.com, a direct-to-consumer
website which provides a listing of all
Simpler Times providers and encourages
people to locate their local provider;
A full line of marketing brochures, adult
and child electronic and printed journals, grief
and planning resources and more.
Through the provider's website, families
can make an arrangement from beginning
to end in the comfort of their own home and
with family members to truly capture and
memorialize the life lived.
People can shop and make cremation
and funeral merchandise purchases such
as jewelry, urns and more to memorialize
their loved one. The family can also have
a permanent online memorial tribute page
capturing condolences from the public,
donations in honor of their loved one,
memorial gestures and more to give them the
ultimate in memorialization.
The Simpler Times program can add
matching printed stationery, DVD tributes
and more to match the online tribute page.
All of this memorialization does not
require a visit to the funeral home, providing
people the convenience of planning and
memorializing their loved one from home. r
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.
Right,
Roselawn
Memorial Parks
butterflyshaped
cremation
garden.
Below left,
a closeup
of the gardens main
feature of
a girl with
a butterly
lifting off
her hands,
set on a
pedestal
containing
an ossuary.
Below
right, a
conceptual
plan of the
garden,
showing
its butterfly
shape.
Roselawn dedicates butterfly cremation garden
oselawn Memorial Park, LaSalle,

Michigan, recently completed its new
Butterfly Cremation Garden.
The new cremation garden was two years
in the making, from design to completion,
said Michael Huggins, general manager of
the 80-acre cemetery and crematory. It is a

one-of-a-kind design created especially for
Roselawn, and is the largest cremation garden
in Monroe County.
The garden sits on a 6,500-square-foot site
with decorative stamped concrete pathways
laid out in the shape of butterfly wings.
With the growth of the cremation rate in
our area, I wanted to offer our customers just
about every available option for cremation
memorialization, Huggins said.
Visitors enter the garden through a granite
trellis that arches over the walkway. The
trellis contains single and companion niche
spaces.
The garden includes a large selection of
granite cremation benches, cored cremation
boulders and slants, as well as private
columbariums along the pathways.
The central feature has a bronze statue of
a little girl kneeling with a butterfly lifting
off her hands. The granite pedestal below
contains an ossuary, where cremated remains
may be inurned. Bronze memorial plates are
attached to the granite pedestal.
There is a large scattering area where
cremated remains may be scattered in the

multi-colored river rocks. In this area there
are two open book granite memorial tablets
that hold bronze memorial plates
The scattering area also has five large
granite boulders on which bronze memorial
May 2016
47
UPDATE
Above, the gardens sign. Below, the entrance pergola, which contains niches.
Visitors enjoy the dedication of the

cremation garden with a live butterfly
release.
Above, a scattering area with granite

tablets holding bronze memorial plates.
Below, cremation memorialization.
Right,
bronze
butterfly
memorials
attached to
one of the
boulders in
the scattering area.
48
ICCFA Magazine
butterflies will be attached. The bronze

butterflies come in five different butterfly
shapes and five bright colors, and feature
individual names and dates.
Within the butterfly pathways are four
private two-crypt mausoleums for those who
prefer above-ground entombment. There are
also dedicated planting areas with butterfly
host plants and nectar plants. Around the
outside of the pathways are grave spaces for
those who prefer traditional ground burial.
The garden was dedicated on August 29,
2015, with a live butterfly release. Those who
attended opened brightly colored envelopes
and released Painted Lady butterflies.
Children of all ages were pleased as 64
butterflies took flight.
The initial build has 650 total spaces, with
a wide variety of price points, ranging from a
scattering space to a private mausoleum.
Construction costs came in at $260,000,
with projected income of $700,000. There
is room for additional products to be added
in the future. Coldspring Granite was the
designer/builder. Products have come from
both Coldspring and Matthews to insure the
broadest possible number of memorialization
options.
Roselawn is a non-profit, non-denomi
national community cemetery established in
1928. The cemetery and crematory serves
about 600 families per year.
r
Above, benches and boulders for cremation interment and memorialization.

Below, a cremation memorial in front of
one of the private mausoleums included
in the garden.
UPDATE
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PIMS Dean of Faculty & Sciences Dr.
Joseph Marsaglia presents the Donatelli
Scholarship check to Justine Fye.
n Pittsburgh Institute of
Mortuary Science, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, has announced that Justine
Fye, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has
received the Fred Donatelli Scholarship.
The scholarship is given to PIMS students
who wish to continue their education and
earn an associate in funeral service management degree from PIMS. The scholarship was donated by Donatelli, who chairs
the PIMS Board of Directors and owns
Pittsburgh Cremation Service, Donatelli
Memorials and Oak Crest Pet Crematory.
Also, two students recently received
the Western Pennsylvania Funeral
Directos Association scholarship. Steve
Whiteman, Harrison City, Pennsylvnia,
and Tiara McClendon, Pittsburgh, received
their checks from WPFD Board Member
Roger Cunningham, president and supervisor of R. Cunningham Funeral Home and
Crematory, New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Also, PIMS has added a new award
to be presented at each commencement.
The Champion Award for Mortuary
Science Excllence is awarded to the stu-
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Roger Cunningham, center, representing the Western Pensylvania Funeral
Directors Association, with scholarship
recipients Steve Whiteman and Tiara
McClendon.
May 2016
49
UPDATE
dent recognized by PIMS faculty to have
demonstrated overall scholarship, aptitude
and practical skills, specifically in the core
science component of the curriculum at the
institute. The first award was presented at
PIMS 152nd commencement in January to
Erin M. Hough, Wheeling, West Virginia,
by Paul Bauman, vice present and general
manager of Champion and commencement
speaker.
Also, student Gabrielle
Beiber, Palmyra, Pennsylvania, received the
Newcomer Funeral Service
Group Tradition of Caring
Mortuary Science Scholarship. Newcomer, headquartered in Topeka, Kansas,
Bieber
operates funeral homes and
cemeteries in nine states.
n R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral

Home, Livonia, Michigan, was recently
selected as best hometown funeral home
in the 2016 Best of Livonia competition.
When my grandfather first began serving
his neighbors in 1910, he was really establishing a legacy that his son Tom Harris,
along with my father, who was his son-inlaw, and my own family have been privileged to continue, said third-generation
owner Tom Rost. As we extended our family business over the years by adding the
Livonia Chapel in 1964 and Garden City
Chapel in 1969, we continue to do what we
do best, which is to serve families. The
company has three locations; the one in Livonia was established in 1964. David Cash
is the funeral homes manager.
City of Livonia Treasurer Lynda L.

Scheel, left, and Mayor Dennis K.
Wright, right, congratulate David Cash,
manager of the Livonia Chapel of R.G. &
G. R. Harris Funeral Home, on its selection as 2016 Best Hometown Funeral
Home by Friday Musings.
50
ICCFA Magazine
Above, Flanner and

Buchanans 135th
anniversary collage.
Left, Capt. John
Mann, Bruce
Buchanan, Kim
Evans and Cmdr.
Chad Knecht with a
check from Flanner and Buchanan
Funeral Center in
observance of the
companys 135th
anniversary.
n Flanner and Buchanan

Funeral Centers, Indianapolis,
Indiana, celebrated its 135th anniversary
by donating 20 checks of $135 each to
various nonprofits in the central Indiana
area. Some of those included in the donations were youth service clubs, a therapy
dog organization, art centers, local law enforcement agencies, grief support groups,
memorial foundations, churches, a food
pantry and a neighborhood association.
With a proud heritage of service in
Central Indiana, we want to continue to
play an active role in the community, said
Bruce Buchanan, owner of the family business that has been serving Indianapolisarea families for four generations. We are
grateful for this opportunity to give back

to the community through so many worthy
organizations.
In 1881, Frank W. Flanner became Indianas first licensed embalmer and opened
his business in downtown Indianapolis.
In 1887, Charles J. Buchanan, who was
Franks sisters husband, joined his brotherin-law in the business, and the Flanner and
Buchanan partnership was formed.
Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers
owns 16 event facilities throughout Indianapolis, seven of which are combined with
cemeteries.
Many of the centers offer catering services and host weddings, reunions, business
retreats and special events.
UPDATE
n Louisiana Cremation Services Inc., a
Shreveport, Louisiana-based
subsidiary of Letum Inc.,
has acquired Winnfield
Holding Corp., a deathcare services company serving the African-American
Dave
community in Louisiana.
In announcing the acquisition, Allen Dave,
newly named president of LCS, said, We
are thrilled to acquire Winnfield Holding
Corp., which was founded during the Great
Depression by the late Ben Johnson, as we
pursue our goal of offering the highest-quality, most compassionate and comprehensive
death-care services in Louisiana. Winnfield
has served thousands of families over the
last 84 years and is known for its superior
service, value and reputation. Our objective
is to continue to build upon the legacy of
Ben Johnson and former President Charles
Henderson.
This acquisition represents a significant step forward as we grow Letum Inc.,
said Letum Chairman Robert Lomison.
Louisiana is a very attractive and important market for us as we further expand
our operations in the South, Southeast and
Mid-Atlantic.
Founded in 1932 and headquartered in
Shreveport, Winnfield has three funeral
homes located in Shreveport, Baton Rouge
and Alexandria, Louisiana. It also operates
Winnfield Memorial Park in Baton Rouge
and Winnfield Flower Shops in Baton
Rouge and Shreveport.
Letum Inc. has existing operations in
northern Louisiana, including Forest Park
Funeral Home and the Forest Park St.
Vincent and Forest Park West Cemeteries.
Letum is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and has been in business for over 30
years. It has extensive funeral home and
cemetery operations in Louisiana, Texas,
Pennsylvania, Washington and New York.
n Carriage services, Houston,
Texas, recently announced record annual results for 2015. The company reported total revenue of $242.5 million, an
increase of 7.2 percent over the previous
year; adjusted consolidated EBITDA of
$71.1 million, an increase of 15.4 percent;
adjusted consolidated EBITDA margin up
200 basis points to 29.3 percent; adjusted
diluted earnings per share of $1.48, an
increase of 10.4 percent; adjusted net profit
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51
UPDATE
Above, a pecan tree at Old City Cemetery, which recently held a program
about trees. Right, the cemeterys new
shade house under construction.
margin up 30 basis points to 11.3%; and

adjusted free cash flow of $43.7 million,
an increase of 13 percent. Because of the
companys strong performance, bonuses
were paid to a large group of managing
partners and their employees.
Driscoll shared the stories behind some

of the states oldest trees and talked about
some of the problems urban trees are facing
and about what communities are doing to
protect them. Attendees walked the grounds
of the cemetery discussing its trees.
Also, the city of Lynchburgs Public
n Inglewood Park
Works
Department is building a 40-byCemetery, Inglewood,
20-foot
shade house for the cemetery
California, has appointed
adjacent
to its compost education center.
Rick Miller, CCFE, as CEO
The
new
shade house will protect plants
and general manager. He is
until
they
are ready to be planted. It will
also CEO and general manalso
give
the
cemetery an opportunity to
ager of Park Lawn Memorial
propagate
new
ones on-site.
Park Inc. in the city of ComHorticulturist
Kirk Schultz first conMiller
merce. Miller was recently
ceived
the
idea
of
the shade house as a way
principal of Miller Consulto
protect
the
mother
roses the cemetery
tants, a firm specializing in management
inherited
when
its
grower
retired. The
and business consulting with a focus on
rooted
cuttings
sold
every
spring during
funeral and cemetery sales and operations.
the
Antique
Rose
Festival
come
from this
He previously served as regional vice presicollection
of
roses.
dent of operations and director of special
The compost area has also been
projects for NorthStar Memorial Group, and
renovated
by cemetery staff and volunheld regional operations and sales roles with
teers.
They
have constructed bins to make
Service Corporation International.
compost
for
new rose plantings and as
Active with the ICCFA, he has served
needed
for
all
of the other cemetery plants.
on the ICCFA Board of Directors, spoken
The
tentative
completion
date for the shade
at several lCCFA conventions and curhouse
is
October
1.
rently serves on the Sales and Marketing
Committee. He is also on the Cemetery
n Selected Independent
and Mortuary Association of California
Funeral Homes, Deerfield, Illinois,
Board of Directors.
has chosen Abby Snider-Robinson as its
n Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, third recipient of the Selected Leadership
Academy Scholarship. She is a funeral
Virginia, recently offered the public a
diector at Baker-Hazel & Snider Funeral
program about trees. Naturalist Kathie
52
ICCFA Magazine
Home & Crematory, Dayton,

Ohio.
Selected also recently
announced it officers for
2017. They will be installed in September. Neil
P. OConnor, president and
CEO of OConnor Mortuary,
Laguna Hills, California, is SniderRobinson
the new president. He is a
representative for western North America.
Ann Ciccarelli, corporate clerk/secretary of
Bisbee-Porcella Funeral Homes, Saugus,
Massachusetts, will be secretary-tresurer.
She represents northeastern North America.
n The Order of the
Golden Rule, Austin,
Texas, has named Candace
Rivera and Walter Reghi
Jr. recipients of its 2016
Awards of Excellence Gold
& Silver Scholarships.
The scholarships provide
Rivera
assistance to students about
to graduate from mortuary school and
enter the funeral profession. Rivera attends
Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She received
a $2,000 scholarship. Reghi
attends Worsham College of
Mortuary Science, Wheeling,
Illinois. He received a $3,500
scholarship.
Reghi
UPDATE
In memoriam
Hobart R. Hinderliter
Hobart R. Hobie Hinderliter, 86, of Jacksonville,

Illinois, died February 22,
2016.
He served in the US
Army during the Korean War. Following
his discharge, he taught vocational education for a year before becoming a professional farm manager for Rankin Farms for
60 years. He also served as manager of
Jacksonville Memorial Lawn Cemetery.
He was active in community organizations,
including the Boy Scouts and the Kiwanis.
Survivors include his wife, Marian;
three children; three grandsons; and a
great-grandson.
A celebration of life was held at Grace
United Methodist Church in Jacksonville.
A private family committal service was
held earlier at Memorial Lawn Cemetery.
Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in
Jacksonville was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial gifts can be made to Passavant Area Hospital Foundation, Elm City
Center or the Hinderliter Scholarship Fund
at Grace United Methodist church.
Ellsworth D. Purdy
Ellsworth D. Purdy, 91, died

at his home in Vancouver,
Washington, February 27,
2016.
A third-generation funeral
director, he consolidated
numerous family holdings
into a regional company called Uniservice
Corp. in 1968. Over the years, it became
a leading funeral and cemetery operator in the Northwest, with more than 30
firms. He retired in 1995 as the chairman
and CEO when Uniservice merged with
Service Corporation International.
He served as a board member and
president of the Cremational Association
of North America in 1987-1988.
Survivors include a daughter, a son,
seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A private family committal was
held at Floral Hills Cemetery in Lynnwood, Washington.
A memorial reception celebrating his
life was held at the Heathman Lodge in
the Lewis & Clark Ballroom, Vancouver,
Washington
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53
UPDATE
n The Gardens Cemetery,
Boston, Massachusetts, held its 16th annual Easter Sunrise Service. The cemetery
provided heated tents where the service was
celebrated overlooking the sunrise. The Rev.
Oscar Pratt from Holy Name Church delivered the sermon. The Gardens President Alan
J. MacKinnon provided opening remarks.
Following the service, attendees were served
a breakfast catered by Putterham Grille.
n west laurel hill cemetery,

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, recently hosted
its 14th annual Easter Egg Hunt. Hundreds of children searched for prize-filled
and Zitners chocolate eggs scattered around
the grounds. Entertainment included photos
with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, caricatures, face
painting, balloon animals and art activities.
More FM was on hand to provide musical
entertainment and games.
The cemetery also recently hosted the
fifth anniversary of the Duffys Cut Memorial Service. The service was held at the
reburial at the cemetery of the remains of
five Duffys Cut workers unearthed during
excavation of the original site. Guest speakers included Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike
Stack, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney
and State Sen. Andy Dinniman. William
Watson, Ph.D., chair of the history department at Immaculata University, along with
his brother Frank, who were instrumental in
excavating the Duffys Cut site in Malvern,
also participated in the service, as did guests
from the Donegal Society. The event ended
with a small reception and musical enterr
tainment, including bagpipers.
Above, breakfast being served after

one of The Gardens Cemeterys Easter
Sunrise Services.
Left and below, West Laurel Hills Easter
Egg Hunt and photos with Mr. and Mrs.
Bunny.
FAMIC promotes having talk of a lifetime with families
he Funeral and Memorial

Information Council (FAMIC),
Brookfield, Wisconsin, has launched an
awareness and education initiative to help
families have important conversations
about remembrance and memorialization.
FAMIC members hear first-hand
about the struggles families have,
FAMIC President Kathleen Berry said.
Funeral professionals are dedicated to
helping families discover how they can
honor and celebrate a life in a meaningful
way.
Memorialization is so much more
than it used to be. Today it can reflect a
persons life story, values, interests and
54
ICCFA Magazine
experiences. Meaningful memorialization can be transformative, healing and

comforting. Have the Talk of a Lifetime
offers families practical advice and tools
to help them have conversations about
the things that matter most and how they
hope to be remembered when they die
and for generations to come.
Families often want to learn more
about the rich lives their loved ones have
led; however, they may be unsure about
how to begin a conversation.
On the Have the Talk of a Lifetime website, www.talkofalifetime.org,
families will find a wide range of free
tools and information. The site features
a downloadable workbook filled with

advice on how to start a conversation
and discussion questions to help families
get to know their loved ones in new and
surprising ways.
In addition, the site has videos, a blog
where people can share their experiences
having the talk what worked for
them and how it made an impact and
much more.
Throughout 2016 and beyond, FAMIC
will raise awareness of Have the Talk of
a Lifetime through online and mobile
ads, video testimonials from families
that have had the talk, and through social
media.
r
UPDATE
UK organization
warns of funeral
time bomb from
aging boomers
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report by the International Longevity

Centre-UK, The Funeral Time Bomb,
says that after decades of the number of
deaths in the UK falling, 2015 marked a
tipping point where the historic trend started
to reverse. As the oldest of the baby boomer
generation move through their later years,
deaths are predicted to rise by 20 percent.
According to the report, this trend reversal
will have significant implications for forecasts of funeral costs and highlights a growing need for families to broach the delicate
subject of end-of-life expenses. It says:
Funeral costs are already soaring in the
UK, with the cost of a simple funeral increasing by 80 percent between 2004 and 2014.
With deaths predicted to rise, increasing
pressure on funeral services is likely to push
prices even higher. ILC-UK predicts that
funeral costs could reach or exceed 7,000
by 2020, with the cost of a simple funeral
projected to rise to 5,226 by 2020.
Funeral debt (where money has been
borrowed to cover the cost of a funeral) in
the UK could reach a quarter of a billion
pounds in less than 20 years. At present, 14.5
million families would not be able to pay for
a funeral at short notice unless the deceased
had taken out some form of funeral provision
to help toward the costs.
Baroness Sally Greengross, chief executive of ILC-UK, said: More than half of UK
households have less than 3,000 in savings
and many will struggle to cover funeral costs.
We all need to talk more about dying and
ensure we are prepared for the inevitable.
Simon Markey, CEO of mutual OneFamily, which commissioned the report and which
helps around one in 12 of all UK families to
support one another financially, said: While
the subject of end-of-life expenses can be
a very delicate one to discuss, the findings
highlight how starting this conversation could
help avoid leaving loved ones with unexpected debts they may find difficult to manage,
he continued.
Twenty-two percent of those who have
arranged a funeral in the past five years had to
do it without financial provision having been
r
made by the deceased.
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easier way
theres an
Powered by Multiview, ICCFA Supply Link is a

superior tool for our unique community that
streamlines your efforts to find products and services.
Start your search at
www.iccfasupplylink.com
May 2016
55
Supply Line
A sample of Bailey & Baileys new offering that allows engraving of a drawing
onto jewelry or a keepsake item.
READERS: To find the products and services you need online, go to www.iccfa.com
and select directory to find:
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. Large files that
will not go through the ICCFA server can be
sent to slovingiccfa@yahoo.com.
A screen shot from Memory Glass

20-second viral video.
56
ICCFA Magazine
n Bailey & Bailey, Gig Harbor,

Washington, has introduced personalized
engraved jewelry. A signature, a small handwritten note or a childhood drawing can be
engraved onto a number of different jewelry
and keepsake pieces. The engraving can be
done on sterling silver, gold-plated or stainless steel items. 1.877.995.8767;
service@baileyandbailey.com;
www.BaileyandBailey.com
for quick and intuitive use. Both sinks are

supplied with a mixing valve that ensures optimal temperatures for day-to-day sanitation
needs. Both sinks can be operated completely
hands-free with little or no opportunity for
cross-contamination. Both models are made
of stainless steel. A wall-mounted janitor sink
is the most recent new product for housekeeping needs, featuring a 13-inch-deep,
18-gallon tub made of Durastone fiberglass,
resin and stone composite for extra strength
n Preneed funeral program,
and durability. info@duncanstuarttodd.com;
Metairie, Louisiana, was recognized for
720.583.1886; www.duncanstuarttodd.com
the third year in a row as a top achiever
n Federated Fuin preneed sales by Homesteaders Life
neral directors of
Co., Des Moines, Iowa. PFP received top
america, Springfield,
honors for production of over $104 million in
Illinois, has promoted
preneed contracts for 2015. PFP received the
Stephanie McHenry and
Daniel M. Voecks Sales Achievement Award
Scott Wooters and hired
for volume, and PFP counselor Roger Seay
Rick Kure. McHenry has
earned the James O. Wilson awards for volbeen appointed manager of the
ume and for paid annualized premium. PFP
McHenry
management analysis departcounselor Joey DePasquale earned the Rising
ment, responsible for leading a
Star Awards for both volume and PAP.
team responsible for interwww.preneed.net
pretating funeral home data
n Astral INDUSTRIES, Lynn, Indiana,
and providing accounting and
recently celebrated a year on Facebook by
analytical services. She has
hitting the 5,000 like mark.
more than 30 years experi1.800.278.7252; sales@astralindustries.com;
ence at Federated.
www.astralindustries.com
Wooters was promoted
Wooters
from account supervisor to
n memory glass, Santa Barbara,
division manager, overseeing
California, recently launched a 20-second
Federateds Divisions 1 and 6.
video on Facebook that went viral. The
He has been employed with
video, Look what they do with human
Federated for 26 years and is
ashes! takes the viewer through the complete
an enrolled agent, the highest
process of creating a Memory Glass keepsake
credential awarded by the
cremation memorial. As of March 24, the
Internal Revenue Service. As
video had been viewed more than 15 million
a division manager, he will
times and shared more than 322,000 times. It Kure
oversee the daily bookkeeping
continues to receive thousands of new vews
daily. Citing the power of social media, Our and tax planning for more than 100 clients.
Kure joins Federated as a field consultant,
phone and email activity is off the charts,
providing client support and technical expersaid Nick Savage, company co-owner.
tise to members in the northern Illinois and
1.866.488.4554;
Indiana territory. He has a sales background
orders@memoryglass.com;
and is a licensed funeral director.
www.MemoryGlass.com
1.877.3332; www.federated-funeral.com
n Duncan stuart todd, Boulder,
n Johnson consulting, Scottsdale,
Colorado, has added three new sinks to its
Arizona, has named the winners of its 2016
line of preparation room equipment. New
Excellence in Customer Service Awards.
hand sinks are equipped with an electronic,
The awards were presented to client funeral
sensor-activated faucet and soap dispenser,
homes who achieved the highest overall
a feature that makes them easier to use than
performance scores from family satisfacever before. A wave of the hand is all that
tion surveys mailed to each family they
is needed to produce a water and soap flow.
served during 2015. The funeral homes were
The hand sink with integral eye wash is now
divided into categories based on call volume.
enhanced with the addition of an electronic
Category One: Smith Benton Funeral Home,
sensor-activated soap dispenser, while keepBenton, Arizona; Buie Funeral Home, Rison,
ing the standard foot pedal-operated faucet
S U P P LY L I N E
Arizona; Ascension Funeral Home, Gonzales, Louisiana; Claiborne-Overholt Funeral
Home, New Tazewell, Tennessee; WeedCorley-Fish Funeral Home, Leander, Texas;
Ardoins Funeral Home, Mamou, Louisiana;
Weed-Corley-Fish, Lake Travis, Texas;
McGuinness Funeral Home, Sewell, New
Jersey; Cantrell Funeral Home, Kimball, Nebraska; Grace Funeral & Cremation Services,
Rockford, Illinois; Allnutt Funeral Services,
Estes Park, Colorado; Mark D. Heintzelman
Funeral & Cremation Services, Centre Hall,
Pennsylvania; Foley-Cook-Hathaway Funeral
Home, Attleboro, Massachusetts; DeGusipe
Funeral Home & Crematory, Ocoee, Florida;
and Wilmington Funeral & Cremation, Leland, North Carolina.
Category Two: Crapo-Hathaway Funeral
Home, Taunton, Massachusetts; Chapman
Funeral Home, Hurricane, West Virginia;
Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, St. Albans,
West Virginia; Emken-Linton Funeral Home,
Texas City, Texas; Brown-Butz-Dierdring
Funeral Service & Crematory, Anderson,
Indiana; Ratterman Brothers Funeral Home,
Louisville, Kentucky; Betz, Rossi, Bellinger
& Stewart Family Funeral Home, Amsterdam, New York; Weed-Corley-Fish, South,
Austin, Texas; DEsopo Funeral Chapel,
Wethersfield, Connecticut; Seawinds Funeral
Home & Crematory, Sebastian, Florida;
Kersey Funeral Home, Auburndale, Florida;
Sibille Funeral Home, Opelousas, Louisiana;
Hankins & Whittington Funeral Services,
Charlotte, North Carolina; LaFond-Ardoin
Funeral Home, Opelousas, Louisiana; and
George Funeral Home & Cremation Center,
Aiken, South Carolina.
Category Three: Weed-Corley-Fish,
North, Austin, Texas; DeGusipe Funeral
Home & Crematory, Maitland, Florida; Smith
North Little Rock Funeral Home, North Little
Rock, Arizona; Luyben Dilday Mortuary,
Long Beach, California; Rabenhorst Funeral
Home, East, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Rabenhorst Funeral Home, Downtown, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana; Wilmington Funeral &
Cremation, Wilmington, North Carolina; Solimine Funeral Home, Lynn, Massachusetts;
Michels & Lundquist Funeral Home, New
Port Richey, Florida; Whitney & Murphy
Funeral Home, Phoenix, Arizona; Starks &
Menchinger Family Funeral Home, St. Joseph, Michigan; Menke Funeral Home, Sun
City, Arizona; Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary, Scottsdale, Arizona; Andrews Mortuary
& Crematory, Wilmington, North Carolina;
and Ellers Mortuary, Kokomo, Indiana.
1.888.250.7747;
info@johnsonconsulting.com
www.johnsonconsulting.com
n Lemasters consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio, recently collected 701 new

winter coats in its annual coat drive. Since
2011, weve been raising money for, purchasing and donating brand new winter coats,
hats and gloves to Cincinnati-area families,
said company owner Poul Lemasters, Esq..
In addition to the coats, the company donated
more than 500 pairs of gloves, as well as hats
and blankets. Lemasters pairs with Blue Ash
Old Navy store to purchase the winter wear.
The retail value of this years donation came
to $36,662.29. Distribution of the items is
handled by the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
www.lemastersconsulting.com
n thacker Caskets, Clinton,
Maryland, and has released their newest
solid poplar casket, the Aspen. the Aspen
features a beige eyelet interior, umber gloss
finish, swing-bar hardware and a beautifully
detailed wood inlay. Thacker is offering a
free cremation box bundle of five with firsttime purchase. 1.800.637.8891;
www.thackercaskets.com
n Howard miller Co., Zeeland,

Michigan, has introduced three new
small-capacity urns for use as urns for
infants and children or as keepsakes. The
collection includes pink, blue and ivory
urns with up to 55 cubic inch capacity, in a
high-gloss finish. Contact Cressy Memorial
at 1.866.763.0485 for referral to a distributor. 616.772.9131;
www.howardmiller.com
n Peaceful memories, Olympia,

Washington, offers a pet oval keepsake
impressions kit. The kit is simple and
safe for paws or claws. Each 4-by-3-inch
impression space can accommodate a single
print or two small pet impressions on the
molding material, which is air-dried. Each
kit is made with earth-friendly tan handcrafted paper and natural pressed fibers. It is
designed with an easel-back stand with pet
name label and matching paper lid that can
be personalized.
www.peacefulmemories.com
n CareCap, Bellevue, Washington,
has announced a strategic alliance with
Security National Financial
Corp. , is one of the countrys largest
funders of funeral insurance through its
wholly owned subsidiaries of C&J Finan-
Coats, hats and gloves collected by

Lemasters Consulting.
Thacker Caskets new Aspen casket.
Above and
left, two
of Howard
Millers
smallcapacity
urns.
Peaceful Memories oval pet keepsake

impressions kit creates a print on molding material that is air-dried.
May 2016
57
S U P P LY L I N E
It took two master designers three hours

to create the spray. Floral Marketing
International Group designed a casket
saddle to accommodate the weight and
insure flower performance while protecting the wood casket from moisture and
damage.
Above and right, the all

white full-length casket
spray for Nancy Reagans
funeral included more
1,000 stems of peonies,
garden roses, hydrangeas, ranunculus, roses,
spray roses, stock, freesia, orchids, lizianthus
and variegated Italian pitt.
58
ICCFA Magazine
n Floral marketing international group, Houston, Texas,

designed the flowers for former First
Lady Nancy Reagans funeral service. In
addition to the full-length casket spray pictured in the photos, the company provided
a farewell interment wreath. The eternally
together wreath, a symbol of the reunion
of President Ronald Reagan and Nancy,
consisted of two white orchid rings with
150 stems of white Dendrobium orchids
interlocked with 52 red roses representing
the years of their marriage, finished off with
Americas true-love story embossed on a
white satin ribbon.
FMI was founded by Sherri Gerland
in 1998. It now owns and operates eight
floral and even operations in Texas, Florida,
Alabama and Nevada. FMI markets its
exclusive 143 design collections through
the Dignity Brand and Service Corporation
International and serves over 25,000 families annually with sympathy floral tributes
and personalized event dcor.
Past clients include consultations and
designs for President Reagan, President
Ford, former First Lady Betty Ford, Robert
Mosbacher, Tom Clancy, coach Bum Phillips, NBA player Moses Malone and other
politicians, celebrities and notable individuals. 713.462.6611
r
S U P P LY L I N E
cial (C&J), American Funeral Financial
(AFF) and Funeral Funding Center (FFC).
The alliance provides funeral professionals
options for immediate payment by consumers using life insurance and, in the event a
life insurance policy is not viable, payment
plan management to facilitate funeral service payment. www.carecap.com
n Wilbert Funeral Services,

Broadview, Illinois, recently recognized
10 regional sales representatives for their
efforts in 2015. Bobby Herring was awarded the Bill Pierce Award, given to one who
demonstrates exemplary professionalism
and above-and-beyond efforts. He was
recognized for his 45 years of service with
Pierce and the support he provided to his
customers over the years. Herring retired at
the end of 2015.
Kevin Russell, whose sales territory is
Michigan and Indiana, received the Rookie
of the Year Award. Michael Kuruc, sales
rep for Virginia and portions of Pennsylvania and Ohio, earned the Largest Increase
in Overall Sales Award. Rick Rork, who
covers the state of Illinois, was given the
Largest Increase in Fluid Sales Award.
Randy Emmert achieved both the Top Memorial Book Sales Award and the Top Urns
Sales Award. His territory encompasses
Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Seven individuals received the Pierce
110 Percent Club Award, given to sales representatives whose 2015 sales were at least
110 percent of their 2014 sales: Angelo
Frazetta (New Jersey, New York, portions
of Pennsylvania); David Hicks (Kentucky,
portions of Ohio); Kuruc; Russell; Abby
Shurtz (portions of Texas); Don Summers
(portions of Texas); and Justin Willis (Arkansas, Louisiana).
1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com
n Funeral Solutions Group

and Frontrunner, Kingston, Ontario,
have partnered to introduce the Honoring a Life Memorial Tree Program. The
program is a global initiative designed
to bring funeral professionals together
to make a difference in the fight against
climate change. The program consists of
a beautiful card and stationery kit that the
funeral homes can send to the families they
serve, indicating that they have arranged
for the planting of a memorial tree for their
The Honoring a Life Memorial Tree Program set up by Funeral Solutions Group
and FruntRunner.
loved one. The loved ones tribute and forest location is then posted on the Honoring
a Life website. The program is available
to all funeral homes, not just FrontRunner clients. For FrontRunner clients the
program is seamlessly integrated, providing
an automatic publishing onto their FrontRunner funeral home website. For all other
funeral homes, a login will be provided to
the Honoring a Life website,
www.HonoringALife.org.
1.866.748.3625
r
Pontem AD
1/2 H
4-COLOR
May 2016
59
IMSA AD
FULL PAGE
page 60
4-COLOR
I C C FA N E W S
ear prospective students,

I am honored to serve as your
ICCFA University chancellor.
I have had the pleasure over the past
24 years of seeing the university from
all sides, first attending and graduating,
then becoming a professor in several
colleges and finally serving as dean of the
College of Land Management & Grounds
Operations for five years.
I was raised in the funeral service
industry, with my family owning a
cemetery and funeral homes in the
Philippines, and me personally working
for memorial design companies for
numerous years. I thought I had a pretty
good grasp of what was going on in the
profession until I was encouraged to
attend ICCFA University back in 1992.
After I attended, my career really began.
Why is the ICCFA University so lifechanging and one of the most revered
educational programs in our profession?
The program is more than just a
training seminar or conferenceit is an
EXPERIENCE. The experience starts
from the moment you arrive in Memphis,
and actually continues for the rest of
your career. The professors and fellow
students you share the week with will
become lasting friends. The memorable
conversations during breakfast, lunch
and dinner with fellow students are
enlightening. The opportunity to sit on a
couch and have a late-night fireside chat
with Gary OSullivan is priceless. The
hospitality provided by the Fogelman
Center staff will be difficult to explain to
others (its awesome!). Everything you
learn will alter the lens through which
you view the profession from that point
forward. This is a situation where the
whole is much more than the sum of its
parts.
ICCFA University boasts seven
colleges in tune with our profession today.
ICCFA University Chancellor

JeffKidwiler, CCE, CSE
21st Century Services

Land Management & Grounds
Operations
Leadership, Management &
Administration
J. Asher Neel College of Sales &
Marketing
Funeral Home Management
Cremation Services
And, back after its successful inaugural
year, is the College of International
Studies. This curriculum offers you the
opportunity to learn about funeral and
burial customs from around the world
and how you may offer them to your
community. After all, the modern world is
a much smaller place.
The success that ICCFA University
enjoys is the result of the dedication
and hard work of our seven remarkable
deans, and the numerous professors who
have amassed a wealth of real-world
experience in their fields. They truly are
experts at what they do. They continually
fine-tune their curricula throughout the
year to present you with the most relevant
and current information to take back and
apply as soon as you get home. And we
should note that most of them donate
their time and share their expertise on

a volunteer basis. They just want to
give back to our profession that has so
generously rewarded them over the years.
Debating whether or not to attend?
Listen to what past students have to
say about their experience at ICCFA
University. Watch video testimonials at
www.iccfa.com/university.
Scholarships are available. To see if
you might qualify, check out the ICCFA
website at www.iccfa.com/university.
Scholarships for the 2016 session have
already been awarded, but its never too
early to start thinking about next year.
The 2016 ICCFA University is the
ultimate educational opportunity in our
profession. Everyone involved in the
university is proud to continue this oneof-a-kind venue by which thousands have
already enriched themselves, their firms
and ultimately their customers through
superior, relevant and contemporary
service. I encourage you to enroll in
the 2016 session of the U to begin, or
continue, your journey of professional
development today.
Sincerely yours,
Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE

ICCFA University chancellor
Find complete
program details,
hotel reservation
and registration
information at www.
iccfa.com/university.
May 2016
61
I C C FA N E W S
College of 21st
Century Services
Dean Glenda Stansbury, CC
How do you respond to a family who says,
We dont want a traditional funeral? Youll learn how
to go beyond tradition with innovative offerings and
become certified as a funeral celebrant trained to provide
meaningful alternatives to clergy-led services.
Classes include:
Celebrant Training: Doug Manning and Glenda Stansbury
Celebrants offer an alternative to services provided by clergy
for those families who are not affiliated with a church or who
do not wish to have a traditional religious funeral service. They
design services that are completely personal, incorporating
College of
Cremation
Services
Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
Cremation doesnt have to mean no service or no
memorialization. Youll discover how to better serve
families, improve cremation operations and increase your
companys cremation-related revenues. Youll also earn three
types of certifications: operator, administrator and arranger.
Classes include:
Crematory Operator Curriculum (sponsored by Matthews
Cremation Division): Ron Salvatore and Richard Thomas
You will receive an extensive operations manual and training on:
professional terminology
incinerator terminology
principles of combustion
cremation and the environment
incinerator criteria and design
basics of operating cremation equipment
general maintenance and troubleshooting
forms and record keeping
handling and exposure control
62
ICCFA Magazine
those unique stories, songs and experiences that defined the

deceased.
Celebrants schedule a special family time meeting
when the family can share memories, anecdotes and defining
moments in the loved ones life. They then base the essence
of the service on the remembrances of the family, and family
and friends are encouraged to participate.
Celebrants develop a library of resources available for
readings, music, ceremonies and personal touches. They consult
with the family to help them choose elements of the service that
reflect their loved one. They are bound by a code of ethics for
complete confidentiality in all dealings with the family.
Becoming a Certified Celebrant
After completing this college, students will be certified as
celebrants. The training for celebrants as established by the InSight Institute seeks to provide the most comprehensive and
sensitive training available for people who wish to develop this
as a profession or to add to their current job description. It is
important that a family knows they are being served by someone
who understands the process and is prepared to offer the very
q
best funeral possible.
Please note: This college includes a one-day option for
those who wish to attend only the Certified Crematory Operator
program.
Administrator Curriculum: Cremation & Crematory
Risk Management: Go Ahead. Dont Bother. I Dare You!:
JimStarks, CFuE, CCrE
Jim Starks will wow you with a riveting, real-world
presentation on operations and compliance. Failure to properly
manage the risk of providing cremation services and/or operating
a crematory is an invitation for disaster. Learn the steps you need
to take to minimize potential problems and liabilities from an
expert who has handled compliance and risk management issues
for hundreds of funeral homes and crematories.
Arranger Curriculum: Funeral Arrangements: Mike Hays
Professor Mike Hays is passionate about funeral-cremation
service and is a recognized authority in dealing with and
understanding cremation consumers. His lecture focuses on the
arrangement conference and planning process with cremation
families; identifying procedures and methodology that help
eliminate misunderstanding; and winning ways that enhance
client family satisfaction and loyalty.
Administrator Curriculum: Cremation & Crematory
Risk Management: Go Ahead. Dont Bother. I Dare You!:
JimStarks, CFuE, CCrE
Jim Starks will wow you with a riveting, real-world
presentation on operations and compliance. Failure to properly
manage the risk of providing cremation services and/or operating
a crematory is an invitation for disaster. Learn the steps you need
to take to minimize potential problems and liabilities from an
expert who has handled compliance and risk management issues
q
for hundreds of funeral homes and crematories.
I C C FA N E W S
College of
Funeral Home
Management
Dean Todd Van Beck, CFuE
Too many managers consider creativity someone elses
department. In funeral service, creative management is the
key to differentiation. Youll learn Dr. W. Edwards Demings
creative service management system and its specific
applications to our profession.
Whats Your Management Style?: We will examine the

teachings of business management expert Dr. W. Edwards
Deming, who is known for saying, It is not enough to do your
best; you must know what to do, and then do your best. If you
want to tighten up your management and leadership skills, if
you want to leave with a navigation blueprint on how to make
decisions, and if you want to raise your sights concerning just
what you are doing in management, this session will be the
ticket! Topics discussed will include:
Finding out your own personal leadership style, and learning
how to make it work for you!
Learning the Dr. W. Edwards Deming System of Management
every manager needs a system.
The Management Wisdom of Dr. Russell Herman Conwell
and his Acres of Diamonds speech and how to find your
q
own worthy ideal.
College of Land Management

Grounds Operations
&
Dean Gino Merendino

Exceptional cemetery service starts with the grounds and operations department. Without effective land management and
a commitment to an attractive, well-maintained property, there will be no sales or service. Youll learn how your grounds
management team can succeed and continuously improve interments, landscaping, buildings, grounds maintenance and
exceptional client experience and satisfaction.
OSHA and Graveside Safety: Shannon DeCamp
OSHA has regulations for digging in a narrow but deep space such as a grave. This session covers backhoes, ladders, setting
vaults, adjacent grave and monument issues and witnessing liabilities. Well also examine the requirements for soil assessment,
trench protection and air-quality issues that can become critical during opening and closing.
Students will receive a DVD on gravesite safety, which you can take back to train your entire maintenance staff to help
fulfill your OSHAtraining requirements. The DVDcomes with a users guide, instructor notes, student handouts, a quiz and
completion certificates.
q
College of
International
Studies
Dean Jim Hammond
Globalization is making the world a much smaller place to
live in. Are you sure that you know how to serve families
of all nationalities and religious backgrounds in your
community? Learn about the funeral customs of all major
religions and population groups from around the world.
Hindu Funeral Beliefs: Nisha Hafiz

With cremation such a part of todays funeral industry, it
is now a part of the Hindu tradition as well. In Hindu funeral
tradition, the body remains at the home until it is cremated,
which is usually within 24 hours after death. At the service,
mourners may dress casually. Black attire is inappropriate and
white is preferred. Learn some of the dos and donts of Hindu
beliefs in this course.
Funeral Traditions in Cambodian Buddhist Culture:
RachelKu
Roughly 96 percent of Cambodians follow Theravada
Buddhism. They do not view death as the end of ones life but
rather as the end of a life cycle. It is a passage from one stage
of the cycle to the next. When death occurs it is very important
to perform rituals in the correct and proper Buddhist tradition,
otherwise, it is believed the deceased will not be able to move
onto the next stage of the cycle, rebirth.
q
May 2016
63
I C C FA N E W S
College of Leadership, Administration

Management
&
Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE

The cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession is changing, and so are the skills needed to
manage and lead effectively. Youll receive solid, relevant, results-focused training targeted at todays required core
competencies.
Principals of Effective Leadership: Steven Tidwell
If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an
effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never-ending
process of self-study, education, training and experience. Learn
how to develop the leader within you by exploring various facets
of leadership, including attitude, motivation, vision, self discipline,
character and handling change. This course will enable you to
benchmark your leadership effectiveness and help you develop
your leadership ability.
Community Outreach: Setting Your Company Apart:
DebbieBudke
Are you doing everything you can to build your companys ties
into the community? Is your organization the first one families
think of in a time of need?
J. Asher
Neel College
of Sales &
Marketing
Dean Gary OSullivan, CCFE
The principles of sales and marketing dont change, only
technique and application do. Learn how to take the triedand-true principles of cemetery and funeral sales and apply
them within todays highly mobile, multi-cultural, hightech, information-driven marketplace.
Going Viral! How to Use Social Media for Sales and
Relationship Management: Zachary Garbow
Did you know that over one billion people use Facebook
every single day? Social media now provides your business
an unprecedented ability to reach and engage people in your
community. However, using social media incorrectly simply
creates a distraction for your business, while wasting your time
and money. In this session, youll learn how to use social media
and digital marketing to reach your audience, educate your
community and revolutionize your sales process.
64
ICCFA Magazine
Spring Grove Cemetery gets between 20,000 and 30,000

visitors per yearfor reasons other than funerals and burials. This
course will explore the variety of ways Spring Grove builds its
presence and positive awareness, including everything from grief
programs, events and tours, to car shows, Segways and Facebook.
Employee Engagement, Motivation, Hiring & Firing:
RobertTaylor, Ph.D.
Your employees are your most important asset. Todays
business environment presents unique challenges because of the
high level of inter-industry competition for quality personnel. This
session will cover standard business rules for finding, keeping
and removing personnel, as well as new ideas for engaging and
motivating employees through effective communication.
q
Creating Unique Service Events That Generate Leads:
JohnGouch
In this session, you will learn to create and execute some of
the most unique service experiences that will have families in
your community raving about your cemetery. But more than
that, you will learn how to generate leads that are warm and
welcoming when they are contacted. If you need to generate
more warm leads, you need to attend this session.
What is Branding and How Do I Do It?: Tiffany Gallarzo
What is your brand? How does your community view your
firm? What is your competitive edge? If you dont know what
makes your firm unique, neither do your customers. Learn
what a brand is, why its important and what you need to do to
influence it.
How to Capture the Fastest Growing Market in America:
Carlos Quezada
The Hispanic market is the fastest growing market segment in
most every corner of America today. Yes, the market is there, but
do you really understand this segment? In this session you will
learn more about this market segment in 90 minutes than you
could probably learn in years of trial and error. You will learn
the key elements to effectively approaching this growing market
segment, why everyone who speaks the language is not the same
and more.
If you think speaking the language is all you need to know,
you will be surprised by what else you dont know, and need to
know, to build a proper relationship to serve this culture.
q
E-mail calendar listings and additions

or corrections to Association Pipeline
to bclough@iccfa.com and
sloving@iccfa.com.
May 3-6: Texas Cemeteries Assn. Annual
Convention, San Antonio. www.txca.org
May 8-11: Tri-State and Kansas Funeral
Directors Assn. Convention. www.ksfda.org
May 9-11: Nebraska Funeral Directors
Assn. Convention. www.nefda.org
May 11-13: South Dakota Funeral
Directors Assn. 117th Convention, Sioux
Falls. www.sdfda.org
May 16: National Museum of Funeral
History 22nd Annual Charity Golf Classic,
Kingwood Country Club, Kingwood, Texas.
281.876.3063.
May 17-19: Iowa Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Altoona. www.iafda.org
May 17-19: 136th Ohio Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention & Exhibition,
Hilton Columbus at Easton.
www.ofdaonline.org
May 22-25: North Carolina Funeral
Directors Assn. Annual Convention, Raleigh.
www.ncfda.org
May 22-25: Minnesota Funeral Directors
Assn. 126th Annual Convention, Welch.
www.mnfuneral.org
May 22-25: North Carolina Funeral
Directors Assn. Annual Convention, Raleigh.
www.ncfda.org
May 20-June 2: Funeral Service Assn. of
Canada Convention & Expo and 14th FIATIFTA International Convention, Montreal
For continually updated meeting listings

and direct links to websites for professional
associations, go to www.iccfa.com; select
Find a Member, then Industry Associations.
Calendar
To see all industry conventions and

meetings for a particular month, go to
www.iccfa.com; select Find a Member,
then Industry Calendar.
Go to www.iccfa.com and choose Find a Member/Industry Calendar to see a

monthly calendar of industry association meetings worldwide.
Hilton Bonaventure, Montreal, Quebec.
roberta@fsac.ca; info@thanos.org
May 25-26: ICCFA Cremation Certification,
Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas,
Texas. www.iccfa.com
May 30-June 6: Funeral Service Assn.
of Canada Annual General Mtg. & Expo,
Montreal. www.fsac.ca
June 5-7: Tennessee Funeral Directors

Assn. 114th Annual Convention,
Murfreesboro. www.tnfda.org
June 5-7: South Carolina Funeral
Directors Assn. 118th Annual Convention,
Isle of Palms. www.sfda.org
June 7-9: Indiana Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Indiana Convention
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
City of Gastonia
Gastonia, North Carolina
Fitting Tribute Funeral Services
Brooklyn, New York
Guil-Rand Memorial Park Cemetery
High Point, North Carolina
Metropolitan Cemeteries Board
Claremont, Western Australia, Australia
Ocean View The Cemetery Beautiful Inc.
Staten Island, New York
to page 66
New Members
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.
Thompson Spring Grove Funeral Home

Spring Grove, Illinois
Union Cemetery Association
Steubenville, Ohio
Professional/Supplier
Heritage Packaging/Bioshield
Victor, New York
Hilers Iron Works
Cave Junction, Oregon
Life-Boxes LLC
Walpole, Massachusetts
Memento Memorials
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Obits by Zip
Miramar Beach, Florida
Save My Ink Forever
Beachwood, Ohio
Stericycle Communications Solutions
Northbrook, Illinois
The Birthday of an Angel
Houston, Texas
May 2016
65
ad index
31 Abbott & Hast
29 American Bronze Craft Inc.
49 American Cemetery/Mortuary
Consultants
27 ASDAnswering Service for
Directors
5 Coldspring
25 Continental Computer Corp.
23 Doric Products
11 Enduring Images
15 Ensure-A-Seal
17 Federal Coach Co.
29 Flowers for Cemeteries
33 Funeral Call Answering Service
45 Funeral Data Manager
51 Grever & Ward
15 Heraeus Kutzer Precious Metal

Refining
39 Holland Supply
55 Holy Land Stone
60 IMSA
21 Inman Shipping Worldwide
3 Johnson Consulting
21 Kryprotek
68 LP Bronze International
49 Madelyn Co.
7 Matthews International
39 Meadow Hill Corp.
67 Merendino Cemetery Care
33 Miles Supply Inc.
31 Nomis Publications
37 NorthStar Memorial Group
29 Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &

Hippel
35 Paradise Pictures
13 Perfect Memorials
59 Pontem Software
53 SEP Technologies
19 SuperNova International
55 Supply Link
37 Tassel Depot
53 The Key Chain Urn Co.
51 Timberland Urns
2 U.S. Metalcraft
27 WithumSmith + Brown
43 Worsham College
31 Xiamen Ever-Rising Stone Co.
29 Zontec Ozone
Calendar
from page 65
Center, Indianapolis. www.indiana-fda.org

June 9-12: Virginia Cemetery Assn. Annual
Convention, Hotel Roanoke.
www.virginiacemeteryassociation.org
June 12-14: Louisiana and Mississippi
Funeral Directors Assns. Joint Convention,
Biloxi, Mississippi. www.ifda.web
June 12-14: Southern Cemetery, Crema
tion & Funeral Assn. Annual Convention,
with Georgia, North Carolina and South
Carolina cemetery assns., Francis Marion
Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina.
www.sccfa.info
June 12-15: West Virginia Funeral
Directors Assn. 122nd Annual Convention,
Stonewall Resort, Roanoke. www.wvda.org
June 12-16: Catholic Cemetery Conf.
School of Leadership & Mgmt. Excellence,
South Bend, Indiana.
Classifieds
www.catholiccemeteryconference.org
June 12-16: Texas Funeral Directors Assn.
Convention, Omni Bayfront Hotel, Corpus
Christi.www.tfda.com
June 13-15: Wisconsin Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Ho-Chunk Casino
& Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells.
www.wfda.info
June 14-16: Arizona Funeral, Cemetery
& Cremation Assn. Annual Convention,
Chandler. www.azfccaorg
June 16-18: Buckeye State Funeral
Directors & Embalmers Assn. Annual
Convention, Mohican State Park Conf.
Center & Lodge. www.bsfdea.net
June 19-22: Idaho Funeral Service Assn.
Annual Convention, McCall. www.ifsa.us
June 20-23: Western Pennsylvania
Funeral Directors Assn. 108th Annual
Convention & Expo, Erie. www.wpfda.org r
A participant in a previous National Museum of Funeral History Annual Charity

Golf Classic. This years is May 16.
Check the classified announcements at www.iccfa.com/employment.htm
To place a classified, contact Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com
Highest Quality Memorials,

Lowest Delivered Price.
GUARANTEED!
CAST ALUMINUM LOT MARKERS

3, 4, 5 X 5
SPIKE OR SPLINE MARKERS
CALL TODAY FOR A FREE BROCHURE!
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE/WWW.ADOVERMARKER.COM
66
ICCFA Magazine
Merendino AD
FULL PAGE
page 67 (C3)
4-COLOR
LP Bronze AD
FULL PAGE
page 68 (C4)
4-COLOR

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2015 KIP Award

KIP Award winners: 1. Striffler-Hamby

Someone take my picture: To take or not take photos of the deceased

Building better relationships first will result in better sales later

Cemetery Impossible: How should the purchase of a cemetery be

20 KIP: Most personalized service or memorial

Grand Prize Winner: Personalized visitation touches family

Michael Uselton, CCFE, president

Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Susan Loving, managing editor

Robert Treadway, director of

Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

2016 by the International Cemetery, Cremation

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

An invitation from Chancellor

62 College of 21st Century Services

Includes celebrant training by Doug

Services Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE

63 College of Funeral Home Man-

agement Dean Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE

63 College of Land Management

& Grounds Operations

Studies Dean Jim Hammond

47 J. Asher Neel College

of Sales & Marketing

Administration & Management

Submit your news

Have you held a groundbreaking or

n Send it in: Email your Word document

Dozens of teens build birdhouses, bring life to Catholic cemeteries

32 KIP: Best Practice/Personal touch

Memorial urn cover adds dignity to committal services and

34 Ornaments, treats and attention help families know that theyre

Honoring the life and service of Officer Pepper

40 KIP: INnovative personalized product

Cemetery360 allows people to visit cemeteries anywhere via virtual

go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship info

May 25 (operator) & 26 (arranger)

July 22-27 Fogelman Conference Center, Memphis, Tennessee

October 5-7 Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah

January 11-14 Hyatt Regency, Phoenix, Arizona

More from this author,

n March 1, the Federal Trade

Michael Uselton, CCFE, president

Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Susan Loving, managing editor

complaints are in decline despite the increase in

Robert Treadway, director of

Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

2016 by the International Cemetery, Cremation

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

by Poul Lemasters, Esq.

He is an attorney and funeral director,

Go to www.iccfa.com to the Cremation Support section, where you can post a

More from this author

Lemasters will be part of the ICCFA

photographs of the deceased in their care. While there are

lessons to be learned from the case, thats not one of them.

Someone take my picture

ince this issue is all about the

room. These actions on the part of the hotel

think the Andrews verdict is a reason to

I realize there is a group of providers

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