March-April 2018

MAGAZINE

ICCFA Magazine
CEMETERY CREMATION FUNERAL

The Gardens
at Gethsemane
Going above & beyond
to serve families

• How Davis Funeral

Homes & the Vegas
community helped
families after tragedy

• How refugees are giving

refuge to their dead
Cremation:
• Lemasters: Cremation

& your basic service fee
• The breastfeeding-
cremation rate link
• NMFH’s new exhibit
Also:
• Isard on the impact
of the new tax law
March-April 2018 • Building a state-of-
the-art funeral home
• How unitrust is
working in Florida
• Filhaber on using
engagement marketing

• Exhibitor profiles
• Paul Elvig and Tom Flynn
to be honored at convention
• KIP winners announced
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Development of the Gardens at Geth-
semane’s Orthodox Garden and Holy
Resurrection Chapel changed the cem-
etery’s mission. Story, page 56.
10 President’s letter
It’s been a great year, but it’s not
over yet: See you at the convention
by Scott Sells, CCFE
12 Washington report
Survey about posting funeral
prices online shows organizations’
biases
by Robert M. Fells, Esq.
1 28 Supply Line
1 32 Update
136 Riverview Funeral Home
by Halvey opens
1 40 New Members
1 45 Calendar
146 Classifieds
1 46 Ad Index
ICCFA officers
Scott R. Sells, CCFE, president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
president-elect
Andrés Aguilar, vice president
Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president
Paul Goldstein, vice president
Mitch Rose, vice president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, treasurer
Robbie L. Pape, secretary
Nadira Baddeliyanage, executive director
Robert M. Fells, Esq., general counsel
Magazine staff
Susan Loving, managing editor
sloving@iccfa.com
Rick Platter, supplier relations manager
rplatter@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1213
4 ICCFA Magazine
M A R C H - A P R I L 2 0 1 8 Ta 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
14 MANAGEMENT: LEGAL/CREMATION
When your basic service fee + direct cremation = confusion
Competing against low-cost cremation providers can put you in a bind if
you want to offer “direct cremation” families the option of more services.
Why? The Funeral Rule restricts what you can offer families without
charging your basic, non-declinable service fee.
by Poul Lemasters, Esq.
16 EXHIBITOR PROFILES
The 2018 ICCFA Expo The ICCFA Expo offers hours of uninterrupted
time to talk to suppliers, ask questions and see products in person.
No educational sessions are scheduled during expo hours. Free food and
beverage service means you can grab lunch or enjoy appetizers while
checking out the booths before heading out to enjoy Las Vegas.
(Not a complete list of exhibitors; a floor plan and an updated list can be
found at www.iccfa.com, and will be printed in the onsite guide.)
26 Eat, drink, browse and get to know the suppliers
38 Look for first-time exhibitors, PLPA members and KIP winners
50 Check out the ICCFA Plaza & the Educational Foundation booth
56 SERVICE TO FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES
How The Gardens’ service to the Orthodox community has benefitted
all its families
Creating a garden for a specific group is not uncommon—The Gardens
at Gethsemane had done it before. But building a chapel at the cemetery
for the Orthodox community took Alan MacKinnon on a journey that was
both physical (through Greece, Russia, Lebanon and Italy) and spiritual,
 March-April and August-September. Periodicals
March-April 2018 postage paid at Sterling, VA, and other offices.
VOLUME 78/NUMBER 3 Copyright 2017 by the International Cemetery,
Cremation and Funeral Association. Subscription
rates: In the United States, $39.95; in Canada,
Katherine Devins, communications manager; & association liaison; bclough@iccfa.com; $45.95; overseas: $75.95. One subscription is
kd@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1214 included in annual membership dues. POST-
MASTER: Send address changes to ICCFA
Jason Brown, communications assistant Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator Magazine, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100,
jason@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1218 (habla español) Sterling, VA 20164-4468. Individual written
Nadira Baddeliyanage, executive director danielo@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1215 contributions, commentary and advertisements
& publisher appearing in ICCFA Magazine do not necessarily
nadira@iccfa.com ; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1225 ICCFA Magazine (ISSN 1936-2099) is published reflect either the opinion or the endorsement
by the International Cemetery, Cremation and of the International Cemetery, Cremation and
Robert M. Fells, Esq., general counsel Funeral Association®.
Funeral Association®, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite
robertfells@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext.
100, Sterling, VA 20164-4468; 703.391.8400;
1212
FAX 703.391.8416; www.iccfa.com. Published
Brenda Clough, office administrator 10 times per year, with combined issues in
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 ICCFA news
139 ICCFA staff profiles:
Giroux keeps track of the
association’s money
Guidone coordinates meetings,
conferences for ICCFA members
141 Winners of the 2017 Keeping It
Personal Awards
141 WWS attendees leave NOLA
with lagniappe to remember
142 Thank you to our
2018 Annual Convention sponsors
143 Tom Flynn to receive Lasting
Impact Award
144 Paul Elvig to be inducted into
ICCFA Hall of Fame
www.iccfa.com
• ICCFA Magazine online
ICCFA members in good standing can
read the magazine online
• Cremation resources
TABLE OF CONTENTS
and led to a change in mission and focus for the entire cemetery.
by Susan Loving
59 Travels with Alan: Byzantine churches, the hospitality of
strangers and a touching graveside service in Greece
78 The Gardens emphasizes relationship selling
84 SERVICE TO FAMILIES
How Davis Funeral Homes and the Las Vegas community
came together to help families
“The real heroes are the people of Las Vegas. We were just there to
support them.”—Michael Soper, president, Legacy Funeral Group
by Alice Adams
94 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
How refugees are giving refuge to their dead
When you grow up in the funeral and cemetery profession, you never
outgrow an interest in the subject, even when your own professional
focus is on keeping people alive. While helping refugees in Bangla-
desh, ICCFA Past President Paul Elvig’s daughter wanted to know
how they care for their dead.
by Leslie Aaron

To support the ICCFA’s ICCFA calendar

goal of raising money
to fight lung cancer, today’s
#1 killer of women, go to
http:/www.iccfa.com/lungforce
Catch the WIRELESS news­letter in
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Follow the ICCFA’s LinkedIn
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Follow the ICCFA on Twitter
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http://twitter.com/iccfa
Like and follow the ICCFA
to read up-to-date news on
the industry, ICCFA members
making headlines and ICCFA
events & promotions
go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship information
Preconvention
Celebrant Training
April 16-18, Bally’s Las
Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Celebrant trainer Glenda
Stansbury, CC, CFSP
2018 ICCFA
Convention
& Expo
April 18-21,
Mandalay Bay,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Co-chairs: Shawna de la Cruz and
Andy Lopez
2018 ICCFA
University
July 20-25, Fogelman
Conference Center,
University of Memphis,
Memphis, Tennessee
Chancellor: Jeff Kidwiler,
CCE, CSE
2019 ICCFA Convention & Expo
April 3-6, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Cremation
Certification
Training
ICCFA Cremation
Program Coordinator
Poul Lemasters, Esq.
April 25, Cremation Operator
Training, Gupton-Jones College of
Funeral Service, Decatur, Georgia
May 9, Cremation Operator
Training,
Mid-America College of Funeral
Service, Jeffersonville, Indiana
July 18, Cremation Operator
Training, Dallas Institute of Funeral
Service, Dallas, Texas
December 11, Live stream:
Cremation Arranger Training,
The Wilbert Group, Broadview,
Illinois
December 12, Live stream:
Cremation Operator Training,
The Wilbert Group, Broadview,
Illinois

6 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 • FUNERAL HOMES
• CEMETERIES • CREMATORIES
• SUPPLIERS
• PET LOSS PROFESSIONALS
Submit your news
to ICCFA Magazine
WHAT’S GOING ON?
Have you held a groundbreaking or
grand opening for a new facility?
Hired or promoted someone?
Is your company offering a new or up-
dated product or service to cemeteries
and/or funeral homes?
Have you recently held an unusual
service or a successful seminar at
your location?
Have you added a grief therapy dog to
your staff?
Share your news with colleagues all
over the world—send it in to ICCFA
Magazine! It’s a simple way to receive
some well-deserved publicity for you &
your staff & to share ideas with peers.
WHAT TO DO:
n Write it down. It doesn’t have to be
written perfectly (that’s 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 or pdf 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 company’s name and
location in the body of your email.
➤ Photos—high-resolution, RGB
jpgs—can be emailed, Dropboxed
or mailed on a disc. Photos must be
suitable for magazine printing, not for
use on the internet. Make sure your
e-mail program isn’t “helping” you by
“maximizing” photos for emailing (that
means it’s reducing the resolution). If
you’re 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.
8 ICCFA Magazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
98 PRE-NEED SALES SUCCESS
Using engagement marketing to attract new customers
Marketing today isn’t about talking to passive listeners, it’s about having
a conversation with people, engaging in a back-and-forth relationship.
It’s called engagement marketing, and here’s how you do it.
by Dale Filhaber
102 CREMATION
Is there a connection between breastfeeding, cremation rates?
Why do some families choose cremation while others stay with the
traditional burial their parents and grandparents chose, even though cre-
mation might be less expensive? Statistics can tell you some interesting
things that can guide your marketing strategy.
by Nathan Nardi
102 Think outside the niche
104 MANAGEMENT: FINANCES
How the tax act will affect funeral homes, cemeteries
As always when there is a change in tax law, how the Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act will affect your organization depends on a number of factors and
should be considered well before time to file.
by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS
108 ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN
Building a state-of-the-art Catholic funeral home in a traditional
Midwest market
Building a new facility is always a challenge. There are design and
financing decisions to be made and sometimes site-specific problems
to be overcome. This is the story about how the team responsible for
Divine Mercy Funeral Home met those challenges.
by MaryAnne Scheuble
115 ICCFA Q&A
“What makes you passionate about death care?”
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE
Jennifer Olvera, CCE
118 MANAGEMENT: FINANCES
How unitrust distribution is providing more money for cemetery
maintenance Unitrust distribution is being adopted by more and more
states. Learn what it is and how it is affecting cemeteries now allowed to
use this method for drawing on endowment care funds.
by William H. “Bill” Williams Jr., LFD
120 CREMATION
Exhibit will tell (and show) visitors about cremation in the US, past
and present Cremation has become the disposition of choice in the
United States only recently, but it has a long history. A new exhibit at
the National Museum of Funeral History will take visitors through that
history and inform them about today’s cremation options..
by Kelly Rehan
120 How to be a part of the history of cremation exhibit
124 4 misconceptions and 1 odd fact about cremation
126 3 ways to stay updated on the History of Cremation exhibit
140 ICCFA Q&A
“For pet cremation, how do you attract more veterinary clients?”
Coleen Ellis, CT, CPLP
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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President’s Letter
by ICCFA
2017-2018 It’s been a great year, but it’s not
President Scott
over yet: See you at the convention
A
Sells, CCFE
loha! I hope this, my last letter as president,
finds you continuing to thrive! From what
I’ve seen and heard this past year, I am
confident that you are. As I mentioned in the January
issue, I have been encouraged and motivated by
the intense level of focus and energy displayed by
members at every level. This environment leads
to what I consider fundamental to our business:
building and maintaining relationships.
Creating, building and maintaining relationships
is one of the most critical elements in what we do in
this industry: Building strong relationships with our
scott.sells@ communities, customers, employees, supervisors and
dignitymemorial.com association members. Strong, healthy relationships
lead to better collaboration and better teamwork.
➤Sells is market direc-
tor, bay area, for Service The best thing you can do to begin or enhance
Corporation International, your level of relationship-building is by joining or
Houston, Texas. He is maintaining your membership with the ICCFA. Our
based in San Jose, educational programs and events are the perfect
California. place to do this in an open, entrepreneur-friendly
environment. My dad, Rich Sells, even alluded to
this in his final article as president 18 years ago.
Having said that, I would also like to say how proud
I am to be one of five father-son presidents in our
association. Both my father and I are proud of this
organization and the opportunity to have served as
president.
Since I singled out Dad, I would also like to
publically thank John Bolton and Lori Salzberg for
all their support and assistance as we crisscrossed the
country this past year. We had a lot of fun along the
way.
I would also like to remind everybody that
we have a new college at ICCFAU, the College
of Hospitality and Event Planning, led by John
Bolton. It is so popular that we already have many
folks signed up. The “U,” under Chancellor Jeff
Kidwiller’s leadership, continues to grow and
provide a proving ground for our future association
leaders. I thank Jeff and all the deans and staff for
your continuous dedication to making the “U” such a
premier event.
Our fall program in 2017 was a successful event
at a great location with a relevant program. Big
mahalos to both Lee Longino and Paul Goldstein for
putting on such a great event.
As you all are aware, I love to start my year off at
the sales conference, and this year’s conference was
no exception—great program content and location.
Lori Salzberg and Jill Muenich did a fantastic job
with the conference and I thank them both.
By the way, if you haven’t seen it, you should
go to our new, updated website to check out the
10 ICCFA Magazine
new sales support we have to offer. The new sales
support materials can also be viewed at the ICCFA
registration booth at the convention, April 18-21.
Andy Lopez and Shawna De La Cruz have put
together a fantastic program for the annual conven-
tion, including featured keynote speakers COL
David Sotherland, Eric Quailman and Stacy Henke.
You will definitely want to participate in the
Educational Foundation reception, which has been
moved to an earlier time to accommodate easier
attendance. The reception tickets are also free this
year. We will be presenting the Lasting Impact
Award to Tom Flynn.
I would also like to encourage you to stay for the
closing banquet. Yes, I know it is the last night and
on Saturday. If you haven’t been to one lately (or
ever) it is worth it to participate. The closing banquet
has morphed back to the event to be at. Lee Longino
and Janice Diamond have a great memorial tribute
planned.
We also will be honoring this year’s Hall of Fame
recipient, Paul Elvig, at the banquet. Please honor
Paul by attending. He has had a direct or indirect
impact on every member and vendor associated with
the ICCFA over the years.
We will close out the evening, and the
convention, with fantastic entertainment by the world
famous a cappella group “Home Free.”
As I stated earlier, this association, as with this
profession, is primarily about relationship-building.
There is no better place to start or continue that
process than with membership in the association and
attendance at the annual convention. I look forward
to seeing you there.
In closing, I would like to thank my family for
their support of this year’s endeavor as president.
I couldn’t have done this without their love and
support. I also would like to thank my staff and
management team in the Bay Area, and my assistant,
Lisa Martini, for all your hard work and effort
supporting me and my schedule this last couple of
years. You are the best, and I appreciate all of you.
Thank you especially to the ICCFA staff. You
are incredibly talented, dedicated and professional.
I appreciate how well you handled the leadership
transition and thank you for your tireless support of
this organization every year. Lastly, I would like to
thank my executive committee, board of directors
and all the past presidents who supported me and
covered my six!
Thank you for allowing me the honor and
privilege to represent you as your president.
Mahalo!
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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Washington Report
by ICCFA General Counsel
Robert M. Fells, Esq.
robertfells@iccfa.com
1.800.645.7700,
ext. 1212
direct line: 703.391.8401
➤Fells is ICCFA general
counsel, responsible for
maintaining and improv-
ing relationships with
federal and state govern-
ment agencies, the news
media and consumer organizations.
➤ Fells has worked on behalf of the ceme­
tery and funeral service profession on legal
and legislative issues since 1975 and joined
the ICCFA staff in 1983. He is retired from
his position as the association’s executive
director, which he held for six years.
➤ He has published
a number of books.
His latest, “The Lost
Code,” brings back two
characters from his
previous spy novel, “The
Spy Who Resembled
Himself,” for a story
set during the historic
Washington Naval
Conference (November 1921 to February
1922), an era before the U.S. federal
government had any sort of coordinated
intelligence network.
More from this author
➤Join Fells and additional
experts for the annual legal
and legislative update at
the ICCFA Convention
in Las Vegas, April 18-21,
2018. The panel will provide up-
to-date information and answer audience
questions about regulation, taxes, labor
law and litigation.
More about this subject
➤Dead Ringers, a company co-owned
by ICCFA Cremation Program Coordina-
tor Poul Lemasters, in partnership with
Parting, compiled data about the issue
addressed by the FCA study, finding both
similarities and discrepancies. Dead Ring-
ers has provided a web page containing
a press release about the findings. Their
research revealed that not all direct cre-
mations are equal. Their findings are avail-
able at http://www.mysteryfuneralshopper.
com/pricing
12 ICCFA Magazine
Survey about posting funeral prices
online shows organizations’ biases
R
ecently, the Funeral Consumer
Alliance (FCA) and the Consumer
Federation of America (CFA)
announced the results of its new survey
of 211 funeral homes in 25 cities. The
purpose of the survey, a follow-up to one
taken two years ago, was to determine how
many funeral homes with websites also
post their prices online. They found that
193 of these homes have websites. (If a
funeral home’s website was down, it was
counted as the funeral home not having a
site.) Funeral homes in the Sacramento,
California, area were also surveyed.
Among the findings:
• 53 (27 percent) of the 193 funeral
homes with websites posted some prices
online.
• 30 (16 percent) of the 193 homes
posted their complete General Price List on
their website.
In Sacramento, the 26th city, 32 funeral
homes were surveyed. Seven homes did not
have websites. However, of the 25 funeral
homes with websites, 18 (72 percent)
posted their General Price List. It should
be noted that California recently enacted
a requirement that funeral homes having
websites must either post their General
Price Lists online, or, if they choose not
to, to list 16 categories of funeral-related
services offered and state that a price list is
available on request.
Much of the FCA announcement is
editorializing about the perceived need by
the public for online funeral pricing. THe
FCA stated, “A February 2017 telephone
poll of 1,000 adult Americans found that
79 percent of survey respondents agreed
that funeral homes should be required to
post their prices on their websites, just as
they are currently required to hand them
out on paper. The survey was undertaken
by ORC International, which interviewed
a representative sample of 1,000 adult
Americans by cell phone or landline.”
The problem with these types of “wish”
surveys is that that desired response is
loaded into the question making the desired
answer, i.e., “yes,” all but unavoidable. The
results of the phone survey would have
been more useful if the question had been
open-ended such as, “If you find yourself
seeking funeral pricing information, how
would you go about it?” Another probative
question could be simply, “Do you know
that you can get some funeral pricing
information online?” Unfortunately, most
consumer surveys of this kind have the
sponsor’s favored results embedded in the
questions.
The FCA also relies on anecdotal
informa­tion to make its case. For example,
“If the party on the line (with a consumer)
is a funeral director, he or she will likely
give a price for a full-service funeral with
a viewing. Funeral directors are not likely
to voluntarily bring up the existence of
low-cost options such as simple cremation
or burial.” How does the FCA know this?
It offers no quantative data in making this
claim and the sheer logic of the statement is
questionable. Would a car dealer quote his
highest-priced car in answer to a question
on pricing? Not likely, but this, too, is
anecdotal.
The objective of these price surveys is to
persuade the Federal Trade Commission to
amend the Funeral Rule to require funeral
providers to post their prices online. The
FCA/CFA cites the fact that the Funeral
Rule was enacted (over 30 years ago)
when funeral providers were virtually the
only source of price information. Today,
all that has changed. Funeral price data is
easily found online, even if it is not from
a particular funeral home. This facilitates
comparison shopping and informed
purchasing decisions when the consumer
does obtain the mortuary’s pricing.
Finally, the main defect in the two
online pricing surveys that FCA/CFA have
published so far is that they are criticizing
funeral businesses for not doing something
that is not required of them. With the
exception of California, funeral homes are
under no legal requirement to post prices
online, any more than other businesses and
professions are required to do so. However,
the General Price List must be provided in
person in the funeral home, or by phone
on request, per the FTC Funeral Rule. For
more details on the FCA/CFA price survey
see https://consumerfed.org/press_release/
funeral-homes-25-cities-disclose-useful-
price-information-websites/. r
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 13

by Poul Lemasters, Esq.

M A N A G E M E N T : L E G A L / C R E M AT I O N

Competing against low-cost cremation providers

can put you in a bind if you want to offer ‘direct cremation’
families the option of more services. Why?
The Funeral Rule restricts what you can offer families
without charging your basic, non-declinable service fee.

513.407.8114
poul@lemastersconsulting.com
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
➤Lemasters is principal of Lemasters
Consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio.
www.lemastersconsulting.com
➤He is the ICCFA’s cremation program
coordinator and special cremation counsel,
and co-chairs the Government and Legal
Affairs Committee.
➤He is an attorney and funeral director,
graduated from the Cincinnati College of
Mortuary Science in 1996 and from North-
ern 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.
More from this author
➤Lemasters will be
moderating “The cents
and sense of cremation
metal recycling:
A panel view of post-
cremation recycling,” at the
ICCFA Convention in Las Vegas, April
18-21, 2018. He also will participate in the
annual legal and legislative update at the
convention.
ICCFA membership benefit
➤Lemasters is the ICCFA’s cremation
program coordinator and special
cremation legal counsel. ICCFA mem-
bers 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 mem-
bers in good standing, free GPL reviews to
check for Funeral Rule compliance.
When your basic service fee +
direct cremation = confusion
T
o tell this story properly we have to
go back in time. Way back, before
we thought about things like GPLs
and the FTC. Before we had the Funeral
Rule and required disclosures and itemized
prices.
Actually, we don’t need to go back that
far; we actually need to go right to that
moment when required disclosures and
itemized prices started. You see, in the
midst of making all these decisions about
what must be disclosed, what must be
included and what exceptions there are,
we created a new problem. And it might
not surprise you to learn that it concerns
cremation.
Here’s the problem: You can’t discount
your basic service fee! Well, except in
a few situations, one of which is direct
cremation.
But if you discount your basic service
fee for direct cremation customers, you
can’t offer to add a few goods or services
to a direct cremation because you will then
violate the first rule (You can’t discount
your basic service fee!)
Is that clear? Let’s use an example to try
and make this muddy water a bit clearer.
EXAMPLE
Acme Funeral Home
Basic service fee: $2,500
Direct cremation fee: $999
So far, so good. Even though it’s
obvious that Acme Funeral Home’s basic
service fee is greatly discounted for direct
cremation customers, that’s allowed. In
fact, this is a common practice—a funeral
home sets a basic service fee but discounts
it in the direct cremation fee.
Discounting the basic service fee for
direct cremation has been a recurring issue
under the FTC’s Funeral Rule, and several
times the FTC has commented on how and
why this is acceptable. In a recent opinion,
the FTC stated that while the basic service
fee must remain the same in most cases,
there are certain limited exceptions where
it can be discounted.
Specifically, the FTC opined: “Prior
staff opinions have stated, and we re-
emphasize here, that a funeral provider
may not include a reduced or discounted
non-declinable basic services fee in any
discount package of goods and services it
offers, but must include in the price of the
discount package the full non-declinable
basic services fee listed in its GPL. As
another staff opinion has stated, however,
that forwarding remains, receiving remains,
direct cremation and immediate burial are
not ‘packages,’ and thus are not subject to
this prohibition.” (Opinion 09-6.)
One argument made by funeral
professionals is that funeral homes should
be able to discount the basic service
fee (for these minimal service direct
cremations) because fewer services are
extended to those families, and this savings
should be extended to the consumer.
There’s also the fact that many funeral
providers wanted to compete with direct
cremation providers. It is hard to compete
with a direct cremation provider offering
cremation under $1,000 when your basic
service fee may be several times that
amount.
Therefore, the discounted basic
service fee was created, and many funeral
providers use this model. So, what’s the
issue? Back to our example, Acme Funeral
Home.
Acme Funeral Home, in order to give
families more choices, decides to offer

14 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 M A N A G E M E N T : L E G A L / C R E M AT I O N

Do you, as a provider, really do less for cremation families? I would venture to say
you do not. I’m suggesting that you correct your pricing structure to reflect what you actually do.
But this is obviously a business decision only you can make.
packages in addition to direct cremation.
The packages include:
Direct cremation with a memorial
service: $1,295
Direct cremation with a two-hour
viewing: $1,395
(The packages are simply the direct
cremation price bundled with other prices
from Acme’s itemized GPL.)
Note that these new options (which are
not really direct cremations) do not include
Acme’s basic service fee of $2,500; Acme
is obviously discounting the basic service
fee as it does for direct cremation.
Now we have a problem. By adding
these items to the direct cremation
package, Acme has violated the Funeral
Rule. By definition, a “direct cremation”
is a disposition of human remains by
cremation without formal viewing,
visitation or ceremony with the body
present. 16 C.F.R. § 563.1(g).
Because of this definition, if a provider
adds items to the minimal service package
it is no longer a direct cremation.
What if Acme calls it something like
“cremation tribute with viewing” instead
of “direct cremation with viewing”? Is that
OK? No. This still violates the Funeral
Rule, because Acme is still offering a
package that does not include your non-
declinable, non-discountable basic service
fee.
The FTC, in an early opinion, stated: “A
consumer can add goods or services to a
minimal service, such as direct cremation,
without raising the discounted basic
service—unless the added service brings
the minimal service outside of its Funeral
Rule definition.” (Opinion 94-2.)
This opinion goes on to use the example
of adding a visitation to a direct cremation
as a prohibited act. Now can you see the
issue?
It’s a common “best interest” prob­lem.
We, funeral providers, have the consu­
mer’s best interest in mind. Funeral provi­
ders are simply trying to comply with the
direct cremation rule while also giving
families more options. The problem is that
our good intentions don’t get us over the
hurdle of Funeral Rule compliance.
Possible solutions
What can a provider do? There are two
solutions.
Solution one: Make sure any packages
offering anything more than direct
cremation include your actual basic service
fee. In our example above, this means that
any package would have to use the $2,500
basic service fee as the base, then add
additional items.
Keep in mind that as a provider, you
need to include and add all necessary
items to your package. For a cremation
with a viewing, this possibly would
include removal, dressing/casketing of
unembalmed remains, visitation, transfer
to crematory, crematory fee, casket/
alternative container, urn and, of course,
the basic service fee.
Solution two (possibly the simplest
solution): Adjust your basic service fee
so that your direct cremation fee uses
your actual basic service fee instead of a
discounted one.
It may seem crazy, but the argument
is simple. Do you, as a provider, really
do less for cremation families? I would
venture to say you do not. In fact, in
this day and age where cremation is
increasingly the disposition of choice, we
seem to do more and work harder for these
families than others.
I’m suggesting that you correct
your pricing structure to reflect what
you actually do. But this is obviously a
business decision only you can make.
This article isn’t meant to be a primer
on how to set your direct cremation fee.
It is meant to give you advice about what
you can and can’t do when setting a direct
cremation fee and packages for cremation.
Use your own judgment when deciding
what fees work for your business, but
make sure you know what the Funeral
Rule and the FTC’s opinions say before
you set (or review) your basic service fee
and fees for direct cremation and direct
cremation plus a bit more. r

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 15


Expo hours
Wednesday, April 18
4-7 p.m.
Grand Opening Reception
(open bar and heavy hors
d’oeurvres)
Thursday, April 19
noon-5 p.m.
Lunch with exhibitors &
IMSA happy hour
Friday, April 20
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Lunch at the Expo
EDITOR’S NOTE:
➤For an up-to-date list of exhibitors
and booth numbers, or to see the Expo
Hall floor plan (pictured above), go to
www.iccfa.com and select Education/
ICCFA Events/Annual Convention and
scroll down to Exhibiting, where you’ll find
a link to the Expo Hall floor plan.
➤Profile information is provided by the
exhibitors; ICCFA Magazine and the ICCFA
are not responsible for content. Inclusion in
this section is provided free to all exhibitors
meeting submission deadlines and require-
ments.
➤An Expo Hall booth number is listed
after the company name. The booth num-
bers also will be found on the Expo Hall
maps in the convention onsite program
that will be distributed in Las Vegas.
16 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
The ICCFA Expo offers hours of uninterrupted time to talk
to suppliers, ask questions and see products in person.
No educational sessions are scheduled during expo hours.
Free food and beverage service means you can grab lunch
or enjoy appetizers while checking out the booths before
heading out to enjoy everything else Las Vegas has to offer.
The 2018 ICCFA Expo
Aftercare.com (#959)
Aftercare.com helps your funeral home stay
2WayRadioPlus (#231) in touch with families during the first year
Compact, lightweight business two-way following their loss. Our Aftercare Card
radios provide instant, discreet communica­ Program is an automated program that sends
tion among staffers at any location: the home, four cards plus a survey to your families.
the procession, the cemetery. There is no Cards include sympathy, birthday of loved
fumbling with phones, no dependence on one, holiday and first anniversary. This lets
cell towers, no offensive audio disturbing you focus on serving at-need families and
patrons. Consider, too, the enhanced service running the funeral home.
and productivity that Motorola radios can
provide. 1.888.243.9799;
CHET@2WayRadioPlus.com;
www.2wayradioplus.com
A Simple
Algordanza Memorial Diamonds (#355)
Thank You
(#1307) Creating Memorial Diamonds since
A Simple 2004 inside our own lab in Domat/EMS,
Thank You Switzerland. Precision, respect and discretion
is the leading are the pillars of our success. Guaranteed
provider in digital registry and pre-need leads. and certified: weight, cut, color, authenticity
Our latest app, ASTY 2.0, is revolutionizing and origin of diamond creation solely from
the funeral industry with cutting-edge the provided cremains. Our diamonds
capabilities which will grow your revenue are as unique as you are. Take a beautiful
Algordanza Memorial Diamond display
and simplify your business. Ask us how you
can get started with a free iPad today. Contact home with you today. www.algordanza.com
us at 1.800.483.0671 or
www.asimplethankyou.com
Academy of
Professional American Airlines (#418)
Funeral Service
American Airlines is serious about the care
Practice (#159)
and sensitivity of transporting departed
The academy offers a
loved ones. Our TLC specialists work
voluntary certification
directly with funeral homes and mortuaries
program for funeral
to make arrangements required to transport
directors who are
human remains. Our TLC service includes
interested in earning the professional
premium boarding priority, a 100-percent
designation of Certified Funeral Service
guarantee, daily scheduled service around the
Practitioner (CFSP), the highest professional
globe, premium handling, online tracking,
designation awarded in the funeral profession.
notifications and trained interline specialists
Information is available at apfsp.org
for international transportation.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

American
Cemetery
Supplies
(#852)
American
Cemetery Supplies manufactures quality
cemetery, vault and funeral home supplies
from the smallest crank to tribute carriers at
our Portsmouth, Virginia, plant. Specializing
in tents, we are well known for quality. We
distribute all major death-care industry lines
such as Ferno, Frigid and Mipro PA systems.
Please visit our booth or call, for all your
needs, 1.800.515.0400.
American
Crematory
Equipment (#1247)
American Crematory
thanks you for your
continued business
and support over
the last 40+ years. We manufacture both
human and pet cremation chambers, service
and repair all cremator makes and models
and have service centers throughout the
U.S. so we can better serve you, our valued
customers. Let American Crematory show
you what “Service is Everything” is all about.
American Funeral
& Cemetery Trust
Services (#764)
Established in
1993, AFCTS is a
nationwide pre-need,
endowment care master trust and third-party
administration provider. We help individual
funeral homes, cremation providers,
cemeteries and state associations maintain
focus on their clientele and communities by
providing the most comprehensive, efficient
and compliant services available. To schedule
an appointment, please contact Krista
Kaysner at kkaysner@afcts.com.
American Funeral Supply (#630)
A division of American Hotel Register Co.,
American Funeral Supply Co. leverages our
parent company’s buying power to offer
competitively priced products and everyday
supplies for your business. Our in-house
engraving shop specializes in overnight
delivery of custom-engraved urns. Shop our
wide selection of urns and all 50,000 items
we sell at americanfuneralsupply.com, or
contact us at 1.800.671.9366.
18 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Argent Trust (#828) Atlantic Coast Life
On January 1, (#257)
2018, Argent Trust Meet the key
Co. merged with decision-makers of
Independence this 93-year-old pre-
Trust Co. in a move that will significantly need life insurance
broaden our client service offerings to the company, expanding
death-care industry. Since 1997, we’ve served its operations across the United States. Learn
cemeteries and funeral homes as trustee firsthand about their innovative and diverse
and investment advisor. We work across the pre-need product line and about how easy
United States with single-location, regional pre-need can be. 1.877.663.7464;
multi-location and national companies. www.atlanticcoastlife.com
Contact Lynn Burns at 615.503.0776 or Axis Corp.
lburns@argenttrust.com. (#357)
Axis Corp.
manufac­
tures
vault and
monument-
Armbruster Stageway (#1046) handling equipment as well as the self-
At Armbruster Stageway, we proudly build propelled dump trailer. Our most recent
the most elegant funeral cars in the industry additions, the Crane and PathTrack II models,
today. With our line of classically designed give you the most versatility in handling
funeral coaches and our best-in-class vaults and monuments. All Axis equipment is
limousines, our goal is to introduce you to one-man-operated, self-propelled, towable at
a new standard of excellence. With world- highway speeds and won’t track up grass.
class customer service and our direct buying
B&L Cremation
process, let Armbruster Stageway show you Systems (#604)
how buying a funeral car should be. B&L Cremation
ASD— Systems Inc. is a
Answering world leader in
Service for the manufacturing
Directors (#717) of human and
ASD has been animal cremation
helping funeral homes manage their equipment. Our
telephone communications since 1972. The commitment to
company’s custom-built communication research and development is unsurpassed. We
systems and sophisticated mobile tools are an American-based crematory company,
were designed solely to meet the needs of and all of our products and accessories are
funeral homes. By offering funeral directors made in the USA in our manufacturing plant
unmatched protection for their calls, ASD has in Largo, Florida. We set the standard which
redefined the role of an answering service for others attempt to follow.
funeral homes. For more information, visit
www.myASD.com or call 1.800.868.9950.
Astral
Industries
Inc. (#1019) Bass-Mollett (#535)
If you are Bass-Mollett is celebrating its 65th year of
the kind of funeral director whose families supplying the funeral profession. Its mission
are looking for a quality, affordable, high- is to provide customized solutions to funeral
eye-appeal casket with a good value, Astral is directors using excellent quality, value and
the leading supplier during these challenging service so that each family they serve may
economic times. Independently owned, memorialize their loved one with dignity. In
Astral manufactures 18-gauge, 20-gauge its fourth generation of family ownership,
steel and stainless steel caskets, as well as Bass-Mollett will continue to proudly serve
supplying cremation and wood products. funeral directors for decades to come.
1.800.278.7252; www.astralindustries.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

Batesville
Casket (#541)
For more than
100 years,
Batesville has
been dedicated to helping families honor
the lives of those they love. Our history
of manufacturing excellence, product
innovation, superior customer service and
reliable delivery helped us become—and
remain—a market leader. Batesville offers
the most comprehensive portfolio of quality
burial and cremation products, memorial
tributes, innovative technologies and profit-
enhancing business solutions.
Bégin Bronze Urns
(#415)
Bégin Urns is, for
more than 25 years, a
leader and a pioneer
in the design and
production of high quality urns. We offer
exclusive urns and jewelry, along with an
outstanding service. Dare to compare; come
visit us at booth #415. www.urnsbegin.com
Behar
Mapping
(#451)
Behar
Mapping
is a leading
provider of mapping solutions for cemeteries
across US and Canada. With over 50 years
of experience, Behar provides true digital
mapping utilizing the most current mapping
technologies such as drones, aerial imagery,
geographic information systems (GIS) and
GPS. Behar specializes in producing high-
quality mapping products that are accurate,
detailed and easy to use.
www.beharmapping.com
Behrens Design & Development (#1341)
Behrens Design & Development offers
architectural and interior design services
specifically for the funeral industry. Our
team members have been involved in the
design and development of funeral homes
throughout the country for over 30 years.
Visit our booth to schedule a free no-
obligation consultation. 1.866.617.8778;
www.behrensdesign.com
20 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Bio-Response Solutions (#128)
Our family-owned and -operated company
helps businesses add alkaline hydrolysis to
the list of choices they offer families. Where
it is available, over 80 percent of families
choose water over fire. We believe that people
deserve to have this option available, and
we have over 20 years of alkaline hydrolysis
experience to share. Our customers love their
equipment! 317.386.3500;
www.bioresponsefuneral.com
Biondan North America
Inc. (#551)
Diecast for consistent color
and form; our lettering,
emblems, vases and lights
are reliable in maximizing
the success of cemetery memorialization
programs. With our premier glass-fronted
niches, available in aluminum or bronze, we
offer a full package of solutions to help our
partners thrive and grow. Always original—
quality and integrity since 1956.
1.877.290.6703; BiondanBronze.com
Blackstone Cemetery Development
(#546)
Easy to work with, knowledgeable and
professional in every way, Blackstone is a
full-service cemetery development company
specializing in every scope of cremation
garden master planning. On top of providing
product, we have full design, planning,
construction and training teams at your
service, making us your go-to resource for
cremation garden planning.
Blue Skies
Aviation
Services
(#250)
Blue Skies
Aviation Services was founded in 2011
and is headquartered in Manhattan Beach,
California. We are a transportation company
that offers efficient and unparalleled
personalized customer service to the satisf­
action of our funeral home customers. We
choose the most direct flights to any number
of global worldwide and domestic USA
destinations.
Body Sealer (#561)
Manufactured in the U.S.A. Hermetically
sealed 40 inch wide, biohazard level 4
biocontainment pouch. It’s a fluid and vapor
barrier that is 7.9ML thick. BodySealer is
X-rayable, can be cremated, can be shipped
domestic or international. Used to ship a
casket or human/pet remains. Coroners,
mortuaries, medical examiners, disaster
preparedness organizations use it for
containment of evidence; it’s resealable.
BodyScoop by B-Mobile (#353)
“Best purchase I ever made.” “If I started
over, I would install my embalming table
with the Body Scoop above and design the
prep room around them.” It takes only one
person to effortlessly handle each lift with the
BodyScoop and its 1,000-pound lift motor
with room-covering system. It’s reliable,
medical-grade equipment. www.bodyscoop.
net; bodyscoop.bmobile@gmail.com
C&J Financial LLC (#714)
C&J is the leading provider of insurance
assignment funding in North America. C&J’s
Fast Funding Group works with thousands
of funeral homes and cemeteries processing
more than 40,000 claims and providing
$300+ million in funding annually to the
funeral industry. Want to know why so many
firms trust C&J? Visit www.CJF.com or call
1.800.785.0003 for more information.
Carrier
Mausoleums
Construction
(#509)
Offering the best in
mausoleums, niche
buildings, glass-front
niches, columbaria, cremation equipment and
bronze accessories, we also build a legacy
of quality, craftsmanship and reliability. No
matter the size of your project, we’ll handle
it efficiently, elegantly and cost-effectively.
For more information, please visit us at booth
#509; 1.800.663.7954; info@cmc-carrier.
com; cmc-carrier.com.
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 Years of dedicated
experience in the
cemetery and funeral
industries

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Trust Taxation  CFO Support Bookkeeping

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 21

Catholic Extension (#532)
Catholic Extension’s mission is to build faith,
inspire hope and ignite change in parishes
alive with faith and spirit but lacking financial
resources to support their ministries and
programs. One of the many ways we provide
assistance is by giving 100 percent of the
profit earned from the sale of our Catholic
calendars to the more than 90 “mission
dioceses.”
Cemetery Funeral
Supply (#733)
Cemetery Funeral
Supply is a
manufacturer and
distributor of products
for the death-care
industry. We continue to be a leader in the
tent, funeral home, burial vault and cemetery
equipment market. The quality of our
merchandise is superior to any and our prices
are competitive. Our guarantee is complete
customer satisfaction.
Cemetery360 (#750)
Cemetery360 offers the ultimate sales
platform through immersive technology.
Our 360-player allows you to showcase
your business virtually anywhere. Our fully
integrated cemetery listing service offers
you the ability to manage available location
listings with your team in real-time. Visit
us at CemLS.com and cemetery360.com for
further information.
CemSites (#125)
Empower your staff with true cloud cemetery
management software. We’re module based,
allowing the software to grow with you. Start
with robust SecureCRM and manage your
records in an intuitively easy way. Add grave
mapping allowing visitors to find loved ones
with ease. Add our sales and A/R finance
module to increase revenues. Schedule a
demonstration today. 1.877.783.9626;
www.cemsites.com
22 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Cherokee Child
Casket Co. (#536)
Cherokee Child
Casket Co. has pro­
vided the funeral
industry with high
quality handcrafted child caskets for over 75
years. Now offering a larger selection of
personalized urns, Cherokee combos, memor­
ial books and additional ways to personalize
caskets. Our specialized line of products
gives funeral directors the opportunity to
offer families unique ways to memorialize
their precious child. 1.800.535.8667;
www.cherokeechildcaskets.com
Chosen Payments (#120)
Chosen Payments is the most trusted credit
card processor in the industry. We participate
in NFDA and ICCFA events and have an
understanding of the needs of funeral care
providers. Funeral Payments program is
dedicated to providing the lowest cost,
fastest funding solutions. We determine
help improve cash flow while increasing
profitability. We provide check guarantee
services. Please visit Chosenpayments.com
Church & Chapel Metal Arts Inc. (#329)
Church &
Chapel Metal
Arts, serving the
funeral industry
since 1933. We
offer a complete line of supplies to the funeral
industry, including torchiere lamps, lecterns,
kneelers, cremation urns and many other
products necessary to the delivery of funeral
service. 2616 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
60612; 773.489.3700; Fax: 773.489.3434; toll
free:1.800.992.1234; Fax: 1.800.626.3299.
Visit our website: www.church-chapel.com;
e-mail: info@church-chapel.com.
Clark Grave
Vault (#437)
Founded in
1898, family-
owned and -operated Clark Grave Vault
manufactures metal burial vaults using
steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, premium
grade stainless steel and copper. All Clark
vaults are manufactured using the very latest
technology, including robotic welding and
powder coated finishes. Clark also has a
complete line of cremation urns and metal
urn vaults for those customers selecting
cremation.
ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust (#705)
ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust is a
federally chartered savings bank dedicated
solely to the funeral home and cemetery
industry. Independently owned and operated,
ClearPoint has provided funeral home
and cemetery trust and related services
since 1998, which are available in over 43
states and the District of Columbia. Visit
clearpointfederal.com to learn more.
Coldspring (#925)
From all types of natural stone and bronze
to industrial and diamond tooling products,
Coldspring has been serving the memorial,
architectural, residential and industrial
markets since 1898. With headquarters
and primary manufacturing operations in
Cold Spring, Minnesota, including a bronze
foundry, the company has multiple facilities
and quarries across the country. Visit
www.coldspringusa.com or call
1.800.328.5040 for more information.
Columbarium By Design (#1153)
With an improved and stronger niche system,
Columbarium by Design is committed to
promoting and distributing the most versatile
and profitable completely made-in-America
niche system in the market. We offer the
largest capacity niches in the industry that
will last for eternity. Sales and consulting
with Gerardo G. Garcia at 1.877.7NICHES
(764.2437) / 505.660.7819;
g.garcia@columbariumbydesign.com.-
Columbian
Financial Group
(#854)
Columbian’s pre-
need program
was built around the expertise of our valued
funeral service associates. We know that
simplicity and service are two of the most
important features of a successful program—
that is what we provide. Our priority is turn­
ing your business around quickly and easily
so that you can focus on your most important
priority—your clients. www.cfglife.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 Mom wanted a casket,
Mausoleum Protection Dad wanted cremation…
You Have a Tough Job. Let Us Make It Easier.
(Like we’ve done nearly 30,000 times over the past 20 years) Now
N
Now Th
T
They
e Can
ey C
Protect Your Operations
• Significant time, labor and cost savings.
Be To
Together
Togeth
og
• Controls moisture, pests, and stains.

Protect Your Families

• Dignified presentation from start to finish.
• Confident, calm staff provides better service.

Protect Your Bottom Line

• Clean, aesthetically pleasing
facilities sell more quickly.
• Ideal for temporary storage, Introducing
disinterment, relocation,
and other risky situations.
Krypturn with
Casket Only
Designed for Companion Entombment
End Loading Design

Another Q
Qualityy Product From

www.kryprotek.com
mb@kryprotek.com 800.826.9406
w w w. k r y p r o t e k . c o m
One way valve
prevents gas build up 800-826-9406 Krypturn with
Kryprotek
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Bag & Tray

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 23

 Nature’s Beauty for
Loved ones

Memor y
of a
Lifetime®

terrybear.com
888.588.8767
All designs © 1994-2018 Terrybear, Inc. Terrybear and Memory of a Lifetime are registered trademarks of Terrybear, Inc.
 Memor y
of a
Lifetime®

Terrybear ®

Urns & Memorials

All designs © 1994-2018 Terrybear, Inc. Terrybear and Memory of a Lifetime are registered trademarks of Terrybear, Inc.

Eat, drink, browse, get
to know the suppliers
The ICCFA Expo Hall features free contin-
uous food and beverage service so that
attendees can spend more time in the
hall, learning about all the products and
services available. Many exhibitors offer
seating so that cemeterians and funeral
directors can relax and get to know them
in a comfortable setting.
26 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Commemorative
Rosaries (#632)
Commemorative
Rosaries uses a
unique process to preserve your special
occasion roses and flowers by transforming
them into beautiful rosaries and keepsake
jewelry families will cherish for
generations. Contact us at 847.299.4899 or
www.commrosaries.com.
Conrad Pickel (#732)
The Pickel Studio, with over 70 years of
history, continues to create stained glass
windows, mosaics, bronze, wood and
stone sculptures, as well as space-saving
Narro-Niches. The studio is noted for
outstanding color selection and dynamic
figure design. Using only quality materials,
an enthusiastic and talented staff works
together to create timeless works of art.
Continental Computer (#519)
Recognized as the industry leader,
Continental Computer provides superior
products and service to the death-care
industry. The Directors Assistant is
globally recognized as the premier funeral
home management software package.
This recognition has enabled Continental
Computer to establish TDAW as a recognized
brand among death-care professionals.
www.continentalcomputers.com
Cooperative
Funeral Fund (#607)
Cooperative Funeral
Fund (CFF) is a pre-
need and cemetery
care fund management
company since 1989, specifically for the
death-care industry with over 1,000 clients
and 500 million in assets. CFF manages
investment, accounting, compli­ance and
payout. No startup costs or account mini­
mums, free personalized agreement forms.
Account information available online,
claims are simple and payout is quick.
1.800.336.1102;
CooperativeFuneralFund.com
Core Scientific Recycling & Disposal
(#510)
Core Scientific is committed to excellence
in refining a wide range of non-organic,
post-cremation metals. We better serve
the cremation industry with our accurate
refining process, superior customer service,
transparency into material data, secure
facility and dedication to the environment
and charities. Contact us at info@core-
scientific.com or via phone 1.877.308.2388.
Learn more at core-scientific.com.
Country Woods
(#610)
Wood photo
urns made in
the USA. Our
urns are made
out of cherry, walnut, oak and maple, all
with a clear finish highlighting the natural
wood beauty. We offer a variety of user-
friendly frame options for your customer’s
convenience. As a family-owned and
-operated business, we take pride in our
work and customer service.
www.countrywoodswi.com; 715.699.6777
Cremation
Association of
North America
(#611)
As the only
organization focused exclusively on
cremation, CANA understands how you can
harness cremation’s growing popularity to
benefit your business. Stop by our booth
for a look at the education and support
CANA provides to help you embrace change
and focus on customers, creativity, and
profitability. Contact us at 312.245.1077 or
visit www.cremationassociation.org.
Cremation Metal
Recycling (#119)
CMR, RRCF and its
affiliate cremation
supply company are
family-owned and
-operated since 1995.
We provide cremation metal recycling to
crematories throughout the U.S. and Canada,
offering competitive cash settlements or
donations to charity. There are no contracts
to sign and no start-up costs. We’re currently
providing a gift incentive for new accounts.
Contact: Ron Bowman, 352.425.4387 or
cmrcentralflorida@gmail.com.
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 State-of-the-Art
Design Department

Star Design Pro

Memorial Design
Software

Large In-Stock Import

Granite Inventory

Private Estate
Mausoleums

Bronze Memorials
Foundry On Site

1.800.241.7242
www.stargranite.com
 EXHIBITOR PROFILES

Crescent Dementia Eagle &

Memorial
(#1305)
Crescent
Memorial is dedicated to high quality
products at great prices, offering the
best customer service available to you,
the professional death-care provider. To
maintain that high quality and to keep
costs low, we manufacture many of our
products in Tupelo, Mississippi. We
offer the best memorial line value in the
industry. 1.888.856.4516;
www.crescentmem.com
Crowne Urn
Vault (#526)
Crowne Vault
offers attractive,
sturdy,
value-priced
urn vaults.
Constructed of a high-impact ABS plastic,
these vaults provide protection while
ensuring integrity of the cemetery ground.
The single vault has a low profile and
works well for second right of interment.
Double vault accommodates two urns or
most over-sized urns. Easy to personalize.
Crystal Remembrance
(#665)
Crystal Remembrance
is hand-crafted to
memorialize your loved
one in an elegant, bold
and unique piece of
glass art. Interweaving a
small amount of cremated remains with
a swirl of your chosen color, our artists
create a one-of-a-kind memorial. Our
artists are degreed and accomplished
professionals who strive to make each
piece extraordinary.
Custom Air Trays
(#634)
Custom Air Trays
is an industry
leader in the
manufacturing and
supplying of human
remains shipping containers. We have four
locations that cover the entire country.
We also carry an impressive line of leak-
resistant cremation products. Our trays
meet or exceed the various state safety
requirements for protective and leak-
resistant containers. Come by and see us at
booth 634.
Society of
America
(#156)
Dementia Society of America is your
leading all-volunteer, all-dementias nonprofit
organization in the United States. Our
mission is to enhance the quality of life for
those living with dementia, their caregivers
and the community at large through
education, life enrichment programs and
recognition of superlative dementia care and
innovation. www.dementiasociety.org;
1.800.DEMENTIA
Director’s
Buddy
(#520)
Director’s
Buddy
allows
the death-care profession to have the
benefits the health-care industry receives
from purchasing through a GPO. An
added benefit comes with the ease of use.
It is just like shopping on amazon. Save
substantially while simplifying how you
order everything for your business from
the companies you trust. You will save
time and money on Directorsbuddy.com.
Disrupt
Media
(#511)
Most
death-care
companies
struggle with Facebook marketing. We
provide a process for creating personalized
Facebook content that will drive
community engagement and measurable
leads ensuring growth and profitability.
Doric
Products
(#1209)
Doric
Products Inc.
has been a
leader in the
vault industry
since 1955. Doric is committed to quality
products and services. Products include
concrete burial vaults, metal air seal vaults
from classic metal vaults and a full line of
cremation products. Call 1.888.55.DORIC
or visit us at www.doric-vaults.com to
discover which of our 130 dealers is closest
to you.
Federal
Coach Co.
(#741)
Eagle Coach
Co. & Federal
Coach Co. are dedicated to producing the
highest quality professional vehicles to reflect
positively on the funeral homes that use them.
Combining attractive styling and reliable
construction with the most sought-after
features, our specialty vehicles are some of
the best-selling models in America.
Eagle Granite (#218)
Eagle owns and
operates several
granite quarries and
manufactures memorials
in 16 beautiful granite
colors. In addition,
Eagle houses a large
inventory of popular
import designs for faster delivery on many
standard monuments. Large mausoleum and
columbarium designs are also hand-crafted
in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Call 1.888.357.8452 or visit our website at
www.eaglegranite.com
Eagle’s Wings Air (#736)
Eagle’s Wings Air (EWA) is the nation’s
leading provider of logistics services to North
American funeral homes and shipping ser-
vices. Through a centralized customer service
center, EWA leverages proprietary software
and its knowledge of global airline networks
to deliver the best transportation solution and
proactive management for human remains
transport. Learn more at www.EWAcares.com
or by calling 1.866.550.1EWA.
Eckels
(#804)
Eckels
is a fully
diversified funeral service supply company
dedicated to providing quality products and
outstanding service to funeral, cemetery
and cremation professionals across North
America. Founded in 1895, Eckels
specializes in embalming chemicals, clinical
care products for funeral home care suites and
also provides a wide range of cemetery and
crematorium products.

28 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 29

EDA Land
Planning (#627)
“Better Design for
a Better Bottom
Line.” Design is
the backbone of a beautiful cemetery and
helps drive sales. EDA will work with you to
design a beautiful cemetery with cremation,
estate and traditional lot gardens, fully utili­
zing space and minimizing maintenance.
Every cemetery is unique, we provide inno­­
vative solutions. Let us help improve your
bottom line. danc@edalandplanning.com;
801.924.2296; www.edalandplanning.com
Eickhof
Columbaria (#624)
Eickhof provides
the highest quality
cremation memorial
solutions through
progressive engineering, superior materials
and people-focused customer service. Let
the Eickhof sales team show you its new
and latest innovation showcased at this
year’s convention. The above-ground pre-
assembled ossuarium—columbarium and
ossuary together in one simply delivered
memorial solution. Visit our website
www.eickhofcolumbaria.com or call
1.800.253.0457.
Elegante Brass (#533)
Since 2001, Elegante Brass
has served the funeral
industry, selling affordable
cremation urns going
to market through our
network of distributors.
Taking great pride in their
innovation over the years, Elegante’s
top priority has been taking care of their
clients. Visit us at www.EleganteBrass.com
or give us a call at 1.800.252.7277.
Ensure-A-Seal
(#425)
Ensure-A-Seal
invented casket
protection,
and for over 30 years has been the industry
standard for providing a clean, safe and
maintenance-free enclosure for mausoleum
entombments. Ensure-A-Seal is the only
casket protection company to offer a compre­
hensive product warranty and a range of
mausoleum consultation and remediation
services. Our products have been tested with
proven results in hundreds of cemeteries.
ensureaseal.com
30 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Everdays Inc. (#457)
Everdays Inc. launched in 2017 in Metro
Detroit as the first and only turnkey
service designed to reinvent funeral
communication. Funeral directors and
families use the single tap, free iOS and
Android app for creating announcements
to notify the community about a passing.
Its cloud-based digital platform replaces
inefficient channels like multiple calls,
texts, emails and expensive newspaper
obituaries. Everdays.com
Express
Funeral
Funding
(#912)
Express Funeral Funding is the largest
privately held insurance assignment
funding company in the industry. We
eliminate the challenges of working
with insurance companies by limiting
administration, providing immediate
payment and advancing complete policy
funds. Since 2002 we’ve been providing
funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide
the “FASTEST. EASIEST.” administration
of life insurance assignments.
Family Bronze (#609)
Our growth has been
based on word-of-
mouth from one
cemeterian to the
next. We are praised
for stunning quality,
immediate response and consistant fair
pricing. We are willing to take the extra
step to help make your customers more
than satisfied with your services and pass
the word along to their friends as well.
Fine N’ Rhine (#515)
Based in Hong Kong,
Fine N’ Rhine has been
exhibiting at ICCFA
since 2001. Known for
our styling and qual-
ity, we are back with
our new collection of
Swarovski evening clutches and pashmina
wraps. We welcome you to visit our booth.
Contact 917.669.1200, Bharati.
Flowers for Cemeteries (#637)
Flowers For Cemeteries Inc., Marietta,
Georgia. We offer a full selection of
beautiful silk flowers for ground vases,
mausoleum vases, niche vases, monument
saddles, holiday wreaths, holiday trees,
the patented Stay-In-The-Vase Christmas
tree and custom designs. No minimums;
free brochures. We are the best in service,
selection and satisfaction. Come by and
say hello to David, Ruby and Michael.
Forston Lifts (#1015)
Empowering professionals for the heavy-
duty tasks in mausoleums and funeral
homes, Forston & Associates LLC is in its
25th year, having delivered and supported
over 2,000 lifts in the field. Forston lifts are
modular and can be upgraded with the latest
options, giving them new life and new lift
warranties. www.casketlifts.com
Franklin
Wrap LLC
(#706)
Developed
for cemeteries
by cemeteri-
ans, Franklin
Wrap addresses concerns associated with
mausoleum entombment. Benefits include a
two-way ventilation system that works with
your mausoleum; transparent; a safe, simple
six-minute process to apply; and the most af-
fordable product on the market today. Please
visit FranklinWrap.com to watch our video
presentation.
Frazer Consultants (#247)
Frazer Consultants is a personalization,
technology and consulting company for the
funeral profession. Our products and services
include interactive funeral home website
design, an innovative payment platform, tri­­
bute video software, digital registry and per­
sonalized funeral stationery and keepsakes.
Our goal is to help funeral homes reimagine
the funeral experience for their families. Call
us today at 1.866.372.9372 to learn more.
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 Booth No. #1153

St. Stephen's Cemetery

Cremation Garden (Hamilton, OH)

An Improved and Stronger Niche System

Deserves a Better Image!!!

Versatility to Adapt
into Any Existing Design
and Construction.
Heritage Memorial Park
Glass Front Niches (Dewey, AZ)

Introducing our New Mausoleum

Crypt System and Designs
...
Santa Fe Memorial Gardens
Jardin Familiar (Santa Fe, NM)

Click 877-7Niches.com
or 6 424 3 7
Call 877-7Niches

Gerardo G. Garcia 150 Washington Ave

SALES AND Direct 505-660-7819 Suite 201
CONSULTING g.garcia@columbariumbydesign.com Santa Fe, NM 87501

Frigid Fluid
(#427)
Frigid Fluid
is the inventor
and manufact­urer of the casket-lowering
device and trademarked silicone technology
line of embalming fluids. Frigid Fluid has
served the death-care industry since 1892 and
is known as an innovator in the industry.
Visit our feature-rich web store today.
www.frigidfluid.com; 1.708.836.1215
FrontRunner Professional (#1033)
Meet the award-winning, all-in-one techno­
logy and marketing solution. An easy-to-edit
website to attract more families with themed
online tribute pages, matching print-on-
demand stationery and DVDs, and built-in
management software to finish paperwork &
accounting in minutes. Looking to grow? Our
marketing team will manage your Facebook,
keep you top of Google, give you hundreds of
ready-to-use ads and more.
www.FrontRunner360.com
FT the
Americas
(Facultatieve
Technologies)
(#941)
Facultatieve Technologies, now known
as FT the Americas, is your partner in
providing cremation system equipment.
Our innovations provide maximum
energy and operational savings and most
importantly, operator safety, providing
recommendations for complete turn-key
solutions. Our customer care unit provides
support and FT cremators are equipped
with broadband connection for 24/7
technical assistance at no charge. Contact
Ernie Kassoff, ernie.kassoff@facultatieve-
technologies-usa.com.
Funeral
Directors
Life (#620)
Funeral Direc­
tors Life (FD) is helping funeral homes grow
and increase profitability in a rapidly chang­
ing marketplace. Through innovative, turn-
key preneed programs, our clients are getting
real results that are increasing their market
share and enhancing their service to families.
Together, we can achieve so much more—all
it takes is you, me and FD. For more infor­
mation, visit www.funeraldirectorslife.com.
32 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Funeral Financial
(#517)
Founded in 1970, our
firm was the first in the
business to offer what
are now considered
industry standards. Our services are always
tailored to your unique needs. We are
consistently coming up with innovative
methods to make insurance assignments
bearable for you. Our reward is satisfied
clients. 817.769.3600;
www.funeralfinancial.com
Funeral
Home Gifts
(#1219)
Funeral
Home Gifts
is the premier
provider of
woven tribute
blankets and custom cap panels to funeral
homes worldwide. Delivered next day, our
products comfort families, increase preneed
sales, provide revenue through re-orders and
provide vision to transition families from
direct cremation to personalized memorial
services. Call 1.800.233.0439 for a free
sample to try at your next service.
www.funeralhomegifts.com
funeralOne (#505, 915)
FuneralOne is transforming how the
world honors life and deals with loss.
We help funeral professionals innovate,
connect with their families in new ways
and become more profitable. Our solutions
include f1Connect, the profession’s
leading website platform, The Sympathy
Store ecommerce plugin, Life Tributes
personalization software and more. 8,000
clients and counting. 1.800.798.2575;
www.funeralOne.com
Funeral Service Credit
Union (#960)
Funeral Service
Credit Union is a
state-chartered credit
union, owned by our
members, established in 1983, that provides
financial services specifically for funeral
service professionals, their employees
and immediate family members. Funeral
Service Credit Union membership is
currently available to all members,
employees and family members of ICCFA.
Funeral Services Inc.
(#416)
Funeral Services Inc.
(FSI) is a pre-need
administration and contract record-keeping
company that provides trust solutions to
funeral homes, cemeteries, associations and
financial institutions. With more than 35 years
of experience, FSI offers expert knowledge of
the funeral service profession and web-based
technology designed specifically for pre-
need and perpetual care programs. For more
information, visit fsitrust.com.
FuneralTech (#1241)
FuneralTech supplies industry leading
software and personalized memorialization
products. As your technology partner, we
provide funeral home websites, management
software and collaborative funeral planning
tools. Our solutions add value to families,
increase first-call conversions, increase the
average revenue per funeral and ensure
families never say “I didn’t know you offered
that.” For more information, visit us at
funeraltech.com.
Fuzhou CMB
Import &
Export Co.
LTD (#318)
Fuzhou CMB
Import &
Export Co.
LTD is a professional supplier of granite
monuments that’s owned a factory over 15
years. Contact Business Manager Honor
Lin by telephone, 0086-13788872626/0086-
18905006819, or fax 0086-591-87325672
or honor@united-granite.com. Visit
http://unitedgranite.stonecontact.com or 10C,
International Building, No.210 Wusi Road,
Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Garfield Refining
(#419)
For 125 years, Garfield
Refining Co. has
specialized in providing
recycling and refining
solutions for the dental,
jewelry and death-care industries. With
generations of satisfied customers worldwide,
Garfield has thrived in both bull and bear
markets, providing a stable and reliable
marketplace for the recycling and refining
of scrap metals. Please visit our website for
more information. www.GarfieldRefining.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

G.H. Forbes Associates
Architects (#726)
Since 1967, G.H. Forbes Asso­
ciates Architects has provided
architectural, engineering and
planning services to a variety of
cemeteries, funeral homes and
other clients. The combination
of an intimate knowledge of the death
care industry coupled with an innovative,
problem-solving design approach has
created numerous lasting and cost-effective
facilities that enhance cemetery and funeral
sales. Visit us at www.ghfaa.com.
Global Atlantic Financial Group (#441)
Through subsidiaries, we offer a broad
range of retirement, life and reinsurance
products designed to help Americans
customize a strategy for their protection,
accumulation, income, wealth transfer and
end-of-life needs. Global Atlantic’s success
is driven by a unique heritage, combining
deep product and distribution knowledge
with investment management expertise
and highly integrated risk management,
alongside a strong financial foundation.
Global Bronze
(#1349)
Global Bronze
is an industry-
leading
designer and manufacturer of unique
memorialization products for cemeteries,
funeral homes, churches and monument
builders. Products include glass-front
niches, columbarium niches, cremation
gardens, statues, reliefs and an assortment
of bronze memorialization accessories
such as vases, emblems, lights, light vases,
letters and E-Z Plaques. Global Bronze also
offers a state-of-the-art website to purchase
products online.
Granville Urns (#1333)
Granville Urns, a family-
owned company, offers
a premium collection of
Italian wood inlaid urns
and cremation products.
Each memorial is an
individual work of art,
hand-made with single
pieces of wood using a
60-step process. Our urns and keepsakes are
individually numbered, include a personal­
ized brass nameplate and ship immediately.
Visit www.granvilleurns.com or email
fletcher@granvilleurns.com for more
information.
34 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Great Western
(#734)
Great Western is
a preneed funding
company founded
by a fifth-generation funeral home family.
This funeral home background provides the
insight necessary for the most effective policy
design available. We bring preneed products
and marketing strategies to your funeral home
that will help mold your firm into the type of
preneed program and success you want and
expect. www.gwic.com
Haobo Stone (#729)
Xiamen Juxinglong
Import & Export Co.
specializes in supplying
a full range of interior
and exterior projects,
with products including
tombstones, monu-
ments, sculptures, garden series, flooring
tiles, countertops and slabs. Our product
brand is Haobo Stone. We own two facto-
ries for complicated products, one factory
for construction projects. Our contact
number is 86.1.350.690.1050.
Heritage Memorial Funding (#1329)
Heritage Memorial Funding is a family-
owned company that provides solutions for
funeral homes by eliminating their insurance
assignment receivables, funding funeral ser-
vices in exchange for a verified life insurance
policy, all at no cost to the funeral home and
within 24 hours of policy verification. Save
time, money and eliminate risk with Heritage.
Contact us at 1.877.463.8630 or
www.heritagememorialfunding.com.
Holland
Supply (#811)
Holland Supply
is the indus-
try’s leading
manufacturer
of cemetery/
funeral grounds
and set-up equipment and supplies. We offer
a complete line of products. Some of the
items we offer are all varieties of tents, lower-
ing devices, cremation and device stands,
lot markers, probes, urn vaults, casket carts,
dump trailers, mausoleum lifts and more.
1.800.527.8818;
www.hollandsupplyinc.com
Homesteaders
Life (#407)
Homesteaders
Life Co. is a
national leader
in providing life insurance products and
services to promote and support the funding
of advance funeral planning and end-of-life
expenses. Our customers benefit from the
support provided by knowledgeable account
executives, relationships with America’s top-
producing pre-need marketing organizations,
superior customer service and innovative
business management tools. Rated A-
(excellent) by A.M. Best Co.
Honor Life (#1041)
We are a supplier of granite memorials featur-
ing personalization at no extra cost, from
unlimited lettering to multiple emblems to
engraved photos, all at no additional charge.
Our production time for standard sizes and
colors is two weeks from approval. We
also offera full line of columbarium, niche
construction, cremation estates and private
family estates. 1.800.585.5768; wholesale@
honorlife.com; www.honorlife.com
HoverTech International (#136)
Leading the industry in air-assisted patient
handling equipment, HoverTech International
now offers the TransMatt disposable decedent
transfer system for lateral transfers. The
TransMatt allows staff to easily transfer
decedents regardless of size or weight. This
patented system reduces friction and pull
force by 85-90 percent, minimizing staff
injury and making transfers safer and more
efficient. Contact us at 1.800.471.2776 or
www.HoverMatt.com.
Howard Miller/
Hekman (#524)
Howard Miller
delivers high quality,
attractive, name-brand
cremation products
to funeral providers
nationwide. Our me-
morial line includes
mantel clock urns, chest urns, keepsakes,
scattering tubes and medallions. Hekman
Furniture, sister company of Howard Mill-
er, offers superior-quality contract-grade
furniture to funeral homes and cemeteries
at factory-direct pricing. For information
on memorial products or furniture, contact
Sarah or MaryAnne at 1.866.763.0485.
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Since 1972...
Astral’s Work Family Has Been
Creating Caskets To Celebrate a
“Life Well Lived”

Family Owned & Operated

Customer Service:
800.278.7252 BOOTH #1019
www.astralindustries.com

Huntington National Bank (#766)
Huntington National Bank, a federally
chartered national bank, established in
1866. Huntington has a specialty group
dedicated to the funeral and cemetery in-
dustry. We provide cemeteries and funeral
homes trustee, investment and escrow
services across the United States. Contact
Denise Stone at 1.866.737.4590 or denise.
stone@huntington.com.
ICO Uniforms (#229)
ICO delivers wear-to-work apparel pro-
grams that help companies maintain a con-
sistent and professional image with stylish
clothing people actually like wearing. We
support corporate programs with extensive
in-stock collections, complete size ranges,
flexible company storefronts, dedicated
account management and intra-company
communication.
Implant Recycling (#1308)
Implant Recycling is pledged to conduct
its business in accordance with the highest
standard of crematory practice and to be
ever mindful of the very personal nature of
the business, together with its community
and public responsibility. Contact us at
1.877.446.4544 or info@implantrecycling.
com to find out about our new Maximizer
program. www.implantrecycling.com
Infinite Innovations
(#1155)
Since 1987, Infinite
Innovations has been
a leading supplier
of auto parts and
accessories for the limousine, funeral car
and specialty vehicle industry. Unlike our
competitors, we are the only central stock-
ing warehouse for limousines, hearses and
Sprinter vans authorized by both GM and
Ford. Over 30 years of commitment and
service to our customers. On the web at
www.infparts.com
36 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Ingram Construction
(#731)
Ingram Construction
Co. Inc. specializes
in mausoleum and
columbarium design and
construction. Since 1978,
we have built over 672
projects in thirty-eight states. We are a design/
build firm with a staff consisting of engineers,
master planners, construction managers
and craftsmen who perform or direct every
aspect of design and construction. We can be
reached at 1.800.346.3395 or 601.856.4906.
Inman Shipping Worldwide (#724)
Inman Shipping Worldwide is America’s
oldest, most comprehensive and most reli-
able international shipping service. Over
the past 40 years, Inman has become the
leader in nationwide shipping, offering its
same experience, integrity and personal
service globally. We guarantee our price
and the quality of service that we provide.
We are everywhere you need us to be.
1.800.321.0566; www.shipinman.com
Intera (#712)
Serving the funeral indus-
try for over two decades,
Intera specializes in GIS/
GPS mapping, manage-
ment software, kiosk and
data entry. Our Integrated
Cemetery Enterprise Sys-
tem (ICES) is a top-grade,
affordable cloud platform
with a suite of web and mobile applica-
tions integrated into a data-centric solution
allowing cemeteries and funeral homes to
access their data anywhere, anytime on any
device. 1.888.483.7885; www.intera.us
JST Architects (#525)
JST Architects
specializes in the unique
requirements of funeral
industry and cemetery
architecture. Whether
it is funeral home design—which must
include special knowledge of funeral home
operations, preparation and dressing facilities,
selections rooms and merchandising centers,
viewing areas and reception centers—or
crematory design, JST Architects has the
knowledge and experience to do the job.
Jack Goodnoe Cemetery
Planning & Design (#1211)
Every cemetery has unique op-
portunities, needs and goals for
its future growth and develop-
ment. Jack Goodnoe will work
with you to establish strategies
for using your land resources
to full advantage. He can help you develop
a master plan, design sections and colum-
barium facilities, establish phasing strategies,
and secure agency approvals. Please visit
our website at www.jackgoodnoe.com or call
734.769.1400.
Johnson Consulting Group (#635)
Johnson Consulting Group is a funeral home
and cemetery consulting firm specializing in
mergers and acquisitions, business valuations,
bank lending, accounting services, strategic
planning, business performance analysis,
business performance improvement,
customer survey/sales analysis program and
incentive compensation programs. Contact us
today at 1.888.250.7747 or visit us at
www.JohnsonConsulting.com.
Kanga-Woo (#453)
Kanga-Woo first-call pouches provide an
exclusive, top-quality, tailored-made first-call
pouch. Unlike the traditional first call pouch,
Kanga-Woo’s technology presents a more
efficient first-call pouch that focuses on ease
and use that standard pouches miss. Visit
www.Kanga-Woo.com to view the complete
line of new features with modern colors and
fabric designs.
Keith M.
Merrick (#508)
The Keith M. Mer-
rick Co. Inc. has
provided quality and
innovative printed
memorial products
to funeral homes for over 80 years. The
family-owned and -operated business does
all of its own design and print production
in-house. Merrick prides itself in its ability
to fill special orders at a fair price. Stop by
our booth.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 If crypt flies don’t keep you
up at night, maybe this will.
It’s bad enough that crypt flies are probably inhabit-
ing your mausoleums right now. (Those little guys
love to breed and feed in these sacred spaces.) But it
can go from unsightly to completely unimaginable for
your business. Just see what happened at one location
in an actual newscast at www.ZontecSolution.com.
Zontec is your best defense against crypt flies: safe,
effective, odor-free and operates year-round, used by
over 700 cemeteries around the world. Visit our site
and see how we can make your mausoleum great again.
(Watch at www.ZontecSolution.com)

www.ZontecSolution.com

Nirvana
Adieu TM

Adieu Nirvana Urn Series

Solid Brass Urns & Tealight
Cremation Jewelry
Sterling Silver 925

Handcrafted with LoveTM

ICCFA Annual
Convention & Expo
Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, Nevada
April 18-21, 2018

Booth #341
US PATENT US D703,415 S

www.LoveUrns.com
m
888-910-7860

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 37

 EXHIBITOR PROFILES

Look for the

KIP Award
display in the
Look for the signs in Expo Hall to
the Expo Hall learn about the
to spot first- 2017 winners.
time exhibitors, The winners
PLPA (Pet Loss also will be
Professionals recognized on
Alliance) supplier the general
members and session stage
2017 KIP (Keeping in the Expo
it Personal) Award Hall on Friday
winners. morning,
April 20.

Kelco Supply
(#531)
Kelco Supply Co.
Kryprotek (#626)
is the supplier
Kryprotek, “the big black box,” is the best Legacy Touch (#428)
dedicated Legacy Touch creates superior custom
protection available for your mausoleum,
to serving
staff and customers. For over 20 years, the fingerprint jewelry and keepsakes, bringing
funeral professionals. Our core mission comfort to families and residual revenue
durable, lightweight, easy-to-use Kry-
is to provide our clients with the same to partnering funeral homes. Keepsakes
protek has been helping cemetery profes-
exemplary level of service and respect can be shipped within 24 hours, in time
sionals contain spills, transport remains
that they provide for the deceased and for funeral services. Shareable decedent
and keep their facilities clean. Come visit
bereaved. “Like you’re there for your PIN allowing orders to be placed at any
us at booth #805. www.Kryprotek.com;
families, we’re there for you.” Visit time. Provide heartfelt keepsakes while
1.800.826.9406
KelcoSupply.com or call 1.800.328.7720. delivering a proven revenue stream for
LA ads (#237)
KMI your business, only through Legacy Touch.
Since 1994,
Columbaria
LA ads has
(#1061)
been an agent
KMI Colum-
of change for some of the most prestigious
baria Inc. has supplied custom-designed Legacy.com (#228)
names in funeral service. Our “Dare to be
and -engineered columbaria to the U.S.
Different” approach to digital media, social Legacy.com is the leader in the
and Canadian markets since 1999. We lead online memorial and obituary market,
media, traditional media and PR has built
the industry as inventors of the all-alumi- collaborating with over 3,500 funeral
brands and propelled new sales levels for
num niche system with patented security homes and 1,500 newspapers worldwide.
funeral providers and suppliers alike. For
system. We invite you to see how a KMI In 2015, Tributes.com joined Legacy,
fresh, impactful full-service marketing,
columbarium can easily fit within your creating the largest obituary network, with
call 1.800.991.0625 or visit
available space and existing architecture. more than 35 million monthly unique
www.LAadsMarketing.com/funeral.
www.kmicolumbaria.com; 1.866.562.4744 visitors. Visit our booth to learn how we
can help you know and grow your market
share, and grab some Garrett’s popcorn.

38 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK!

LendingUSA (#225)
LendingUSA is the #1 financing solu-
tion for at-need families, giving funeral
directors a new way to help more families
afford the services they need. It’s simple
pre-approval process takes just minutes,
with payment made directly to funeral
homes within days. The company also
offers ongoing training and support to help
funeral directors maximize the power of
financing.
Life Cycle Urns
(#217)
Life Cycle Urns
designs include a
range of beautiful
candle urns featuring
Life Cycle Urns’ signature pattern, the
mandala flower. The meaning of the
mandala flower is one of connecting the
spirit or soul with the cosmos. Other
products on display this year include
cremation beads, classical cremation
jewelry pendants, scattering urns and the
Life Cycle Urns Deep Ocean Urn.
Live Oak Bank
(#1225)
Live Oak Bank
specializes in
financing solutions
for funeral professionals. Beginning
with funeral home lending for refinance,
acquisition, expansion and renovation and
later expanding to provide trust services for
pre-need funeral, cemetery merchandise and
service and perpetual care cemetery trusts,
Live Oak is dedicated to helping funeral
professionals succeed.
liveoakbank.com/funeral
LoveUrns (#341)
Transforming urns into LoveUrns,
LoveUrns, LLC. is driven by love—love
for craftsmanship, love for quality, love for
the memories, love for creating the finest
urns. Drawing from over three decades of
expertise creating the finest handicrafts, we
produce urns that are more a reflection of
love than mass production. The complete
range can be seen at www.LoveUrns.com.
40 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
LungForce (#150)
Take a break, have some fun and support
a great cause. Our “Tropics in Paradise”-
themed booth will feature games where you
can test your skill and earn prizes while
helping raise money for LungForce
(www.lung.org), which fights lung cancer—
the #1 killer of women. Stop by and say
aloha. Sponsored by Dignity Memorial,
www.dignitymemorial.com.
M. Kenny’s Bespoke Custom Tailors
(#317)
Bespoke Custom Tailors specializes in hand-
crafted suits and shirts for men and women.
Our master tailors possess several years of
experience and work with each client to
ensure a perfect and precise fit. M. Kenny’s
has served funeral directors and the affiliated
industry for over 20 years, establishing a
footprint as the premier bespoke custom
tailor. Visit www.mkennys.com booth 317.
Mabrey
Handcrafted
Urns (#537)
We hand craft
personal memories daily. Handmade in our
woodshop in Chico, California, by craftsmen
(and women), our urns are built with solid
hardwoods and feature personal photogra-
phy, laser engraved personalization, exotic
wood inlays and custom care. We’re proud
of the high quality urns we produce the old-
fashioned way, one at a time in America by
people who care.
Madelyn Co. (#1059)
Madelyn Co. is a respected
keepsake pendant supplier
serving funeral directors
and their families since
1993. They have always
had a simple purpose: to
enable others to cope more
easily, to hold a source of
comfort in their hands and
to find peace in their hearts. Please visit our
website for our monthly discounted specials.
1.800.788.0807; www.Madelynpendants.com
Matthews Environmental Solutions
(#805)
Matthews is the proven global leader in
creating better ways to run a crematory.
With more than 5,000 installations on six
continents, no one can match our experience
and expertise in helping cremation businesses
succeed. Whether your goal is to be
more profitable, more productive or more
environmentally friendly, count on Matthews
for the tools and technology you need.
MatthewsEnvironmental.com
Matthews Memorialization (#905)
Matthews Memorialization is an industry
leader with the most comprehensive suite of
solutions for cemeteries and funeral homes,
including: bronze and granite memorials and
monu­ments, cremation memorialization,
mauso­leums, statuary, the highest quality
caskets, urns, memorial jewelry and
stationery. Matthews offers programs,
products and services designed to help you
grow your business and help families move
from grieving to remembrance. matw.com
Mausoleum Supply
(#1425)
The Mausoleum Protec-
tor (MP) is the most
advanced casket enclo-
sure. MPs are the only
enclosure to offer lifting
handles, providing an easier and safer
entombment process. Pete Flood has made
several product improvements to his origi-
nal MausoGuard design, including locking
rails with compression legs, rail joint clips
and a cold-weather rail design. Contact
Mausoleum Supply, 1.863.646.2222 or
www.mausoleumsupply.com.
McCleskey
Mausoleums (#605)
Since 1961, McCles-
key has been a trusted
partner with knowledge-
able personnel who have
designed/constructed over
1,000 custom mausole-
ums in over 40 states. As market conditions
changed, McCleskey developed innovative
concepts that better served clients, creating a
personal approach that resulted in outstand-
ing repeat customers. McCleskey profes-
sionals are now ready to discuss your next
project. Corporate office: 1.800.622.5759.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
experience.
Create
C
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McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond
(#616)
MKS&H is a CPA firm specializing in
ac­counting, tax and business consulting
servi­ces for cemeteries, funeral homes and
their related trust funds. Services include
financial statement preparation, audits (en-
tity, trust and excess-income), reviews and
compilations, entity and trust tax returns, tax
planning, bookkeeping, cash flow manage-
ment and merger and acquisition reporting.
Contact us at 1.866.649.1903 or visit us at
www.mksh.com.
Meadow
Hill (#527)
Make print-
taking fast and easy using our Thumbies app
and scanner. Prints are stored indefinitely for
both keepsakes and identity authentication
in our Print Vault, making orders easy long
after final disposition. Last Touch gives you a
true chain of custody, allowing comparison of
prints taken at different times. Visit our booth
or call 1.877.THUMBIES for more details.
www.meadowhillco.com
Mekus
Tanager
(#413)
Mekus
Tana­ger is an architecture, planning and
interior design firm serving the cemetery
and funeral home industry for over 33 years.
We have completed over 275 projects for
cemeteries and funeral homes across the
U.S. and internationally, and have developed
innovative concepts to best serve our clients.
Our professionals are ready to discuss your
next project. 312.661.0778;
www.mekustanager.com;
info@mekustanager.com
Memori Diamond
(#612)
Headstones wear away.
Printed tributes and pho-
tos tear or fade. Only
Memori immortalizes
a loved one forever by
engraving her image on the diamond surface.
Stop by to see it with your own eyes and truly
understand why Memori is the most unique
and exclusive memorization product in the
world today. Low startup, high margin, no
inventory costs.
marketing@memoridiamond.com;
www.memoridiamond.com
42 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Memorial Business Systems (#661)
MBS-NEXUS, America’s premier cemetery,
funeral, cremation and GIS color-coded
mapping software, invites you to explore its
countless user-friendly features that turbo-
charge your single or multiple operation.
Used by over 600 cemeteries nationwide.
New logistical calendar coordinates your
entire organization. Enter contracts, enter
payments and run any of the 250+ reports for
sales, trusts and commissions. Frequent free
system upgrades. Booth #661.
Memorial Reefs International (#1105)
Our undersea memorial gardens provide an
alternative to traditional burial that builds
artificial reefs, aiding vital ecological habitats
throughout the globe. Offer your environ-
mentally conscious clients and their loved
ones a unique resting place that creates and
perpetuates coral reefs for generations to
come. Pre-need, at-need and post-need.
www.MemorialReefs.International
Memoriams by Ancestry (#124)
Memoriams is a free service that allows
you to place obituaries in thousands of
newspapers in North America. You can im-
mediately see the price, send a proof to the
family and submit and pay in one simple
process. Designed with funeral directors
and newspapers, Memoriams allows you
to focus on the families you serve.
Memory Glass
(#334)
Memory Glass,
the original
glass keepsake
company, remains the market leader since
2002. Skilled artists create memorial
keep­sakes utilizing a small amount of
cremated remains suspended within solid
glass (soil or sand can also be used).
Fingerprints can be laser engraved directly
onto any piece, creating a more uniquely
personal memorial. Become a vendor by
emailing info@memoryglass.com or call
1.866.488.4554.
Merendino
Cemetery Care
(#552)
Experience
the difference.
Merendino Cemetery Care offers exceptional
mowing, trimming, interment and cremation
garden construction services to clients in
the Midwest and Northeast. Specializing in
cemetery care, the Merendino team receives
ongoing sensitivity as well as quality and
operational training. We are here to help
you bring the best possible experience to the
families you serve.
Messenger
(#429)
Messenger
has been the leading manufacturer of funeral
stationery products, including register books,
service folders, acknowledgements, prayer
cards and laminated bookmarks, since 1913.
We also lead the way in technology solutions
with our digital Expression Guest Registry,
Floral Xpress, Xpress Donations, Legacy
Touch Keepsakes, Make It! personal printing
software and more. Satisfaction guaranteed—
it’s our promise. Experience the difference.
www.messengerstationery.com
Mid-States Recycling
& Refining (#1331)
Mid-States Recycling &
Refining is an industry-
leading precious metal
refiner dating back to1981.
You are invited to witness
the processing of your metallic recyclables
from start to finish with our open-door policy.
We are fully EPA compliant, which means
you’ll never have to be concerned about
future liability for improper disposal of solid,
hazardous and bio-waste byproducts.
www.midstatesrecycling.com
Mopec
(#149)
Mopec
pro­vides
American-made equipment and laboratory
products to the autopsy, mortuary, pathology
and histology industries. Our reputation
is built on decades of superior customer
service, specializing in consultation and
custom manufacturing. Mopec is committed
to designing budget-friendly equipment to
enhance your facility’s safety, flexibility and
efficiency. This is why we are “Better By
Design.” www.mopec.com
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 ’s
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 43


National Alliance
for Grieving
Children (#155)
The National Alliance
for Grieving Children
(501c3 nonprofit) ad-
vocates and educates
to promote awareness of the needs of children
and teens grieving a death and provides
resources for anyone who wants to support
them. The NAGC offers online education,
hosts an annual symposium and maintains a
national database of children’s bereavement
organizations.
National Cemetery Administration
(#154)
The National Cemetery Administration
(NCA) provides lasting tributes for
Veterans their spouses and certain eligible
dependents. NCA allows veterans to leave
their families a legacy of peace, a legacy of
dignified memorialization and a financial
legacy.
National Crematory Solutions (#126)
National Crematory Solutions is your total
solutions company when it comes to the
world of refractory repair and machine
maintenance. We offer our clients not
only impeccable service, but peace of
mind. We are available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, via our troubleshooting line
to answer any questions or concerns our
clients have. NCSC: honesty, integrity,
respect.
National
Mortuary
Shipping
(#856)
NMS assists
hometown
directors with out-of-town deaths and has
been the funeral industry’s trusted source
as a full-service provider for over 35 years.
We are proud to offer domestic and inter-
national shipping, cremations, removal
services, embalming, livery, airline trans-
fers, flight booking, graveside services and
disinterments, as well as assistance with
shipping requirements, death certificates
and airline requirements.
44 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
NFDA (#512)
NFDA is the
leading and
OpusXenta (#148)
largest funeral
OpusXenta are leaders in providing cemetery
director association in the world. NFDA
software solutions that are critical to the
is the strongest advocate for the funeral
success of the cemetery’s strategy while
service profession. We offer comprehensive
also assisting them in improving customer
educational resources and access to the largest
experience, reducing sales friction and
network of funeral service experts. Join us in
driving revenue growth so that they can focus
Salt Lake City, Utah, October 14-17, 2018,
on their strategy and not the systems that
for the NFDA International Convention &
underpin it. www.opusxenta.com
Expo. Visit www.nfda.org today.
Noble Metal Solutions (#1337)
We are an industrial refinery headquartered Osiris Funeral Home Software (#755)
in Indianapolis, Indiana, serving the death- Osiris Funeral Home Software by Funeral Di-
care industry by handling the refining of rector’s Resource Inc. delivers funeral home
their post-cremation metals. We are known software as a service with no upfront cost and
for innovative free products we provide no long term obligation, just a low monthly
our customers to make the operator’s job fee starting at $65 per month. Accessible
faster and easier. We operate under total from any computer or even your smartphone,
transparency and always invite our customers Osiris uses your existing forms and can inte-
to view the actual refining process on their grate with your website and Quickbooks.
metals.
Nomis (#506)
Nomis Pub-
lications Inc.
Parting Pro (#514)
publishes the
Parting Pro is the #1 all-in-one software that
most widely
helps funeral homes grow their cremation
circulated media
business. Innovative funeral homes are
for the funeral and cemetery industries. An-
making more money with less staff.
nual publications include the Funeral Home
Families who expect a modern, yet dignified,
& Cemetery Directory and Buyer’s Guide.
provider choose Parting Pro funeral homes.
Funeral Home & Cemetery News, a trade
“Traditional” is changing. Are you keeping
newspaper, is published monthly. www.nomi-
up? Visit www.PartingPro.com or email at
spublications.com offers a comprehensive on-
hello@partingpro.com.
line directory, FH&C News online and online
classifieds. P.O. Box 5159, Youngstown, OH Passages
44514; 1.800.321.7479; Fax 1.800.321.9040; International
www.nomispublications.com; (#331)
info@nomispublications.com Passages Inter-
national leads
OM Stone (#320)
the industry in eco-friendly funeral products.
OM Stone is a global
Our extensive selection of biodegradable
leader in creating
urns, scattering tubes and wicker caskets will
Bronzstone granite
exceed your families’ expectations. We have
memorials, columbaria,
the profitable solutions you need, to cater to
public and civic art
the non-traditional funeral consumer. Visit
while providing concept
booth #331 to see what’s new and become
and design. A family-owned and -operated
a partner provider of aGreenerFuneral.org.
company since 1947, we are innovators
Passages International, “The Natural Choice.”
offering GLASS ART laser technology
1.888.480.6400
with lasting color and dedicated to serve by
“The Values We Live By.” See more on our
website, www.myomstone.com.
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 Investing for the future — because forever is a long time
With more than 20 years’ experience in managing endowment care funds, we’ll help ensure they withstand the test of time —
long after the last plot has been purchased. Call for a complimentary review of your endowment care investments.
Pat Severo, CIMA®, AWM
SB Wealth Strategies
Managing Director – Financial Advisor
9665 Wilshire Boulevard, 3rd Floor | Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: (310) 205-7797 | Toll free: (866) 657-8876
Fax: (310) 205-7727 | pat.severo@rbc.com

Non-deposit investment products offered through RBC Wealth Management are not FDIC insured, are not a deposit or other
obligation of, or guaranteed by, a bank, and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.
© 2017 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 45


Passare Inc. (#618)
Passare Inc. is the funeral industry’s only
collaboration software with integrated
case management. Passare allows families
and funeral directors to collaborate on
arrangements anytime, anywhere, using
any internet-connected device. Clients
consistently report saving 30 to 45 minutes
per arrangement in addition to improved
efficiency, allowing more time to help
families plan a service. Visit
www.passare.com to request a free demo.
PETS LLC (#659)
PETS LLC provides
a proven online
tracking software
that electronically tracks every individual
pet and offers an established methodol-
ogy for business. Bringing a new standard
to the industry, this software helps pet
cremation companies improve customer
satisfaction, increase sales, streamline the
implementation of business services and
establish credibility with new clientele.
Visit www.trustedpetcremation.com to
learn more.
Physicians
Mutual (#1424)
Innovative pro-
ducts, proven
solutions: That’s
what you’ll get
when you join the Physicians Mutual
family. Through our collaboration with
Precoa, with its comprehensive ProActive
Preneed system, we provide funeral home
owners with real results and top-of-the-line
products. Let us help you grow, maximize
and protect your pre-need business.
Call us today at 1.800.974.1802 or visit
physiciansmutual.com/preneed.
Pittsburgh Institute
of Mortuary
Science (#628)
PIMS is one of the
premier funeral
service educational
institutions in the
country. The institute offers three different
programs, in-residence, which vary from
three to five trimesters in length, and four
different bachelor degree options. PIMS
OnLine now enables the student to pursue
professional funeral service education at a
distance from home or office via the inter-
net. 1.800.933.5808; www.pims.edu
46 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
PlotBox (#1141)
PlotBox is a leading death-care
management solution helping cemeteries
operate to world-class standards. It is the
world’s first solution fully integrating
software and mapping. The number and
scope of problems this innovation solves
revolutionizes the way death-care facilities
both operate and grow. “The team is great,
always quick to respond. Love PlotBox!”—
David Massey, Park View Cemetery.
857.301.7810;
Leona@plotbox.io; www.plotbox.io.
Polyguard (#1205)
Polyguard has designed and engineered
the most innovative polymer burial vaults
on the market. The Hercules and Atlas
vaults are aesthetically pleasing, easy to
personalize and no special equipment
needed for setting and installing at the
cemetery. We offer a full line of cremation
urn vaults and infant vaults. See all these
products in booth 1205. See you in Vegas!
Pontem Software (#753)
Pontem Software has been serving the
technology needs of cemetery managers
for over 30 years, resulting in software
functionality that comes only with years
of industry experience. Pontem’s best-in-
class data management, integrated GIS
mapping and online services integrate
with innovative partner products providing
contract and accounting management,
360-degree imagery and advanced sales
tools. Call 1.888.742.2378 or visit
Pontem.com.
Precoa (#1025)
Precoa is committed to
enriching life through
meaningful connection.
In a crowded
marketplace, we stand
alone with the highest quality, fully-
integrated pre-need system in America.
From product, to customer service, to
marketing, to consumer experience—we
provide the most comprehensive solution
to connect funeral homes and families,
beginning to end. Learn more at Precoa.
com.
Premier
Columbaria
(#1213)
Highest qual-
ity columbar-
ia at extraordinary prices. Premier’s belief
is that good design and high quality should
be affordable. We focus on designing and
manufacturing the best value columbaria
and cremation memorial products. From a
large custom project to the smallest order,
our staff will strive to exceed your expec-
tations. Installation available worldwide.
Premier has manufactured memorials since
1896. 1.800.426.5973;
www.premiercolumbaria.com
Progressive Environmental Services
(#435)
Progressive Environmental Services is the
industry leader in the recycling and refining
of post-cremation metal scrap in both an
ethical and environmentally conscious
manner. Progressive Environmental
Services; 1531 South Grove Ave., Suite
104, Barrington, IL 60010; 1.800.323.9785;
www.progressive-environmental.com
PSM (#1257)
The selective
memorialist
chooses
PSM for the
unsurpassed quality of our portraits in
porcelain, SLIM enameled steel, DEDO
classic and now CERACUT, which pushes
past the boundaries of customization. We
offer a vast choice of cast bronze frames
and appliques, including standing frames
for niches. At PSM, we are shaping the
future of portraits. Call 1.866.810.9500;
email info@psm.qc.ca; visit
www.psmportraits.com.
Qeepr (#958)
Qeepr specia-
lizes in
interactive,
family-focused technology for cemeteries
and funeral homes that creates new and
meaningful experiences for families.
Turn every cemetery record into a
beautiful, social online memorial on your
website. Qeepr Mobile provides accurate
cemetery directions, and allows visitors
to scan a monument to reveal the tribute.
Digital kiosks display mapping, records,
guestbook and more. www.Qeepr.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 TELEVISION
ADVERTISING
TV is an outdated advertising medium.

 True  False
“While digital advertising
TV is the most expensive medium. generates leads, no other
media captures attention and
 True  False wins families like TV.
You can’t afford to skip
television or run weak ads, and
TV is the most effective way still reach decision-makers.”
to reach adults over 45. Courtney Gould Miller
COO & Head of Digital, MKJ Marketing

 True  False

Cable advertising We tried ads our local TV When we run our

has been our best station made for us. MKJ TV ads
dollars spent. But, MKJ ads work. business increases.
Kasi Welch Baker John Williams Marc H. Burr
Nalley Pickle Welch Funeral Home Farley Funeral Homes Burr Funeral Home
& Crematory & Crematory & Crematory
©2018 MKJ Marketing

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE DEMO AT

MKJMARKETING.COM/TV-DEMO
Questions? Call 888-655-1566

Raj Urns
(#153)
Recently
re-branded
as Raj Urns, we provide a large selection
of high quality, high value cremation urns
to the funeral industry. Sourced from only
the premier vendors of India and Vietnam,
we proudly stand behind every urn we sell.
Please visit our website, www.rajurns.com,
for a complete catalog of products. Phone:
1.800.845.3665; email: sales@rajindia.com.
Randolph
Rose Collection (#137)
Family owned and
operated , we special-
ize in the finest quality
bronze sculpture, plant-
ers, urns and fountains.
The extensive collection includes life size
pieces depicting children, families and
pets.Our elegant and timeless pieces draw
interest and enhance the landscape as well
as interior design.We can create custom
designs for any project or inspiration.
www.randolphrose.com; 1.800.423.2047
ReadyCap Lending (#615)
ReadyCap Lending is a national lender that
specializes in the funeral industry. Each
member of our team of industry specialists
has 10-20 years of experience lending to
the death care community we serve. Our
loan programs are designed to maximize
business cash flow and the creation of
wealth for our clients. Visit us at www.
readycaplending.com/specialtyfinance.
Regions Bank (#859)
Regions Funeral & Cemetery Trust
Services takes a consultative approach to
providing comprehensive solutions that
meet the investment and trust administra-
tion needs of our clients. Learn how our
dedicated team can help you. Call David
Falconer, director of administrative ser-
vices, at 713.244.8083.
48 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Resomation (#248)
Resomation—also known as water
cremation—is the new alternative to flame
cremation and burial. Using water instead
of flame, this new end-of-life option offers
people a gentler, more environmentally
friendly alternative for their funeral
arrangements. Resomation is the company
behind this innovation in the funeral industry.
www.resomation.com; info@resomation.com
Ring Ring Marketing (#129)
Would you like to get minimum of 10
more at need calls in a month? Ring Ring
Marketing helps funeral homes get more
at-need calls from online direct to your
phone line. We offer a 60-day money back
guarantee. Stop by our booth to get a free
100-page customized online marketing
plan catered to your funeral home.
www.RingRingMarketing.com
Riviera Tailors (#411)
Since 1962, Riviera Tailors has been the
leading custom tailor from Hong Kong
specializing in custom-made shirts, suits
and uniforms. Our quality and value will
make you come back to us again and again
with confidence. Visit George Balani at
our booth for a com­plete range of fabrics
for shirts and suits. 718.809.4234; email:
gbalani@rivieratailors.com
RK Productions
(#237)
The Everafter Collec-
tion, unique carved
stone urns, keepsakes
and candle holder urns
all handmade in North
America. Original de-
signs; custom engrav-
ing available. Hand-painted, real natural
carved stone designed with families in
mind. Celebrating life with art, all at very
affordable pricing. We are the largest
North American producer of handmade
stone products. Toll free, 1.888.275.7763;
www.rkurns.com
Roberts & Downey (#534)
Roberts & Downey Chapel Equipment, a
family-owned business, has designed and
custom hand-crafted fine hardwood chapel
furniture since 1987. View our products
online at www.robertsanddowney.com. Call
us with your questions at 1.800.331.9093.
Rogue Art Glass (#608)
American MemoryCraft
urns and keepsakes
from Rogue Art Glass,
are the highest quality
and still the best value,
while being 100 percent
made in America. Call
541.858.2555 or visit our
website www.artglassmemorials.com for
more information. East Coast U.S. distributor
partner sought.
S&S/Superior
Coach Co. Inc.
(#847)
We are the
industry’s premier
specialty vehicle
manufacturer,
tracing our roots back to 1876. With two
distinctive and prestigious funeral vehicle
brand names—S&S and Superior—and
a range of distinctively styled, high-
quality products, we are poised for future
growth by aggressively meeting the
needs of the professional vehicle market.
For more information on our extensive
vehicle offerings: www.ss-superior.com;
1.888.324.7895.
Salesgenie (#518)
Salesgenie is powered by City Directories.
We’ll help you target the right audience.
Whether you’re searching for consumers
with preplanning needs or for businesses
with funeral service needs, we can help
you find your best prospects. Call Mike
Snyder at 1.866.313.1843 and ask about
our conference specials.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Sauder
Funeral
Products
(#1119)
We’ve made
furniture for
80 years and have been making caskets for
more than a decade in Archbold, Ohio. You
don’t have to sacrifice profit to succeed
in a changing market. With high-quality
caskets that cost less to produce, you can
maintain your margins and pass savings
along to families. Use Sauder caskets for
burial or cremation. 1.866.419.3010;
www.sauderfuneralproducts.com

SecuriGene (#528)
SecuriGene’s DNA capsule is the new
standard for memorialization, with over 3000
funeral homes worldwide now offering our
services to families. DNA preservation helps
families secure the genetic legacy of their
loved one for many generations to come,
while opening doors for DNA ancestry
testing and genetic health testing. Sign up for
free at www.DNALegacy.com or visit us at
www.SecuriGene.com.
Security National
Life (#324)
We provide life in-
surance and annuity
products to fund pre-
arranged and prepaid
funerals. We believe
the preneed industry
is as service-oriented as our funeral home
client base. Our goal is providing client rela-
tionships with competitive pre-need products
and services. Our strategy is educating clients
on how our service approach to marketing
increases their ability to serve families.

Select Merchant Solutions (#1343)

Select Merchant Solutions lends a friendly
personal touch to help funeral homes find
processing solutions best suited for their
needs to lower credit card processing costs
and increase their bottom line. A five-minute
phone call to Select Merchant Solutions can
save your business thousands of dollars. Call
now for better rates and service. Guaranteed.
Contact us 24/7 at 321.244.3031.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 49

The ICCFA is the only
all-inclusive association
in the profession, rep-
resenting the interests
of cemeteries, funeral
homes and cremato-
ries. Stop by the ICCFA
Plaza for information on
membership with the
ICCFA, JFDA and/or
PLPA, as well as with
ALPAR. Get informa-
tion about ICCFA
membership benefits
and what’s happening
with the association,
and find out about
The System University
online pre-need sales
training programs. And
don’t forget to stop by
to enter convention
contests.
Right, ICCFA Member-
ship Manager Julie Bly
and Executive Director
Nadira Baddeliyanage
at the2017 ICCFA Plaza
talking to Dan Loder-
meier and 2018 ICCFA
Annual Convention Co-
Chair Andy Lopez.

Left, Gary O’Sullivan, CCFE, talks to attendees at the 2017

convention about The System University pre-need training
program, which he designed with David Shipper and which
is offered through the ICCFA.

Above, GO TO BOOTH #332 for information about the

ICCFA Educational Foundation, which raises money to fund
scholarships that each year help dozens of people attend
ICCFA educational programs, including ICCFA University
and the Wide World of Sales Conference. Pictured at the
2017 booth are Jay Brammer, Doug Miller and Educational
Foundation President Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE.

Left, GO TO BOOTH #832, across from the ICCFA Plaza,

to meet with PLPA members, learn about the PLPA’s pro-
grams and see some of the pet-themed products suppli-
ers offer. Pictured at the 2017 PLPA booth are Jodi Clock,
CPLP; Jill Muenich; and Peggy Hoyt.

50 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
Trusted. Reliable. Secure.
Doing the Right Thing...
For more than 112 years, Homesteaders Life
Company has been trusted to make the right decisions
about funeral funding products – decisions that are good for
consumers and funeral professionals.
Homesteaders adopts a 360-degree view when designing
our products, balancing security with profitability and
designing tailored solutions that meet the diverse needs of
policy owners, funeral homes and agents. As a result, our
robust product portfolio offers reliable pre-need funding
solutions that can meet the needs of any funeral business.
Above all, Homesteaders exists to pay claims. It’s a promise
we make to consumers together with our funeral home
customers, and it influences nearly every business decision
we make.
Our commitment to always doing the right thing is one of
the many reasons we are the most often-used pre-need
funding company in America.* Thousands of funeral
professionals agree that Homesteaders is the trusted,
reliable and secure choice for dependable pre-need funding.
Learn more about our commitment to doing it right at
homesteaderslife.com/commitment.

The most often-used pre-need

funding company in America.*
homesteaderslife.com 800-477-3633

*According to a 2017 independent brand tracking study commissioned by Homesteaders and performed by McGuire Research.

Shiva Shade (#559)
ShivaShade eco-friendly products made
in U.S.A.: Absorb-It (for purging), Blood
BeGone soap (removes dried blood,
makeup and fingerprint ink), Very Berry or
Lavendar (room deodorizer to neutralize
de-com). Gel caps for coolers. Biomint
used for viewing, shipping and cremations.
Suture BeGone adhesive bonds skin or
cranium (dries clear; put makeup over
it). BodySealer, a hermetically sealed
biocontainment pouch.
Sich Casket
Co. (#1129)
Funeral
homes no
longer must
sacrifice
profitability to offer premier-quality
caskets at affordable prices. Sich provides
a complete selection of exquisitely crafted
solid hardwood, veneer and metal caskets,
all designed for the North American
market and priced well below comparable
domestic brands. Sich caskets are sold
through distributors throughout the U.S.
and Canada. Call 1.888.317.1929 or visit
www.SichCasket.com.
SinoSource
International (#813)
SinoSource has proudly
been serving the
funeral industry since
1994. We take pride in
our high standards of
quality and personalized
service, supplying a line of products
including cremation urns, caskets and
memorial items. We fully stand behind our
products, and are confident to serve funeral
professionals with an exceptional selection
of merchandise at the best value.
Skyways Media (#1253)
Skyways Media is the leading supplier
of individually designed funeral planning
guides. Our guides are an invaluable
resource for your community and are an
excellent marketing tool for your business.
The most interesting fact, however, is
that they are free to your business. That’s
right, no cost. Come and see us and find
out more. www.skyways-media.com;
1.646.810.5748
52 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Southern Cemetery, Cremation &
Funeral Association (#157)
We cherish our Southern traditions while
being focused on the future. The SCCFA
serves our members through enhancing our
profession, networking and educational
programs. We invite you to come by our
booth, as well as joining us on July 15-
17 at our annual convention at the Hilton
New Orleans Riverside. “Life’s Short, Be
Southern”; www.SCCFA.info
Southland
National
Insurance Co.
(#516)
Offering funeral
homes innovative
resources to
secure more pre-need and final expense
policies from a company that is dedicated
to adding a personal touch. Please
visit southlandnational.com or email
sales@southlandnational.com for more
information.
Southwest Cargo (#254)
Southwest Cargo understands the care and
respect that is required when transporting
loved ones to their final resting place.
Our Southwest Support service provides
professional and reliable transportation for
funeral homes and mortuary services. After
applying for an account, you may book
your human remains shipment by calling
Southwest Support at 1.888.922.9525.
Sparta-
Craft
(#360)
SpartaCraft
has been
providing
hand-craft-
ed heirloom-quality flag cases to funeral
homes and the United States military for
over 25 years. Our American-made flag
cases are a perfect way for funeral directors
to create lasting impressions for veteran
services. We offer same-day shipping and
custom engraving. Contact us at sales@
spartacraft.com or 1.800.282.8044.
www.spartacraft.com
SRS
Computing
(#718)
SRS
Computing
is the most
progressive industry leader in custom funeral
home, cemetery and crematory management
software. We believe in delivering zero-
defect customer service while cultivating
long-term client relationships. Our products
create a seamless process for single-site
firms to multi-location corporations. With its
incomparable user-friendly software, SRS
strives to provide superior management
solutions.
Star Granite & Bronze (#1312)
Star Granite and Bronze offers a compre-
hensive product line of bronze and granite
memorials which include elegant private
estate mausoleums. We stock a large
inventory of import memorials, which
means quicker delivery times. For superior
quality memorials blended with excellent
customer service, let Star be your preferred
vendor of choice. Call 1.800.241.7242 or
visit our web site at www.stargranite.com.
Sunset
Memorial &
Stone (#328)
Sunset is an
industry-
leading custom
columbarium
manufacturer. Raising the bar in industry
standards, Sunset is recognized for its
innovative engineering, skilled craftsmanship
and producing custom columbaria at a
competitive price. Sextons appreciate our 100
percent granite exteriors, simplified granite
door system, “key locked” inner aluminum
security door, distinctive Ascension model
and aluminum/nylene advantage.
www.sunsetstone.com; 1.800.363.3393
Supernova/AP Lazer (#935)
AP Lazer excels in the death-care industry.
Our two-part laser machine was made for
engraving large and heavy items such as
monuments and caskets, with the accuracy
to laser cut and engrave smaller items
such as urns and keepsakes. Stop by our
booth #935, visit aplazer.com, or call
1.800.585.8617 to find out how we can
help your business thrive.
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 EXHIBITOR PROFILES

Tecstone The The Davis Whitehall Co.

Granite
(#1158)
For over
30 years,
Tecstone has been a leading provider of
granite memorials, columbaria, mausolea
and artistic lawn features to America’s top
retail memorialists and cemeteries. From
simple flush markers to towering obelisks,
we not only provide granite—we help you
sell it! For more information, please call us at
1.800.562.0777 or visit
www.tecstonegranite.com
Terravas (#1157)
Cemetery flower vases. No more stolen costly
vases! The Ionic vase is an elegant yet heavy-
duty (PP) molded and embossed bronze replica
that makes an excellent replacement vase. Low
price makes it thief deterrent. UV protected
means no fading. Low liability threat due to no
rust or corrosion. Visit us: www.terravas.com.
Contact us: 831.444.5915 or sales@terravas.
com.
Champion
Co. (#625)
The Champion Co. is the leading manufac­turer
focused exclusively on embalming solutions.
With a full line of specialty embalming
products for difficult cases as well as general
embalming products, Champion is the
right choice for all your embalming needs.
When you only have one chance, choose the
embalming solution experts—Champion. To
learn more, call 1.800.328.0115 or visit
www.thechampioncompany.com.
The Davey
Tree Expert
Co. (#1231)
The Davey
Tree Expert Co.’s 9,000 employees provide
diversified tree services, grounds maintenance
and environmental consulting services for the
residential, utility, commercial and government
markets throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Davey has provided proven solutions for a
growing world since 1880 and have been
employee-owned for 38 years. For more
information, call 954.303.3333 or visit
www.davey.com.
(#432)
Davis Whitehall creates
one-of-a-kind customized
cremation urns. Handcrafted
in America, using domestic
and exotic hardwoods, each
urn is designed to honor and memorialize the
uniqueness of every individual. “When pre-
serving a memory, it must be perfect.”—Terry
School, president of The Davis Whitehall Co.
Contact us at 1.800.818.8414 or design@
davis-whitehall.com. Visit our website at
www.davis-whitehall.com
The Dodge Co.
(#1325)
Since 1893, we have
manufactured and distributed supplies for
your funeral home, crematory or cemetery. We
offer a complete line of domestic and imported
urns, vaults and cre­mation supplies. Dodge
distributes memor­ial products through glass
remembrance, capture bead keepsakes and
DodgePortraits. Our technology partner CFS
provides revenue-generating websites to over
3,000 customers. Please like us on Facebook.
1.800.443.6343; https://shop.dodgeco.com;
www.dodgeco.com

Caring for every need, Child Caskets

every day.

Style 90 - White Crepe Style 50P Plush - Blue

Experts in: Keepsake Heart

Domestic Shipping
International Shipping
Cremation Keepsake Heart

Removal & Embalming Style 89 - Green Camo Style 89 - Pink Camo

Flight Arrangements Blue

Pink Lilac

800.321.0185
natlmortuaryshipping.com
White White White
Style 20
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.cherokeechildcaskets.com • 800-535-8667 • Griffin, Ga

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 53


The Foresight
Companies (#116)
At The Foresight
Companies, we are
passionate about
the funeral and cemetery profession. Our
boutique business and financial consul­ting
firm has a singular focus: our client’s success.
From accounting, strategic business analysis,
valuations, merger/acquisitions, human
resources, accounts receivable management
to surveys, we understand the business of
doing business. Visit our booth and tell us
what you’re thinking; we’ll listen.
The Tribute
Companies (#910)
Your success begins
with Tribute. For
over 40 years,
our company has
provided cemeteries with quality solutions
to meet their management and development
needs. Our divisions include: cemetery
professionals offering generations of
experience; design and construction creating
value through custom-build services; precast
products, mausoleum crypts, cremation
niches, lawn crypts and burial vaults. Contact
us for your quality solution. 262.367.9991;
www.tributeinc.com
Tile Artisans (#1405)
Tile Artisans, a Florida-based company,
is one of America’s largest providers of
memorial portraits in porcelain and steel.
The company has recently introduced granite
urns and flat markers. The company is the
leading fabricator of sacred art murals, art in
public places murals and historical murals
in porcelain tile or hand-cut glass mosaic.
1.800.601.4199; memorials@tileartisans.
com; www.artisanmemorialportraits.com;
www.tileartisans.com
Timberland Urns
(#830)
We are artists. Our
mission is to create
unique and artfully
designed memorial
urns with a personal touch. Based on our
strong background in sculpting, carving and
experience in handling different materials,
we offer a variety of beautifully crafted urns
and keepsakes for both people and pets.
651.688.0875; www.timberlandurns.com
54 ICCFA Magazine
EXHIBITOR PROFILES
Trigard (#452)
Why should
you visit a vault
company’s booth
while at ICCFA?
You want to grow, and so do we. Trigard
has proven tools to help you generate new
revenue streams. We will help put money
back in your pocket by increasing your
average vault sale and introducing you to
new cremation solutions that will help you
grow. 1.800.637.1992; www.trigard.com
Trust 100
(#614)
Trust 100
specializes in
pre-need, having
demonstrated longevity and stability since
1979. We have the programs, the systems,
the strategies and the people to help fu-
neral home owners prepare for the new era
of funeral service. Partnering with Trust
100 assures you have a committed focus
for the future of your business. William
Bonacorda, 708.417.1208; wbonacorda@
trust100.com; www.trust100.com
Tukios (#117)
Tukios is the largest tribute video soft-
ware in the industry. Thousands of funeral
homes create a video in less than 10 min-
utes. Sick of scanning photos and burning
DVDs? Stop by and see how to save time
and money. Tukios is also seemlessly in-
tegrated with Batesville, Messenger, CFS,
Funeral Innovations, FuneralTech, Bass
Mollett, MKJ, LeapTie, Tributes, Directors
Advantage and Qeepr.
US
Cremation
Equipment
(#619)
A manufacturer of high-quality human
and pet cremation systems specifically
designed for the demands of your business.
Our company also offers a full range of
services related to the zoning, permitting,
installation, operation and service of
our cremation equipment. We also offer
a complete line of urns and memorial
products. We look forward to meeting you.
Enjoy the conference!
Vantage
Products (#757)
Vantage Prod-
ucts Corp. is a premier manufacturer and
provider of a wide range of funeral and
death-care interment products. Vantage has
spent years of R&D to create and provide
products that exceed all expectations,
made from engineered materials that deliv-
er superior performance for the ultimate in
strength and protection. Vantage Products
Corp., 960 Almon Road, Covington, GA
30014; 1.800.481.3303.
Vezzani SPA
(#132)
Vezzani—every-
thing you’ll ever
need—www.vez-
zani.us. Seventy
years in business,
manufacturing vases (bronze, porcelain,
stainless steel); plaques; urns; funeral
equipment; mortician equipment; picture
frames and lots more. Technically, every-
thing manufactured in Italy with our several
factories. Please email sales@vezzani.us. In
Las Vegas, booth #132.
Vital ICE App/
xeVitalboards (#133)
Vital ICE App, winner
of the EMS World
Innovation Award,
is an opportunity for
a funeral home to
exclusively partner with
their local fire/police/EMS in the efforts
of saving lives. Vital ICE App is custom-
branded with sponsoring funeral home
and provided free to the public. Amazing
community outreach and media explosion
from local newspaper, radio and television.
1.800.577.1703; www.vitalboards.com
webCemeteries.com (#651)
Manage your records securely and connect
with your customers using webCemeter-
ies.com award-winning software. See our
new map search with GPS navigation and
ecommerce, our new arboretum module
for tree management, and more. All of our
tools integrate with Cemetery360 ground
level views to help showcase your prop-
erty. We can also scan and enter your paper
records into our system.
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 EXHIBITOR PROFILES

Wilbert of standard and custom designed monu-

Funeral
Service
(#841)
The Wilbert Group offers diverse products
and services, including burial vaults and
cremation products through the Wilbert
Funeral Services network of licensees;
Pierce chemicals and related supplies; Signet
Supply caskets; granite products through
Wilbert Cemetery Construction; monuments
through Wilbert Memorials; and funeral
service education through Pierce Colleges.
Commemorating life with respect is the ess-
ence of what we do. Visit www.wilbert.com.
ments, grass markers, slants and bevels,
benches, statues, vases, columbariums,
Xiamen Olympia Stone (#321) and mausoleums. Welcome to visit
Olympia Stone is a leading manufacturer www.theolympiastone.com for more infor-
and supplier of cemetery and public monu- mation. Contact us at 86.592.506.1510 or
ments with a family–owned factory located support@theolympiastone.com r
in Xiamen, China. We offer a wide variety
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by ICCFA Magazine
Managing Editor Susan Loving
sloving@iccfa.com S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
alan@thegardens Creating a garden for a specific group is not uncommon
cemetery.org —The Gardens at Gethsemane had done it before.
➤Alan
MacKinnon, CCE, But building a chapel at the cemetery for the Orthodox community
is president of The
Gardens at Geth-
took Alan MacKinnon on a journey that was both physical (through
semane, Boston, Greece, Russia, Lebanon and Italy) and spiritual, and led to a
Massachusetts.
➤He started at the
change in mission and focus for the entire cemetery.
cemetery 28 years
ago as grounds
foreman for 5 1/2 years. He then served as
general manager for seven years. In 2002,
he formed a nonprofit corporation called The
Gardens at Gethsemane which acquired the
22-acre cemetery.
➤MacKinnon is a graduate of ICCFA Uni-
versity and attended the ICCFAU master’s
program, as well. He has been a professor
at ICCFA University in the College of Inter-
national Studies, talking about Orthodox
cemetery and funeral traditions.
➤He has served as secretary-treasurer of
the Massachusetts Cemetery Association.
www.thegardenscemetery.org
➤The Gardens at Gethsemane is sur-
rounded by the 179-acre Brook Farm. In
1870, a German immigrant and wealthy
Boston brewer bought the farm property
and formed the Association of the Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church for Works of From left, Metropolitan Hilarion, Metropolitan Methodios and Bishop John Abdalah
Mercy, which was to include a cemetery. of the Orthodox Church and Alan MacKinnon, CCE, president of The Gardens at
The cemetery was established in March Gethsemane in Boston, at the 2012 groundbreaking for The Orthodox Garden and
1873, later becoming a subsidiary of the Holy Resurrection Chapel at the cemetery.
association until being purchased by the
nonprofit organization formed by MacKin-
non in 2002. Brook Farm, once a com- How The Gardens’ service
to the Orthodox community
munal home for Transcendentalists in the
19th century where Nathaniel Hawthore
and Ralph Waldo Emerson summered,
today is a National Historic Landmark and
has benefitted all its families
I
operated by the state as a historic site.
➤The cemetery has held a Memorial Day t all started with a simple request—
event every year, drawing close to 1,000
simple but by no means small. Father
people. This year’s Memorial Day event
will be the 50th annual one. The ceme- Victor Boldewskul of Holy Epiphany
tery’s annual Pumpkin Day fall community Russian Orthodox Church in Boston,
outreach program, which started in 2008, Massachusetts, asked Alan MacKinnon,
drew more than 4,000 people last year. CCE, president of The Gardens at Gethse­
mane, about the possibility of building an
Orthodox chapel at the cemetery.
In 1976, The Gardens had sold 200 lots
to St. Mark of Ephesus Orthodox Church
in Roslindale for the use of its members, From Alan MacKinnon’s FaceBook
and had sold individual lots to Orthodox page, a photo of him welcoming the Chi-
families at least as far back as the 1950s, nese Year of the Dog. The Gardens built
MacKinnon said. a Chinese section, Hong Ling Garden,
The Gardens, a nonsectarian cemetery, after a request from the community.

56 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
Holy Resurrection Chapel in the Orthodox Garden at The Gardens of Gethsemane. In the foreground are olive trees. There will
be climbing hydrangeas on the arbor. Many of the resting places near the chapel have been chosen by Orthodox families.
Left, an aerial view of the
Orthodox Garden before
installation of a private
mausoleum off the cobble-
stone road, Emmaus Way.
The light patches in the
grass are recent inter-
ments.

The Orthodox Chapel

at the Garden’s
Cemetery serves as
a unifying symbol of
the Greater Boston
Orthodox community.
—Father Victor
Boldewskul,
Holy Epiphany
Russian Orthodox
Church

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 57

 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S
Above left, the Garden of Honor, a veterans section created at The Gardens. The closest national cemetery is more than 50
miles away, so local veterans asked MacKinnon for a site closer to home. Above right, the Orthodox Chapel in a section re-
served for use by members of the Orthodox Church at Rock Creek Park Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
already had a history of responding to
requests from the community for special
gardens.
“When the Chinese community came to
us,” MacKinnon said, “we built Hong Ling
Garden on a nice hill facing east”—with
proper feng shui consideration, of course.
Some veterans came to him and said
they didn’t want to be buried at the
Massachusetts National Cemetery in
Bourne: “It’s 52 miles away—nobody’s
going to visit us there!”
MacKinnon developed the Garden
of Honor so that local veterans could be
buried close to home as well as to each
other.
“The Muslim community came to us
and said, ‘Nobody will allow us to practice
our customs and traditions.’” MacKinnon
educated himself about Muslim funeral
and burial practices. “I studied the Janazah
and their method of burial, and said, ‘We
can do this for you.’”
The Garden of Mercy (Almarhama) was
developed, where “families are allowed
and encouraged to memorialize according
to their (Islamic) faith.”
Therefore, it’s not surprising that when
Father Victor approached him back in
2009, MacKinnon had an open mind—and
heart. “I thought, a priest is asking me to
do something—maybe it’s a good idea.”
He talked to other Orthodox priests who
held services at The Gardens. What did
they think about the idea of building an
58 ICCFA Magazine
Orthodox chapel at the cemetery? “They
said, ‘That’s a great idea! You should visit
my village!’”
He was told that in Greece, in Lebanon,
in Russia—wherever there are substantial
numbers of Orthodox families—there are
chapels in the cemeteries, by the side of
the road, even in people’s back yards.
“At first I wondered, ‘Why would there
be a chapel in someone’s back yard?’ Then
I thought about the Madonnas that some
Roman Catholic families here have in their
yards, in a little shrine.”
MacKinnon decided that the chapel
should be built in a new section, an
Orthodox Garden—a major undertaking on
the face of it. At that point, he had no way
of knowing that he was starting a process
that would not simply add an unusual
feature to the cemetery but also inspire
a change in The Gardens’ approach to
serving families.
Doing the research
Father Victor told him about the Orthodox
chapel in Rock Creek Park Cemetery in
Washington, D.C., which is built on the
Orthodox model, and sent him a link so he
could see photos of it online.
MacKinnon also checked out a
couple of chapels built for the Orthodox
community at cemeteries during travels
around the U.S., but said their exteriors
looked like those of Protestant churches.
If he was going to do this, he was going to
build a chapel that looked like an Orthodox
chapel, inside and out.
He went abroad, to the homelands
of some of the Boston-area Orthodox
churches, to see for himself what the
clergy envisioned. Already knowing a
number of people from the local Orthodox
community proved to be a big help.
A friend of his was in Greece, so he
surprised him, making the first of several
trips to that country. “I called him and said,
‘Pick me up at the airport.’ My friend said,
‘Dude, I’m in Greece.’ I said, ‘I know; I’m
in Zurich. I’m going to be there in a couple
of hours.’”
His friend picked him up at the airport
and he already had a place to stay—a
woman from a Boston area church whose
husband rests at The Gardens had given
A mini-altar in one of the small chapels
MacKinnon saw on one of his four trips
to Greece, where the vast majority of the
population is Greek Orthodox.
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 Travels with Alan: Byzantine churches, the hospitality
of strangers and a touching graveside service in Greece
A
lan MacKinnon, CCE, made trips
to Greece, Lebanon, Russia and
Ravenna, Italy, the mosaic capital
of the world, to see Christian Orthodox
churches and chapels as he developed a
design for an Orthodox chapel and garden
at The Gardens at Gethsemane cemetery
in Boston, Massachusetts.
He witnessed the elevation of three
bishops and an archbishop in Lebanon,
visited some large, beautiful Byzantine
churches in Russia, attended services in
several languages and experienced the
hospitality of strangers.
MacKinnon tells a story about one of
his trips to Greece that was particularly
memorable.
In the middle of one church service,
presided over by bishops and attended
by several hundred people, a cell phone
started ringing. Like everyone else,
he started looking around him to see
who this inconsiderate person was who
had forgotten to silence their phone. “I
don’t have a phone on me,” he thought
to himself as the unfamiliar ringtone
continued, uncomfortably nearby.
Then he remembered that someone in
Greece had given him a cell phone to use.
Oops. He’d never heard it ring, which is
why he hadn’t recognized the ringtone.
As everyone, including the bishops,
stared at him, he backed out of the church
with the unfamiliar phone and answered
it with a whispered, “Hello?” It was his
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
friend, just making a friendly call. “What
are you doin’?” Being embarrassed in
front of a church full of people is what he
was doing.
After the service, people came out of
the church holding wreaths and walking
to the cemetery, so MacKinnon walked
with them. They walked and walked—it
must have been a quarter of a mile before
they stopped at a resting place, a grave
with a raised marble rim or curb.
It was a Masonic service; pallbearers
wearing tuxedos and white gloves set
the casket on the curbing. Two men with
ropes around their necks came forward,
placed the ropes under the casket and
straddled the grave. MacKinnon was
alarmed, thinking, “Either they’re going
to get hernias or OSHA’s going to come
in and fine them.” Alan MacKinnon in Mt. Athos, Greece.
Nevertheless, those two men
straddling the grave in front of 100
people lowered the casket into the grave,
pulled the rope out from underneath the
casket, tossed the rope aside, grabbed
shovels and started filling the grave as the
family watched, the rocks mixed in with
the dirt drumming an irregular beat on the
casket.
For MacKinnon, it was an unusual
enough sight that he was still standing
there watching after everyone but the MacKinnon’s Russian driver welcomes
family had left. Someone came over to his customer with an easy-to recognize
him and said something to him. All he sign.
 ➤to page 60
Above, a building in Peterhof, Russia.
MacKinnon was interested in the stone
veneer. Left, in Moscow, standing in
front of an iconostasis. The church be-
side this room has an even larger one.
March-April 2018 59
Above left, some of the mosaic work MacKinnon studied on his trip to Ravenna, Italy, the mosaic capital of the world.
Above center, an Orthodox grave in Russia. Above right, MacKinnon at Balamand Monastery in Lebanon, with Patriarch
Ignatius IV of Antioch and all the East. MacKinnon witnessed the elevation of three bishops and an archbishop.

“And then we shook our hands down, and then we threw our hands up in the air and let go.
That was amazing—so powerful.”—Alan MacKinnon, CCE

At a chapel-building company in MacKinnon with a priest outside the

Greece. MacKinnon looked into the
possibility of having a Greek company
build a chapel and ship it to the United
States.
➤from page 59
could say was, “I don’t speak Greek.”
Someone else asked him in English, “Who
are you and what are you doing here?”
MacKinnon gave his name, said he
was from the United States and started
explaining his Orthodox cemetery tour.
Before he could finish, someone spotted
his Masonic ring.
“Suddenly, it was ‘Oh, you’re a Mason
church where his cell phone went off
and he took part in a graveside service.
from America came to pay respects to
my father.’ And I’m saying, ‘Oh, no, no,’
but they grabbed my hand and yanked
me over to the family, and they started
saying I was this big, high-up Mason from
America came to pay respects to their
father.
“Then we all held hands in a circle and
they started whispering down the line,
and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, no, it’s going to be
Greek.’ The person next to me said what
sounded like ‘Vasilios,’ so I figured it was
One of the pre-made Orthodox chapels
that are sold in Greece.
the deceased’s name, and I said it to the
person next to me. I hope I pronounced it
right.
“And then we shook our hands down,
and then we threw our hands up in the
air and let go. That was amazing—so
powerful.”  r

him the key to her apartment in Athens.
“That’s how much trust we had already
built with the Orthodox community.”
When he traveled to Lebanon, he went
with members of the local Lebanese-
Syrian community to witness the elevation
of three bishops and an archbishop. When
he traveled to Russia, MacKinnon went
with a bishop and a group of priests.
Each time he returned with scores of
photographs—pictures of chapels and
cemeteries, close-ups of mosaics, icons and
iconostases (the screens holding the icons).
He would sit down with groups of
priests. “I would show them the pictures
and ask, ‘What about this?’ They’d say,
‘Oh yes, do that,” or ‘Oh no, don’t do
that.” He and the priests who advised him
agreed on a Byzantine style.
The priests served not only as advisors
as he developed what became the Orthodox
Garden and Holy Resurrection Chapel at
The Gardens but also as ambassadors for
the project. This was crucial, because its
success would require buy-in from and the
support of the Orthodox community.
The Orthodox community
The Eastern Orthodox Church has
approximately 225-300 million adherents,
mainly in the Balkans, the Middle East,
Russia and other former Soviet counties,
according to Wikipedia.
According to its website, the Orthodox
Church in America numbers approximately
700 parishes, missions, communities,
monasteries and institutions in the United
States, Canada and Mexico. It had its
North American beginnings with Russian
missionaries arriving in what would later
be Alaska in 1794.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917,
the church in America, previously together
in one diocese under the Russian Orthodox
Church, became increasingly organized

60 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S
Despite being in the West Roxbury section of Boston, The Gardens at Gethsemane,
lower left, is surrounded by greenery. The Charles River can be seen at the top of
the photo. There is a well-developed Jewish cemetery by The Gardens, and much
of the adjoining property is Brook Farm, a state park.
into ethnic parishes with ties to their
various home countries.
In the United States, Wikipedia
estimates the adherents of the Orthodox
Church at more than 800,000, making
it a small minority. (Many Americans’
knowledge of the Orthodox community
is probably limited to attending Orthodox
church festivals to enjoy Mediterranean
food and to watching the movie “My Big
Fat Greek Wedding.”)
However, MacKinnon estimates the
Orthodox community in the Boston
area at somewhere between 150,000 to
200,000 people, including Russian, Greek,
Ukrainian, Syrian, Armenian, Albanian
and Lebanese Orthodox churches, among
others. There are more than two dozen
Orthodox churches in the greater Boston
area, and The Gardens has served families
from every one of them, MacKinnon said.
Though there are some first-generation
immigrants, there are also many second-
and third-generation Americans among
the members of the Orthodox churches,
and most people speak English as well as
their native language, so there hasn’t been
a language barrier to deal with in getting
to know and work with this community,
MacKinnon said.
Some of the Orthodox communities
have schools set up to teach their
62 ICCFA Magazine
American-born children the language
of their forebears and help pass on their
customs and traditions. And they bring
their children and grandchildren with them
to the cemetery.
In fact, now that the chapel is built, two
girls, around 7 or 8 years old, come to the
cemetery about once a week with their
mother and clean it. They sweep the floor,
do a bit of dusting, clean up any spilled
candlewax. (MacKinnon pays them.)
“These communities are passing their
customs and traditions down to their
children, and we’re helping them.”
MacKinnon has gotten to know many
people in the Orthodox community in
addition to the priests. He has attended
numerous church festivals and bazaars
and made donations to projects at several
churches.
After plans for the Orthodox Garden
and Holy Resurrection Chapel were
developed, MacKinnon would bring a
model of the planned garden and chapel
and information to hand out to church
events. Having previously enlisted the
priests as advisors/ambassadors helped.
“I’d set up a booth and tell people the
history of the project and some people
would be wondering, ‘What are you doing
here? Are you selling graves?’
“I could see some people going over
to the priest and asking what I was doing
at their festival. And the priest would say,
‘He takes care of our loved ones over at
Gethsemane. He’s part of our community.
He’s not selling anything; he’s just showing
you what we’re doing with the Orthodox
community at The Gardens cemetery.’”
Designing the Orthodox Garden
and chapel
The Gardens at Gethsemane is a park
within a park. An overhead view of the
area (on this page) shows the cemetery in
the lower half, with wide tree buffers all
around. Adjacent are a Jewish Cemetery
and Brook Farm, which was once a
transcendentalist utopian society. Today,
Brook Farm is a state-owned park.
“We’re surrounded by 1,000 acres of
rolling hills, meadows and woodlands
south of the Charles River.”
MacKinnon said he decided the
Orthodox Garden chapel should be placed
at the highest elevation possible in the
cemetery. He thought the priests would
like that idea, and they did.
As he worked on the design, “I realized
it wasn’t just going to be a physical space;
The Gardens’
involvement with
the Orthodox com-
munity includes
making dona-
tions and attend-
ing events. Here
MacKinnon pres-
ents a check for
a project at Holy
Epiphany Russian
Orthodox Church
in Boston. At right
are Metropolitan
Hilarion and Fa-
ther Victor.
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 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S

Above, MacKinnon makes a presentation at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England after being introduced
by Father Cleopas. “My presentation was awesome,” MacKinnon said, “But I think they liked the lamb shanks better.” As part
of his visit to talk about plans for the Orthodox Garden and chapel, MacKinnon offered attendees dinner.

Above, MacKinnon is introduced by

Father Timothy at St. George Antiochian
Orthodox Church of Boston.
Below, Father Timothy talks to parish-
ioners about the plans for the Orthodox
Garden and chapel.

Above, MacKinnon with the display,

printed material and a tile (created
by Tile Artisans) of one of the icons
created for the chapel by Alex Melo.
This display was at St. Athanasius
The Great Church in Arlington.
Left, making kabobs and demonstrat-
ing traditional dances at Lebanese
bazaars and Greek festivals. MacKin-
non has attended many such events.

it was going to be a spiritual space, too,”
one that would allow Orthodox families to
follow their traditions.
The design and the models changed
over time. The chapel had to face in a
certain direction. He decided he wanted
to include an olive orchard and a pergola,
where he would grow grapes.
Oh, wait, not grapes: They would attract
birds, which would make a mess. The
pergola would still be built, but it would be
covered by climbing hydrangeas.
The memorials had to be uprights—The
Garden does have memorial park sections,
but the Orthodox community would not
appreciate that sort of memorialization.
Cemetery rules were changed to add six
inches to the allowed height of memorials.
For those who might want a “tablet”
memorial of the type that can be seen in
many European cemeteries (as in the photo
at the Russian cemetery, top of page 60), a
family estate area would allow for it.
He hired an architect, Yervant Nahikian,
who is of Armenian descent and has ex­
perience with Byzantine design, including
Orthodox Church design. MacKinnon
knew what he wanted done, but had to hire
an architect and engineer in order to get
plans drawn that could be put out to bid.
“Between myself and a half a dozen
priests and my advisory committee—the
leadership team—we had already designed

64 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S
Right, from left, Father
Victor, who originally
approached MacKinnon
about building an Ortho-
dox chapel; Metropolitan
Hilarion, first hierarch of
the Russian Orthodox
Church; Metropolitan
Methodios, spiritual leader
of the Greek Orthodox
Metropolis of Boston; and
Bishop John Abdalah of
the Diocese of Worcester
and New England of the
Antiochian Orthodox Chris-
tian Archdiocese of North
America; Father Ted; and
Nektarios Antoniou, a fa-
mous chanter who brought
MacKinnon to Mount Athos
at the request of a mutual
friend on one of MacKin-
non’s trips to that country.
what we wanted to see and
what the Orthodox community
needed.”
A groundbreaking ceremony
took place in 2012. Many local
priests took part, as well as
renowned chanter Nektarios
Antoniou, a Yale graduate
who travels the world; and
three bishops: Metropolitan
Hilarion, first hierarch of the
Russian Orthodox Church;
Metropolitan Methodios,
spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox
Metropolis of Boston, which includes
most of New England; and Bishop John
Abdalah of the Diocese of Worcester and
New England of the Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese of North America.
66 ICCFA Magazine
A year or two later, the
construction started, with the
pouring of the foundation and
installation of lawn crypts. The
walls went up in the summer
of 2015, with the dome in
place by late fall.
About 400 double vaults
were put in place, and there is
room for expansion to allow for
thousands. These are full-body
burials, since the Orthodox
traditionally do not cremate.
The vaults were installed in a field
that was 13 feet below the top of the
foundation for the chapel. “It just made
sense to scrape off the loam, put in some
crushed stone and piping, put the double
vaults on top of the stone and then fill over
Far left, Father Timothy from St.
George Antiochian Orthodox
Church of Boston; Father Patrick
from Holy Resurrecton Orthodox
Church, Allston; and Father Victor
from Holy Epiphany Russian Ortho-
dox Church, Boston, participate in
the groundbreaking. Behind them is
Bishop John.
Left, MacKinnon and architect
Yervant Nahikian participate in the
groundbreaking.
Below, a closup of the gold-plated
shovels used in the ceremony.
MacKinnon gave each of the clergy-
men a plaque to commemorate the
event.
the top,” MacKinnon said. The result was
that the field was brought up to the level of
the chapel.
One side of the cobblestone road that
runs through the garden to the chapel
is reserved for mausoleums and private
family estates, which are 5 feet wide by 12
feet long. MacKinnon installed one eight-
person family mausoleum on spec to show
families the possibilities. The mausoleum
also adds to the garden’s ambiance.
“It looks like the cemeteries in the old
countries,” MacKinnon said.
There is also a two-person private
mausoleum, also installed on spec, next
to the chapel. Again, he wanted to show
people that the above-ground interment
favored by some is available in the
Orthodox Garden. “If you go to the old
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 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S

Above left, MacKinnon stands on the site with a plan for the Orthodox Garden. Above center, the foundation work gets
started. The cross-like shape of the chapel interior can be seen in this view. Above right, the foundation walls go up.

country, there are all these above-gound

memorials.” Some of them are put together
by family members and fall apart in a few
years, “but not this one—I got this from an
ICCFA member supplier.”
The chapel is immediately recognizable
as Orthodox, with its curves, arches
and domed cupola. MacKinnon had
the concrete block sides covered with
stonework to give it an “old world” feel.
The building is approximately 16 x 24
feet with 12 windows and room for a Holy
Resurrection mosaic above the entry doors.
The building is solid—really solid.
“The foundation is about 8 feet deep and
a foot thick—I should have included
a basement,” MacKinnon said. “If a
hurricane’s coming through here, I’m
running up to the chapel. Those walls
might be cinder block, but they’re solid,
with poured-in concrete.”
Stone cladding was added to the
exterior walls “to make it look like it had
been there for years,” MacKinnon said. Above, double-depth lawn crypts were
installed in the Orthodox Garden on
He saw plenty of chapels in Europe with
land that was lower than the chapel.
simple plaster exteriors, “but I want this After they were covered with soil, the
building to last hundreds of years.” ground elevation was raised to that of
Steel framework holds up the domed the chapel.
cupola, which has arched windows and is Left, the granite plaza behind Holy
topped by a simple cross. MacKinnon did Resurrection Chapel. MacKinnon moved
see ornate crosses on some of the chapels his own resting place, which had been
in Europe, but he wanted something on what is now Orthodox Garden land,
everyone would feel comfortable with. to where the plaza is.
MacKinnon chose zinc for the dome electricity to the chapel. We can’t put solar Albania.
cladding “because it doesn’t patina like panels on a Byzantine-style chapel.” The original icons are not left in the
copper. You put copper up and it’s orange One of the important features of an chapel because it is left open 24 hours a
and then it turns green. I didn’t want the Orthodox church or chapel is the icono­ day. The cemetery as a whole is pretty
color to change.” stasis. Some are elaborately carved, and much a 24/7 operation, since MacKinnon
The inside is substantially—but not 100 Holy Resurrection Chapel might have one lives there. In any case, the precious
percent—complete. The inside walls have like that someday, but the iconostasis now originals are kept in his home, but the
not yet been plastered, and MacKinnon in place suffices to serve its function of stand-ins are beautifully displayed.
plans to tile the floor and include radiant holding and displaying the icons. One of the icons is brought out for
heat provided by solar panels. “Our The iconostasis holds striking every Orthodox graveside service. Inside
solar panels will be a few hundred feet aluminum replicas, painted by Alex Melo, the tent, “We put the Holy Resurrection
away, and we’ll have conduit running the of the icons MacKinnon had made in icon and a basket of earth,” MacKinnon

68 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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Above left Above, a mausoleum from Norwalk

and center, Vault Co. being placed near the chapel.
the chapel MacKinnon placed this mausoleum and
walls before an eight-person one in the garden to
and during showcase the possibilities for above-
the addition ground memorialization.
of stone clad-
ding.
Right, the
first service
was held in
the chapel
before the
roof was
installed.

Above and left, the dome being finished

on site and placed atop the chapel.
Below, the cross is put into place.

said. “Ninety-five percent of the time,
the casket’s going to be lowered into the
resting place after the flowers are placed
there, and then people are going to come
up, take a handful of earth and place it on
the top of the casket.”
After the walls were up, before the roof
was in place, one family insisted on having
their service inside the chapel walls. “They
couldn’t wait,” MacKinnon said, obviously
pleased that even in its incomplete state,
the chapel was drawing Orthodox families.
Though the building has no fixed
seating, chairs are brought in for services.
Today’s trend in funeral chapel design is
for removable seating in place of fixed
seating, but this feature is a not a modern
innovation but a traditional one in some
Orthodox churches.
The pergola’s columns match the
chapel’s cladding. MacKinnon saw some
metal pergolas in the cemeteries he visited,
and found that the metal did not hold up
well under the pressure of growing vines.
“Our pergola is solid. We have 2-by-2-
foot columns that are solid concrete with
1-inch rebar inside.” The beams are wood

70 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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MacKinnon had specially cut at a sawmill.

The Orthodox section has a wide, 300-
foot cobblestone road running from the
entrance to the chapel. MacKinnon wanted
to name the road, so he asked the priests
for ideas. “Father Nick, from St. Demetrios
Greek Orthodox Church in Weston, came
back with ‘Emmaus.’
“He said Emmaus was a good name
for the cobblestone road because after
Christ was resurrected and the rock was
rolled back from the tomb, he was walking
down the road to Emmaus and two of his
disciples were walking with him but didn’t
recognize him. When they got to Emmaus,
he broke bread and gave it to his disciples
and then they recognized him. There’s an
icon called ‘The Road to Emmaus.’”
The other priests liked the name, so the
cobblestone road became Emmaus Way.
He worked with a leadership team on
funding the project, MacKinnon said.
And the lawn crypts were put in place
early so that interments could start taking
place. By the time the chapel was being
Above, A fisheye built, interments had already been made;
view of the chapel’s memorials were already in place.
interior with the ico- The Orthodox community also has no
nostasis in place.
problem with acquiring resting places
Above far right, an before need. “A lot of families want to
interior view show- be close to the chapel,” MacKinnon said.
ing the list of “great Pre-need purchases, which included a
donors” on the red
tax-deductible donation toward the chapel
banner. The list will
project, helped build the chapel.
later be carved in
granite. One interesting footnote to the
development of the Orthodox Garden is
Right, MacKinnon that MacKinnon ended up moving his
with Alex Melo, who
own planned resting place. “The lots I
painted the icons
for the iconostasis. had reserved for myself were right by the
The icons were chapel,” MacKinnon said, “but I wanted to
made in Albania. place the chapel in the best location in the

72 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S

cemetery, and that happened to be on top

of my lots. I had to give my lots back to
the cemetery.”
He didn’t move far away, though. On
the other side of the chapel is a 20-by-
20-foot granite patio with one bench
(and room for more). “That’s where I
will be resting in the future; I’ll go right
underneath the granite patio. I built it as a
sitting area so that if people want to donate
to the chapel they can be recognized on the
granite caps.”
Though the patio is not an official part
of the Orthodox Garden, he did see sitting
areas and benches in some of the cemeteries
Above, wooden beams are put
he visited, so he felt that it fit in.
into place on the stone columns
of the pergola. Like the chapel, it
was built to last. Above far right, The evolution
the pergola in place. Right, an icon of the cemetery’s mission
depicting the road to Emmaus, The influence of this project, and of
specially commissioned for this interacting with the Orthodox community,
project. Below, the eight-person has spread far beyond the development of
mausoleum in place on the side of one garden, MacKinnon said. It has affected
Emmaus Way reserved for mauso- the way he sees the cemetery’s mission—
leums and family estates.
and his own.
“I initially approached the Orthodox
Garden and chapel as a building project,
sort of a ‘build it and they will come,”
MacKinnon said. “The Orthodox commu­
nity has a strong belief in burial and a
great respect for customs and traditions. In
undertaking this project, I felt I could count
on the loyalty of the Orthodox community
to support and sustain it.”
That all turned out to be true, Mac­
Kinnon said, but what he didn’t anticipate
was how his years-long involvement in
this project would change “the way we
view what a cemetery is, what we do and
how we do it.”
“A lot of the Orthodox customs and
traditions that we help them with take place
after the service and are about helping
people heal.” They hold nine-day, 40-day
and one-year memorial services—and
these can now be conducted in the Holy
Resurrection Chapel.
 ➤to page 78
76 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S

The Orthodox Christian community of Greater Boston is truly blessed with the
addition of the Holy Resurrection Chapel and Orthodox Garden at the Gardens
at Gethsemane Cemetery. It is, as far as anyone knows, the only Orthodox
chapel in a secular cemetery in the country and we are most grateful for that
distinction.
Thanks to Alan MacKinnon’s unique vision and dedication, we now have
a beautiful Byzantine styled Church surrounded by a serene burial garden in
keeping with the time-honored traditions and customs of Eastern Christians. It
is a special blessing to offer our prayers at the Holy Resurrection Chapel and to
bless the graves of our departed loved ones buried there. We are thankful to know that future generations will reverence
this sacred ground and lift their voices on high as they pray at the Holy Resurrection Chapel
 —Father Timothy Joseph Ferguson, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Boston
➤from page 76 lit for their husband or their mom or dad. so I sort of thought, ‘Oh, OK, lady.’
In addition, “They come back to the It’s changed my thinking about what we do “But after a while, they made me
cemetery, they place eternal lights, they here. understand that I was doing something
plant flowers. These are things that are “Years ago, when I first started (as the special: I was taking care of people they
forbidden in a lot of other cemeteries, but I foreman), I thought, ‘I work in a cemetery. still loved.”
decided that we’re a very intimate cemetery, I dig graves; I bury people.’ He also was influenced by the people
and we provide a level of hospitality no one “Years later, I started getting hugs and who worked with him, advisors he named
else can match, so why can’t we let people kisses from these Orthodox women saying, to his leadership team. They had no
do these things here? ‘Thank you for taking care of my husband.’ cemetery experience—except, perhaps,
“There are about 40 women who come Or, ‘Thank you for taking care of my making arrangements for a family member.
here every day and make sure the candle’s parents.’ I wasn’t a huggy-kissy kind of guy, They attended ICCFA conferences “and

The Gardens emphasizes relationship selling

W illiam Ernest Garneau is one of
the advistors to The Gardens
President Alan Mac­Kinnon, CCE; he
serves as program manager for the
Orthodox Garden project and helps with
community outreach.
His involvement with the cemetery
goes back to when his father asked him
to find a place—“a place that’s local so
the kids or grandkids can come and visit,
can come and talk to me if they’re having
a hard time”—for him and Garneau’s
mother.
He had been to services at The
Gardens and thought it was a “really nice
cemetery,” so that’s where he purchased
resting places for his parents.
About four months later, his mother
died. The graveside service was
“unbelievable,” Garneau said. It was a raw
March day. There were heated tents, but
despite that, his father was cold. “And out
of nowhere, Alan brings over a blanket and
he wraps it around my father.”
Garneau has more than 30 years of
experience in nonprofit fundraising and
management, and is no stranger to event-
planning. He notices attention to detail.
“Somebody had to really think about that,
plan it—have the blankets there.”
Several months later, there was a second
service at The Gardens, for his father.
This time, it was a military service. “I just
started talking to Alan; he’s an interesting
guy—he looks at things very deeply.”
One of the things MacKinnon has
thought about a great deal is sales, always a
major concern for cemeteries. How do you
conduct sales and how to you measure the
effectiveness of your sales efforts?
At The Gardens, they measure success
via the emails, letters and face-to-face
comments they receive, MacKinnon said.
“We don’t have any high-pressure sales.
We don’t have any quotas,” he said. “But
ninety-nine percent of the people who walk
through this door wanting a resting place
choose one at The Gardens. So that’s our
closing rate: 99 percent.”
MacKinnon’s low-key approach
seems to work, Garneau said. Community
outreach is becoming more important
as traditional sales and fund-raising
approaches have become more difficult.
“I know a lot about phone calling
and telemarketing,” Garneau said. “First
of all, you can’t even get people on the
phone today. And when you do get them
on the phone, they’ve been trained to
hang up on you.
“The whole trend in sales is
relationship selling, reaching out to the
community.” Which, of course, is what
MacKinnon has been doing, not only
with the Orthodox community but with
all families.
The cemetery sponsors events such
as its annual Pumpkin Festival, which
draws thousands of people; flag retirement
ceremonies; a motorcycle run and blessing
of the bikes; and MacKinnon’s annual
holiday open house, where everyone is
welcome to come by and enjoy music,
food and drink in the family room.
“We are not a ‘sad, bad, scary place,’”
MacKinnon said. “We are the place
where people you love and people your
children love are resting.” r

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 79

 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S
Because MacKinnon lives at the cemetery, his home and office are together
and he welcomes visitors. “On the weekends, we leave the front door open. People can come into
the family room, where we have coffee and pastry available all weekend. We’re available 24/7.”
came back with an energized feeling that
we’re doing something different here.”
MacKinnon was accustomed to going to
conferences and coming back with a head
full of ideas, and his team helped him pull
everything together. Over the years, he’s
felt a shift in the cemetery’s mission and
focus from selling graves and promoting
the beauty of the grounds to one of asking
people “How can I help?” of being there
to serve.
“Once, a few years ago, I came back
from a conference and busted out a wall in
the office and went out and bought some
comfortable living room furniture and put
in a fireplace and created a more welcoming
family and visitor center.
“When you come in the front door and
into the family room, there used to be an
oval table sitting there. It seemed to tell
people: ‘Sit down; we’re going to do some
business here. We’re going to sign some
papers.’
“Now when people come in, we sit down
in comfortable chairs and we talk about
Mom or Dad, the people they love.”
He’s attended a lot of ICCFA Wide
World of Sales conferences and found he
had to adapt what speakers were talking
about to make them workable for The
Gardens. “We’re a smaller operation. We
don’t have a sales force. We don’t give
scripted presentations in homes. I’ve never
made a cold call.”
At this year’s sales conference, one
speaker said, “The people are there. Why
aren’t you?” That describes the approach at
The Gardens, MacKinnon said. “That’s us.
We’re everywhere. We have events here at
The Gardens; we’re at other groups’ events;
we’re in people’s homes; we’re sponsoring
coffee hours at churches.”
In New England, combination
operations are not allowed. Funeral homes,
cemeteries and monument companies are
all separate. The local funeral directors
“either love us and say there’s something
different about us,” MacKinnon said, “or
they think we’re jerks, causing problems:
‘What do you mean, you want to see the
family before the service?!’”
“Some funeral directors wonder why
a family representative has to visit the
80 ICCFA Magazine
MacKinnon show off some of the figs
now growing in his garden. He has
about 30 fig trees. “Sometimes the
Greek and Lebanese women, when
they find out I have fig trees, say, ‘If you
don’t give me figs, I will kill you.’ I say,
‘You just hugged me and thanked me for
taking care of your mom and dad and
now if I don’t give you figs, you’re going
to kill me?’ ‘Yes.’ They really love figs!”
He also plants tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, zucchini and herbs and gives
produce away to cemetery visitors.
cemetery,” MacKinnon said of families who
have purchased pre-need. “The main reason
is that we need to verify the resting place,
learn who the authorized representative is
and get a signature in person.”
This is also a way to build relationships
of trust and rapport.
As part of their “What can we do to
help?” attitude, cemetery staff will go with
family members to the funeral home, will
invite monument companies to meet with
families at the cemetery office, will give
referrals to independent or assisted living
or to hospice, will provide the names of
local florists.
“This might be normal practice for
cemeteries in other areas of the country, but
not in our area,” MacKinnon said.
He said he likes families to feel a seam­
less continuum of care in the transi­tion from
the funeral home to the cemetery—which
can be challenging where funeral homes and
cemeteries are separate organizations.
The Gardens invites local funeral directors
to its events, and visits them. One of his
advisors, Marion Kelly, executive director of
the local YMCA, made appoint­ments with
eight or nine funeral homes and conducted
in-person interviews with the directors at each
one. She asked them what they thought about
The Gardens and what they would change, if
they could change just one thing.
Kelly compiled the results in a spread­
sheet and presented them to the rest of the
team at The Gardens without disclosing
who said what, and they made some
internal changes in how they did things, to
make their service more seamless, friendly
and inviting.
Because he lives at the cemetery,
his home and office are together and he
welcomes visitors. “On the weekends,
we leave the front door open. People can
come into the family room, where we have
coffee and pastry available all weekend.
We’re available 24/7.”
MacKinnon plants a vegetable and herb
garden and welcomes people to come in
and pick some vegetables. He might fire up
the grill for a barbecue. “People stay and
tell us stories about Mom and Dad; they
feel comfortable sharing.”
This is not a close-at-dusk cemetery.
Some people have graveside services in
the evening, or come at night to visit their
loved ones’ memorials.
If cemetery staff members are not
available when people phone, an answer­
ing service handles the call so that callers
don’t end up talking to a machine.
Not that MacKinnon is allergic to tech­
nology. “We work with webceme­teries.com
and Cemetery360. Every person resting here
at The Gardens has their own website where
family members can share pictures and
videos and memories, and GPS can guide
you right to someone’s resting place.”
Changing the sign—and the rules
One of the things they’ve changed at The
Gardens is the entrance signage. There is a
sign that says “The Gardens,” and one that
says “Office and Visitor Center. Welcome.”
There used to be a sign that started off
in a friendly enough way, MacKinnon said:
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 S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S & C O M M U N I T I E S

If a staff member sees someone taking plants and a shovel out of their trunk, they’ll come over and
offer to help, MacKinnon said. He realizes that allowing planting makes maintaining the grounds more
difficult for cemetery staff, but decided that it was more important to help families heal than make things
easier for the cemetery. “We’ll trim around the plants—after all, we’re weed-whacking professionals.”

MacKinnon designed the family room at The Gardens to encourage people to sit down and talk in comfortable surroundings.
Here the room is decorated for Christmas. He holds a holiday open house after the first of the year.

“If we can be of any assistance, please
stop in the office and speak with Alan or
Eunice.” (Eunice A. Davis is a Certified
Celebrant and is in charge of family
services.) He thought including names was
a nice, personal touch.
But then the sign went on to say, “As
we maintain the cemetery, we ask you
to refrain from the following …” What
followed were the typical cemetery
prohibitions against doing things such as
planting flowers.
“I walk around the cemetery almost on
a daily basis,” MacKinnon said, “and we
do remove items occasionally.” But they’ve
loosened up on what is allowed, and try to
use education rather than prohibition to steer
people away from things that would create
maintenance hardships.
If he sees someone aiming to plant
a rose bush, he’ll stop by and ask if
they could plant the roses at home and
plant something else at the cemetery. “I
might say, ‘Some people who aren’t as
conscientious as you, who won’t come
back to the cemetery to visit and take care
of the roses like you will, will see your
bush and want to plant one, too.’”
In any case, they talk to people first.
“We don’t go through and just start ripping
stuff out. That happens in a lot of places,
and that’s when you get angry people
coming into the office.”
If a staff member sees someone taking
plants and a shovel out of their trunk,
they’ll come over and offer to help,
MacKinnon said. And on Mother’s Day,
every visitor is offered a free potted plant.
He realizes that allowing planting makes
maintaining the grounds more difficult for
cemetery staff, but decided that it was more
important to help families heal than make
things easier for the cemetery. “We’ll trim
around the plants—after all, we’re weed-
whacking professionals.” The Gardens also
provides hoses attached to the water draw-
offs so that visitors can water their plants.
The strategic business plan at The
Gardens is to differentiate the cemetery by
allowing families to follow their customs and
traditions, MacKinnon said.
“We provide a ministry of healing and
compassionate care. We want to provide
exceptional service and allow families to
grieve the way they want to grieve—within
reason. As long as you’re not surrounding
the resting place with cobblestones, or
parking your car somewhere it shouldn’t
be.
“What really came out of all this was a
ministry of compassionate care and healing
services that could be stated and adhered
to in our vision, mission and values.” r

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 83
by Alice Adams
rtadams2@aol.com
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
➤Adams is an award- “The real heroes are the people of Las Vegas.
winning columnist and
has been editor for more We were just there to support them.”
than a decade of Texas
—Michael Soper, president, Legacy Funeral Group
Director, published by the
Texas Funeral Directors
Association. She is as-
sociate editor and feature
writer for Southern Calls
Magazine and has been
an advocate for funeral
service professionals for more than 20 years.
➤She has a master’s degree in mass com-
munications from The University of Texas
and a doctorate in education from the Univer-
sity of Houston.

713.529.5770
➤Michael Soper is
CEO and president of
Legacy Funeral Group
LLC, Houston, Texas,
which he founded in
1998. The company
owns and operates
funeral homes and cem-
eteries in Texas, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Kansas and Las Vegas, Davis Funeral Homes, part of Legacy Funeral Group, was on call to handle
Nevada, and is among the fastest-growing removals on October 1, 2017, following the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest
companies in the funeral business. Music Festival. Here Davis Manager Allen Kopp works at the scene.

➤Before founding Legacy, he was presi-

dent of Memorial Pre-Care, a prearranged
funeral and burial benefits company.
Prior to that, he was a vice president at
South­west Guaranty Trust Co., overseeing
investment management for funeral homes
spanning 34 states. He graduated from
Texas Christian University in 1989 and
began his career with Kanaly Trust Co.
in 1990.
www.legacyfuneralgroup.com
How Davis Funeral Homes
and the Las Vegas community
came together to help families
T
he temperature in Las Vegas had
comfortably settled into the mid-
60s that evening. It was Sunday,
October 1, 2017, and the third day of the
annual three-day Route 91 Harvest Music
Festival. Over the sprawling venue, some
22,000 music lovers had been lulled into a
communal happy place, a space created by
booze, beer and the music provided by the
festival often called “the neon sleepover.”
The crowd’s anticipation had been
building for the 9:40 p.m. appearance of
Country Singer of the Year Jason Aldean,
and right on schedule, the festival’s
headliner and his band began playing the
first number of the festival’s last set.
Twenty-five minutes into the set,
Aldean had just launched into a new song.
That’s when the audience heard what they
thought were fireworks, signaling the
end of the festival. Aldean said later he
thought a speaker had blown, resulting in a
crackling sound.
Within a matter of minutes, a well-
armed shooter, stationed in a hotel room
across the street and high above the
concert venue, had ruthlessly ended 58
lives and forever changed another 500.
The chaos after the shooting finally
stopped was filled with screams,
stampeding concertgoers, helpless sobbing
and the wail of sirens.
In Clark County, the city of Las Vegas
rotates the duty of removals for fatality
auto accidents, drownings, homicides and
suicides among local funeral homes. Davis

84 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

“As we made the many removals from the concert grounds, I was relying on my faith, focusing
on removing the bodies to safety, preparing them and getting them home with all the dignity and
honor they deserved.”—Bill “Billly” Vallie Jr., manager of Davis Funeral Homes’ Rainbow Chapel
Funeral Homes was on duty October 1.
First call to a mass shooting
Las Vegas funeral director Billy Vallie’s
phone rang at 1:45 a.m. The caller was
Davis Funeral Homes Manager Allen Kopp.
He had just received a call from the county
coroner’s office, wanting Davis first-call
Above, Davis Funeral Home & Memorial Park provides a green oasis in the Vegas
desert. Below, a ground-level view of the funeral home located at the cemetery.
teams on standby, ready to respond when
the crime scene was released. It was going
to be a long night-into-morning.
Vallie said he knew Davis was next up
on the coroner’s rotation, and both he and
Kopp had seen the initial reporting on TV
before retiring for the evening, “so I was
waiting for the call.”
“Allen and I got to the coroner’s about
3 a.m.,” Vallie said, “and waited until the
scene was released at about 3:30 a.m.
At that point, we were told there were
approximately 30 fatalities.”
By 4 a.m., Davis personnel had
begun the bloody and gruesome task of
remov­ing the sniper’s victims from the
concrete venue and transporting them to
the medical examiner’s office. “It was a
scene impossible to imagine, impossible to
‘unsee,’” a member of the removal team
later remarked.
In the past when on coroner’s call, Davis
had made up to 35 removals, from multiple
scenes, throughout one day.
“You could say we were physically
prepared—equipment- and facility-wise—
to respond to a mass fatality,” Vallie said,
“but there was no way we could have
imagined what we encountered at the
concert venue. Seeing so many victims,
and just seeing all the cell phones, all the
personal belongings strewn over the site,
left behind by the people who fled the rain
of bullets—people who one minute were
enjoying the concert and the next, running
for their lives.
“For most members of our removal
team, our job training took over.”
Vallie, a second-generation funeral
director who manages the Davis Rainbow
Chapel location, said he had grown up in
the profession and, early in his career, had
served in a small West Texas town, where
he had seen victims of traffic accidents,
multiple fatalities from tractor-trailer
accidents and train wrecks.
“As we made the many removals from
the concert grounds, I was relying on my
faith, focusing on removing the bodies to
safety, preparing them and getting them
home with all the dignity and honor they
deserved,” said Vallie.
A few hours later in Houston, Michael
Soper, president and CEO of Legacy
Funeral Group, owner of the Davis loca­
tions in Vegas, was walking down­stairs for
breakfast. “My wife Andrea was watching
the TV news coverage about the massacre,
and I immediately called the area’s regional
manager for more details.”
Soper quickly lost track of the ava­-

86 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

“During my time in Las Vegas, I saw a part of that city few people see—the faith-based community—
and they began reaching out almost immediately. These were complete strangers, just wanting
to do something—anything—to help.”—Bill Vallie Sr., regional manager, Legacy Funeral Group

Funeral director Bryan Hicks, far right, a former clergyman, stands beside a victim’s family as he delivers a prayer, joined by
the deceased’s fellow law enforcement officers. The family was thrilled with the informal tribute to their loved one, Soper said.

lanche of calls he received—and made—
that Monday. “The number of victims
made me know we would need more
embalmers, so we dispatched two of the
best from loca­tions outside of Nevada,”
he said. “I also notified three additional
funeral directors we’d be needing their
help as well.”
Traveling to Las Vegas, Soper made
two decisions: (1) Every one of the victims
entrusted to the care of Davis Funeral
Homes would be embalmed so their
families could view and spend as much time
as they needed with their loved ones; and
(2) The families would not be charged for
the care of their loved ones.
“I thought it would be a good idea,
once I arrived in Vegas and before we
became too busy, to gather everybody in
the chapel,” Soper said. “Previously, in
the aftermath of hurricanes, we asked our
employees to take care of their families,
to make sure their families were safe.
Responding to a massacre would be
different. It wasn’t a weather-tragedy like
we’d experienced along the Gulf Coast.
“In Las Vegas, I asked employees to go
home, hug their spouse, kiss their babies
and then come back, ready to work, because
it looked like we were going to be busy for
the next week—maybe 10 days.”
The focus:
The victims and their families
As Soper and his team awaited the coro­
ner’s release of the massacre’s victims,
Jennifer Kandt, executive director of
the Nevada State Funeral and Cemetery
Services Board, helped expedite temporary
permits through Gov. Brian Sandoval’s
office for the out-of-state personnel who
had come to work in Las Vegas. “She
was immense­ly helpful with this and also
connected me with SCI regional manage­
ment, who had offered to help,” Soper said.
Wednesday, when the coroner com­
pleted the autopsies and released the
victims, 32 of the victims were released
back to Davis Funeral Homes. They were
the inno­cent mothers, fathers, best friends,
husbands, wives veterans, teachers, the
couple celebrating their anniversary—all
of whom had come to Las Vegas to make
a special memory and were felled by the
crazed shooter’s bullets.
“The professionals from SCI were a
great help, allowing us to transport some

88 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 SERVICE TO
THE COMMUNITY
of the social service cases and the Jane/
John Does awaiting identification we had
in our cooler at the time. I wanted all of the
shooting victims we were caring for under
one roof for security,” Soper explained.
Was the shooter (who took his own life
as law enforcement descended on his hotel
room) among those cases?

Find The
“I don’t know the mortuary his next-of-
kin selected,” Soper said, “but we did not
handle his remains.”
Serving as a helping hand for his

Blind Spots
employees, Soper spent the next five days
moving between the basement prep room
and arrangement offices on the floor above.
Were the victims going to be viewable
when their families arrived? What about the
young man shot in the face?
“In fact, after hours of work by our team

In Your
of embalmers, that young man’s family was
able to view him, spend time with him, and
they were comforted,” Soper said.
Chaplains and counselors were also

Market.
on site, offering emotional support or
simply someone to talk with when needed
by funeral home employees, who were
working around the clock, or surviving
family members who came to view
their loved ones before shipping their
bodies back home for services and final
disposition.
“Everyone focused on the victim’s fami-
lies. In a way, we all became caregivers,
prep room personnel, receptionists, funeral
assistants, counselors and drivers,” Soper
said. “We all came together, giving our
best, knowing we would probably never
see these people again. But it was our duty
to be there for them, our duty to provide a
meaningful, final farewell.”
A comprehensive marketing strategy is essential
A community comes together to securing your market share and future business,
Until the last victim had been transported to
the airport for a final trip home and services yet firms often take a piecemeal approach that
had been held for the victims who lived
in Las Vegas, a cadre of law enforcement leaves too many families in their community
personnel surrounded the funeral home. unseen and unserved. It’s time for a complete
They were there to shield the families from
questions from the press and overzealous preneed solution.
paparazzi. Most of these men and women
had volunteered.
Funeral home employees were counseled
not to speak with the media, risking their
jobs if they did. FREE MARKET ANALYSIS
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 89

 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

“Previously, in the aftermath of hurricanes, we asked our employees to take care of their families,
to make sure their families were safe. Responding to a massacre would be different.
It wasn’t a weather-tragedy like we’d experienced along the Gulf Coast. In Las Vegas, I asked
employees to go home, hug their spouse, kiss their babies and then come back, ready to work,
because it looked like we were going to be busy for the next week—maybe 10 days.”
—Michael Soper, CEO, Legacy Funeral Group

Above left, Britani Thorn, Tammy Villarreal-Crabb, Cara and Allen Kopp and Michael Soper with food dropped off at the funeral
home by the middle school where Cara Kopp is a teacher and Villlarreal-Crabb is principal. Kopp’s wife also had members of
the school’s volleyball team sign a ball that was presented to the husband of a victim who had been a volleyball coach.
Above right, sack lunches packed by Las Vegas elementary schoolchildren for the funeral home employees.

to take care of the employees and to make
sure the bereaved families had plenty to eat.
“It was not only remarkable,” said
Soper, “it was simply touching how many
people from the community, from the
casinos and restaurants, were reaching out
to take care of us.”
Bill Vallie Sr., a regional manager with
Legacy Funeral Group, arrived in Las Vegas
on Wednesday from Texas to assist Davis
personnel as the coroner released bodies for
the next four days.
This would be the veteran director’s
second mass disaster. “In 1987, a tornado
struck the small town of Zaragosa, Texas,”
he recalled. “Thirty lives were lost. More
than 100 were injured. I spent several weeks
identifying the dead and moving deceased
people from a refer unit parked behind the
funeral home.
“During my time in Las Vegas, I saw
a part of that city few people see—the
faith-based community—and they began
reaching out almost immediately.
“These were complete strangers, just
wanting to do something—anything—to
help,” Vallie explained. “One congregation
brought a basket of gift cards for the fami-
lies. Still others brought cases of bottled
water, toothbrushes and toothpaste and
food—lots of food. One lady brought cases
of bottled water and a homemade pie.”
A group of elementary schoolchildren
came to the funeral home with sack lunches
they had made for the employees. “It was a
moment we’ll never forget,” Soper said.
“So much food was brought to the funeral
home, we decided to take quite a bit to the
families of the victims who were staying in
local hotels,” Bill Vallie Sr. said. “Then we
took the extra food to other funeral homes,
and when directors came to make removals,
we’d invite them to take all they wanted.
There was still so much, we took food to
homeless shelters around the city.”
Inside the funeral home, funeral
directors attempted, as much as possible, to
personalize the care of each victim. Hearing
that one was from Canada, Vallie found a
flag company and purchased a Canadian
flag he would later use to drape the casket.
Flags representing the home states of each
victim were also found and purchased.
Another of the victims, a volleyball
coach, was honored by a local volleyball
team. “We found a volleyball and General
Manager Allen Kopp’s wife, a teacher at a
nearby high school, had members of their
team sign the ball,” Soper said. “When the
victim’s husband came to the funeral home,
we presented the ball, honoring his wife, to
him. It meant a lot.”
Bill Vallie Sr. said he felt especially
honored by the duty of delivering one of
the deceased—a U.S. Navy veteran and
corrections officer—to the local airport for
shipping back home.
“As the body was delivered to the
aircraft, 40 people—mostly TSA agents—
lined both sides of the route from the
terminal to the plane. It was their way of
honoring this gentleman, with dignity and
respect,” he said.
It was during the first week when Soper
stepped outside one sunny afternoon. He

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 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Soper also praised the cooperation of Eagle’s Wings Air and the airlines that shipped
bodies back home, waiving charges for shipping and comping passenger tickets for family
members. Matthews offered caskets at no charge. Vault companies provided vaults.
At the end of the day, the staff members at Davis and other Las Vegas funeral homes
were broadly supported by the funeral service profession and its suppliers.

Above, funeral director

Matthew D’Orio delivers cre-
mated remains to a victim’s
family at a Las Vegas hotel.
Right, Two handlers brought
therapy dogs in to comfort
families during arrangements
and services. With them are
Legacy Vice President of Sales
Brian Nichols (left), Regional
Manager Bill Vallie Sr. (center)
and Pre-need Sales Manager Char Peters (right). Above right, the Canadian flag that Bill Vallie Sr. purchased to drape the cas-
ket of one of the victims, who was from Canada.

saw the uniformed guards, the clear blue
sky and the bright sunshine.
“Sometimes you need to take a break,
and when I went outside and found such
a beautiful day, something told me it was
the right time and place to honor one of the
victims, a prison guard.”
Back inside, working with Texas director
and former clergyman Bryan Hicks of
Elmwood Funeral Home in Abilene, Texas,
Soper received permission from the family
to conduct informal honors.
“We draped the casket with an American
flag. We had an honor guard of uniformed
officers, we had the family and Bryan,
our clergyman,” Soper recalled. “We also
had a fairly large group of employees and
counselors who stood by as we conducted
what you might call a ‘pop-up’ service.
“The whole idea may seem crazy, but
I can tell you, the family was thrilled and
thanked us for such a meaningful tribute.
The guards were honored to be a part and
we saw it as another way to honor the
victims and families we were serving in a
personal and relevant way.”
A life-changing experience
Only weeks after witnessing horrific flood­
ing in Houston and assisting his em­ployees
in getting their lives and opera­tions back
on track, Soper felt he was called to be
with his employees in Las Vegas.
“I couldn’t stay in Houston. I had to
be with our people, and it was the best
decision I made after getting the news,”
he said. “I’m also glad I went because, as
a leader, I really came to understand why
God put me into this profession.
“From the time I got there until the
weekend, when my team insisted I leave, I
was organizing, finding needed resources
and sitting in on arrangements, making sure
we were fulfilling families’ every need.
“During that time, God empowered
me as a leader and worked through
me,” he said. “Everything I did was in
collaboration. I didn’t just go in like
a commanding general. We worked
together, and SCI and Carriage Services
were outstanding in wanting to help, even
though we compete in many markets.”
Soper also praised the cooperation
of Eagle’s Wings Air and the airlines
that shipped bodies back home, waiving
charges for shipping and comping
passenger tickets for family members.
Matthews offered caskets—not cloth-
covered baskets but beautiful caskets—at
no charge. Vault companies also provided
vaults in the victims’ home towns. At the
end of the day, the staff members at Davis
and other Las Vegas funeral homes were
broadly supported by the funeral service
profession and its suppliers.
Working long, emotionally draining

92 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

life, but a week that made me so proud of
the profession God led me to serve.
“This was the experience of a lifetime
that reconfirmed our calling. I felt God
working through me; I felt His presence
everywhere.”
Author’s note: In the aftermath
of this tragedy, the father-son team of
Bill Vallie Sr. and Bill “Billy” Vallie Jr.
worked together, seeing families, making
arrangements and planning logistics.
These are Bill Vallie Sr.’s comments
about this experience: “This was the
proudest moment of my life. How many
fathers get to see their child from where
he was to where he is today? I saw Billy’s
leadership, his strong work ethic and how
people trust him and respect him.
“I am so very proud of the director he has
become. I talk to Billy every day, and most
often, it’s a question about funeral service.
He’s a man with a servant’s heart and sets a
high bar—for himself, for all of us.” r

Bill Vallie Sr., right, a regional manager

for Legacy Funeral Group, worked with
his son, Bill “Billy” Vallie Jr., left, mana­
ger of Davis Funeral Homes’ Rain­bow
Chapel, after the Las Vegas tragedy.
Billy made removals and transported
victims to the coroner’s office early the
morning after the concert. The father-
son team met with families, helped with
preparation and transported families
and ship-outs to the airport.

hours with victims’ families, Soper said he

often felt his late father’s presence during
his week in Las Vegas. “I kept hearing,
‘Slow down; take a breath,’ and believe
it or not, that had a real calming effect. I
knew he was watching me work through
some difficult situations.”
“With a tragedy like this, where one
person took the lives of so many, the party
in Vegas ended, if only for a few hours or
a few days,” Vallie said. “Even the casinos
were hurt, not financially but emotionally.
“In every instance, in every situation,
we made sure we were professional,
respectful and dignified. We wore coats and
ties, listened, and did our best to help each
family, to show respect, to show we truly
cared about them and their loved ones.
“The Davis group did an outstanding
job. In every case and in every way, we
created the best scenario possible in the
aftermath of a tragedy of this magnitude,”
Vallie concluded.
Back at home in Houston, Soper first
gave long, emotional hugs to his family.
Then he reiterated his belief that traveling
to Las Vegas to support the Davis team
and the victims’ families had been the right
decision.
“It was important to be to be with our
employees as they worked through this
challenging time,” Soper said. “It was
important to be there, to collaborate and
assist them. It was the worst week of my

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 93

by Leslie Aaron

mayireturn@gmail.com I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S
ICCFA
Magazine When you grow up in the funeral and cemetery profession,
spotlight
you never outgrow an interest in the subject, even when
➤Aaron works across
the globe as a nutri- your own professional focus is on keeping people alive.
tionist in both com-
munity development
While helping refugees in Bangladesh, ICCFA Past President Paul
and disaster response Elvig’s daughter wanted to know how they care for their dead.
contexts, serving in

How refugees are giving

Central America, Africa and Asia. Currently
she is working in Bangladesh with Medical
Teams International in the refugee camps.

refuge to their dead

➤Her family roots in the cemetery and
funeral industry keep her connected to

an interest in the experience of death as
viewed across cultures around the world.
She has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition
and a master’s degree in international
community development from Northwest
University.
Leslie Aaron with her father, Paul Elvig,
at her wedding.
➤Aaron’s father is Paul Elvig, who will
receive the ICCFA Hall of Fame Award at
the 2018 ICCFA Annual Convention, April
18-21. Elvig retired in 2008 as general
manager of Evergreen-Washelli Memorial
Park and Funeral Home, Seattle, Wash-
ington. He is a past president and former
secretary of the ICCFA who has testi-
fied on behalf of the association at many
governmental hearings and has written
many articles for ICCFA Magazine. More
on page 144.
W
e had just started our clinic for
the day in the refugee camp.
As the clinic nutritionist, I
was preparing patient information for a
malnourished baby. I turned around to
head down the hallway of our bamboo tent
when I saw him.
He was lying on a stretcher on the dirt
floor, a family member holding an IV bag
above his head. The man was very thin
and looked to be in his 60s. We suspected
tuberculosis, which used to be called
consumption because it slowly consumes
the body’s resources and leaves the person
a thin, malnourished shell of themselves.
His face was shrouded in fear, with
tears streaming down his cheeks. He knew.
We knew. It was obvious today was his last
day on this earth, and he was terrified.
It turns out he was only 40. At that age,
he probably had several children at home,
about whom he now worried. How would
they and his widow survive? No wonder
the fear of death was written on his face.
Later that day, as I moved through the
camp, my translator and I passed by two
men carrying a blue cradle-like bed on a
long bamboo pole. “Do you know what
that is?” my translator asked. I didn’t, and
he answered his own question, “It’s for
carrying the dead out of their home.”
I had spent my first week in the camp
being preoccupied with babies losing
weight, thin children and nutrition
deficiencies, and I hadn’t thought about
death until that day. But in a camp of
850,000 people, I knew that somehow they
had to take care of their dead. But how,
and where?
This large city of makeshift camps and
tents had popped up in a short six months
as people fled intense persecution in
Myanmar. There was little to no planning
done for many services—services for the
dead included.
I broached the subject with one of
our translators, Ahmed. Death is always
an interesting but sometimes risky topic
across cultures, as you never know what
might be taboo. But he was open to it and
said he could show me the graveyard in the
camp. He knew where it was.
We went up hills and down valleys,
snaking around tents and water pumps,
until we finally reached enough of a
clearing to offer a bit of a view.
“There it is,” said Ahmed. “That’s
the graveyard.” Up on a hill higher
than the rest of the camp was a plain,
underwhelming and undeveloped piece
of land where I could see some bamboo
boxes on plots of land—the graves. I
didn’t know if I should be relieved or
concerned that the cemetery was at such an
elevation above the camp.
There is a reason for the valleys and
hills in this camp. The valleys are actually
flood plains. When monsoon season
strikes, many of the valleys will become
rivers. Some of these valleys have houses
built in them. Some have clinics. An
estimated 100,000 people are directly in
areas that will be underwater in the floods
that come during monsoon season. At least
the cemetery isn’t in a valley.
But then again, the hill location should
be rethought, too. Before the camps, this
was densely packed forest, and the trees
protected the hillside during the rain. With
virtually all trees scraped off to make room
for housing and to collect building and
firewood materials, these hills are simply

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 I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S

Before the camps, this was densely packed forest, and the trees protected the hillside
during the rain. With virtually all trees scraped off to make room for housing and to collect
building and firewood materials, these hills are simply landslides waiting to happen.

Some of the camp’s low-lying areas will be flooded in monsoon season. Graves are located on the hill above the river valleys.

landslides waiting to happen.
During the landslides, no one yet knows
just what—or who—will wash up. Now
I’m not so sure that a cemetery on a hill is
a good idea, either.
Ahmed handed me over to another
translator, Muraad, who had been waiting
at the foot of the cemetery for us. Now that
we were all together, finally they could ask
what they had been curious about: “Why
did you want to see the graveyard?”
Growing up in the Elvig household, it
has never seemed odd to make cemetery
stops during our travels. I have since
learned that this is an unusual request for
“normal” travelers, but at this point I can
no longer help who I am. I tried to explain
that cemeteries were, in a way, a family
business for us. I said that I had even
worked in one, too.
Their eyes wide, they asked the
first question I commonly get asked in
developing countries after people learn of
my connection to cemeteries: “Have you
ever seen spirits?” They added, “Have you
ever seen jinn?” Jinn are a type of invisible
yet fiery being, originating from Arabic
mythology, and are where the stories of
96 ICCFA Magazine
and the word for “genie” come from.
I said I’ve never seen any of them. That
never fails to amaze people.
Muraad had never been to the cemetery,
but we saw two men way up on the hill.
He called to them to come meet us so that
I could ask some questions. As we waited
for the men to join us, another man passed
by and asked what we were doing. Muraad
explained that I was interested in the
cemetery.
“It is strictly forbidden for women to
enter the cemetery,” the man responded.
He immediately reiterated in a solemn and
cautionary voice: “Strictly forbidden.”
He explained that Muraad may enter, but
he must remove his shoes. This is their
tradition. Muraad declined the offer.
The men arrived, and I meekly
explained my purpose for the visit. They
offered up that they were burying their
cousin. There are no services provided for
the graveyard; plots are free and are first-
come, first-served, and the graves must be
dug by male family members. Then they
must build a bamboo box over the grave.
“What are the boxes for?” I asked.
“They are to keep people from stepping
on the graves and disrespecting the dead,”
one of them responded. He added, “And to
keep animals out.”
Many of their traditions surrounding
death come from Islam, as 90 percent of
the population is Muslim. When someone
dies, they wash the body immediately
and carefully wrap the deceased in burial
cloths. The funeral is held at home, then
the body is removed and carried to the
graveyard in the cradle that I saw.
The body is placed in the grave with
the head north, the feet south and the face
turned toward Mecca. For inexplicable
reasons other than, “because that’s how
our prophets did it,” men are buried in a
grave about waist deep, while women are
buried about chest deep. Keeping animals
out is certainly important at such shallow
depths.
There are no markers for these graves.
The resources simply aren’t there in a
refugee camp, and they are forbidden by
the Bangladeshi government to leave the
camp. Without markers or other distinct
landmarks, and with all boxes the same,
how would anyone remember who was
buried where?
 ➤to page 97
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 I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S

There are no services provided for the graveyard;

plots are free and are first-come, first-served, and the graves must be dug
by male family members. Then they must build a bamboo box over the grave.

Recent graves on the hillside cemetery are protected with bamboo boxes to keep people from walking on them and animals
from disturbing them.

➤from page 96
But that’s not a question that crosses
their minds too much. As refugees, simply
having refuge for themselves—and for
their dead—is enough.
The Rohingya have been forced to
stare death in the face since violence
broke out on August 25, 2017, causing
them to flee for safety to Bangladesh from
Myanmar, where they are an unwanted
ethnic minority. Médecins Sans Frontières
(Doctors Without Borders) has been able
confirm the reports by refugees of the
deaths of at least 6,700 Rohingya, but most
likely more, in the month after violence
broke out.
Mass graves have been found in
Rhakine state in Myanmar, filled with
Rohingya who have been killed by the
military, in what the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights calls “a
textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
Compared to mass graves where the
dead become nameless, an unmarked
grave fenced in a bamboo box is a place of
refuge for the dead, much like tents made
of tarps and bamboo are refuge for the
living.
Because of the enormous pressure and
intense persecution the Rohingya faced in
Myanmar, they are happier in Bangladesh.
They face danger from the looming
monsoon season that will bring floods and
landslides, the return of elephants to the
camp searching for food and the increased
potential for snake bites as water snakes
return with the coming rain.
There is also the tension around the fact
that Bangladesh doesn’t want them there at
all. Despite these challenges, the Rohingya
are glad to put up with these relatively
minor inconveniences in exchange for
being able to sleep at night without fear of
the military.
As we left the cemetery, my time of
questioning was over, but theirs was only
beginning. With my cemetery experience,
I was now viewed as some kind of an
expert on angels and demons, as well as
jinn. They had plenty they wanted to know
about the spirit world.
“Have you seen these children with
the black cords tied around their bellies?”
Muraad asked. I said yes, and he asked if I
knew what it meant. I’ve seen this practice
throughout Africa as well, and I responded,
“It’s to protect them from spirits.” He told
me that I was correct.
“And you are protecting yourself
from spirits, too?” he asked. Muraad and
Ahmed figured that, with my years of
exper­ience working in a cemetery—hence
my presumed knowledge of the world of
spirits—I was extra keen on protection
from them.
I knew right away why he was asking
this. I looked down at my wrist that had
two black “cords” on it.
I chuckled and said, “No, these aren’t
for protecting against spirits. These are just
hair ties.” r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 97

by Dale Filhaber
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
dale@dataman
group.com
1.800.771.3282
➤Dale “Data Dale”
Filhaber is president of
Dataman Group Direct, a
direct marketing company
based in Boca Raton,
Florida. Dataman Group
was founded in 1981 and
has provided thousands
of clients across the country with targeted
direct mail lists, telemarketing data and
digital marketing solutions.
➤In the past 30+ years, Data Dale has
trained many marketers in the latest direct
marketing and lead generation techniques,
incorporating direct mail, telemarketing,
social media, brand building and on-line
lead generation.
➤She is a frequent contributor to many
death-care industry publications, includ-
ing ICCFA Magazine, Southern Funeral
Directors and America Funeral Director.
She has also presented at various industry
conferences, including the ICCFA, FCCFA
and the New Jersey State Funeral Direc-
tors Association, lecturing on lead genera-
tion, direct marketing and using different
media channels for success.
➤Dataman Group Direct, founded in
1981, provides results-driven direct mail
and telemarketing lists to hundreds of
clients across the country. The Dataman
Group Direct website has a dedicated area
for Death Care Industry marketing with lots
of actionable tips and information
www.datamangroup.com
Editor’s note
Pre-need Sales Success, an ICCFA Mag-
azine column by various authors, focuses
on building success in sales, particularly
the pre-need sale of cemetery, cremation
and funeral products and services. Submis-
sion inquiries are welcome. For details,
contact ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor
Susan Loving, sloving@iccfa.com.
98 ICCFA Magazine
PRE-NEED SALES SUCCESS
Marketing today isn’t about talking to passive listeners,
it’s about having a conversation with people,
engaging in a back-and-forth relationship. It’s called
engagement marketing, and here’s how you do it.
Using engagement marketing
to attract new customers
M
arketing people want to create
relationships; salespeople just
want to close the sale.
Consumers have so many more choices
than ever before. There is tremendous
competition in the death-care market, and
many cemeteries and funeral homes offer
similar options. People shop online to get
the best price and expect you to match
it. The end result of all this is that it gets
harder and harder to close that sale based
simply on features and price.
To move past this, today’s marketing
needs to build relationships that override
basic features and price.
In the old days, we called that building
rapport. Nowadays, we call it building
engagement.
Unlike traditional approaches to
marketing where you specifically target
prospects with a direct response offer to
convert the sale, engagement marketing
allows your audience and potential
customers to interact with you, to shape
how they would like to communicate and
develop a relationship with you.
The overriding concept is that people
will buy from you because they trust you.
And, when you are selling an expensive
product like pre-need funeral and cemetery
products and services, trust is one of the
key motivators of the transaction.
So, how do they learn to trust you?
Through engagement marketing.
With engagement marketing, you are
creating trust by driving your interested
audience toward these goals:
• Encouraging a dialogue with indivi­
duals to help them to make an educated
purchase decision. An educated, engaged
customer is likely to become your loyal
customer.
• Cultivating individuals as advocates of
your thought leadership and market image.
You want to develop a cadre of advocates
who will recommend your funeral home
or cemetery to their network of friends and
business colleagues.
Engagement marketing tips
Here are the 10 easy tips on engage­ment
marketing to attract customers and build
their trust:
1. Develop an engagement plan.
To be successful, you need to start with a
clear strategy, plan and approach for your
engagement marketing. Your plan will
have to include how you will reach out to
your audience, which media you will use
and how you will respond and interact
with your engaged participants.
2. Integrate your plan with your
marketing mix. All aspects of your
marketing communications need to blend
together seamlessly, which is why creating
a comprehensive engagement plan is so
important. Every outreach in your arsenal
needs to include a “call to action” for
engagement.
Use direct mail, email, social media and
even telemarketing, where it’s appropriate,
for your outreach. Try to move your
audience from one marketing channel to
another to increase engagement. For more,
go to https://www.datamangroup.com/
top-5-ways-maximize-engagement-across-
direct-mail-email-telemarketing-social-
media/.
3. Focus on content and relationships.
Your audience needs to feel you are
providing them with information and a
service level they can’t get from anyone
else. That’s why they are hanging on your
every word.
Building genuine relationships by
providing great content that is important
to each individual is the best way of
achieving the two key goals of engagement
marketing: creating loyalty and being the
expert people turn to for information.
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 PRE-NEED SALES SUCCESS

4. Become a thought leader. Expand people will share with their own networks. Remember, once you have an interested
your reach by becoming a guest blogger 9. Market on social sites. Marketing community engaging with you, make
or commentator on other sites. Consider on social networking sites is not the same sure you keep the lines of communication
writing articles for the local newspaper or as networking and posting puppy pictures. going. This way you can learn and adjust
speaking about death-care planning at the This is your opportunity to boost your your strategy to ensure your engagement
local Chamber of Commerce. outreach to look-alike audiences and start marketing will deliver bottom-line results
Many death-care professionals speak the engagement process on the social to your business by increasing your
at community houses of worship; some media sites using sponsored posts and ads. customer base and repeat sales from your
facilitate grief counseling programs offsite. 10. Ask for testimonials after the sale. engaged customers.
These actions give you more credibility Encourage customers to give you great First, make them trust you. Then they
and opportunity for additional interactions. reviews on your products and services and will buy from you. r
5. Grow your list. Use permission- share those reviews with their networks.
based techniques to encourage subscrip-
tions to your own email list so you can
reach out to customers and prospects
via email, phone or direct mail. For
more information, go to https://www.
datamangroup.com/lists-for-funeral-
homes-and-chapels/.
Ways to do this may include holding
a contest (example: contest to name a
memory garden), setting up subscription
registration or using a lead magnet to drive
interest. Then, add look-alikes to your list,
using rented prospect lists for both mail
and electronic marketing.
6. Invite people to interact with your
blog. Establish a culture and enthusiasm
for engagement by encouraging your
audience to contribute with comments
and suggestions to your blog posts. This
helps them connect with you even further,
and their comments get broadcast to their
network, which further increases your
reach with their connected communities.
7. Conduct surveys and polls. Run
surveys from time to time to give your
customers and prospects opportunities
to tell you what they think. An example
might be asking how people feel about
alkaline hydrolysis.
This is another way to initiate
engagement and to learn from and about
your listening community. Use surveys
or web polls to start the dialogue that is
relevant to the individual.
8. Engage with social networking.
If your goal is to attract consumers, try
Facebook and Instagram. Most funeral
homes are already participating in some
kind of interaction on social media. If
you’re looking for a younger consumer
segment, consider Snapchat. For B2B, use
LinkedIn.
Remember, in social networking, you
are not hard-selling, you are engaging
with people in their own interest areas.
Your goal is to post interesting content that

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 99

by Nathan Nardi
natefd@hotmail.com
ICCFA
Magazine
spotlight
➤Nardi has been a
death-care profession-
al for over 20 years in
both funeral service
as a funeral director/
manager and as a
cemetery director.
➤He is director of cemetery operations for
the Archdiocese of Baltimore, supporting
the 50+ Catholic parish cemeteries,
writing policies that guide cemetery opera-
tions, performing market research and in
general supporting cemetery operations,
sales and new project management. He
is also the director of the New Cathedral
Cemetery in Baltimore.
➤In 2015, when he was executive direc-
tor of Rose Hill Cemetery, Hagerstown,
Maryland, he won a KIP Award for a
memorial urn cover developed to cover
“temporary” cremation containers for a
more pleasing presentation at services.
➤In 2018, he will be returning to ICCFA
University as a junior.
More from this author
➤Nardi writes a blog, which can be read
at www.thecemeteryguy.com.
One of his blog posts:
Think outside the niche
M
ore families are arriving the day of
the committal service with an urn
in the back seat of their car these days.
With no funeral director and sometimes no
pastor to direct the service, how can you
provide them with the service they need in
order to make things easier for both them
and their guests?
Take charge! Invite the family to meet
30 minutes prior to the published start time
of the service. This time can be used to
take care of last-minute paperwork, answer
any questions they may have or take
custody of the urn for transportation to the
committal site.
A lot of families will appreciate not
having to carry the urn to the grave. In
fact, the logistics of just who will do that
has probably been on their minds.
Provide music at the committal site
 ➤to page 102
100 ICCFA Magazine
C R E M AT I O N
Why do some families choose cremation while others stay with
the traditional burial their parents and grandparents chose, even
though cremation might be less expensive? Statistics can tell you
some interesting things that can guide your marketing strategy.
Is there a connection between
breastfeeding, cremation rates?
I
n a study done by the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), a connection
is made between mothers who do not
nurse their children and poverty. The reason
they do not may actually shed light on the
reason some of the poorest communities
in the country tend to choose traditional
funerals.
So to answer the question: Yes, there
is a connection between breastfeeding
and cremation rates, but you have to look
a little deeper than just breastfeeding
statistics to understand the correlation.
For years, funeral professionals have
been studying consumer trends and watch­
ing the cremation rate increase. The
Crema­tion Association of North America
(CANA), estimates the national cremation
rate will exceed 51 percent in 2018 and
project it to continue an upward trend for
years to come.
A lot of focus has been given to those
who choose cremation, but what is behind
the huge difference in state-by-state
cremation statistics across the United
States?
Statistically, seven out of 10 of the
poorest states in America, based on median
household income, have some of the
nation’s lowest cremation rates. These
include Mississippi (20 percent), Alabama
(25 percent) and Kentucky (27 percent).
Seven of the top 10 wealthiest states in
the nation cremate at substantially higher
than the national average rate.
The wealthy states with the highest
cremation rates are Hawaii (72 percent),
New Hampshire (71 percent) and Alaska
(65 percent).
Americans in lower-income classes tend
to choose formula over nursing more than
their affluent counterparts, in spite of the
nursing option being free.
According to the CDC, the percentage of
mothers in the US who chose nursing over
bottle feeding in 2014 was 82.5 percent.
According to the same study, the states with
the lowest median household income also
had below-average numbers of nursing
mothers.
Another barrier for lower-income
families is lack of education. According to
the United States Census Bureau study of
the percent of people living in each state
with at least a high school education, the
states with the lowest household income
rates are represented with state rankings as
48, 47 and 46.
Limited educational opportunities
can lead to employment at lower-paying
jobs with limited benefits. Education and
employment are two primary reasons that
people in lower-income classes often tend
to continue to live near family and the place
they were born. They rely on religious
and familial networks for support and
community.
Because of this, their social network can
be smaller, almost bubble-like, while more
affluent families’ social networks tend to be
larger. Within their religious and familial
network “bubble” of support, the tradition
of “doing what’s always been done” is more
likely to continue.
Are you beginning to see the similari­
ties? Traditional funeral services may be
selected by poorer families because of
their connection to tradition: “We had a
traditional funeral for our grandparents, so
that’s what we’ll do.”
Historically, cremation was synony­
mous with not having a funeral service.
The “bubble” effect and the lack of educa­
tion about the variety of services available
could be the reason this false association is
still being made.
Because neither education nor
employment causes many of these family
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➤NICHE from page 100
prior to the service by streaming songs
from your smartphone to a wireless
speaker. A little background music can
help relax people prior to the service and
adds an unexpected dimension to the
experience.
Offer families an assortment of
display equipment at the committal site to
showcase keepsakes and photos. Because
this may be the family’s only opportunity
to display these items, you should
facilitate the sharing of these treasurers
and the stories behind them. Offer tables,
table-top tripods and easels for a polished
display look.
Communities are made up of individuals in all socioeconomic groups.
Knowing what we know about the buying preferences of our consumers, it would be wise
to employ a micromarketing strategy to reach individuals within each socioeconomic group.
members to leave the place where they
grew up, their proximity to each other
is more accommodating to the stricter
timeline demands of three to four days
between death and burial.
Those from more affluent families
tend to move away from home and select
cremation for the convenience of scheduling
services at a time when they can travel or
in order to have more time to contemplate
decisions about memorialization and a final
resting place.
These “bubbles” define tradition about
many things, from the number of children
breastfed to the type of funeral service
you might have. Despite cremation being
less expensive than traditional burial in
many parts of the country and the fact that
breastfeeding is free while formula is not,
people living in these bubbles are willing
to pay more to follow their traditions, and
that’s not a bad thing.
Just as there are many benefits to bottle
feeding vs. nursing (widespread acceptance
in diverse populations and flexibility for
those with less-accommodating working
conditions, to name two), there are benefits
to traditional funeral services vs. cremation
services (closure which sometimes is not
received without seeing the body and
the satisfaction of following traditional,
religious or personal values, for example).
People might select traditional funerals
to honor religious preferences, family
102 ICCFA Magazine
C R E M AT I O N
The family will appreciate how
prepared you are to help and that you
understand how important displaying
mom’s crafts or dad’s model airplane
collection is.
Make it easy for attendees to find the
burial site by providing directions at the
main entrance of the cemetery. Offer
attendees a map card of the cemetery
with the route to the committal service
highlighted.
On this card, you can provide the name
of the deceased, the name and address of
the next of kin and, if the family asked for
memorial contributions in lieu of flowers,
insert that information there, too. The map
values and/or their sense of community and
their place in it. No one can put a price on
the pride a person may feel in fulfilling the
final wishes of a family member.
Communities are made up of
individuals in all socioeconomic groups.
Knowing what we know about the buying
preferences of our consumers, it would
be wise to employ a micromarketing
strategy to reach individuals within each
socioeconomic group. By developing
promotional materials that target our
customers in this way, we can provide
information about the services that most
interest all groups in our community.
Posting targeted ads on Facebook is
one example of how this is being done by
some organizations. Many funeral homes
and cemeteries create Facebook ads using
definable demographic parameters to reach
people in certain age ranges.
What if we take that a step further
and employ what we know about the
traditional values of some and the more
non-traditional values of others to help us
design advertising pieces that highlight the
services we provide that most interest each
group?
Gone are the “one ad fits all” cookie-
cutter days of advertising. Our customers
have become more complex and so must
our marketing strategies.
In addition, the more you know about
your community, the more you can
card is an excellent way to offer friends
and family discounts or information about
your pre-need packages, as well.
When it comes to serving our fami­lies,
we have to think outside the niche. More
families are choosing to arrange their own
services these days, and this is a good
thing. Take this opportunity to shine.
Do your best to allow the flexibility
your families need to express their
loss and provide a good experience for
their guests. Email me with how you
think outside the niche. I’ll post your
comments.
 —Nathan Nardi
diversify the services you provide in order
to meet people where they are. Funeral
homes in lower-socioeconomic-class
neighborhoods should focus on the benefits
of traditional funerals and strive to be the
best in their communities at providing those
services.
Cemeteries in more affluent
neighborhoods should focus on providing
alternative services to cremation-seeking
families in order to satisfy their needs.
Whether you run a funeral home,
cemetery or cremation service (or any
combination of the three), understanding
your community’s values when it comes to
funerals and permanent memorialization is
the key to success in a future of increasing
cremation rates.
Sources:
CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/
mmwrhtml/mm6205a1.htm
USCB (median household income by
state)
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/
tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.
xhtml?src=bkmk
CDC (breastfeeding rates in America)
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/
nis_data/rates-any-exclusive-bf-state-2014.
htm
CANA
http://www.cremationassociation.org/
page/IndustryStatistics r
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 “I
“I am
am aa member
member of
of ICCFA
ICCFA because
because II became
became convinced
convinced years
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with creativity.”
creativity.”
Don’t be fooled by imitations!
(Todd
(Todd W.
W. Van
Van Beck,
Beck, CFuE
CFuE -- Director
Director of
of Continuing
Continuing Education,
Education, John
John A.A. Gupton
Gupton
ICCFA is the only international, all-inclusive association in the deathcare industry.
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by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS
1.800.426.0165 MANAGEMENT: FINANCES
danisard@theforesight
companies.com
ICCFA
As always when there is a change in tax law, how the Tax Cuts
Magazine and Jobs Act will affect your organization depends on a number of
spotlight
factors and should be considered well before time to file.
➤Isard is president of
The Foresight Compa-
nies 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 frequently speaks at industry conven-
tions.
More from this author
➤Educational information, including
copies of this article, can be found at
www.theforesightcompanies.com

➤You can follow Isard on Twitter at

@f4sight, LinkedIn and “like” The Fore-
sight Companies on Facebook. A detail of the building in Washington, D.C., housing the Internal Revenue Service.

How the tax act will affect

Editor’s note

funeral homes, cemeteries

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.
Dear Dan,
OK, how is this new tax law going to
affect my funeral home or cemetery?
 Wondering about TC&JA in TN
Dear Wondering,
The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TC&JA)
was signed into law just before Christmas
of 2017. The new tax law affects business
owners in three broad ways:
1. Deductions for operations.
2. Income tax on the profits of the
business.
3. Ability to transfer the business or the
after-tax sale proceeds by a change in the
estate tax.
Allow me to explain all three of these
items.
Basic accounting and tax law is simple.
Revenue, minus costs of goods, minus
costs of operations, equals profit. You
have to keep this operating paradigm in
the back of your head at all times. Nothing
has changed in a way that affects this
paradigm.
For the sake of clarity, I will address
some of these matters that affect both
funeral homes and cemeteries (combina­
tion operations). If something affects either
a funeral home or a cemetery specifically, I
make it clear which entity it applies to.
Operating deductions
The single biggest change in TC&JA
affecting operating deductions is the
change to Section 179. Section 179 affects
the ability to depreciate equipment used
in the production of income in a trade or
business.
The question in tax law has always been
is something deductible or depreciable?
The answer has been simple: If something
is used up or presumed to be used within
one year, it is deductible. If something is
used over multiple years, it is depreciable.
For example, a business buys a pencil.
It is assumed that pencil will be consumed
within a year, so it is deductible. However,
if that same business buys a mechanical
pencil, it is assumed the mechanical pencil
will last longer than a year. In theory, that
mechanical pencil should be depreciated
over its useful life. (Of course, the lead
to refill the mechanical pencil would be

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Before a taxpayer operating a funeral home or cemetery rushes out to buy equipment or vehicles
to use in their business, there should be some thought and planning involved despite these changes.
Remember, at best, for every piece of equipment you buy, the government might provide a
tax reduction of 30-40 percent, but that means you, as the purchaser, are paying 60-70 percent.
expensed as being used up within a year).
Obviously, businesses would rather
deduct than depreciate. It involves less
paperwork and fewer staff resources to
track deductions and gives a more cash-on-
cash focused understanding of profit.
There is a great deal of debate as to
what the term of a depreciation should be.
The useful life of the same object could
be longer or shorter depending on how or
where the taxpayer uses an asset.
A car used by a mortuary could last 20
years, but that same car being used by an
Uber/Lyft driver could last three years.
Which period of time do you use, as both
are business uses of a vehicle?
To stimulate the economy, Section 179
was added to the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 179 simply states a taxpayer can
elect to deduct the cost of certain types
of property as an expense, rather than
requiring the cost of the property to be
capitalized and depreciated.
This property is generally limited to
tangible, depreciable, personal property
acquired by purchase for use in the active
conduct of a trade or business.
Initially some real estate used in business
was not included as “property” eligible for
Section 179, but since the passage of the
2010 tax law, some real estate has qualified
for Section 179 use.
Section 179 allows for a large deduction
for property, rather than the annual depre­
ciation of that same property. The limit of
how much can qualify under Section 179
has changed over the years.
The Section 179 election is subject to
three important limitations:
1. There is a dollar limitation. Under
section 179(b)(1), the maximum deduction
a taxpayer may elect to take in a year is
$1 million. Prior to the TC&JA it was
$500,000.
2. There is a total limit. This is intended
to be a benefit for smaller businesses. If a
taxpayer places more than $2.5 million worth
of section 179 property into service during a
single taxable year, the Section 179 deduction
is reduced, dollar for dollar, by the amount
106 ICCFA Magazine
MANAGEMENT: FINANCES
exceeding the $2.5 million threshold.
3. The Section 179 deduction for any
taxable year may not exceed the taxpayer’s
aggregate income from the active conduct
of trade or business by the taxpayer for that
year.
If, for example, the taxpayer’s net trade
or business income from active conduct of
trade or business was $100,000 in 2018,
then the taxpayer’s Section 179 deduction
cannot exceed $100,000 for 2018. However,
any Section 179 deduction not allowed for
in a year because of this limitation can be
carried over to the next year.
The TC&JA also includes an increase
for bonus depreciation. The mechanical
and personal property used in operating a
cemetery as well as a funeral home will all
qualify under this new law.
There are new limits on new vehicles
and new trucks. The 2018 vehicle
depreciation caps will increase. IRC Sec.
280F calls for use of the “new cars” and
“new trucks” components to once again
increase slightly from the previous year.
From 2012 through 2017, depreciation
levels for new cars and trucks remained the
same.
The first-year allowance for bonus
depreciation is 100 percent up to a limit of
$8,000 starting in 2018 for all qualifying
vehicles.
The luxury auto depreciation limits
under Code Sec. 280F for passenger
automobiles placed in service in 2018 are:
• $10,000 for the first year (if bonus
depreciation is not elected)
• $16,000 for the second tax year
• $9,600 for the third year
• $5,760 for each tax year thereafter
Section 162 of the IRC covers the
deduction of business expenses. Any ques­
tion about whether the auto deduction
would qualify should be viewed by tax
practitioners from a Section 162 perspec­
tive. If it qualifies under Section 162, then
it will probably qualify under the Section
280F perspective.
The projected maximum depreciation
limits for trucks and vans first placed in
service during the 2018 calendar year most
likely will be accounted for under the bonus
depreciation provisions of section 168. This
will allow the business to take a 100 percent
deduction for the cost of the vehicle that
weighs in excess of 6,000 pounds.
Before a taxpayer operating a funeral
home or cemetery rushes out to buy equip­
ment or vehicles to use in their business,
there should be some thought and planning
involved despite these changes. Remember,
at best, for every piece of equipment you
buy, the government might provide a tax
reduction of 30-40 percent, but that means
you, as the purchaser, are paying 60-70
percent.
Rather than buying new equipment to
lower tax bills, pay the tax on your existing,
still perfectly fine vehicles and keep the
difference in your pocket.
Tax rates
All the headlines focus on the change in
the tax rates. In simple, after reading this
over from every angle, it appears to reduce
the tax rates of the highest income earners
about 2.5 percent. However, there are other
tax traps that will reclaim this benefit for
most.
The law sought to bring some equal­ity
for business owners, whether C corpora­
tions or pass-through entities such as
sole proprie­tor­ships, S corporations and
partnerships.
By my estimate, most cemeteries that
are taxable entities are S corporations
or partnerships, therefore they are pass-
through entities. Only about 25 percent of
funeral homes are C corporations. Income
from pass-through business entities are
taxed at the shareholder’s income tax rate,
whatever rate that might be, based upon the
amount of other income that taxpayer has.
C corporations have always had their
own tax rate, and therefore pay income
tax at the corporate level. That income
tax rate progressed up from 15 percent to
39.6 percent for most small businesses.
The taxpayer got to choose which type of
entity they wanted to operate as, with the
associated income tax being just one factor
to consider.
 ➤to page 108
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MANAGEMENT: FINANCES

➤from page 107

The objective of the TC&JA was to pro­
vide pass-through entities an additional
reduction to bring their taxes more in
line with the lower corporate rate for C
corporations. Section 199A of the TC&JA
has created the qualified business income
(QBI) provisions. In basic terms, the QBI
qualification will provide a 20 percent
deduction of pass-through income on the
owner’s income tax returns. This new rule
is subject to certain limitations for wages
and other items.
To define QBI requires us to split out
salary for the owner doing services and
the qualifying profits. Salary is taxed as
salary and QBI as pass-through income.
Remember, as an employee you get some
benefits such as half of the payroll taxes,
health insurance, Social Security and
Medicare tax up to $128,400 and inclusion
in retirement plans sponsored by the
company.
QBI is only on the excess distributed
from your business, not on wages or capital
gains or losses, dividend income or interest
income.
For example, suppose your funeral
home pays you a salary of $100,000. It is
a pass-through business and earns $50,000
as business profit. You are the only owner.
Therefore the $100,000 would be taxed as
wages, subject to that tax rate. The $50,000
would be QBI and you would receive a
$10,000 deduction against the $50,000 on
your personal return.
Should you try and claim it all as QBI,
omitting a salary? No, because you would
then not be entitled to the deduction because
it is limited to 50 percent of the company’s
wages, including the owners.

Estate tax
The good news is, only those people with
a net worth of more than $11,200,000
($22,400,000 for married folks) will have to
do tax-focused planning. This change in the
federal estate tax will not change any state
transfer taxes, but they have never been
very large as a percentage of an estate.
This is not to say that estates don’t
require good planning. They will continue
to need it if only because you just can’t drop
a seven-figure check into the hands of most
children. We need to protect this wealth,
but that is a different topic and involves
different methodology than protecting it
from taxation. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 107

by MaryAnne Scheuble

ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN

Building a new facility is always a challenge. There are design

and financing decisions to be made and sometimes site-specific
problems to be overcome. This is the story about how the team
responsible for Divine Mercy Funeral Home met those challenges.

1.866.763.0485
mayanne@cressymemorial.com
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
➤Scheuble is the Hekman Furniture spe-
cialist to the memorial industry. Her design
experience began with Ethan Allen as an in- The lobby of Divine Mercy Funeral Home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Stone rather than
terior decorator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. brick was chosen so that the building would not look like a church, and a modern,
After working in education for several years, open feel was incorporated into the design. Selecting durable and attractive carpet-
she joined Cressy Memorial Group, where ing was a challenge. In the end, carpet squares were chosen.

Building a state-of-the-art
she works with funeral and cemetery busi-
ness owners, managers, marketing directors
and interior decorators.
➤Cressy Memorial Group, Mishawaka,
Indiana, includes Crowne Vault, Howard Catholic funeral home in a
traditional Midwest market
Miller Memorials and Furniture, Hekman
Furniture and R&S Design Gallery.

www.cressymemorial.com
➤Casey Miller has been in cemetery
management since 1982. In addition to
being executive director of Divine Mercy
Funeral Home and Catholic Cemetery, he
is executive director of the Indiana Cem-
etery Association. He chaired the Indiana
State Board of Funeral and Cemetery
Service for two years.
More from this author
➤Scheuble will be at the
Howard Miller/Hekman
booth in the Expo Hall dur-
ing the ICCFA 2018 Con-
vention & Expo, April 18-21, in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
C
asey Miller, executive director of
Divine Mercy Funeral Home and
Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne,
Indiana, managed what few people thought
was possible. In a very traditional Midwest
market, in concert with an amazing team,
he created a state-of-the-art funeral home.
But that alone doesn’t make what he
did exceptionally interesting. What makes
this achievement notable is that the funeral
home is located on the property of a viable
125-year-old Catholic cemetery. On top
of that, the market area contains 20+ well-
established competing funeral homes.
At the unveiling of the facility, Miller
knew they had achieved their goal. Some
guests were so overcome by the beauty
and spirit of the place that they became
emotional.
Guest comments included: “There’s
nothing like this in Fort Wayne!” and “It
doesn’t look like a new funeral home—it
just looks beautiful!” and “I’m sorry I don’t
live here. I’d pre-plan right now if I did.”
The concept
Originally conceived in 2000 but twice
denied approval by the Fort Wayne-South
Bend diocese, Divine Mercy Funeral
Home finally received the go-ahead for
construction to begin in August 2016.
The Most Reverend Bishop Kevin C.
Rhodes was fully committed to this idea
of a Catholic and affordable nonprofit

108 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 JOHN MCQUEEN
ANDERSON-MCQUEEN FUNERAL HOMES

“WE HAD REACHED A

POINT WHERE PROGRESS
WAS GOING TO
REQUIRE MORE THAN
PERSISTENCE. IT WAS
GOING TO REQUIRE
A PARTNER.
A PARTNER LIKE FPG.”

We’ve had tremendous growth at Anderson-
McQueen. While that has been exciting and
validating, it’s also challenging. How do we
sustain that? It was time to find a like-minded
partner. Foundation Partners Group fit the
mold. Their innovative and forward-thinking
instincts assured me, that together, we could
keep our funeral homes relevant and even
progress to greater heights.
In fact, FPG has invited me to share my insights
and proven ideas to their associates around the
country. That’s true partnership. Since joining
forces, we are both stronger. And I’m convinced
I couldn’t have made a better decision for
myself or my company.

Foundation Partners Group Get in Touch

4901 Vineland Road 1-888-788-7526
Suite 350 LearnMore@FoundationPartners.com
Orlando, FL 32811 www.FoundationPartners.com
 ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN

A view of the funeral home from the outside, showing its location on the grounds of Divine Mercy Catholic Cemetery.

I didn’t want a building that looked like a church, so we changed the design
from brick to stone. The original consideration of using stained glass was revised to
include large, clear, arched windows which bring in lots of natural light. It was also
important that the building felt open and bright and had a different feel.
—Casey Miller, executive director of Divine Mercy Funeral Home and Catholic Cemetery
ministry that buries the dead and cares for diocese-owned funeral home. was revised to include large, clear, arched
the grieving. The inspirational theme was “Having worked in the industry for windows which bring in lots of natural light.
“divine mercy.” more than 30 years, I was excited by the It was also important that the building felt
Bill Carr, the architect and lead designer opportunity and eager for the challenge,” open and bright and had a different feel.
with Grinsfelder Associates, provided some Miller said. “The first order of business “We wanted the design to incorporate a
history: “Back in 2012 our firm was invited was to increase profits of the 175-acre Catholic identity but without exclusivity.
by the diocese to participate in a design cemetery so as to accommodate the With respect to our heritage, the goal was
competition. We had not designed a funeral building expense. Thanks to the expertise for all to feel welcomed and comfortable,
home before so, looking for inspiration, we of our staff, we made it happen.” no matter their religious affiliation.”
visited California, where we saw diocese- Miller’s design vision required a focus
owned funeral home-cemetery combinations. The design on three main areas:
While we won the competition, no action was “Bill Carr and I met to discuss the vision,” 1. Visitation rooms
taken for a few more years.” Miller said. “I felt it was crucial to have a 2. Administrative offices
Then, in January 2015 when newly- unique concept. I didn’t want a building 3. Service space (garage and prep areas).
hired Casey Miller appeared at his first that looked like a church, so we changed Carr agreed it was important to
Catholic cemetery board meeting, he was the design from brick to stone. The ori­ physically show that the three areas were
surprised to be asked how he felt about a ginal consideration of using stained glass separate components. To complete the

Above left and right, a visitation room, featuring warm colors, comfortable seating, high ceilings and 60-inch TV monitors.

110 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 ARCHITECTURE LED Lighting Solutions
& INTERIOR DESIGN for Memorial Products

distinction, three crosses were placed—one E N E R G Y S AV E R

on the roof of the main area and one on
each side wing, symbolizing the Trinity. LED light bulb for Crypt
By August 2016, the cemetery board & Niche Fronts
had approved the design and they were
Warm color for Bronzes
able to move forward with construction.
E A SY TO I N S TA L L
The construction
www.septechnologies.com
Bids were solicited and the contract was
awarded to Schenkel Construction, a 1 877 515-4672
fifth- and sixth-generation Fort Wayne
company. “Before starting construction,
we visited other funeral homes in several
states to glean the best practices,” Chris
Schenkel said. “Because of the unique
nature of the building, this project required
an outstanding collaboration of seasoned
professionals from a variety of industries.”
Ground was broken on March 1,
2017. The project was completed in an
impressively short amount of time, being
finished on November 2, 2017.

The design details

Tradition and innovation have been
incorporated into every aspect of this
funeral home, starting with the captivating
“Divine Mercy” mosaic. A religious
tradition is evident but not imposing.
“There were design elements we
wanted to focus on and others we really
wanted to avoid,” Miller explained.
“Three complimentary carpet patterns and
laminate flooring were selected so as to
offer a little variety.”
According to Miller there were some
design musts, including:
• Warm colors (no gray)
• High ceilings
• Natural lighting
• Mixes of fabrics and patterns
• Acoustical ceiling tiles for large
spaces.
• 60-inch TV monitors throughout
(there ended up being 18 of them)
• Stenciled scriptural passages
“My favorite furniture pieces are the
Heckman curio cabinets,” Miller said.
“There are two in each visitation room
used for family memorabilia and for
heritage displays—collections we have.
Families love these.
“I can’t say enough about the great job
Cressy Memorial and specifically Mary
Anne Scheuble did. When MaryAnne first
presented the storyboard of colorful room
vignettes for each space, we knew she

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 111

 ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN
My favorite furniture pieces are
the curio cabinets. There are
two in each visitation room used
for family memorabilia and for
heritage displays—collections
we have. Families love these.—
Casey Miller, executive director
of Divine Mercy Funeral Home
and Catholic Cemetery
Above, each visitation room has two
curio cabinets. Below, a seating area in
the funeral home’s entry.
112 ICCFA Magazine
Another view of a visitation room, showcasing the large arched window. Plain
glass, rather than stained glass, was chosen to provide more natural lighting.
understood our vision. From the bariatric
chairs to tall receiving chairs to the curved
modular seating in our selection room, each
piece of furniture was selected for a specific
need and mindful of the overall design.
“The furniture we received was of
exceptionally high quality and really
exceeded our expectations. Heckman
Contract designs furniture for commercial
use, but are so pleased with how attractive it
is. Several visitors have commented that it
makes our place look warm and inviting—
like home only better.”
The team
Throughout the process, Miller, who has
additional duties as the current executive
director of the Indiana Cemetery Association,
received advice and support from a variety
of sources. He can’t say enough about the
“design team,” as he calls them.
In addition to Carr, Schenkel and
Scheuble, he consulted his own staff for
design decisions.
The Divine Mercy team is comprised
of funeral directors Robert “Bob” Jesch
and Monte Freeze, Director of Preplanning
Karen Lonergan, preplanning advisors
Mary Didion and Todd Busick and
Director of Maintenance Scott Guerrero.
Each was selected based on outstanding
reputation and years of experience. It was
a huge blessing that there was no learning
curve; all personalities blended well.
The project also received valuable
advice from professional associates Jan
Smith, Tony Lloyd and Ted Mau from
Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Homes.
Carr, Schenkel and the cemetery board
of directors visited numerous Flanner
& Buchanan funeral centers to study
contemporary design options.
The challenges
Even though the cemetery board supported
the idea of a Catholic funeral home, the
most difficult challenge was obtaining
approval from the diocese, Miller said.
Since it was a dramatically new idea, parish
priests, deacons and the bishop had to
support the project before it could progress.
Once things were underway, they were
faced with a more tangible challenge:
Selecting the carpeting. “Selecting a pattern
and texture that would be durable, attractive
and easy to work with was difficult,” Miller
said. “The local carpet store had limited
selections for commercial grade carpeting,
most of which were solid colors. An internet
search of funeral home interiors showed
flooring options we liked. We returned to
the carpet store knowing what we wanted.
The only way to go is carpet squares.”
The architectural challenge, said Carr,
involved learning the what is involved
in funeral care. Design features that
he had never had to consider before
were mandatory for this project (think
preparation room, crematory).
Carr was surprised by what he didn’t
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 ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN
Per Miller, while
there were no
cost overruns
on this project,
it’s advisable
to budget 5
percent over
the contractor’s
cost for new
builds and have
a 10 percent
contingency
fund available
for remodels,
just to be
prepared for the
unexpected.
Another view of the lobby. Scriptural quotations are stencilled on the walls througout the building.
know and all of the behind-the-scenes
details that must be taken care of to provide
superior funeral service. While he always
had great respect for the profession, he
now is in awe of needs addressed and care
provided.
The architects also found themselves
forced to deal with “bad soil.” Soil borings
revealed that a section on which the
building would sit did not have the correct
bearing capacity due to the soil mix. It
was necessary to remove the bad soil, then
replace and pack it. This, plus the rainy
season, caused a building delay and some
additional costs.
Schenkel said that in addition to the “bad
soil,” which held too much moisture, access
to the site was a challenge because of major
sewer line replacements taking place along
nearby roads. “Fortunately, we were able to
work it out to schedule timely deliveries of
materials.”
“I learned that running a funeral home
is not a job but a calling,” Schenkel said. “I
was humbled and honored to work on this
project and to be part of such a great team.”
There also were design challenges, said
Scheuble. “With only gentle direction plus
carpet, paint and stone samples, I was chal­
lenged to create comfortable floor plans in
this 14,000-square-foot facility which in­
114 ICCFA Magazine
cludes a crematory waiting room and family
hospitality rooms. The furniture had to be
extra-durable but welcoming and attractive.
“I took a chance in mixing quite a few
patterns and colors in each space. The
result is lively, welcoming furniture that’s
extremely useful and easy to re-position.
My favorites are the teal vinyl chairs
in the family space and nature-themed
accessories.
“The hallway spaces also proved
challenging. People always congregate
outside the viewing room. We had to
accommodate those who need to sit. Chairs
and lamp tables were too bulky and tend to
obstruct traffic. Benches were the perfect
choice, as they come in different lengths
and take up less of a footprint.”
The financials
Divine Mercy Funeral Home was given
a budget of $3 million. Even with the
$130,000 cost to fix the soil issue, the
project still came in under budget. It
proved to be a smart decision to use the
full services of the Grinsfelder Associates.
A design-bid option was offered at 3
percent of total cost; there also was a
choice to go “full service” at 6 percent.
The design-bid option did not allow
choices on incidentals such as lighting
fixtures, towel dispensers, etc. Going full
service allowed choices on small design
details, and they still saved money.
Per Miller, while there were no cost
overruns on this project, it’s advisable
to budget 5 percent over the contractor’s
cost for new builds and have a 10 percent
contingency fund available for remodels,
just to be prepared for the unexpected.
The finished product
Just one step inside gives the visitor a
sensation of welcome, light and hope.
Tall windows invite a look at surrounding
scenery; beautiful décor honors each
visitor with comfort and color; soaring
ceilings encourage inspiration to rise
above grief; exterior stonework echoes
permanence and stability.
As for functionality, the cremation
viewing room is a thoughtful addition,
while the conference room allows for group
presentations or meetings. This beautiful
funeral home provides comfort and joy and
serves as an oasis to the bereaved.
So, if the design team could change
anything, what would it be? Carr, Schenkel
and Scheuble concurred that they wouldn’t
change a thing. Miller thought for a
moment and then said with a smile, “Well,
a few more offices would be nice.” r
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 A S S O C I AT I O N Q & A

Question from a new member to a hypothetical room full of ICCFA members:

“What makes you passionate about death care?”

Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
president and CEO, The Tribute
Companies, Hartland, Wisconsin;
president-elect, ICCFA
I’ve always viewed this as a
special profession, and it certainly is
not for everyone. Those of us who
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It is a quasi-sacred profession, and we need to behave in a
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when you know you’ve done good, everyone benefits and that
creates the passion that keeps me going. r

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by William H. “Bill” Williams
Jr., LFD
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
Bill.Williams@fsitrust.com
➤Williams is president
and CEO of Funeral Ser-
vices Inc. and serves on
the FSI Board of Direc-
tors as vice chairman.
He joined FSI in 2001 as
vice president. He was
named president in 2003.
Under his leadership, FSI has expanded
to offer services in 19 states across the
country.
➤Williams has experience in every
aspect of the funeral service profes-
sion, including ownership and manage-
ment of funeral homes and cemeteries.
He began his career in the death-care
profession when he became a licensed
funeral director in 1980. He is a gradu-
ate of Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary
Science in Atlanta, Georgia.
www.FSITrust.com
➤Funeral Services Inc., Tallahassee,
Florida, is a trust administrator and
record-keeping company with more than
40 years of experience in the death-
care profession, serving funeral homes,
cemeteries, associations and financial
institutions.
More from this author
➤Williams will be at the
FSI booth in the Expo
Hall during the ICCFA
2018 Convention &
Expo, April 18-21, in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
118 ICCFA Magazine
MANAGEMENT: FINANCES
Unitrust distribution is being adopted by more and more states.
Learn what it is and how it is affecting cemeteries now allowed
to use this method for drawing on endowment care funds.
How unitrust distribution
is providing more money
for cemetery maintenance
I
n the first quarter of 2017, the state of
Florida officially adopted the unitrust
distribution method for the death-care
profession. Fast forward to today, where just
over one year later, we have literally seen the
financial capabilities and performances of
many cemeteries, not just in Florida, increase
significantly, all because of unitrust—a very
promising sign for our profession and the
clients we serve.
For those who have not heard of unitrust,
this bold statement likely caught your
attention, and you are probably wondering
how you can secure that level of growth for
your organization.
To start, allow me to provide you with
some background information on unitrust, the
income-distribution approach that is taking the
death-care profession by storm.
In short, unitrust—also known as a total
return trust—does not limit distributions
to the income generated by the trust and
provides financial stability to your business.
Under unitrust, you can determine an annual
distribution between three and five percent,
based on the market value of your endowment
care trust.
So, rather than focusing on just the
produc­tion of income, a unitrust transitions
the investment goal to focus on increasing
the total value of the trust and creating a
higher total annual return. The end result can
develop a greater annual distribution for the
maintenance and care of the cemetery while
simultaneously growing the total trust at a
steady rate.
At FSI, one of our primary focuses, among
others, is to ensure that your trust deposits and
withdrawals are made in a timely manner and
correctly. These duties have enabled us to see
the incredible financial benefit unitrust has
delivered for organizations across the country.
One of our many loyal clients, John
Williams, president of Farley Funeral Homes
& Crematory and Venice Memorial Gardens,
Venice, Florida, was kind enough to share his
personal experience with unitrust and how it
has impacted his business.
How has unitrust impacted your business
from an operations standpoint?
As many know, your care and
maintenance trust is critical
to the ongoing perpetual care
of your cemetery. Without
adequate funds coming from
that trust, the grounds of your
cemetery will suffer.
We have been in business
John for more than 40 years, and
Williams during that time I have gained
a lot of knowledge about how
to achieve success, but maybe one of the
most important points I have learned is that
“maintenance is marketing.” In other words,
the success of your cemetery is dependent on
the maintenance of your cemetery—there is
truly a direct correlation between the two.
Unitrust has enabled us to hire more
employees and therefore log more hours into
main­taining our grounds. Specifically, just
in the past year, we have seen a 25 percent
increase in full-time-equivalent employees and
have put in more time improving our grounds
than we probably have in the last 20 years.
Our team has used this increased capacity
to take on new projects and address current
ones, such as removing old trees and instal­
ling new landscaping, more quickly than ever.
When maintenance is marketing, you need
a dedicated team to keep your grounds at
the highest level, and unitrust has a played a
major role in allowing that to happen for our
business.
How much has unitrust increased your
revenue for your care and maintenance
fund?
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 MANAGEMENT: FINANCES

In­just­one­year,­my­distributable­funds­for­
cemetery maintenance have increased by
2.3 times thanks to unitrust. The impact that
unitrust has had on the company is truly
remarkable and I am not sure how we were
successful without it!
I would be wrong to not thank Bill
Williams and his team at FSI for being such
strong advocates of unitrust, helping Florida
officially­adopt­it,­and­making­the­transition­
absolutely seamless. We look forward to how
we can further serve our clients in 2018 and
beyond thanks to the increased resources that
unitrust made possible.
How has unitrust benefitted your clients?
Clients come to us with a variety of needs
on­a­daily­basis.­Whether­it­be­for­flowers,­
burials, a visitation or other services, our
business is now prepared to meet any and all
of those needs quickly thanks to the increased
funds unitrust has provided.
We have additional inventory, so clients
always have a healthy choice of options,
and also more staff to help clients with any
requests,­such­as­choosing­flowers,­assisting­
with directions or being led to a grave. This
exceptional customer service was not always
available before unitrust was introduced to us.
Why do you think it’s important to use
unitrust for your organization and in the
death-care profession?
Having funds available to maintain your
grounds is one of the most important aspects
state right now, there are steps you can take
to­legalize­it­and­begin­enjoying­all­of­its­
financial­and­operational­benefits­for­your­
cemetery.
Conclusion
As John mentioned, there are opportunities
for you to proactively advocate for unitrust if
it is not currently available in your state.
Some background: Most states’ cemetery
laws restrict distributing income from
investments to the cemetery for its use in
caring for and maintaining the grounds.
Therefore, a change in law is typically
required in order for your trustee to distribute
a portion of the total return of the trust to the
cemetery.
In some states, a minor change in a rule
or regulation will allow you to make use
of unitrust, but often it requires more work
upfront.
But not to worry—there are a number of
stakeholders you can educate and engage
to help you adopt unitrust in your state,
including local colleagues and industry
associations. Once you have organized an
Family Direct Ordering
advocacy group of death-care professionals,
you can approach industry regulators and the
legislature—whatever is necessary in your
state—to encourage the use of unitrust.
More information on the adoption process
can be found in an earlier article, “How to
enable your cemetery to use the unitrust
method,” by Bill Williams and Wendy
Wiener, ICCFA Magazine, August-September
2017. Feel free to email me for a copy.
The popularity of unitrust continues
to grow as the number of states that have
adopted it increases year by year. It is hard to
argue against the positive impact it has had
on cemeteries across the nation, providing
owners with a reliable and fruitful distribution
to accomplish their short-term goals while
preserving the long-term sustainability of
their trusts.
Just­one­year­after­its­official­adoption­in­
Florida, we have seen unitrust completely
change the landscape of how cemetery
owners run their businesses—all for the
better. One fact is certain: Unitrust is the
present and future of income distribution in
the death-care industry. r

1 2 3
of your business. When your cemetery is
“sold out,” it is critical that your care and CAPTURE SHARE PROVIDE
maintenance­fund­holds­sufficient­income­to­ PRINTS SESSION IDs COMFORT
preserve the cemetery into perpetuity.
If­the­income­falls­short­of­those­finan­
cial needs and the grounds are not managed
properly, the cemetery’s upkeep becomes a
community liability that taxpayers must fund.
Unitrust helps eliminate that possibility
because it allows your trustee and investment
advisor to invest for both your short-term
income and the long-term growth of your
trust. Before unitrust, cemetery owners were
typically forced to pick between receiving
sufficient­short­term­income­or­growing­the­
trust over time.
With unitrust, you can set your sights on
both,­efficiently­funding­your­day­to­day­ Start benefiting from Family Direct Ordering today!
operations while still investing for the long- Learn more at sessionids.meadowhillco.com,
term growth and preservation of your trust. or call us toll free at 877.848.6243 (847.381.9000 outside the U.S.).
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Unitrust is available in many states across the
U.S., so I recommend that everyone looks to Stop by Booth #527 at the 2018
see if their organization is eligible to deploy ICCFA Annual Convention and Expo
unitrust. If unitrust is not available in your for our latest products and news!

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 119

by Kelly Rehan

ICCFA C R E M AT I O N
Magazine
spotlight Cremation has become the disposition of choice in the United States
➤Rehan is a freelance
writer and editor based in
only recently, but it has a long history. A new exhibit at the
Des Moines, Iowa. National Museum of Funeral History will take visitors through that
history and inform them about today’s cremation options.

How to be a part
of the history of
cremation exhibit
T he History of Cremation exhibit is a
first-of-its-kind undertaking. You can
be included by providing monetary support
and/or donating artifacts. Several monetary
donation options are available:
• Niche wall donors
(contact National Museum
of Funeral History President
Genevieve Keeney for
pricing information): Commit
your donor space by June
1, 2018, to ensure your
engraved urn with your
company’s name is on
Keeney display in the niche wall in
time for the grand opening.
• Urn donors ($1,000): Commit your
donation by July 1, 2018, to ensure your Depiction of the first cremation in the United States, of Baron De Palm at the
company name is listed on the contribution LeMoyne Crematory in Pennsylvania.
wall in time for the grand opening.
• Keepsake donors ($500): Commit your
donation by July 1, 2018, to ensure your
company name is listed on the contribution
Exhibit will tell (and show)
wall in time for the grand opening.
Contributors will receive a signature visitors about cremation
in the US, past and present
keepsake urn commemorating their
donation. Niche space donors will have

an urn engraved with their company’s
name placed in the donor niche wall for a
five-year period with the option to renew.
Donors may also elect to place their own
urn in the niche space upon approval.
All donors will receive a personal
invitation to the grand opening of the History
of Cremation exhibit in the fall of 2018.
Want to make a financial contribution?
Contact Keeney, gkeeney@yahoo.com,
832.419.3705.
Interested in donating an artifact?
If you have an urn, photo, pamphlet or
other historical cremation item you’d like
to donate to the History of Cremation
exhibit collection, contact CANA Historian
Jason Engler, cremationhistorian@
hotmail.com, 479.381.4424.
I
n 1876, the LeMoyne Crematory
in Pennsylvania became the first
crematory in the United States. That
same year, a man named Baron De Palm
was the first person cremated there.
The inaugural cremation was an event.
Local Board of Health members and
physicians were invited. Crowds gathered
outside the crematory hoping to get a
glimpse of this new (to the U.S.) method
of disposition by fire. A handful of honored
guests received a small, clear apothecary jar
filled with a portion of De Palm’s remains.
Those jars signify the birth of cremation
in America. And one of them will be on
r display at the History of Cremation exhibit
opening fall 2018 at the National Museum
of Funeral History (NMFH) in Houston,
Texas.
The exhibit is a joint project of the
NMFH and the Cremation Association
of North America (CANA). It is a first-
of-its kind undertaking—telling a visual
story of cremation in America through
historical urns, pamphlets, replicas of
original equipment and other artifacts, while
educating visitors about the technology and
memorialization possibilities of modern
cremation.
The time is right
Cremation in America has seen a major
change in acceptance since its inception
in 1876. In the past there were religious

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 121


Above, an aerial view of the History of Cremation exhibit at the National Museum of Funeral History. Below, a view of the entrance
to the exhibit, which will take visitors past a kiosk explaining the early history of cremation and into the LeMoyne Crematory room.
outcries labeling it a pagan practice. It
took nearly 100 years, until 1972, for the
national cremation rate to reach 5 percent.
Beginning in 2016, cremation became
consumers’ disposition method of choice.
But a knowledge gap exists: Consumers
122 ICCFA Magazine
C R E M AT I O N
today prefer cremation over full-body
burial, but they know relatively little about
it. That’s where the History of Cremation
exhibit comes in.
“The profession is looking at cremation,
at worst, as a necessary evil and, at best,
a real opportunity and new way to serve
families,” said CANA Executive Director
Barbara Kemmis. “The time is so right
for this exhibit. People can
gain a better understanding
of our roots and what our
future can look like.”
Kemmis said the seeds
of the exhibit were planted
when funeral director
Jason Engler joined CANA
as its official historian. Kemmis
Engler, who has collected
cremation memorabilia for most of his life,
said becoming CANA’s historian made
him wonder whether his stock of artifacts
could be enjoyed on a grander scale.
“Funeral service history is well studied,
but not as much has been dedicated to
cremation.”
Wanting to share Engler’s collection to
a bigger audience, CANA pitched the idea
of an exhibit to the NMFH. Genevieve
Keeney, NMFH president and curator,
didn’t take much convincing.
“Not only was the exhibition driven
by the obvious increase in cremation,
but I also walk the museum floor and
listen to my visitors,” Keeney said. “It
gives me insight on what’s needed. A lot
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 C R E M AT I O N
of the comments were about the lack of
information on cremation.”
Keeney said the exhibit has been
three years in the making. In addition to
Engler’s extensive historical knowledge,
CANA members donated time, resources
and artifacts—all to help consumers
and the funeral services industry better
understand cremation and the possibilities Four Generations of Caring
for memorialization. for Generations to Come.
“It’s exciting to me to tell the cremation Resurrection Cemetery,
Clinton Township, MI
story and to help dispel the myth of how
cremation has always been disposal,”
Engler says. “It came from a fascinating Architectural Design
beginning.”

A sneak peek Cemetery Master Planning

inside the exhibit
Though the History of Cremation exhibit
won’t open until fall 2018, here is a first Cremation Gardens
look at what to expect.
While the exhibit primarily focuses on
cremation in the United States, the first Cemetery Consulting
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thing visitors see at the front of the exhibit Greenwood, IN

is a kiosk where they can learn about the

ancient history of cremation, giving them a www.tributeinc.com 262.367.9991 mail@tributeinc.com
“full circle” view of cremation’s evolution.
The exhibit will then focus on the
history of cremation in the United States.
And there’s no better way to begin that
history than at the LeMoyne Crematory. th e ultimate in
As visitors approach the opening to
the exhibit, they will stand before an
exact replica of that facility’s façade. It CASKET&
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Visitors then will enter a room modeled
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 123


4 misconceptions and 1 odd fact about cremation
T he story of cremation’s
history in the United
States has largely been
untold, so the industry is
shrouded in mystery and
myth. CANA Historian
Jason Engler shares
four common cremation
misconceptions and an Engler
oddity he’s observed over the years:
1. If you’re cremated, you must be
scattered or kept in an urn in the home.
“People often ask, ‘Why would you put
a pretty urn in ground?’ People don’t
understand that urns are meaningful
receptacles to hold remains and may be
Above left and center, urns from Art Urn Co. that sold for $10. Above right, one of the
National Museum of Funeral History’s keepsake urns, available in a variety of colors.
• 20 original articles, documents,
certificates and images about different
aspects of cremation
Other stand-out items from Engler’s
collection include a copy of “Modern
Cremation: Its History and Practice,” signed
by author Sir Henry Thompson, founder of
the Cremation Society of Great Britain, and
a copy of “The Cremation of the Dead,”
written by CANA founder Hugo Erichsen.
Engler is also contributing a unique
photograph of the exterior of Rosehill
Crematory in Linden, New Jersey. The
photo shows a hearse carrying the body
of Charles Lindbergh Jr. turning up the
driveway in front of the crematory.
“It was a tragedy, but at the same time,
the photo shows a fascinating glimpse
that cremation was happening even then,”
124 ICCFA Magazine
C R E M AT I O N
treated as a casket.”
2. Cremated remains have always
been pulverized into a powder. Not true.
In fact, early cremationists in America
would not pulverize cremated remains
because they considered it desecration of
the remains. “They believed if you left
cremated remains undisturbed, it would
aid in a permanent memorial as opposed
to scattering.”
3. It’s impossible to know whether
cremated remains belong to your loved
one. Many people don’t understand that
a cremation chamber holds one body, so
only one person is cremated at a time.
Also, reputable crematories today use
Engler says.
In addition to Engler’s personal
collection, the exhibit will showcase
several prized items from America’s first
crematory:
• A notebook listing all who were
cremated at LeMoyne Crematory, which
was kept by the crematory’s designer,
builder and operator
• A book written by Dr. Francis Julius
LeMoyne, LeMoyne Crematory’s founder
• A copy of the exclusive invitation for
the cremation of Baron De Palm, the first
modern cremation in the United States
• The casket plate from De Palm’s
casket
• An apothecary jar containing a portion
of De Palm’s remains
The exhibit also will showcase the
technology to track the cremated remains
throughout the entire cremation process,
giving families the assurance that remains
returned to them are those of their loved
ones.
4. Cremated remains are ashes. Crema­
ted remains are technically pulverized
bone fragments.
5. People almost always try to open
the urn. This is a fascinating consumer
habit Engler has observed over the years.
“When a family is selecting an urn, it has
been my experience that the first thing
they usually do is grab the top and start
twisting. Is it human nature to see what’s
inside?” r
casket lid of the first woman cremated in
America, Jane Pitman, who died in 1878.
Visitors also will see a letter written by her
husband, Benjamin Pitman, requesting her
cremation.
After the historical portion of the
exhibit, the content will shift from past
to present. Visitors will stand before
a modern cremation chamber. In the
opening where the body is placed within
the chamber, a video screen will detail the
cremation process from start to finish.
In the modern cremation portion of
the exhibit, visitors will learn the science
behind cremation—how it is methodical
and well-controlled.
“It will open up peoples’ minds to
understand the process of cremation and
perhaps give them more of an appreciation
for cremation,” Keeney said. “The
exhibition will allow people to go behind
the scenes—seeing cremation containers,
the process, how we recycle, how we
memorialize.”
Spotlight on products
and suppliers
Visitors won’t simply learn the history of
cremation and the modern-day processes,
they also will see some of the suppliers,
manufacturers and funeral professionals
behind cremation. This affords the
cremation industry a unique opportunity to
showcase their products and services to a
captive audience.
“We help visitors see all the opportuni­ties
they can have with cremation—from urns
to celebrant services,” Engler said. “We call
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understand everything from memoriali­

zation options to creating ‘gee-whiz’
moments that open their eyes to things they
never knew about cremation,” Engler said.
Historic crematories that get involved in
the exhibit will also benefit, Engler said, as
it will provide an outlet where they can tell
their stories and show people their focus is
memorialization, not body disposal.
“While we do talk about the process
and history of cremation, what we want the
visitor to leave with is the enduring theme
of memorialization and how it is achieved
in modern times,” Engler said.
Kemmis agreed, saying she hopes
the exhibit will demystify cremation for
both funeral practitioners and the public.
Specifically, she hopes it will show that
cremation memorialization means more
than scattering remains or placing an urn
on a mantle.
“Cremation isn’t just direct disposal,”
Kemmis said. “It’s a way to memorialize
From left, Tina Di Troia, Genevieve Keeney, Jason Engler and JP Di Troia , at the 2017 in new and creative ways. We hope
CANA convention in New York City. JP and Tina DiTroia, owners of NYC’s Fresh Pond this exhibit gives people a greater
Crematory, donated historical urns and photos for the History of Cremation exhibit. understanding of the cremation process,
the options for memorialization and the
fact that funeral directors and cemeterians
3 ways to stay updated on the History of Cremation exhibit
are resources for the public to make
T he History of Cremation exhibit will celebrate its grand opening in the fall of
2018 at Houston’s National Museum of Funeral History. In the meantime, stay
connected on its progress by:
us of to explore options for permanent
placement of their cremated remains.”
• Visiting www.NMFH.org Kemmis noted that while cremation
• Signing up for the NMFH’s monthly e-newsletter via NMFH’s website continues to rise in the United States—
• Liking the NMFH on Facebook more than half of Americans are choosing
it—too often, people stop at “just cremate
me.” Where will the cremated remains
it our product and services show­case, and come to the exhibit, see a company name, rest permanently? Cemeteries struggle to
it’s a wonderful way for us to introduce a and learn about their products and services capture cremation families and get them to
company’s products and services.” when they aren’t distracted by grief. In a place remains in a permanent resting place.
Engler said the final thing visitors time of need, they may come across that Even seasoned funeral directors and
will see as they leave the exhibit is the company and will want it to be part of cemeterians struggle with presenting all
donor niche wall, provided by Carrier their loved one’s funeral process because it the options and effectively educating
Mausoleums Construction Inc. The niches is familiar. consumers.
will contain urns engraved with the names “I want companies to see this as more “Consumers are choosing cremation, but
of businesses and individuals who have than simply a donation to a nonprofit they may not clearly understand what they
supported the exhibit. The wall serves organization. It’s a relationship-builder are choosing,” Kemmis said. “Cremation is
as a visual representation of the array of with consumers that you won’t get a new tradition, so the endless options are
products, services and people who make anywhere else.” overwhelming for everyone.”
cremation a trusted and dignified part of As consumers continue to choose
death care. Learning about cremation, the challenge, she said, is
Keeney said the donor niche wall not memorialization showing consumers the seemingly
only will recognize the companies who The History of Cremation exhibit shows limitless possibilities of memorialization
participate in the exhibit but also give those and tells America’s cremation story in one after cremation.
firms name recognition in the minds of the place, in a way that’s never been done “This is a perfect time to highlight the
consumers who pass through the exhibit. before. To Engler, the exhibit delivers profession,” Kemmis said. “Consumers are
“In a time of grief, people tend to look clarity to consumers about an industry already excited about this; now it’s time
for some sense of familiarity and comfort,” shrouded in mystery. to get professionals on board and educate
Keeney said. “My goal is for people to “It’s a positive way to help the public everyone about the process.” r

126 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 Matthew C. Smith
Owner & Licensed Funeral Director
Spicer-Mullikin
Funeral Homes & Crematory Harvey C. Smith, Jr
Former Owner
Spicer-Mullikin
Funeral Homes & Crematory

FINANCING GROWTH,
HONORING TRADITION
If you are planning to purchase or grow your funeral home business,
Live Oak Bank’s lending experts are ready to guide you through the process.

Contact Tim Bridgers at 910.685.7446 to learn more.

©2017 Live Oak Banking Company. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. liveoakbank.com/funeral
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 127
Supply Line
Bonsai Urn’s celedon urn with a tradi-
tional windswept juniper.
Some of Chaton Urns offerings.
Hina
Heritage’s
chess-
themed
pawn urn.
READERS: To find the products and servic-
es you need online, go to www.
iccfa.com for the 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.
128 ICCFA Magazine
n BONSAI URN, Novato, California,
offers urns designed for growing bonsai
trees. The urns can be purchased with a
several-years-old bonsai tree in place, or the
purchaser may buy the tree from a nursery.
Each tree comes with special soil, detailed
planting instructions and a mixing cup.
Trees available are the ficus retusa, willow
leaf ficus, braided money tree, Hawaiian
umbrella tree, traditional windswept juniper
tree and trained tiered juniper.
www.bonsaiurn.com
n CHATON URNS, Boerne, Texas, is
a family-owned company offering fine
handcrafted urn designs in solid wood,
exotic veneers and Spanish lacquers.
Urns are available for both human and pet
remains.
830.368.4797; www.chatonurns.com
n PASSAGES INTERNATIONAL, Al-
buquerque, New Mexico, has hired Drew
Lara as sales manager and Rene Lopez
as part of the customer service and inside
sales team. Lara studied psychology and
strategic communications at the University
of New Mexico. Lopez studened strategic
communcations and Spanish at the UNM.
1.888.480.6400;
sales@passagesinternationalcom;
www.PassagesInternational.com
n HINA HERITAGE HANDICRAFTS,
Karachi, Pakistan, has introduced a
pawn-shaped coral cremation urn. The
chess-piece marble and onyxurn is 8 x 8 x
10 inches and has a metal lid opening on the
bottom.
www.hinaheritagehandicraft.com
n BROWNYARD GROUP, Bay Shore,
New York, has launched Memorialpro,
a new insurance program with coverage
designed for cemeteries and cremato-
ries. The program will be written through
a carrier with an A.M. Best Co. A+ rating.
Brownyard has partner with Regan Agency
Inc. of Babylon, New York, an insurance
broker to the cemetery business. Memori-
alpro offers general liability, professional
liability, commercial auto, property, inland
marine and crime and fidelity coverage.
Additional policies—commercial excess
and a combined directors and officers and
employment practices liability policy—are
available. Memorialpro will initial be avail-
able in New Jersey and Connecticut and
will roll out nationwide later in 2018.
http://brownyard.com/
n JOHNSON CONSULT-
ING, Scottsdale, Arizona,
has hired Lori Salberg
as its new senior business
development consultant.
She has more than 16 years
of experience in cemetery,
funeral home and pre-need
Salberg sales management. She also
directed the development of two propri-
etary cemetery and funeral home enterprise
software systems. She began her career in
2001 as a family service counselor for the
Catholic Cemeteries in San Jose, California.
She quickly moved into management and
rose to associate director of three cemetery
locations. In 2010, she became general
manager of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery and
Holy Angels Funeral and Cremation Center
in Hayward, California, where she also
joined the Catholic Management Services
leadership team as director of administra-
tion and IT.
In 2015, Salberg joined PlotBox as vice
president of sales. She contributed to the
development of an SaaS cemetery software
program, and was principally responsible
for introducing it to the US market. She is a
frequent speaker at many state and regional
industry events and has written for many in-
dustry magazines. She is also a member of
the ICCFA Sales and Marketing Committee,
which plans and oversees the Annual Wide
World of Sales Conference each January.
1.888.250.7747;
info@johnsonconsulting.com
www.johnsonconsulting.com
n One of the pre-need marketing pro-
grams from PRECOA, Portland, Oregon,
received national publicity via a televi-
sion news story. A Milwaukee television
story about a “pizza & preplan” community
education event at Krause Funeral Homes
and Cremation Service was picked up
by media outlets nationwide, including
Fox News, the Today Show, the Chicago
Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. The
informal gathering and comfort food are de-
signed to create a warmer, less-intimidating
environment in which to start the conver-
sation about death and the importance of
funeral service. www.precoa.com
n FUNERAL DIRECTORS LIFE IN-
SURANCE CO., Abilene, Texas, is now
offering daily commission payments for
sales professionals.
www.funeraldirectorslife.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 S U P P LY L I N E
n MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has acquired
Star Granite & Bronze, Elberton Geor-
gia, for $41.2 million, subject to a working
capital adjustment and potential contingent
consideration adjustment based on future
performance. The family-owned business
has approximately 200 employees and rev-
enues of $31.3 million in 2017. Matthews
plans to integrate Star within its Matthews
Cemetery Products business.
Also, Matthews Cem-
etery products has hired
Paul Rauch as sales man-
ager for Matthews Gibral-
tar Mausoleum. Rauch has
extensive sales and manage-
ment experience, including
20 years with the concrete Rauch
and construction industries,
and has a bachelor’s degree in industrial
technology from Eastern Michigan Univer-
sity. 1.800.223.4964; www.matw.com
n LINK MANUFACTUR-
ING, Sioux Center, Iowa,
has promoted Jeff Vierkant
to vice president of manu-
facturing. He joined Link in
December 2015 as director
of manufacturing. Prior to
joining the company, he Vierkant
gained more than 20 years
of operational experience in manufactur-
ing and human resources throughout North
America, Europe and Asia. He earned a
bachelor’s degree from Southwest Minne-
sota State University, and an MBA from the
University of Iowa.
1.800.222.6283; www.linkmfg.com
n UNITY FINANCIAL LIFE INSUR-
ANCE CO., Cincinnati, Ohio, has intro-
duced Spanish-language policies in Texas.
The program includes policies, enrollment
forms, G&S contracts and sales and market-
ing materials. Bilingual customer service
representatives are available.Additional
states will be added in the future.
Also, Unity employees recently volun-
teers at Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald
House. They prepared and served a meal
through the Taste of Hope Program that
offers families nutritious meals while they
are staying at the house to be near their
critically ill children.
1.877.523.3231; www.uflife.com
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
n TERRYBEAR, St. Paul, Minnesota,
and has introduced an infinity cross
pendant. The necklace features an intricate
infinity design that represents the endless
love shared between two people. The cross
is completed with a single cubic zirconia
on the front. The collection is made with Terrybear’s new infinity crosses.
316 stainless steel and is available in 14k
gold-plated (bronze), or stainless finish
(pewter). The design can hold a nominal
amount of remains and includes a threaded
compartment for secure closure. Each piece
comes with a matching 19-inch chain (14 k
gold-plated or stainless finish) and fill kit.
1.888.588.8767; www.terrybear.com
n CHATEAU URNS, Wellington,
Florida, has added two new finishes to its
Society line of urns. The new finishes are
coastal gray and rustic oak. Both urns are 6
x 7.7 x 4.6 inches and hold up to 213 cubic Chateu Urns’ new coastal gray finish
inches of remains. urn in its Society line.
1.888.536.5450; www.chateauurns.com
n KUBOTA, Torrance, California, has
introduced the new RTV-X1120 model
utility vehicles. They offer a 24.8-gross-
horsepower diesel engine and a top speed
of 29 mph, as well as ergonimally-designed
60:40 split bucket seats, digital dashboard
display, fully hydraulic power steering,
easily accessible parking brake and large
under-seat storage compartments. They
are available in orange and camo colors.
1.888.458.2682, ext. 900; www.kubota.com
n KELCO SUPPLY CO., Minneapolis, Kubota’s RTV-X1120 utility vehicle.
Minnesota, raised money for the Chil-
dren’s Grief
Connection.
The Kelco Cold
Water Crew
jumped into the
frigid waters of
Lake Waconia
on March 3,
2018, having
obtained pledges
from supporters
to donate to the
Children’s Grief
Connection,
which supports
camps that
help grieving
Kelco’s Cold Water Crew partici-
children and their families after the loss of pates in the 2017 fundraising plunge
a loved one. The plunge into frigid waters, into Lake Waconia.
or “frunge,” was followed by lunch and
cocktails. 1.800.328.7720;
www.kelcosupply.com
March-April 2018 129

The
System’s
personal
goal plan-
ner.
From left, Lori Asmus, development
director for Hospice of Cincinnati &
Fernside (hospice affiliate that offers
a bereavement program for children);
Bruce Buchanan, owner of the Bu-
chanan Group Inc.; and Larry Schil-
dmeyer Jr., vice president for Tufts
Schildmeyer Family Funeral Homes &
Cremation Center.
Heckman Contract’s hospitality cabinet.
130 ICCFA Magazine
S U P P LY L I N E
n THE SYSTEM UNIVERSITY, Ster-
ling, Virginia, has released its 2018 per-
sonal goal planner. The 32-page planner
was created specifically for funeral home
and cemetery sales activities, and includes
space for recording prospecting hours, ap-
pointments, presentations, number of sales
and volume. www.thesystemuniversity.com
n PRIVATE LABEL, Indianapolis,
Indiana, recently made several charitable
donations. Four organizations received $500
each: Hospice of Cincinnati & Fernside, an
affiliate that offers a bereavement program
to children, nominated by by Tufts Schild-
meyer Family Funeral Homes & Cremation
Center; Operation Honor Guard, nominated
by Sunset Funeral Home for providing fi-
nancial assistance to veterans organizations
that provide military rites at funerals for
veterans; Mission of Our Lady of the An-
gels, nomiated by Smith-Corcoran Funeral
Home for its community service to the West
Humboldt Park area on Chicago’s west side;
and Wreaths Across America, nominated by
Holman-Howel Funeral Home for its efforts
to honor veterans. Private Label is a division
of the Buchanan Group. 317.454.7070
www.BuchananPrivateLabel.com
n HEKMAN, Zeeland, Michigan, offers a
hospitality cabinet. The cabinet, which has
room for a mini-fridge and four drawers, is
available in a variety of stain finishes. An
optional hutch top is available.
616.748.2660; www.hekman.com
n GREAT WESTERN INSURANCE
CO., Ogden, Utah, has been acquired by
American Republic Insurance Co., a sub-
sidiary of American Enterprise Group, Des
Moines, Iowa. The acquisition doubles the
assets managed by AEG. John E. Lindquist,
GWIC founder, will remain involved and
continue to play a key role with funeral home
and distribution relationships. AEG COO
Dave Keith is leading the integration efforts,
overseeing a team consisting of leaders from
both organizations.
1.866.689.1415; www.gwic.com
n THE DODGE CO., Billerica, Massachu-
setts, has promoted Tim Collison and Kris-
tin Doucet. Collinson, who has been vice
president of sales and marketing since 2008,
has been named COO, and will continue with
his sales and marketing responsibilities while
overseeing overall operations. He started at
Dodge in 1986 as a sales representatives in
Michigan, becoming sales manager in 2006.
Doucet, who was named vice president
of operations, joined Dodge in 2000 as an
administrative assistant.
1.800.443.6343; www.dodgeco.com
n EXPRESS FUNERAL
FUNDING, Clarksville,
Indiana, has promoted Kory
McLaughlin to process-
ing manager. He joined the
company in 2011 and has
years of accounting experi-
ence in addition to experi-
McLaughlin ence with claims processing.
1.800.231.8383;
www.expressfuneralfunding.com
n VANDOR CORP., Richmond, Indi-
ana, has introduced One Source Prime,
which offers funeral professional a bulk
purchasing program that significantly re-
duces overall product cost when half or full
semi-trailer-loads are purchased. The list of
funeral supplies that can be ordered through
the One Source Prime program includes
traditional metal and wood caskets; cloth-
covered, veneer and cremation caskets;
ceremonial rental caskets and inserts; cre-
mation urns and other crematory supplies.
www.vandorcorp.com
n PIERCE CHEMICAL, Broadview,
Illinois, recently presented sales achieve-
ment awards to three sales representa-
tives and a distributor for their 2017
accomplishments. Sales representative
Randy Emmert received the Bill Pierce
Award, given to someone who demon-
strates exemplary professionalism and
above-and-beyond efforts. He covers the
states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and parts
of Kansas. Sales representative Ryan Lee
earned two awards, the Top Increase in
Fluid Sales Award and the Largest Increase
in Revenues Award. Covering the states
of California, Hawaii and Nevada, he had
just completed his second year with Pierce.
Sales representative Don Summers received
the Top Sales in Memorial Books Award for
2017. He covers Texas. American Wilbert
Vault Corp., Bridgeview, Illinois, received
the Top Distributor Sales Growth Award for
the second year in a row.
1.800.527.6419; www.piercechemical.com
n PASSARE, San Francisco, California,
has released the next generation of its
online Family Collaboration Center. It
helps funeral directors directors connect and
communicate with families throughout the fu-
neral planning process, from imminent need
planning to follow-up items such as death
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 S U P P LY L I N E

certificate tracking. Family members, friends Longstreth-Wilbert, Galion, Ohio; Ohio Carolina; Lawrenceburg Burial Vault Co.,
and even caregivers can be invited to col- Vault Works Inc., Valley View, Ohio; Wilbert Lawrenceburg, Tennessee; Wilbert Vaults
laborate on arrangements in real time to enter Funeral Services, Lawton, Oklahoma; of Houston LLP, Houston, Texas; Richards-
biographical information, service prefer- Wilbert Funeral Services, Oklahoma City, Wilbert Inc./Roanoke Valley, Salem, Virginia;
ences, obituary information and much more. Oklahoma; Wilbert Funeral Services, Girard, Carr Concrete, Waverly, West Virginia;
Expanatory and educational videos that guide Pennsylvania; Evans Burial Vaults, Leola, Brown-Wilbert Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
families through the funeral planning process Pennsylvania; Columbia Wilbert Vault Co., Fond du Lac Wilbert Vault Corp., Fond du
and provide answers to frequently asked Cayce, South Carolina; Wilbert Burial Vault Lac, Wisconsin; and Brown-Wilbert Inc., Sun
questions have been added. A new section Co. Inc., Greenville, South Carolina; Charles- Prairie, Wisconsin.
called “Loved One’s Story” was added so ton Wilbert Vault Co., Summerville, South 1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com r
family and friends can share information that
helps build a more personal and meaningful
tribute for their loved one. Other additions
include document-sharing capabilities, links
to funeral planning resources and reminders.
925.968.9495; www.passare.com
n Forty-nine licenses of WILBERT FU-
NERAL SERVICES, Broadview, Illinois,
earned the 2017 Ultimate Service Pro-
vider designation. Those who received the
designation are Elm Cap Industries, West
Hartford, Connecticut; Gulf Coast Wilbert
Inc., Crestview, Florida; DePue-Wilbert ARE YOU ATTENDING THE
Vault Co., Savannah, Georgia; Northern
Illinois Vault Co. Inc., Belvidere, Illinois; ICCFA CONFERENCE IN
Kelley Vault Co. Inc., Danville, Illinois;
Knauer Industries LLC, Joliet, Illinois;
APRIL?
Quad Cities Concrete Products LLC, Milan,
Illinois; Sterling Vault Co., Sterling, Illinois;
Schultz Wilbert Vault Co., Streator, Illinois;
Burlington Wilbert Vault Works Inc., Bur-
lington, Iowa; Clinton Wilbert Vaults Inc.,
Clinton, Iowa; Wilbert Burial Vault Co.,
Fort Dodge, Iowa; Roland-Wilbert Vault
Co., Marion, Iowa; Mason City Wilbert
Vault Co., Mason City, Iowa; Ottumwa
Wilbert Vault Co., Ottumwa, Iowa; and
Waterloo Wilbert Vault Co., Waterloo, Iowa.
Also, Wilbert Funeral Services, Kinsley,
Kansas; Wilbert Funeral Services, Parsons,
Kansas; Wilbert Funeral Services, Wichita,
Kansas; Wilbert Vault of Somerset Inc.,
Somerset, Kentucky; Richards-Wilbert Inc.,
Hagerstown, Maryland; Detroit Wilbert Vault
Corp., Detroit, Michigan; May Wilbert Vault
Corp., Port Huron, Michigan; Wilbert Funeral
Services, Grandview, Missouri; Wilbert
Funeral Services, Jackson, Missouri; Wilbert
Funeral Services, Moberly, Missouri; Wilbert
Funeral Services, Mountain Grove, Missouri;
Wilbert Funeral Services, St. Joseph, Mis-
souri; St. Louis Wilbert Vault Co., St. Louis,
Missouri; and Wilbert Funeral Services,
Versailles, Missouri.
Also, Josten Wilbert Vault Co., North
Platte, Nebraska; Asheville Wilbert Vault
Service Inc., Candler, North Carolina; Baxter
Burial Vault Service, Cincinnati, Ohio;

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 131

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.
CCMS’s
newly
trained
Certified
Celebrants,
who
received
their train-
ing as part
of their
curricu-
lum in the
mortuary
science
degree
program.
n Twenty-seven bachelor of mortuary
science degree students at CINCINNATI
COLLEGE OF MORTUARY SCIENCE,
Cincinnati, Ohio, recently completed a
three-day training to become InSight Cer-
tified Celebrants. The training was done by
CCMS faculty members Teresa Dutko and
Wanda Lee, funeral celebrant trainers. Cel-
ebrants learn to meet the needs of families
by creating services that honor the stories
and personalities of a family’s loved one.
“Celebrant training is so important
that it is part of our degree program,” said
CCMS President and CEO Jack E. Lech-
ner Jr., CFSP. “Death-care professionals
need foundational training to ensure they
can meet the specific needs of the families
they will serve, and this training is critical
to that end.”
Doug Manning and Glenda Stansbury
of the Insight Institute reached a long-
term goal three years ago to train others
to provide the celebrant program they’ve
been offering since 1999. They started by
developing a training and franchise license
that can be incorporated into mortuary
programs curriculum. Lee and Dutko, who
has trained as celebrants in 2005 and 2006,
respectively, were the first to answer this
call.
The newly certified celebrants are
Melanie Anderson, Leigh Badyna, Cath-
132 ICCFA Magazine
erine Collins, Emily Doan, Jessica Eck- ized to reflect the personality and lifestyle
stein, Anastasia Elencovf, Mason Elrod, of the person remembered. The location
Aaron Engle, Courtney Evans, Michael will serve more than 200 Denver families
Faraco, Sydney Heinle, Alecia Hellkamp, this year with ceremonies that are unique
Samuel Henson, Lynne Hoffman, Brandon to their loved one.
Jackson, Jordan Kill, Vanessa Leon-Verde, “Without Diane, our celebrant program
Brandon Miller, Emma Miner, Nikita Og- would not be so successful,” said Denver
ard, Delzie Osborne, Layne Perone, Sandra Market Director Matthew Whaley. “She
Sanders, Sarah Stansbery, Tyra Turk, Jes- has hired and mentored 10 celebrants for
sica Wavra and Katia White. us here in Denver and her amazing ability
n SERVICE CORPORATION IN- to create a service like no other—which
TERNATIONAL, Houston, Texas, and its
brand, Dignity Memorial, have presented
Diane Gansauer with the SCI Service
Excellence Award for Excellence in
Market Leadership. Gansauer is director
of celebrant services at Olinger Crown Hill
Mortuary and Cemetery, Denver, Colora-
do. She was recognized for going beyond
the call of duty in her work, exceeding
expectations in service and executing tasks
with accuracy, precision and creativity.
Gansauer has managed the Celebrant
Services Program since November 2013,
during which time the Denver area has
grown to have the largest celebrant pro-
gram of all Dignity Memorial markets.
Certified celebrants have been trained
and certified to meet the needs of families
during their time of loss by providing a fu- Diane Gansauer receives the SCI
neral service, memorial service or service Service Excellence Award from Denver
tribute that is personalized and individual- Market Director Matthew Whaley.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 U P D AT E

is our brand promise—is second to none.

Diane works long hours putting the final
touches on these unique and special
stories, and she does it because she truly
wants to bring out the essence of the life
lived.”
Gansauer began working at Olinger
Crown Hill Mortuary after a 25-year career
in wildlife and land conservation. During
that time, she met Robert Waltrip, founder
of SCI, while working on the protection of
the wildlife habitat on his ranch property.
Waltrip was impressed with the ceremony
she planned to honor the completion of the
multi-year effort to install conservation
easements on the property and connected
her with Whaley.
n Julie Olds, director of community
relations and education at SCHOED-
INGER FUNERAL AND CREMATION
SERVICE, Columbus, Ohio, has recently
received certification in thanatology. The
Certified Thanatologist credential is spon-
sored through the Association for Death
Education and Counseling. Candidates are
required to have a bachelor’s degree, two
years of related work experience and 60
credit hours of continuing education, and
then must pass a standardized exam cover-
ing the following topics: contemporary
perspectives of death; loss and grief; coping
with dying; life-span issues; bereavement
support through interventions; cultural
implications; and ethics, regulatory and
legislative issues. Schoedinger strives to
provide cutting-edge programs and support
to the professional healthcare community
of Central Ohio, as well as to the families
they serve. Olds’ certification ensures that
their programs and information follow the
latest in death, dying, grief and bereavement
Come GROW
theories and practices.
n CARRIAGE SERVICES, Houston,
with Us
Texas, has acquired Thomas F. Dalton
Funeral Homes, Long Island, New York.
The funeral home dates back to 1924 when
Academy of
Thomas F. Dalton began serving the families
of Floral Park from a single facility. The third
Professional Funeral
generation, Tim Dalton and Dalton-Costello, Service Practice
entered the family business in 1977 and 1983,
respectively, and later transitioned owner
owners. Under their leadership, the business
has grown to the surrounding communities
and now serves more than 900 families annu-
ally with five chapels. Beth Dalton-Costello
will be staying on at the business under a www.apfsp.org
five-year employment agreement.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 133


The holiday party and fundraiser held at US Columbarium co-sponsored by the
columbarium and thse Queens West Kiwanis Foundation.
n US COLUMBARIUM CO., Middle
Village, New York, partnered with the
Queens West Kiwanis Foundation for a
holiday party and fundraiser for St.
Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside,
New York. New York State Association of
Cemeteries Past Pesident Ray Planell, who
is a St. Mary’s board member, attended
the event, which raised more than $2,000.
A woman whose daughter received open
heart surgery at the hospital spoke at the
event, which also featured musical perfor-
mances. US Columbarium is at Fresh Pond
Crematory. President is J.P. Di Troia.
134 ICCFA Magazine
U P D AT E
n WEST LAUREL HILL
CEMETERY & FUNER-
AL HOME and LAUREL
HILL CEMETERY, Bala
Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, has
a new president and CEO,
Nancy Goldenberg. She
also will provide oversight
Goldenberg to the Friends of Laurel Hill
Cemetery. She has a degree in urban stud-
ies from George Washington University,
Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree
in city planning from the University of
Pennsylvania. She previously served as
vice president for planning and develop-
ment for Center City District and executive
director of its foundation and as chief of
staff for the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society. West Laurel Hill Cemetery was
founded in 1869. In 1996, West Laurel Hill
acquired Bringhurst Funeral Home, and
built the funeral home on the grounds. In
2005, it purchased Turner Funeral Home.
n Randy C. Reeves was
recently confirmed as un-
der secretary for memorial
affairs of the NATIONAL
CEMETERY ADMINIS-
TRATION, Washington,
D.C., As under secretary, he
leads 135 national cemeter-
ies in providing dignified Reeves
burial services for veterans
and eligible family members. His responsi-
bilities include maintaining the cemeteries
as national shrines; design and construc-
tion activities related to the establishment
of new national cemeteries; overseeing
memorial programs to honor the service of
veterans, including the provision of head-
stones, markers, medallions and presiden-
tial memorial certificates; and administer-
ing federal grants to help states, territories
and tribal governments establish veterans
cemeteries.
Prior to his confirmation, Reeves served
as the executive director of the Mississippi
Veterans Affairs Board from 2011 to 2017.
During his tenure, he drastically increased
service to Mississippi veterans while con-
sistently improving fiscal accountability
and efficiency of operations.
Reeves originally entered military
service in 1980 when he enlisted in the
United States Air Force. He served for
eight years as an enlisted man in the Air
Force and was commissioned as an officer
in the United States Navy in 1988. He is
a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and
the Global War on Terrorism with multiple
deployments during combat operations.
He is a Certified Public Manager and
a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School
of Government Senior Executive Program
at Harvard University, the John C. Stennis
Institute State Executive Development In-
stitute at Mississippi State University and
the Institute for Educational Leadership
Education Policy Fellowship program. He
earned a master’s degree in health science
from Touro University and a bachelor’s
degree in management from Peru State
College in Nebraska.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

Jeff Touchette, memorial design special- Mitchell talked about about consuls need to
ist for Albany Diocesan Cemeteries.
n ALBANY DIOCESAN CEMETER-
IES, Albany, New York, has opened its
new Catholic Monument Design center.
Jeff Touchette is serving as memorial
design specialist. The website lists the dif- death of original presenter Carson Sprow of
ferent design option categories available,
including memorials and markers; memo-
rial tributes, including mausoleum em-
blems and portraits; mausoleum artwork
such as mosaics and icons; memorial,
trees, bluebird boxes and benches; private
mausoleums; and family heritage lots.
In memoriam
Carson Wade Sprow
Carson Wade Sprow, presi-
dent and founder of Inter-
national Mortuary Shipping
LLC, died unexpectedly on
February 18, 2018.
He was a U.S. Army
combat veteran (February 1979-August
1989), having served as an Army Ranger,
2nd Bn, 75th Infantry, and an instructor
in the Florida Phase and Desert Phase
Ranger School during his final five years
of service.
He graduated from the Commonwealth
Institute of Funeral Service, Houston, Tex-
as, in 1990. During his career, he taught
restorative arts in the Piedmont Technical
College mortuary program and served
as preceptor for students completing the
internships required for licensing.
He also co-authored the Standard
Operating Procedures for identification of
human remains through prosthetics and or-
thodontics with the late Dr. Tony Manouki-
an, chief medical examiner for the state of
Hawaii. The SOP was first used following
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
U P D AT E
n Archer Harmon, general manager
of FAIRFAX MEMORIAL FUNERAL
HOME, Fairfax, Virginia, recently made
a presentation to the consular corps of
Washington, D.C., on repatriation of hu-
man remains. The training session, “From
Death Through Repatriation of Remains:
What Every Consul Needs to Know,” held at
the Embassy of New Zealand, was designed
to inform consuls of what to do when they
receive word that one of their country’s
nationals has died in the U.S.
D.C. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Robert
know and do once a body has been identified.
Harmon talked about what needs to be done
after the coroner has finished his or her work
and signed the death certificate. He agreed
to fill in at the last minute after the untimely
International Mortuary Shipping (see obitu-
ary, below).
Harmon explained what happens after a
funeral home receives the body, including the
embalming and preparation of the body for
travel or cremation, the paperwork required
before repatriation and the logistics involved
Hurricane Katrina and later adapted for use
by other disaster organizations.
He was a member of the National
Funeral Directors Association, the South
Carolina Funeral Directors Association, the
South Carolina Coroner’s Association and
ALPAR (the Association of Latin Ameri-
can Funeral Homes and Cemeteries).
Survivors include his wife, Gale Plotkin
Sprow, and his brother, Carl Sprow. He
was predeceased by his son, Wade Sprow.
Visitation was held at the S.R. Hol-
combe Funeral Home, Union, South
Carolina, followed by burial at the Georgia
National Cemetery in Canton. Memorial
donations can be made to The Rebecca
Kutchins Fund, 1101 Perimeter Drive,
Suite 760, Shaumberg, IL 60173; or to MD
Anderson, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, #426,
Houston, TX 77030.
Franklin O.L. Steinberg
Franklin O.L. Steinberg, 83, funeral direc-
tor, president and owner of Sunset Cha-
pels, Manhasset, New York, died January
12, 2018. He was past president and long-
standing board member of the Metropoli-
tan Funeral Directors Association.
Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home Gen-
eral Manager Archer Harmon with New
Zealand Consul General Anna Law after
Harmon’s repatriation presentation to
the consular corps of Washington, D.C.
in repatriation. He explained metal caskets
for transportation, as well as casket alterna-
tives and oversees shipping containers, as
well as the requirements for shipping cemated
remains.
The organizer thanked Harmon for his
explanation of the step-by-step process of
preparing the necessary paperwork, and noted
that the presentation was, unfortunatley very
timely, as a diplomatic colleague of one at-
tendee died less than 12 hours later. r
A visitation and religious funeral ser-
vices were held at Fairchild Sons Funeral
Chapel in Manhasset. Interment was at Mt.
Ararat Cemetery, Lindenhurst, New York.
Steven Frank Vincent
Steven Frank Vincent, 70 of
Galena, Illinois, died from
congestive heart failure on
January 23, 2018. He earned
a degree in business and
accounting at the University
of Wisconsin Platteville. He
became a fourth-generation owner of J.P.
Vincent & Sons in 1970. He was elected
to the Doric Products Board of Directors
in 1991 and had been serving as president
since 2006. He had served as a member of
the St. Michael Cemetery Committee and
as secretary of Greenwood Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Patti, son
Michael and daughter Stephanie.
A visitation and funeral were held at the
Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena. Burial
was in Greenwood Cemetery, Galena. Me-
morials may be given to Greenwood Cem-
etery, P.O. Box 326, Galena, IL 61036. r
March-April 2018 135
 U P D AT E

The River Room at Riverview Funeral Home, with a view of the Hudson River, is the most spacious room for services in the area.

Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey opens

R iverview Funeral Home by Halvey, a
Beacon, New York, business founded
in 1933, celebrated its new riverview facility
with a grand opening celebration at the end
of 2017.
“We are excited to welcome the Beacon
community to our new
riverview location,” said
Riverview Funeral Home
President Patrick Halvey.
“Moving from 24 Willow
Street to 2 Beekman Street
gives us the opportunity
to provide the Beacon
Halvey
community with a modern,
spacious and beautiful facility to serve
families in their time of need.”
Attendees enjoyed tours of the new
faci­lity; beautiful Hudson River views;
and spirits, beer and food from Beacon
merchants.
Raffles for gift certificates to local Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, in Beacon, New York.
 ➤to page 138
136 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 U P D AT E

Above and below left, the Mountain Room provides a serene space for families wanting a smaller gathering. It also can be
used as a lounge or overflow space for large services. The grand foyer, below right, has a stone tile floor and a chandelier.
The room is dominated by the original painting “Beacon’s Long Dock.”

Left, the River

Room includes a
traditional seating
area as well as a
cozier living-room
atmosphere. Fami-
lies often choose
to display pictures
on the dressers
and tables while
also being able to
display a photo
montage or video
tribute of their
loved one on the
monitors.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 137


One of the photos on the firm’s website
emphasizes the view of the Hudson
River.
➤from page 136
restaurants were held throughout the event.
“The Halveys have created an extra­
ordinary funeral home, with floor to ceiling
windows overlooking the majestic Hudson
River, to serve families in their time of need,”
said Beacon architect Aryeh Siegel, who
designed the facility.
Some
of the
students
in PIMS’
most
recent
graduat-
ing class
n PITTSBURGH INSTITUTE OF
MORTUARY SCIENCE, Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania, recently held its 165th commence-
ment exercise. The commencement address
was delivered by Susan A. Stuart, president
and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery
and Education. Candidates received diplo-
mas in embalming and funeral directing or
associate degrees in funeral service arts and
sciences. One student received a bachelor’s
degree from Thiel College in Greenville,
Pennsylvania. Through PIMS’ cooperative
bachelor degree programs, he was able to
combine course work from PIMS with his
education at Thiel. PIMS also has three other
colleges/universities it shares a cooperative
bachelor’s degree program with.
Several awards were presented at the cere-
mony. The Memorial Award was presented to
Joseph Greenfield, chosen by his classmates
138 ICCFA Magazine
U P D AT E
The funeral home is on a hillside
overlook­ing the Hudson River, which
provides a backdrop for families to gather in
a peaceful, tranquil environment. The funeral
home includes a family arrangement room
where all merchandise can be viewed
online in 3D on a 72-inch television
monitor in a comfortable setting.
In addition to Siegel, the Halveys em­
ployed more than a dozen Beacon contractors
to complete the construction of the building.
Riverview by Halvey Funeral Home also
commissioned a special painting of the view
from Beacon’s Long Dock Park from local
artist Russ Cusick of Russell Cusick Gallery
to hang in the entryway of the building.
The funeral home, now one of the largest
in New York’s Hudson Valley, has been fully
rebuilt with a substantial patio, two spacious
as the student who, through qualities of lead-
ership, professional conduct and good citizen-
ship, best typifies the ideals of the student
body. The John Rebol Award was presented
to Juliana Fortunato, who had maintained the
highest scholastic average for the school year.
On behalf of the PIMS Board of Directors,
she also received a $500 scholarship.
Londyn Hutson received the William J.
Musmanno Memorial Award in recognition
of her outstanding ability, attitude, com-
mitment and achievement in the clinical
embalming setting. She received a $500
scholarship approved by the PIMS Board of
Directors and an embalming kit from PIMS
alumnus Wayne Urbine. The Pierce Chemical
Chemical Restorative Art Award was present-
ed to Amanda Champney in recognition of
her outstanding ability, commitment, attitude
and achievement in the areas of restorative
service rooms and
endless views of the
Hudson River.
While maintaining
a classic traditional
style cohesive
with the existing
neighborhood,
the new facility
is a modern, 100
percent handicapped-
accessible building
with plenty of onsite Zoey Halvey, com-
parking. munity outreach
The funeral home manager.
also employs Zoey Halvey, a goldendoodle,
as its community outreach manager.
The funeral home is a third-generation
business started by John Halvey. r
art and cosmetology. Pierce representative
Michael Kuruc, a PIMS alumnus, made this
award available.
Derek Anderson received the Dodge
Award recognizing a student who dem-
onstrated both exceptional and theoretical
expertise throughout the embalming curricula
practicum. Matt Black, Dodge representa-
tive and PIMS alumnus, made this award
available. Anderson also received a complete
Dodge embalming kit.
Joseph Barnett received The Champion
Award for Mortuary Science. The award is
given to the student recognized by the PIMS
science faculty to have demonstrated the
overall scholarship, aptitude and practical
skills specifically in the core science compo-
nent of PIMS program. Paul Bauman, Cham-
pion vice-president and general manager,
presented Barnett with a plaque and a $500
product credit towards Champion products.
Alistair Kamm received the Eugene C.
Ogrodnick Entrepreneurial Award, based on
stewardship, scholarship and leadership. The
award is presented to the student chosen by
the core business faculty of PIMS as having
the entrepreneurial spirit and greatest poten-
tial to impact the funeral service industry at
large. Kamm received a $1,000 check, half
from PIMS and half from PIMS President
Eugene Ogrodnik and his wife, Karen.
Ten percent of the graduates received the
Mu Sigma Alpha Award, established by the
National Association of Colleges of Mortuary
Science to recognize scholarship and citizen-
ship. They are Nicholas Beck, Alina Fields,
Rachael Harris, Karl Meyer and Neil Smith.r
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 I C C FA S TA F F P R O F I L E S

Giroux keeps track of the association’s money

Name: Teresa Giroux

Started with the ICCFA: January 2016

Job title: Accounting coordinator

What you do for our members (primary

duties): All aspects of accounts receivable,
including cash receipts, magazine, music
license and sponsorship invoicing, as well
as check and credit card processing. I also
help process accounts payable invoices and
payments on a weekly basis.

Professional background prior to

coming to the ICCFA: I worked in
the accounting department for a trade
association for 18 years but have worked
in the accounting field for the past 25
years.

What do you like most about working

at the ICCFA? The people and the small
office makes it feel like family. I have ICCFA Accounting Coordinator Teresa Giroux.
worked for mid-size and small companies
throughout my career but have gravitated for an automotive trade association and busy the majority of the time, but I love to
toward a small business environment. people used to say “I can’t believe you read, take my dog on long walks and just
work in an auto shop!” Now they say hang out with family and friends. I love
What have you learned about the
“What? You work with bodies? Why can’t the beach, so most vacations are spent
cemetery or funeral profession that has
you get a normal job!” Like I said, I just in North Carolina, but I hope to travel to
surprised you the most? That ashes can
laugh. Hawaii one of these days! I am an avid
be made into almost anything—amazing.
country music fan, so one of the highlights
Outside interests/hobbies/accomplish­ of my 2017 was getting to meet Jo Dee
What’s your answer to people who say,
ments: I have two teenagers who keep me Messina at our convention in Nashville. r
“You work where?” I just laugh. I worked

Guidone coordinates meetings,

conferences for ICCFA members
Name: Jaclyn Guidone
Started with the ICCFA: July 2017
Job title: Meeting coordinator/planner
What you do for our members (primary
duties): I handle everything related to
registration, coordinate details of each
meetings, and schedule and organize
speakers for two of the ICCFA meetings.
Professional background prior to
coming to the ICCFA: Most recently I
was a client coordinator at WJ Weiser and
Associates, an association management
ICCFA Meeting Coordinator/Planner
Jaclyn Guidone.
company in the Chicagoland area, where
my main responsibilities were meeting
coordination and working directly
with members to help them register for
meetings, pay membership dues, obtain CE
information and certificates, etc.
What do you like most about working at
the ICCFA? I most enjoy learning about
all the different facets of the industry and
working with all the compassionate people
in death care. Working at ICCFA makes
me feel like we are a part of helping our
members and attendees better serve their
families. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 139

 A S S O C I AT I O N Q & A

Questions from a new member to a hypothetical room full of ICCFA members:

“For pet cremation, how do you attract more veterinary clients?”
Coleen Ellis, CT, CPLP,
managing partner and chief
marekting officer, The Pet
Loss Center, Dallas, Texas;
co-chair of the PLPA
First of all, there is no
quick and easy answer to
this question. Attracting
more veterinary clients is a process that
needs to happen every day. Initially, make
sure the offering of your enterprise is
relevant, and under­stand if your pricing is
appropriate for your services and is fairly
set.
Next, consistently making sales calls to
understand a clinic’s needs and desires will
be key. Consistently making sales calls, as
well as being persistent in getting to the
person who needs to hear your story, are
crucial.
In addition, find events and places
you can attend to continue to share your
brand and commitment to partnering with
veterinary clients. You will need to share
your story time and time and time again.
To reiterate: There is no quick and easy
answer to this question other than planning
your work and working your plan for sales
and marketing calls. And, persistency and
consistency in these sales calls will also be
a bonus. r

New Members
Providing exceptional education, networking
and legislative guidance and support to
progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation
professionals worldwide
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICCFA AND MEMBERSHIP
• Go to www.iccfa.com/membership to download a benefits
brochure and an application form.
• Call 1.800.645.7700 to have membership information faxed or
mailed to you.
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. IC-
CFA 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 ap-
plicant is rejected, they will be granted an appeal upon written request.
The decision of the Board of Directors shall be final.

Regular Professional/Supplier Phyll The Love LLC

Bateman Newport LLC Arrow Vault Co. Inc. Greenwood Village, Colorado
Newport, Oregon Lafayette, Indiana Qingdao Heng Ming Da Co Ltd.
Brown-Forward Funeral Service Ash Beads Qingdao, Shandong, China
Shaker Heights, Ohio Eureka, California Saint Francis Cromo Inc.
Callaway-Smith-Cobb Funeral and Bonsai Urn Sun Valley, California
Cremation Services Novato, California SongPods of Solace
Marlow, Oklahoma Brownyard Group Tippecanoe, Ohio
Clymer Cremations & Funeral Home Bay Shore, New York The Price Shopper
Palm Coast, Florida Cremation By Grandview Greeley, Colorado
Desert Valley Mortuary* Maryville, Tennessee
Somerton, Arizona Foothill Funeral & Cremation Service
Professional: Pet Loss Services
Glendora, California Faithful Friends Pet Memory Center
Joseph P Reardon Funeral Home and
Florence, Kentucky
Cremation Service Handful of Home
Ventura, California Dublin, Ireland Monroe Veterinary Associates
Rochester, New York
Karl N Flagg Serenity Memorial Chapel HIS Crystal Memory Co.
Inc. Tomball, Texas Only Cremations for Pets
Palatka, Florida Newport Beach, California
Infinite Innovations
Music City Mortuary Springfield, Missouri Resting Waters Aquamation
Nashville, Tennessee Seattle, Washington
Modularium Structures Inc.
*rejoined  r
Oakwood Memorial Park Tillsonburg, Ontario
Ottawa, Illinois Partner Plus Media
Perinchief Chapels Charlotte, North Carolina
Mount Holly, New Jersey Phoenix Memorial*
Puertas del Cielo SA de CV Champlain, New York
Puebla, Mexico

140 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 I C C FA N E W S

Winners of the 2017 Keeping It Personal Awards

R
esults for the 2017 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards Honorable Mention
are in! The KIP Awards showcase the very best in Los Parques, S.A. : “Memories of

KP
KI
Best in Personalization
personalization in the death-care profession. We received Light”
51 entries from around the world, including Bermuda, Canada, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemala and the United States. The winners are:

Most Personalized Service or Memorial Innovative Personalized

Product A wardd
First Place and Grand Prize Winner
Pray Funeral Home: “The Celebration of Evan Adams” First Place
Charlotte, Michigan Heaven’s Maid: “Graveside Cleaning Online Platform”
Hazel Park, Michigan
Honorable Mention
Mountain View Funeral Home Honorable Mention
“Memorial for Princess Kaia Howard” Memorial Reefs International LLC: “Reef Balls”
Lakewood, Washington Hamilton Parrish, Bermuda

Best Practice/Personal Touch Most Personalized Pet Service or Memorial

First Place First Place
Striffler-Hamby Mortuary: Clock Timeless Pets: “A Hero’s Final Farewell”
“Cremated Remains with a Personal Touch” Muskegon, Michigan
Columbus, Georgia
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention Timberland Urns: “Chad’s Labrador Retriever Photo Urn”
Legacy Touch: “The Legacy Touch Advantage” Eagan, Minnesota
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
All KIP Award first place and honorable mention winners will
Best Event be showcased at the 2018 Annual Convention & Expo in Las
First Place Vegas, Nevada, April 18-21. Each year, the grand prize winner
French Funerals-Cremations/Sunset Memorial Park: receives a free registration to the convention. All winners will be
“Scatter Day” featured this year in ICCFA Magazine. For more information on
Albuquerque, New Mexico the winners, visit www.iccfa.com/kip. q

WWS attendees leave NOLA with lagniappe to remember

Y
ou just can’t go to New Orleans and not have a good time! From the
minute you get to town, the atmosphere of the place takes over, and
leaves you open to an experience you can’t get anywhere else. Ask
anyone who attended the 2018 Wide World of Sales Conference and they’ll
tell you the January conference is a great way to set the tone for the coming
year. As one attendee put it, the WWS program is filled with “great practical
content to take home and use every day.”
Attending a sales conference, you would expect to hear about prospecting,
presenting and closing a sale, but have you ever thought about counting how
many no’s you get, instead of how many yes’s? Or what about throwing out
your canned sales piece and turning your presentation into a conversation? Or
maybe, just maybe, renting space at your local farmers’ market is a fresh way
to meet potential families. Members of the Sales & Marketing Committee at
Everyone who attended WWS 2018 left with “a little something extra,” a the 2018 Wide World of Sales in New Orleans
lagniappe of some sort. For some, it may have been the motivation to make
2018 a record-breaking year, for others, maybe a new professional contact or two, a new idea to spruce up their aftercare program
or a revised strategy for reaching beyond the expected. No matter what it may have been, there is no denying that WWS 2018 had
something for everyone.
Details for the 2019 Wide World of Sales are coming soon. Check www.wideworldofsales.com for continuous updates on the 2019
WWS dates and venue. q

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 141

 I C C FA N E W S

THANK YOU TO
OUR 2018 ANNUAL
CONVENTION SPONSORS
ACADEMY OF PROFESSIONAL FUNERAL GUERRA & GUTIERREZ MORTUARY
SERVICE PRACTICE
HEPBURN SUPERIOR US CHEMICAL
ANSWERING SERVICE FOR DIRECTORS (ASD)
HILLSIDE MEMORIAL PARK & MORTUARY
ARGENT TRUST
HOMESTEADERS
ASSURANT
IMSA
ASTRAL INDUSTRIES INC.
INGLEWOOD PARK CEMETERY
BATESVILLE
JOHNSON CONSULTING GROUP
BLACKSTONE CEMETERY DEVELOPMENT
LANDMARK CONTROL SERVICES
C&J FINANCIAL
LEGACY.COM
CAVE HILL CEMETERY
LENDING USA
CHOSEN PAYMENTS
MADELYN CO.
CLEARPOINT FEDERAL BANK & TRUST
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CORE SCIENTIFIC
MILLER CONSULTANTS
CREEDY & CO.
NGL INSURANCE GROUP
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NOMIS PUBLICATIONS INC.
DAVEY TREE
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DISRUPT MEDIA
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PLOTBOX
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PRECOA
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SERVICE CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL
FOREST LAWN MEMORIAL-PARKS & MORTUARIES
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FUNERAL DIRECTORS LIFE INSURANCE
STONEMOR PARTNERS LP
GIBRALTAR REMEMBRANCE SERVICES
THE GARDENS AT GETHSEMANE
GLOBAL ATLANTIC FINANCIAL GROUP
THE SIGNATURE GROUP
GLOBAL RECRUITERS CINCINNATI
WEBCEMETERIES.COM

142 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 I C C FA N E W S

Tom Flynn to receive the 2018 Lasting Impact Award

F
uneral and cemetery professionals may recognize Tom Flynn as a
regular attendee of International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral
Association (ICCFA) educational events, often accompanied by
a grief therapy dog—these days, Soloman, and in years past, Derek, the
first Canine Companions for Independence grief therapy dog placed with
a cemetery-funeral professional. But to many people he became a familiar
face years ago, when he started the famous Avenue of 444 Flags by adding
one American flag to the cemetery’s entrance for each day Americans
were held hostage in Iran after the 1979 embassy takeover. In recent years,
he added the War on Terror Memorial to his Hermitage, Pennsylvania,
cemetery, America’s Cemetery. His dedication to honor those who have
died in the name of freedom and teach future generations about the high
price of that freedom is a testament to his vision, moral code and character.
“Tom Flynn is such a natural to be honored and celebrated, based on his
lifelong mentoring and educating of so many individuals in our profession,” Tom Flynn with grief therapy dog Soloman.
said ICCFA Educational Foundation President Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE.
The Educational Foundation’s Lasting Impact Award will be presented
to Flynn at a reception on April 19, 2018, during the ICCFA Annual
Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lasting Impact Award
is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions
to our profession in education and memorialization.
The 2018 ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo will also feature three
keynote speakers as well as breakout sessions that focus on issues such
as sales, cremation, human resources and more. This year, a ticket to the
Educational Foundation Reception is free with each full or guest registration,
and each exhibiting company will receive one free ticket per 10-by-10
booth space. Full program details and registration are available at www.
iccfaconvention.com.
The ICCFA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-free
entity the sole purpose of which is to provide financial assistance to help
students attend ICCFA University and ICCFA’s Wide World of Sales
Conference. Thirty-six scholarships were awarded in 2017. For additional
information, please visit www.iccfa.education. q

Tom Flynn and Soloman visit the Family Bronze

booth at the 2017 ICCFA Convention & Expo.

Lasting Impact Award recipients

Jan Scruggs (2017)
James “Big Jim” Darby (2016)
Dave Wharmby, CCE (2015)
Gary O’Sullivan, CCFE (2014)
Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE (2014)

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 143

 I C C FA N E W S

Above, Elvig in Washington, D.C.,

speaking at the Federal Trade Commis-
sion’s public forum on the Telemarket-
ing Sales Rule. Elvig has frequently
spoken on behalf of the association at
Washington hearings.
Left, Elvig and Anderson Cooper on the
set of “60 Minutes,” where Elvig repre-
sented the association.

Paul Elvig to receive 2018 ICCFA Hall of Fame Award

T
he ICCFA will honor Paul M. Elvig with
its prestigious Hall of Fame Award during
the ICCFA 2018 Convention & Exposition,
April 18-21 at the Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Elvig is the retired general manager of
Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral
Home in Seattle, Washington. He served as
ICCFA president in 2007-2008. He also served
the association in many capacities through the years, including as secretary
and as fundraising chair for the ICCFA PAC, where he single-handedly Above, Elvig greeting first-time attendees at the
raised tens of thousands of dollars for the association’s political action 2011 ICCFA Convention & Expo. Below, Elvig con-
committee. fers with ICCFA Legal Counsel Robert Fells in Sen.
Elvig has been the ICCFA’s “go-to” spokesperson, testifying on John Barrasso’s office during a visit by ICCFA
representatives to congressional offices.
many occasions before the Federal Trade Commission and House and
Senate Congressional committees and, most memorably, representing the
association on the “60 Minutes” television show, where he was interviewed
by Anderson Cooper. Elvig continues to chair the ICCFA State Association
& Regulation Subcommittee.
Elvig has been a participant in many legal and legislative panels at
the ICCFA Annual Convention and at the association’s Fall Management
Conference. For many years after serving as president, Elvig attended the
convention with his camera and visited every booth in the expo hall, often
with the current president, greeting each exhibitor and taking photos of
every booth.
The Hall of Fame award is the ICCFA’s highest honor. It was created
to honor those people who have demonstrated unselfish service and
outstanding contributions to the ICCFA, to the cemetery, funeral, cremation
or memorialization service profession, and, ultimately, to the public. Since
its creation in 1965, it has been awarded to only 34 individuals. q

144 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 Calendar
➤E-mail calendar listings and additions or corrections ➤For continually updated meeting listings and direct links to websites for associations,
to bclough@iccfa.com and sloving@iccfa.com. go to www.iccfa.com, click on Events and then go to View Full Calendar of Events.

March 28: Alliance of Illinois Cemeterians

Workshop, Chippiannock Cemetery, Rock
Island. www.aicemeterians.org
April 4-6: Order of the Golden Rule 59th
Annual Conf., Savannah, Georgia.
www.ogr.org
April 5-7: TANEXPO, Bologna, Italy.
www.tanexpo.com
April 9-11: North Dakota Funeral Direc-
tors Assn. Annual Convention, Fargo.
www.ndfda.org
April 14-17: Oklahoma Funeral Directors
Assn. 116th Annual Convention, Norman.
www.okfda.org
April 18-21: ICCFA Annual Convention &
Expo, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las
Vegas, Nevada. www.iccfa.com
April 25: ICCFA Cremation Operator
Training, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral
Service, Decatur, Georgia. www.iccfa.com
April 25: Selected Independent Funeral
Homes Spring Management Summit, The
DeSoto Hotel, Savannah, Georgia.
www.selectedfuneralhomes.org
April 26: CANA Cremation Operations
Certification Program, Kansas City, Kan-
sas. www.cremationassociation.org
Go to www.iccfa.com for the online association event calendar, which is constantly
April 27: Alliance of Illinois Cemeteri-
updated. From the home page, choose Education/Events/View full calendar of events.
ans Workshop,Funk’s Grove Cemetery,
McLean. www.aicemeterians.org nual Convention, Sandy. www.ufda.org Certification Program, Vancouver, British
April 29-May 2: Kansas Funeral Directors May 2-4: South Dakota Funeral Direc- Columbia. www.cremationassociation.org
Assn. Annual Convention, Topeka. tors Assn. 119th Annual Convention, Sioux May 8-10: Nebraska Funeral Directors
www.ksfda.org Falls. www.sdfda.org Assn. Annual Convention, Lincoln.
May 1: Florida Cemetery, Cremation and May 8: Batesville webinar, “Bridging the www.nefda.org
Funeral Assn. Embalming Seminar, Orlan­ Digital Divide—Using Technology to Drive May 9: ICCFA Cremation Operator Train-
do. www.thefccfa.com Consumer Value.” www.Batesville.com ing, Mid-America College of Funeral Ser-
May 2-3: Utah Funeral Directors Assn. An- May 8: CANA Cremation Operations vice, Jeffersonville, Indiana. www.iccfa.com
 ➤to page 146

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com March-April 2018 145


45 A.C. Furniture
133 Academy of Professional Funeral
Service Practice
13 Aftercare.com
133 American Cemetery/Mortuary
Consultants
45 American Funeral & Cemetery
Trust Services
67 ASD—Answering Service for
Directors
35 Astral Industries
2 Batesville Casket
5 Biondan North America Inc.
49 Blackstone Cemetery Development
23 C&J Financial
133 Cave Co.
53 Cherokee Casket
95 Clearpoint Federal Bank & Trust
31 Columbarium by Design LLC
33 Continental Computer Corp.
79 Cooperative Funeral Fund
131 Core Scientific
115 Cremation With Confidence
85 Custom Air Trays
61 Doric Products
63 Eagle’s Wings Air
85 Eickhof Columbaria Inc.
15 Ensure-A-Seal
77 Express Funeral Funding
39 Federal Coach Co.
21 Flowers for Cemeteries
109 Foundation Partners Group
81 Funeral Call Answering Service
101 Funeral Director’s Management
System
146 ICCFA Magazine
AD INDEX
43 Funeral Home Gifts 111 Northeast Mausoleum
113 Funeral Services Inc. 81 Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &
148 funeralOne Hippel
105 Global Atlantic Financial Group 93 OM Stone
71 Great Western Insurance Co. 81 PlotBox
89 Precoa
67 Grever & Ward
45 RBC Wealth Management
83 Heritage Flower Co.
21 Holland Supply 111 SEP Technologies
79 Holy Land Stone 74 Sich Caskets
51 Homesteaders Life Co. 75 Sich Caskets
147 IMSA 79 SongPods of Solace
121 Inman Shipping Worldwide 107 Southern Cemetery, Cremation &
Funeral Association
91 Johnson Consulting
125 SRS Computing
23 Kryprotek
27 Star Granite & Bronze
87 LA Ads
11 StoneMor Partners
55 Legacy Touch
79 Supply Link
3 Lending USA
24 Terrybear Urns & Memorials
127 Live Oak Bank
25 Terrybear Urns & Memorials
37 LoveUrns LLC
13 The Bancorp
131 Madelyn Co.
99 The Foresight Companies LLC
9 Matthews Cemetery Products
43 THE SYSTEM
69 Matthews Environmental Solutions
121 THE SYSTEM
81 Mausoleum Supply Inc.
123 The Tribute Companies
29 McCleskey Mausoleums
65 Trigard
21 McLean, Koehler, Sparks &
Hammond 29 Triple H Co.
119 Meadow Hill Corp. 17 U.S. Metalcraft
7 Memorial Reefs International 116 Vandor Corp./Starmark Funeral
Products
19 Merendino Cemetery Care
117 Vandor Corp./Starmark Funeral
47 MKJ Marketing
Products
73 National Guardian Life Insurance Co.
63 Vantage Products Corp.
53 National Mortuary Shipping &
123 VKM International
Cremation
41 Wilbert Funeral Services
84 National Museum of Funeral History
67 WithumSmith + Brown
67 Nomis Publications
37 Zontec Ozone r
CALENDAR
➤from page 146
May 10-12: BEFA Forum, Düsseldorf Exhibition Grounds, Düs-
seldorf, Germany. www.befa-forum.com
May 11-13: Independent Funeral Directors of Texas Assn. An-
nual Convention, Dallas. www.ifdatexas.org 
May 14-17: Indiana Funeral Directors Assn. Annual Conven-
tion, Florence. www.indiana-fda.org
May 15-17: Iowa Funeral Directors Assn. Annual Convention,
Altoona. www.iafda.org
May 25: CANA Cremation Operations Certification Program,
Wheeling, Illinois. r
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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 March-April 2018

MAGAZINE

ICCFA Magazine
CEMETERY CREMATION FUNERAL

The Gardens
at Gethsemane
Going above & beyond
to serve families

• How Davis Funeral

Homes & the Vegas
community helped
families after tragedy

• How refugees are giving

refuge to their dead
Cremation:
• Lemasters: Cremation

& your basic service fee
• The breastfeeding-
cremation rate link
• NMFH’s new exhibit
Also:
• Isard on the impact
of the new tax law
March-April 2018 • Building a state-of-
the-art funeral home
• How unitrust is
working in Florida
• Filhaber on using
engagement marketing

• Exhibitor profiles
• Paul Elvig and Tom Flynn
to be honored at convention
• KIP winners announced