ICCFA Magazine May 2015

May 2015
MAGAZINE
CEMETERY
CREMATION
FUNERAL
MEMORIALS AS UNIQUE AS
THE LIVES THEY CELEBRATE.
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m aY 2 0 1 5 ta b l e o f c o n t e n t s
1
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association :

Promoting consumer choices, prearrangement and open competition
Providing exceptional education, networking and legislative guidance and support

to progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide
10 management/marketing
6
5
KIP Award winners: 1. Dulaney Valley

Memorial Gardens, page 14; 2. Cook
Funeral & Cremation Services, page 26;
3. MKJ & Associates and Serenity
Funeral Home, page 30; 4. Rolling Oaks
Memorial Center, page 22; 5. Cypress
Lawn, page 34; 6. Until We Meet Again
Pet Memorial Center, page 38; 7. Cook
Funeral & Cremation Services, page 18.
8 Washington report
Top consumer complaints:
Funeral-related 0.04% of total;
Government & legal affairs

members visit congressional
delegations
52
58
60
61
62
62
by Robert M. Fells, Esq.

Update
Supply Line
Calendar
New Members
Classifieds
Ad Index
Creating a new business model Incrementally improving what we offer

families is not going to be a winning business strategy in the long run.
Envisioning a completely new service model is almost impossible for
those inside the business, but we must try. by Glenn H. Gould
12 kiP: Best Practice/Personal touch
Grand Prize Winner: Dulaney Valley donates burial arrangements

for all fallen heroes
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens
13 The KIP Awards
22 Rolling Oaks, family foundation create a place to honor children

Rolling Oaks Memorial Center
26 Cook offers veterans events, special packages and help with
paperwork Cook Funeral and Cremation Services
18 kiP: events
Cooks #idrivetextfree campaign aims to raise awareness, save lives

Cook Funeral and Cremation Services
14 Maryland comes together at Dulaney to honor heroes
30 kiP: most Personalized service or memorial
Careful planning, attention to detail created a service that captured

her life MKJ & Associates & Serenity Funeral Home
34 The funeral for a world-renowned conga player had to be a concert

Cypress Lawn Cemetery Association
iccFa officers
May 2015
VOLUME 75/NUMBER 4
Darin B. Drabing, president
Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Paul Goldstein, vice president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
vice president
Scott R. Sells, CCFE, vice president
Michael Uselton, CCFE, vice president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, treasurer
Daniel L. Villa, secretary
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
general counsel
Robert Treadway, director of

communications & member services
robt@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Alecia Burke, marketing manager
alecia@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1220
magazine staff
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &

publisher
rfells@iccfa.com ; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1212
Rick Platter, supplier relations manager

rplatter@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1213
Brenda Clough, office administrator

& association liaison
bclough@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700,
ext. 1214
Susan Loving, managing editor

sloving@iccfa.com
ICCFA Magazine
Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

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

2015 by the International Cemetery, Cremation
and Funeral Association. Subscription rates: In
the United States, $39.95; in Canada, $45.95;
overseas: $75.95. One subscription is included
in annual membership dues. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to ICCFA Magazine,
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA
20164-4468. Individual written contributions,
commentary and advertisements appearing in
ICCFA Magazine do not necessarily reflect
either the opinion or the endorsement of the
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral
Association.
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
Grow with Us!
Expertise
p
for Success
L-R: Homesteaders Senior Account Executive
Jill Lambert, Dave Moore of Hogan Bremer Moore
Colonial Chapels and Lori Crabb of PreNeed Systems
PreNeed Systems trains and supports our staff to

succeed, and Homesteaders offers resources that
complement their approach to pre-need sales.
The old saying that good things come to those who wait
does not apply to Dave Moores approach to success for
his Mason City, Iowa funeral home. By partnering with
Homesteaders-affiliated marketing organization PreNeed
Systems, Moore has been able to serve more families
and grow his pre-need program.
When I began working with PreNeed Systems and learned about
their approach, they showed me definitive results, Moore said.
PreNeed Systems works side by side with funeral
home owners to develop individualized plans for
success. Owners who use the marketing
organizations proprietary contact management
system also benefit from the support and
expertise of a pre-need administrator.
PreNeed Systems Vice President of Sales Lori Crabb said, We ask

funeral home owners to look at it this way: Its an addition to their staff in
building their pre-need block of business. Our administrators are experts
at finding different ways to market pre-need, from direct mail to aftercare.
Choosing experienced pre-need partners was vital for Moore, who said
his pre-need and at-need business have equally important roles in his
firms continued success.
Homesteaders has been very supportive, and Ive found their staff to be
dedicated and helpful, he said. The fact that Homesteaders has been
around for more than a century speaks volumes.
Contact your Homesteaders account
executive to learn more about our
resources to help your firm grow.
homesteaderslife.com/growmybiz
ICCFA news
45 ICCFA University, July 17-22:
Educating todays practitioners,

developing tomorrows leaders
46 College of 21st Century
Services Includes celebrant

training by Doug Manning and
Dean Glenda Stansbury, CC
46 College of Cremation
Services
Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
47 College of Embalming,
Restorative Art & Other Care

First session of this new college
47 J. Asher Neel College
of Sales & Marketing

Dean Gary OSullivan, CCFE
48 n e W
College of International
Studies Dean Jim Hammond
49 College of Funeral Home
Management
Dean Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
50 College of Land
Management & Grounds

Operations Dean Gino Merendino
51 College of Leadership,
Administration &
Management
Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE
taBle oF contents
38 kiP: most Personalized Pet service/memorial
A Day to Heel focused on remembrance & saving pets

Until We Meet Again Pet Memorial Center
40 kiP: innovative Personalized Product
YourDash stores memories online Your Dash
41 LifeArt lets families design the casket LifeArt

42 ProFessional develoPment
A lesson best learned early: All great people are humble Affectation
is something you cannot afford in life or in business even if youre a
proud graduate of mortuary college. by Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
ICCFA calendar
2015 iccFa university
July 17-22 Fogelman Conference Center, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
Chancellor: Jeff Kidwiler, CCE
cremation arranger and crematory operator certification course
September 9-10 Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas, Texas
2015 Fall management conference
September 30-October 2
Loews Ventana Canyon, Tucson, Arizona
Co-Chairs:Stacy Adams and John Gouch
2016 Wide World of sales conference
January 13-15 Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
2016 annual convention & exposition
April 13-16 Ernest N. Morial Convention Center & Hilton New Orleans Riverside,
New Orleans, Louisiana
Co-Chairs: Jay Dodds, CFSP, and Lee Longino
Subscribe to ICCFA Magazine

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6
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Vases Mend a
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When families visit their memorials odds are they place their
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We offer a simple formula to build your brand with ours: Quality
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Washington Report
by iccFa general counsel
robert m. Fells, esq.
rfells@iccfa.com
1.800.645.7700, ext. 1212
direct line: 703.391.8401
Fells is ICCFA executive director and general
counsel, responsible for
maintaining and improving
relationships with federal and state government
agencies, the news media, consumer organizations and related trade associations.
MORe ReSOURCeS
Wireless. ICCFA members, send us
your email address and well send you
our bi-weekly electronic newsletter full of
breaking news.
Why We Vote. Fells series of

essays on this topic is available online at
www.iccfa.com/whywevotearticles
www.iccfa.com
Model guidelines
ICCFA Government and Legal Affairs

Committees model guidelines for state
laws and regulations
Washington Report
Recent columns are available online
Top consumer complaints:

Funeral-related 0.04% of total
he Federal Trade Commission has

published its annual Consumer
Sentinel Network Data Book that
documents over 2.5 million consumer
complaints received during 2014.
These complaints were filed with
dozens of state consumer protection
agencies; all the North American Better
Business Bureaus; various federal agencies
including the FTC; and the Departments of
Defense, Education and Veterans Affairs.
The actual complaints on the Consumer
Sentinel Network may be accessed only
by law enforcement agencies, but the
statistical numbers and categories are
public information.
Funeral-related complaints are listed
under miscellaneous and tallied at 1,145
complaints or 0.04% of the total number
of complaints. This represents a continued
decline in the actual numbers of funeralrelated complaints, even though the overall
total of consumer complaints continues to
increase each year.
Previous years reports gave the
ICCFA Magazine
percentage of funeral-related complaints

at 0.07 percent and then 0.06 percent
for 2012 and 2013, respectively. The
percentage for 2014 represents an all-time
low for funeral-related complaints.
Overall, the highest number of
consumer complaints dealt with fraud, at
60 percent; another 13 percent were about
identity theft.
Among the other high-percentage
categories are debt collection (11 percent),
imposter scams (11 percent), telephone
and mobile services (7 percent), banks
and lenders (5 percent), and prizes,
sweepstakes and lotteries (4 percent).
The complete Consumer Network
Sentinel Data Book for 2014 can be
accessed at www.ftc.gov/reports/consumersentinel-network-data-book-januarydecember-2014.
r
Government & legal affairs members

visit congressional delegations
or three days, March 17 to 19, select
members of the Government and
Legal Affairs Committee met with
key members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Also, a meeting was held with Federal
Trade Commission staff regarding the future
of the Funeral Rule. The rule is scheduled
for a mandatory review in four years.
Among the Congressional members
visited by ICCFA were Speaker of the
House John Boehner (R-OH); Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV); Rep.
Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who is introducing a
bill to regulate trafficking in human organs
and tissue; Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV); Rep.
Patrick Murphy (D-FL); Rep Hakeem
Jeffries (D-NY); and Sen. John Barrasso
(R-WY).
The ICCFA Capitol Hill team also
enjoyed lunch in the Capitol Private Dining
Room with Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX). A
dinner was hosted by ICCFA member
Michael Doherty, Fairfax Memorial Park
The percentage for 2014

represents an all-time low for
funeral-related complaints.
and Funeral Home, Fairfax, Virginia, for the

ICCFA team.
We make these visits each year for
a number of reasons, said Government
and Legal Affairs Committee Chair Irwin
Shipper, CCE.
First, we want to renew old friendships
and to establish new ones. Second, we
want to gauge the extent that Congressional
members are concerned about our industry.
Third, we offer our assistance to help
any of their constituents who may have
questions or issues with funeral homes and
cemeteries.
In this sense, the ICCFA team is likely
among the few visitors to Congressional
offices who offer their help. Ultimately, the
purpose of our visit is to lay the groundwork
for the future, when and if we need help on
any proposed legislation.
A full report of the Capitol Hill visits will
be provided in the August-September issue
of ICCFA Magazine.
r
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ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight
Gould is CEO
of MKJ Marketing,
Largo, Florida, which
helps funeral homes
and industry vendors
establish marketing and
advertising plans and
conduct market research.
www.mkjmarketing.com
10
ICCFA Magazine
management/marketing
Incrementally improving what we offer families

is not going to be a winning business strategy in the long run.
Envisioning a completely new service model is almost impossible
for those inside the business, but we must try.
Creating a new business model
very year 30,000 new products are

introduced in the US. Thats not
particularly surprising given all the
possibilities offered by new technology.
What is rather surprising is that 90 percent
of these new products fail to find a customer
base and disappear.
Prior to entering the funeral industry,
I worked for one of the leading toy
companies. It wasnt unusual for inventors
to bring working models for toy concepts
to the company for consideration. Most
of these products fell into the category of
something the inventor could build, not
something anyone particularly wanted.
The death-care industry has not been
excepted from products of this ilk. If you
attended an ICCFA or NFDA convention
over the past several decades, you may
have seen the video-enhanced memorial
that allowed you to plug earphones into
a grave marker to hear a prerecorded
message from the deceased. The way
it was presented, one would think the
listeners could expect to receive messages
from beyond the grave.
There were a number of self-published
biography or autobiography software
packages that required the user to spend
hours and hours writing copy and loading
photographs. The programming involved in
creating the product was impressive, but it
was a product nobody wanted badly enough
to invest the time needed to produce it .
Internet broadcast of funerals is a
relatively simple concept technically
speaking, but how many people who want
to attend a funeral but cant will view
the event online? I believe that very few
funeral homes will ever have the occasion
to use the expensive proprietary licensed
equipment.
Memorial websites and virtual
cemeteries were intended for families who
chose not to bury but wanted a place to
visit. Really? If a family chooses not to bury
or place the cremated remains in a niche,
why would anyone expect them to invest in

a virtual grave? One concept even allowed
customers to enhance the virtual grave
with a virtual bench, music, flying birds
and other wildlife. Ridiculousyet these
products really did exist, for a short time.
The Singing Bible is right up there
with the video-enhanced grave marker
discussed above. The technology is
relatively simple, but the product is
ridiculous. Nothing else need be said.
Producing what people want
In contrast to silly gadgets, marketers

create products consumers actually want.
These products create industries with long
lifespans based on specific consumer needs.
The aim of marketing is to know and
understand the customer so well the product
or service fits him and sells itself.Peter
F. Drucker
In our minds, great industrialists are
associated with their products, but most of
them were not inventors or even engineers.
Rather, they were great marketers who
created great brand-name products.
John D. Rockefeller was a marketer who
built Standard Oil. In 1911, consumers used
kerosene as home heating oil. Unfortunately
for many homeowners, the kerosene
product refined by many companies was
inconsistent in quality.
Consumers could purchase the same
brand of kerosene every time but get
different results. Sometimes it would be too
diluted and require excessive amounts to
warm the house, and other times it would be
too strong and explode. Standard Oil was
a promise of product consistency.
Henry Ford is credited with creating the
assembly line, but his real discovery was
a burgeoning demand for vehicles with a
selling price of $500. At a time when his
competitors were building vehicles one at
a time, he needed a way to reduce the cost
management/marketing
For decades, we in the business have been searching for a new memorial concept,
a variation on the traditional funeral that would meet consumers needs.
The best weve come up with is video tributes, memorial tables and memorial boards.
of production. Thus the assembly line was
born.
Bill Gates and Steven Jobs were not
programmers or inventors; they were
marketers who employed aggressive
business management to succeed in the
technology industry.
Design is not what it looks like and feels
like. Design is how it works.Steve Jobs
Disruptive innovation
There are two kinds of product innovation.

The most common improves an existing
product.
In funeral service, embalming was an
innovation that contributed value to the
existing funeral service in the 19th century.
In the 20th century, facilities created
specifically for use as a funeral home and
on-site crematories did the same.
In contrast to innovation that improves
a product or service are disruptive innovations that bring about the decline of
one product and introduce a whole new
standard.
The cell phone contributed to the steep
decline in the hardwire telephone business.
The digital camera led to the decline
of Polaroid and Kodak, the two leading
producers of photographic film.
Fuel-efficient vehicles have contributed
to the recent glut of gasoline and the drop in
gasoline prices. All of these are disruptive
innovations.
Western Union, the telegraph company,
had the opportunity to buy Alexander
Graham Bells telephone invention. They
called it a toy without any commercial
application.
The hardwire telephone companies
didnt create the cell phone.
The film businesses did not invest in
the development of digital cameras. In
fact, Kodak passed on digital technology,
believing consumers would never accept
the lower-quality photographic reproduction
provided by digital files as opposed to film.
Obviously they didnt understand why
amateurs take photos.
The petroleum industry is not investing
in fuel-efficient vehicles, and the auto
companies are only building them because
Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com
the federal government requires them to

achieve fuel-efficiency goals.
The point being, existing businesses
never invest in disruptive innovations.
They have so much invested in the status
quo that its not in the best interests of their
stockholders or investors to create products
that supersede their existing technologies.
Now, lets look at funeral service.
Funeral service is becoming a product
in search of a customer, as each year 1.5
percent more consumers indicate that the
traditional funeral is not serving their needs.
For decades, we in the business have been
searching for a new memorial concept, a
variation on the traditional funeral that would
meet consumers needs. The best weve come
up with is video tributes, memorial tables and
memorial boards.
The problem is were approaching it
from the wrong perspective. Think about
what a memorial service would look like if
there were:
no mortuary schools,
no casket companies,
no cemeteries and
no tradition of having the clergy on
hand to deliver prayers.
Its hard for those of us in the industry
to imagine a disruptive innovation because
were so invested in the existing business
model.
Funeral home owners are addicted
to the mortuary schools production of
inexpensive labor (under-educated and
underpaid new licenses). Weve invested a
lot to sell caskets, urns and vaults. Many,

if not most, funeral homes need the clergy
to give their services credibility as they
recreate the traditional funeral.
Contrary to what the public believes,
funeral homes dont profit from death.
Funeral homes profit from events (funerals
and memorials), particularly when held in
their facilities.
The innovation that disrupts the current
funeral business will likely not come from
within the industry, but could come from
hotels, banquet halls, country clubs or other
venues.
Laws, rules and regulations in most
states restrict the services funeral homes
can offer, presumably to restrict entry to
the trade and to protect the employment of
licensed funeral directors. But these laws
dont apply to hotels, restaurants, country
clubs and liberal churches.
What those laws do is restrict funeral
directors from competing with the organizations that will eventually take away our
business.
In conclusion
Where do we go from here? Are we observing the end of a 200-year-old business

model? Can we find it within ourselves to
break down the barriers that keep us from
competing and to create a new product?
Identifying this new concept is not a
matter of research. Funeral directors will
have to find this new product and then
determine how to realize a profit from it. r
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11
k i P aWa r d s : B e s t P r a c t i c e
A Maryland cemetery donates burial arrangements

for any member of the public safety community,
anywhere in the state, who dies in the line of duty.
First Place &

Grand Prize Winner:
Dulaney Valley
Memorial Gardens
Timonium, Maryland
WHAT THe JUDGeS SAID
n A very nice component that
serves as real respect to the

fallen first responders and
families.
Related story
Dulaney Valley Memo-
rial Gardens also received an

honorable mention award in
the event category for its Fallen
Heroes Day. See page 14.
PHOTO by bILL MCALLen
Visitors study the emblems for public safety organizations on the Fallen Heroes Memorial.
Dulaney Valley donates burial

arrangements for all fallen heroes
The Vallen Heroes Day pin

from 2014.
12
ICCFA Magazine
n Maryland, when any member of the

public safety community dies in the line of
duty, they are offered complete cemetery
arrangements, including a space, vault, interment
service fee and a bronze memorial in the Fallen
Heroes section of Dulaney Valley Memorial
Gardens.
The Fallen Heroes section of the cemetery
was dedicated in 1976 when the founder of
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens set aside
330 spaces for the burial of firefighters, rescue
personnel, paramedics, police and correctional
officers who lose their lives in the line of duty.
The burial is provided at no charge, for the fallen
hero and his or her spouse.
Since the practice began nearly 40 years ago,
Dulaney Valley has become linked with the
burial of members of Maryland's public safety
community.
Today, when a public servant dies in the line
of duty, police, fire and rescue agencies know to

extend the offer for burial at the Fallen Heroes
Memorial to the family even before contacting
the cemetery. Our tradition of showing gratitude
for the sacrifices of those who ensure our safety
has become an institution.
Ten years after the cemeterys Fallen Heroes
section and the Fallen Heroes Memorial was
established, the first observance of Fallen
Heroes Day took place. The day, which is now
celebrated on the first Friday in May, is an
opportunity to honor all those who died in the
line of duty since the previous Fallen Heroes
Day, whether they are buried at the Fallen
Heroes Memorial or not.
Fallen Heroes Day is an opportunity to pay
respects to the fallen, as well as to show support
for their friends, families and those who continue
to risk their lives each day when they report to
work.
The KIP Awards for the best in personalization
he ICCFAs Keeping It Personal

contest recognizes personalization in
funeral, cemetery and cremation products
and services.
This years judges gave the highest
marks to Dulaney Valley Memorial
Gardens practice of donating burial
arrangements for any public safety officer
in Maryland who dies in the line of duty.
PHOTOS by bILL MCALLen
Above left, Fallen Heroes Day at the

cemetery, 2014. Above right, Howard
County Fire & Rescue personnel
march into place for the event.
Right, baltimore County executive
Kevin Kamenetz, who gave a memorial address, hugs the mother of a
fallen hero after presenting her with a
replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial.
PHOTO by CHeRyL PeRCy
below, the Fallen Heroes Memorial,

where free burial is offered to public
safety personnel who die in the line
of duty.
As grand prize winner, the company

received a free registration to the 2015
convention in San Antonio, Texas, at
which all KIP Award honorees were
recognized.
The contest was started in 2001 by the
ICCFAs Personalization Subcommittee
to encourage the sharing of ideas for
personalizing services and products to
better serve families. A pet category was

added in 2011.
2015 contest
Entries for the 2015 contest will be due

in December. Forms will be available for
download at www.iccfa.com/kip, under
recognition/KIP Awards. You may also
download information about past winners. r
Our Healing Hearts Reception, a

luncheon reception held just prior to the
ceremony for the survivors, families and
friends and members of the departments,
offers a private setting where recent
survivors can meet with and find comfort
in the experiences of previous survivors
who understand such a loss.
During the public ceremony, after each
fallen hero is remembered, their family
is presented with a replica of the Fallen
Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the
Maryland General Assembly.
A touching wreath-laying ceremony in
front of the memorial offers the children of
fallen heroes a way of participating in the
event.
Since its inception, Fallen Heroes Day
has honored 164 public servants: 97 law
enforcement officers and 67 firefighters.
A total of 67 fallen heroes have been laid
to rest in the Fallen Heroes section of
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.
Several years ago, the chief of the
Baltimore County Police Department
described the Fallen Heroes area as our
Arlington.
John O. Mitchell IV, owner of the
cemetery since 2007 said, When we took
over the business there was no question
that we would continue offering the burial
space and arrangements to Marylands
fallen heroes and to host Fallen Heroes
Day. We consider it a privilege. Its simply
a wonderful service to be able to provide
to them. It's simply right to do.
r
may 2015
13
K I P AWA R D S : E V E N T S
honorable Mention:
dulaney Valley
Memorial gardens
Timonium, Maryland
Every year, Maryland public safety officers are honored at Dulaney Valley
Memorial Gardens. Fallen Heroes Day brings people together from across
the state to remember, mourn and support loved ones left behind.
what the judges said

n Only statewide event that
brings together all segments of

the public safety community
great!
n A way for the survivors to

seek comfort.
n Love the flyover of helicopters & Taps.
n Love that they bury Marylands fallen heroes at no cost.
Photo By BIll MCAllen
Karmen Walker Brown, wife of Marylands lieutenant governor, talks about the loss of her first
husband, Sgt. Anthony Walker, a Prince Georges County police officer who was killed in the
line of duty in 2003 and was honored in 2004.
Maryland comes together

at Dulaney to honor heroes
Photo By Cheryl PerCy
Staff members responsible are, standing, from left,

Dulaney Valley President John o. Mitchell IV, General
Manager Amy Shimp and owner John o. Mitchell III;
seated from left, lisa Standiford, office manager, and
Mary Auld, public relations/events.
14
ICCFA Magazine
ach year, on the first Friday

in May, close to 1,200 people
gather under a huge white tent
beside the Fallen Heroes Memorial
at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens
to honor members of Maryland's
public safety community who died in
the line of duty within the past year.
The 29th Annual Fallen Heroes
Day held May 2, 2014, attracted
hundreds of law enforcement
officers and firefighters, dignitaries
and members of the community,
family and friends. Extensive
media coverage of the event, both
in advance and on the day of itself,
extends the reach of this meaningful
event statewide.
Fallen Heroes Day salutes police
and correctional officers, firefighters
and emergency medical and rescue
Photo By BIll MCAllen
howard County FIre & rescue

members march into the cemetery
for the ceremony.
personnel who risk their lives

every day to protect the citizens of
Maryland. It is the only statewide
ceremony in the nation that brings
together all segments of the public
safety community. The 2014
ceremony honored three volunteer
firefighters and a veteran police
KIP: EVENTS/Dul ANEy

MEMoRIAl GARDENS
officer, two of whom are buried at the
Fallen Heroes Memorial.
For many attendees, Fallen Heroes
Day is a tradition. They come annually to
remember their loved ones or to participate
in the ceremony as a member of the dozens
of honor guard and color guard units. For
first-time attendees, such as the family
and friends of the four who were honored
last May, the outpouring of support and
the thoughtful orchestration of the event is
overwhelming.
Prior to the 1 p.m. public ceremony,
welcomed survivors, close friends and
members of their department to the
Healing Hearts Reception. The luncheon
reception offered a private setting for
new survivors to seek comfort in the
experiences of previous survivors who
understand such a loss.
Meanwhile, as guests gathered at the
site of the Fallen Heroes Day ceremony,
they were given a commemorative lapel
pin and program. The ceremony began
with a procession of more than 25 honor
guard units, police motorcycle and
PhotoS By Cheryl PerCy
Above left, a flag waves from extended ladder trucks. Above right, a flag on the
hillside by the tent where the Fallen heroes Day speaches are given. Below, motorcycle officers stream into the cemetery for the annual event.
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May 2015
15
KIP: EVENTS/Dul ANEy MEMoRIAl GARDENS
Above and right, one of more than 25 honor guard units, the gun salute and bagpipers.
Above left, the hereford high School Chamber Choir performs Maryland, My Maryland. Above right, standing at left, rod
rosenstein, United States attorney for the District of Maryland; seated in blue, WPoC morning show host laurie Deyoung,
who gave the keynote address; standing at right, Baltimore County executive Kevin Kamenetz; John o. Mitchell III, owner of
Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens; and guest speaker Karmen Walker Brown. Below, attendees gather at the Fallen heroes
Memorial at the cemetery.
All PhotoS on thIS PAGe By BIll MCAllen
mounted units, bagpipers and

drummers. With more than 60
dignitaries on the stage, popular
radio host Mary Beth Marsden
served as emcee, as she has done
for more than 20 years.
Interspersed among memorial
addresses from Baltimore County
Executive Kevin Kamenetz
and WPOC Radio Host Laurie
DeYoung were reflective songs
and music from a school choir,
as well as professional level
musicians.
In addition, the wife of a fallen
firefighter honored in 2011 spoke about her
16
ICCFA Magazine
of the four 2014 fallen heroes

was remembered with a brief
description of how he served his
community and how he died.
Then, his family was presented
with a replica of the Fallen Heroes
Memorial and a resolution from the
Maryland General Assembly.
experience, giving hope to other survivors.

Toward the end of the ceremony, each
The presentations were followed

by an emotional wreath-laying
ceremony involving children of
the four fallen heroes. A 21-gun
salute, trumpet solo of Taps and a
flyover by a flank of state and local
police helicopters provided a fitting
end to the tribute.
r
Tom Johnson
Bill Cutter
Bob Horn
Jake Johnson
The first rule of

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Selling our company after 120 years of family ownership was a very difficult decision.
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my decision, which resulted in several very serious offers and maximized the value we
received. JCG helped secure my familys future and we are forever grateful.
Todd Lumbard
Blair Nelsen, Former Owner Nelsen Family Funeral Services, Inc.
Rich Sells
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www.JohnsonConsulting.com
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2014 MKJ Marketing
K I P AWA R D S : E V E N T S
Cook Funeral and Cremation Services reached out to high school students
with a campaign to warn about the dangers of texting while driving.
First Place:
Cook Funeral and
Cremation services,
Grandville, Michigan
n Well done, integrated PR
compaign with a great educational component on a very

important topic.
n Used a lot of great channels

to get the message out: Radio,
TV, social media, website.
n Had a video component
great!
n Wrist bands and t-shirts to
remind people to not text and
drive were great.
wristbands like this one

were provided to local retailers with a wristband tree for
display. Cook has given away
thousands of the wristbands
through retail outlets and by
attending high school football
and basketball games and minor league sporting events.
Cook staff members and students helping them wore #idrivetextfree black shirts with white
text (close-up shown up top) when working an event such as a high school football game.
they also had cheerleaders throw shirts into the crowd at halftime when the announcer read
the companys community service announcement.
Cooks #idrivetextfree campaign

aims to raise awareness, save lives
ook Funeral and Cremation Services

#idrivetextfree is a very successful
community service campaign. It has not
only increased community awareness of our
business locally, but also has been expanded into
many of the neighboring communities.
Why? Because this message resonates with
teenagers, parents and grandparents. People know
that texting and driving has become a significant
problem with both teenagers and adults. When a
funeral home promotes a campaign to save lives, it
strikes a chord. At every event we attended, people
expressed their gratitude and appreciation for all our
efforts.
18
ICCFA Magazine
a crashed car, an ambulance and a police car

were parked on the path to the stadium to set
the stage for the campaign message.
KIP: EvEnts
Most texting and driving

campaigns are centered
on the accident.
The #idrivetextfree video
begins in a funeral home
visitation room, where the
student is lying in the casket.
Above left, Jeanne Shaffer hands out wristbands. Above right, a FOX TV reporter interviews company Executive VIce President Ron Cook about the #idrivetextfree campaign live at a high school game.
Events formed the campaigns

was implemented to support each
platform. In Phase I, we attended
event. This included a series of
12 high school football games
advertisements and posts of each
throughout the West Michigan area.
event, using both Facebook and
We selected this venue knowing we
Instagram. We combined that with
would reach thousands of teenagers
additional advertising through our
and their parents at each event. We
local print/online service and the
also attended minor league baseball
areas top radio stations.
and hockey games in Grand Rapids,
While the events provided the
Michigan.
platform for the campaign, the
Our presence at these events
video was the foundation. Working
included a 10-foot-by-10-foot tent
with our local high school and
wrapped in campaign banners. A
talent, we produced a compelling
television monitor was set up on
video of a high school student who
an expo-style table showcasing the
was killed while responding to his
#idrivetextfree video. Over 15,000
mothers text.
wristbands with information cards
Most texting and driving
were distributed, and high school
campaigns are centered on the
cheerleaders tossed #idrivetextfree From left, sporting #idrivetextfree wristbands and taccident. The #idrivetextfree video
shirts as they represent Cook at an event are Bob Kreter,
t-shirts into the crowd during
begins in a funeral home visitation
marketing manager; Executive Vice President Ron Cook;
halftime. We connected with
room where the student is lying in
Melanie Ippel, community events; Jeanne Shaffer, vice
our local ESPN radio station to
the casket. He wakes up and realizes
president of finance; Kathy Cook; President Fred Cook;
sponsor one game each week.
what has happened when he tries to
and Emily Merritt, office administration.
The agreement included halftime
talk to his family and friends, but no
interviews with their announcer. Phase II
our NBC affiliate. That generated a growing one can hear him. This message is a powerful
began in January when the high school
statement to both teenagers and their parents.
interest in the communitythrough radio,
basketball season began.
We developed a special website to
television and the Internetwith all of
The campaign launch depended on a
anchor the video and develop the campaign.
the local affiliates (ABC, CBS and FOX)
very successful public relations campaign.
Video links to social media and other
attending the game with live remotes. Our
The morning of our first event began with
story also appeared in the local print/online related links were also provided. For our
an interview on the No. 1 talk radio show
immediate community, we created retail
news and was picked up by the Associated
in our area, followed by an appearance on
displays for wristbands and information
Press, taking it around the world.
a community-focused news program with
r
cards.
An aggressive social media campaign
20
ICCFA Magazine
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K I P AWA R D S : B E S T P R A C T I C E
A new municipal cemetery has found a way to define itself

in the community by reaching out to those who have lost children.
honorable Mention:
Rolling Oaks
Memorial Center
Coppell, Texas
n Simple and elegant.
n The idea of a memorial
center to continue to engage

shows great care and atten
tion to the families of the
deceased.
PhOtO COuRtesy Of the ZaCk thOMPsOn fOundatiOn
during the annual candlelight vigil held december 6, joe and julie thompson approach the
angel of hope they donated to Rolling Oaks Memorial Center to honor their son Zack.
when someone under 25 dies,

the family receives a copy of
the Christmas Box from the
cemetery. the cemetery sends
an ornament such as the one
below to each family the week
before Christmas.
22
ICCFA Magazine
Rolling Oaks, family foundation

create a place to honor children
olling Oaks Memorial Center, a municipal

cemetery under the Coppell, Texas, Parks
and Recreation Division, is only five years
old and so is in the process of defining itself in the
community.
The population of Coppell and the surround
ing cities is very diverse and young. In the past
five years, Rolling Oaks has buried or inurned 54
persons under the age of 25. This has been a tragedy
not only for the families, but for the community.
When cemetery Manager Naomi BradburyMarchand came to work for the city in 2013,
she recognized that more needed to be done for
these individuals. She started by defining a child
as anyone under the age of 25 years. Whenever
anyone meeting that criteria dies, the cemetery
gives the family a gift bag containing the book The
Christmas Box.
In November 2013, life-long Coppell resident
Zack Thompson died unexpectedly at the age of 19.
Two months later, his parents asked what they could
do to honor their sons legacy. Joe Thompson had
read The Christmas Box and was overwhelmed

by the story. The statue in the book is known to
parents as the Angel of Hope. Bradbury-Marchand
told the Thompsons they it was possible to buy
one of the Angel of Hope statues, and they did so,
donating it to the city. The city donated the land next
to the baby burial garden, the Garden of Innocence.
The city parks department hired an architect
who, with cemetery staff and the foundation,
designed a garden for reflection. This garden has
three water walls, benches, inspirational pavers and
an ever-growing collection of bronze butterflies on
which are engraved the names of children. In the
gardens center is the Angel of Hope.
In the book, December 6 is recognized as
childrens day. Therefore, every December 6 at 7
p.m., a candlelight vigil is held by the statue. This
is a time when parents remember their children, as
well as others who are suffering the same loss. On
that date, the cemetery staff places an LED candle
and a white rose on each childs grave throughout
the cemetery. The staff sends an ornament the week

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KI P AWARDS : BEST PR AC T ICE / RO L L IN G O A K S M E M O RIA L CE N T E R
This garden for reflection (above and

right) has three water walls, benches,
inspirational pavers and an ever-growing
collection of bronze butterflies on which
are engraved the names of children.
before Christmas to each parent. If someone

is divorced or not living together, an orna
ment is sent to each parent. A small card
is included reminding them their child is
remembered and the staff recognizes that this
is a difficult time for them.
We also have realized that parents need
to tell their stories. We chose three times a
year to use our advertising dollars and space
to give a platform for parents to share their
childs story.
In 2014, we chose Fathers Day to give
fathers an opportunity to tell their stories;
this year, it will be Mothers Day. Some of
the children are recognized in September, the
begining of the school year. The community
has embraced these stories. Many times
people are afraid to ask parents about children
who have died, not realizing that families
want to share their experience.
Purpose of the program:
1. Recognize a need.
2. Bring individuals together who are in a
similar situation.
3. Send the message that it is OK to
remember all year long.
4. Make our cemetery a place that has
meaning, and show that our staff cares.
How we fulfill the purpose:
1. It starts at the first meeting, presenting
the book The Christmas Box, along with
sending the message that ROMC cares,
understands and want to give families a holy
place for their child.
2. It continues throughout the year with
parents being given the opportunity to
share their childs story on Fathers Day,
Mothers Day and the start of the school year.
(Important dates and milestones to a parent.)
3. We recognize the holidays by holding
the candlelight vigil, decorating the graves
and sending an ornament.
Results:
24
ICCFA Magazine
all PhOtOs COuRtesy

Of the ZaCk thOMPsOn
fOundatiOn
left and below,

the annual
candlelight vigil
held december 6
in the garden
surrounding the
angel of hope
donated to the city
of Coppell, texas,
by the Zack
thompson
foundation.
1. The cemetery staff has built relationships with families that bring comfort to the
parents.
2. When asked, staff members know the
children by name, who their parents are and
are familiar with the location of the graves.
3. Parents realize the child is not forgotten
after the burial.

4. We have brought together parents who
have bonded with other parents at our events.
The parents are building a support network.
5. Staff are approachable when a parent
wants something pertaining to the childs
grave.
r
K I P AWA R D S : B E S T P R A C T I C E
Cook Funeral and Cremation Services holds events just for veterans,
and also offers packages just for veterans and their spouses.
honorable Mention:
Cook Funeral and
Cremation services
Grandville, Michigan
n Very good event.
n Separating it from Veterans
Day is important as well. It

really shows the importance of
our military to this company.
Rachel Norton, an advance funeral planner for Cook Funeral and Cremation
Services, with one of the veterans attending the companys annual picnic, which
serves nearly 500 veterans and spouses.
Cook offers veterans events, special

packages and help with paperwork
A veteran enjoying Cooks annual picnic.
26
ICCFA Magazine
onoring our veterans is very important

to the Cook family. Each year the Cooks
honor our veterans with a community
picnic which serves nearly 500 veterans and their
spouses. On Veterans Day, we honor them with a
free breakfast in the communities we serve.
It is only natural, then, that we have special
Personal packages for not only our veterans but
also their spouses.
In the provided materials, there is a tri-fold
brochure, Our Veterans Farewell and Memorial
Packages, that provides our veterans an overview of what is available.
There are three categories: The first is
Remember, which allows you as a veteran to
reflect and reminisce about your life.
The second is Honor, which lists which
military honors may be available to you as a
veteran.
Third is Gather, which reviews some of the
service options you may be interested in.
Also provided are the veterans and veterans
spousal packages. These are broken out into
farewell and memorial packages for each. This
provides an itemized list of what each package
Cook provides veterans with information

about benefits for which they may qualify.
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May 2015
27
KIP AWARDS : B ES T PR A CT ICE / CO O K FUN E R A L & CRE M AT ION
the packages that Cook offers veterans and spouses are easy to understand through these attractive graphic explanations.
Right,
Rachel
Norton, an
advance
funeral planner for Cook
Funeral and
Cremation
services,
with two
guests at
the Veterans
day breakfast Cook
sponsors
each year in
the communities the
company
serves.
contains. As you can see, these are comprehensive programs designed to honor our
veterans.
Each package has been significantly
discounted as our gift. In addition, the
28
ICCFA Magazine
Cooks tri-fold brochure that describes

the packages they offer veterans and
their spouses.
Cook family provides a complimentary oak

flag case to each veterans family.
In addition to the packages, we have
a veterans specialist on staff who ensures
proper paperwork is filed with the govern
ment. This is a service we provide at no

charge to our veterans.
These events and offerings allow us the
opportunity to honor those who so deserve
it, our veterans.
r
May 2015
29
K I P AWA R D S : M O S T P E R S O N A L I Z E D S E RV ICE
First Place winner:

MKj & associates and
serenity Funeral home
Largo, Florida
Marilyn Jones Gould knows funeral service, and believes

in the importance of remembrance, ceremony and memorialization.
With the help of Serenity Funeral Home, she planned the funeral
she felt her mother deserved and her family needed.

n Like a wedding.
n Great attention to detail and
personal touches.
n Having her sewing machine
there was such a nice touch,

along with her Bible with notes.
n The fabric bunny was a

nice touch.
n Incorporating her grand-
childrens tributes of their trips

taken together was special.
n The attention to her favorite

color was cool.
n Releasing doves and
having a pink rose vault made

it complete.
Marilyn jones
Gould knows a
lot about funeral
service and knew
what she did and
didnt want for
her mothers service and burial.
She also knew
she wanted to
work with funeral
director Blair
Nelsen, CFue,
who is not local
but works for
service Corporation international,
Magaddino owner of Serenity
Funeral home,
which handled arrangements. she
found that the
staff at serenity,
which is managed
by joseph a.
Magaddino, was
very helpful and
made excellent
Nelsen
suggestions to
make sure the service was as
special as she had envisioned.
30
ICCFA Magazine
The memorial folder for the service. Color, photos and flowers were important
design elements used throughout. Visitation and the funeral service were held at
Serenity Funeral Home, with a Baptist minister presiding over the service.
A graveside service followed at Serenity Gardens, which is on the funeral home
grounds. A celebration of life reception was held at at country club.
Careful planning, attention to detail

created a service that captured her life
he service held for Nanlyn Pace Jones

captured her life. Family and faith were the
most important parts of her life, and they
were the focus.
It was casual. The foyer had pictures on every
table. Many scrapbooks were open and letters from
her granddaughters on display. She helped raise
them as their parents traveled. They helped her get
through the last decade after her beloved Paul died.
Round tables were available for visiting. There
were family pictures and flowers with butterflies in
the center.
On memory tables were balls made of pink
roses, also a favorite. Vignettes were loosely staged,
with projects looking as if she had just left. She
always said Be comfortable.
It was uplifting. Losing Lynn was sad. She
sacrificed for others, especially family, but was
always happy. A pianist played her favorite hymns
on a grand piano during visitation and the service.
Her Bible was on a pedestal by her casket and
A pianist played Nanlyn Jones favorite

hymns during the visitation and service.
was open to favorite scripture. She was dressed in

fuchsia, as were her granddaughters. Memory tables
featured fun parts of her life.
Each granddaughter created books highlighting
trips they took. And huge Valentine cards signed
Forever, Paul were displayed.
KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE
above, Nanlyn Pace Jones Bible, family

photos and a ball made of pink roses.
Below, more roses, photos and coffee
pot and cups.
above, cards, flowers, photos and other mementos were combined on several tables.
Below right, Lynns sewing machine was set up as if she had just left it for a bit.
It was personal. Her sewing room

was recreated, with aprons and outfits she
had produced for her family. One of her
husbands shirts was turned into a bunny for
her granddaughters to hug.
Everywhere were trophies of the values
and memories she instilled. Both grand
daughters gave speeches that brought tears.
Her pastor shared what she had lived for.
Each granddaughter was surprised with a
thumbprint necklace and inscriptions.
The menu was planned around her beliefs
about food. Variety and sweets were provided
during the visitation. Before the service, there
was hot coffee, as Lynn loved coffee but
insisted it be served hot.

At the reception, there were butterflies
imprinted in the pastry, and her famous
mashed potatoes. The lunch culminated in
her hummingbird cake. Butterflies and pink
roses were everywhere.
It was detailed. Pink uplighting set a
mood. A moderator, a minister and a funeral
director were involved.
The top newscaster for Channel 34 mod
erated. John is a pro and he knew Lynn. At
her granddaughters wedding, Lynn insisted
John walk her down the aisle. She was a fan
and proud he grew up near her hometown.
He smiled through the entire service, as he
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31
KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE/MJK AND SERENITy
Both of her grandchildren who were hit the hardest by the loss said,
You know, this funeral thing really works. I cant believe how much this helped me.
above, one of Paul Jones shirts was

made into a stuffed rabbit the grandchildren could hug. Below, the reception
held after the graveside service.
above, Nanlyn
Pace Jones
grandchildren
at the graveside
service, where
they released
doves.
Left, friends
and family
members watch
a memorial
video tribute.
reminisced about her. He introduced his wife

to sing an Irish song and at the graveside led
Amazing Grace after her grandchildren
released not one dove, but 18.
A picture video as well as astoryof
herlife video were created explaining how
she gave up a college scholarship to take a
dishwashing job to financially support her
mother with all the children. Her grand
daughters recording of her favorite song
was played during the service.
Was this the best service ever? Both of
her grandchildren who were hit the hardest
by the loss said, You know, this funeral
thing really works. I cant believe how
much this helped me.
And a friend said at the reception, I
kept thinking Lynn was going to walk in ...
everything was so much like she was here.
32
ICCFA Magazine
It was our honor to provide Marilyn

Goulds mother with our Life Well
Celebrated event services, said Joseph
A. Magaddino, manager of the Serenity
Funeral Home in Largo, Florida.
The decor, round tables, colored linens,
accent uplighting, props, Making Everlasting
Memory slide presentation, music, catering
and spoken shared memories all contributed
to a lasting memory not only for the family,
but to the attendees, who possibly had never
seen a celebration service conducted in this
manner.
The entire
staff deserves
recognition for
the coordination,
orchestration and
seamless delivery
of the services
that were provided. I am truly blessed to
have such an outstanding team here at
Serenity. We pride ourselves with providing
the utmost in comfort and convenience and
in serving the community with dignity and
respect.
Displayed in the main hallway of our
building is a mission statement for all to
see. It states: Your stories deserve to be
told with passion. We are determined to be
the fuel to innovate beyond expectation and
tradition.
r
SM
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33
K I P AWA R D S : M O S T P E R S O N A L I Z E D S E RV ICE
Services for a professional musician were full of music,

from the funeral/concert, held in a music hall, to the burial.
honorable Mention:
Cypress Lawn
Cemetery association
Colma, California
n Unique venue & celebration.
n Exceptional ceremony.
n Having a band at the
funeral and grave site was a

great way to pay tribute.
n The fact that the service

was held at the Great American Music Hall was a nice
touch.
the funeral at the great american Music hall included a memorial dVd, mementos, music,
Cuban food and an open bar. dancing by the stage and around the casket was encouraged.
The funeral for a world-renowned

conga player had to be a concert
armando santana, managing funeral director of funeral

services at Cypress Lawn, is a
nephew of Carlos santana, the
legendary Latin jazz musician,
so was a natural choice to
handle the services of a former
band member and worldrenowned conga player.
the family loved the conga

drum detail on the casket
overlay.
34
ICCFA Magazine
rmando Peraza was one of the most

recognized, internationally known conga
players of his time, playing for the last 18
years with Carlos Santana. Armando lived his life
on stage, entertaining millions of people around the
world.
When I received the call from Carlos Santanas
management that they wished to use our funeral
home and cemetery, for Armandos service, I
was immediately honored, excited, and a little bit
nervous, to say the least. Prior to meeting with the
family, I gathered as much information as I could
on Armando. What a great and phenomenal career
he had! I felt his funeral should emulate the way he
lived his life on stage.
One of many things we wanted to personalize
was his casket. His wife wanted something as
unique as he was. She quickly spotted the red
velvet interior of a fine mahogany casket.
We normally use the casket she saw for our
Chinese families, because of the gold embroid
ered longlife symbol which was displayed. We
the celebration of life was held at the great

american Music hall, a place where armando
Peraza had performed.
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KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE/CyPRESS L AwN
The event had the feel of a Latin jazz concert, including catered Cuban food
and an open bar, which inspired dancing around the stage and Armandos casket.
And thats exactly how he would have wanted to be remembered.
Above, the graveside service also

featured Latin music. Left, the casket
is lowered.
Far left, top to bottom: the band plays
at The American
Music Hall; memory
boards set up during the service;
carrying the casket
from the music
all to the waiting
hearse; family
and friends at the
graveside service.
quickly found a pair of congas from our

manufacturer that we could substitute for the
long-life symbol on the overlay. The family
was ecstatic. Not only did they keep it, they
ordered an additional one after the service.
After meeting with his wife and attorney,
we collaborated and knew that no chapel
or church would be the ideal setting for his
service. The Great American Music Hall in
San Francisco was chosen, as it was a place
36
ICCFA Magazine
where he had actually performed.

We set up Armandos casket at the front
of the stage, with him facing toward the
musicians and the audience facing both. As
the live bands performed, a DVD montage of
his life was shown.
The event had the feel of a Latin jazz
concert, including catered Cuban food and
an open bar, which inspired dancing around
the stage and Armandos casket. And thats
exactly how he would have wanted to be
remembered.
Armando was a huge fan of baseball;
some of his best friends were major league
baseball players the likes of Orlando
Zepeda and Tito Fuentes, who happened to
be in attendance.
His love of baseball inspired us to get a
bag of baseballs so people could write a final
message or autographed it and place it in the
casket.
After we concluded at the hall, the celebration of his life continued at the grave
site, where a small stage was set up for the
musicians to play their final tribute. The
emotional energy swelled as the intensity of
the congas amplified with their grief as the
casket was lowered.
Armandos Funeral Concert, as we named
it, should be the model of personalization
that can be achieved to create the life-long
memory of a true celebration of life.
r
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K I P AWA R D S : P E T S E R V I C E O R M E M O RIA L
First Place:
until we Meet again
Pet Memorial Center
North Vancouver,
British Columbia
When six dogs went missing, reportedly stolen from a dog-walkers truck,
the community got involved in trying to find them. When the truth finally
came out, the community needed to remember and mourn.

n Great way for this company
to step up to the plate and not

only memorialize but address
an important social issue.
n Very well done.

n Well thought-out.
n Love the pawprint ribbons.
n Brought attention and education to keeping

your pets safe by not leaving
them in hot vehicles.
n Love the picture of the cat

sitting on the dedicated bench.
n Clever title: A Day to Heel.
Kevin and joanna woronchak,

owners of until we Meet again
Pet Memorial Center.
38
ICCFA Magazine
several of the memorial tapestries, displayed at the service in the park (below).
A Day to Heel focused on

remembrance & saving pets
hen six beloved

companions
Buddy, Mia,
Teemo, Salty, Molly and
Oscarperished from heat
stroke in the back of a dog
walkers truck, Until We
Meet Again Pet Memorial
Center stepped up to help
the dogs owners and the
community heal.
The dog walker had
dumped the bodies in a
ditch and reported the dogs
as stolen. What followed
were days where community
members helped search for
the animals until the dog
a celebrant helped design a public memorial service for the dogs.
walker admitted the terrible
truth.
autopsies, to thank them for their brave and tireless
Kevin Woronchak of UWMA offered the
work.
families private cremations for their dogs and paw
Celebrant Jeff Young helped design an amazing
print keepsakes. He personally returned each dogs
public memorial service for the dogs. Highlights
remains to the family, allowing him to offer the
of the service, which took place at Douglas Park in
empathetic support UWMA shows families.
Langley, included the raising of individual tribute
Flowers were sent to the local British Columbia
blankets for each of the dogs, a balloon release by
SPCA and to the facility that performed the
the families in memory of their companions and the
KIP: PET SERVICE OR MEMORIAL
Kevin woronchak talks to the media at

the service.
above, people
gathered in
the park for
the service,
including a balloon release.
Right, the
dog-themed
flowers and
candles ready
for the service.
Below, individual bouquets ready
for distribution
in paw-print
paper.
dedication of a bench bearing the names of

the six dogs. UWMA was honored to provide
the bench.
above, some of the information given

out to educate the public about the dangers of heat stroke when animals are left
in a vehicle. Below, the memorial folder.
The families and UWMA also used this

opportunity to campaign for the prevention of
heat stroke via ribbons and bumper stickers.
The event, called A Day to Heel, was
one of remembrance, support, education and
awareness. It was also a way for the families
to express their thanks to the people who had
participated in the search.
Dr. Alan Wolfelt coined the term
companioning, Woronchak said in a
press release announcing the event. In part,
it means to walk alongside someone who
is grieving. A Day to Heel is a beautiful
opportunity for all of us to do just that for
the families who have lost their beloved
companions. The human-animal bond is a
powerful thing, and I believe that it is our
deep understanding of this bond that has
brought us together after this tragic event. r
May 2015
39
K I P AWA R D S : I N N O VAT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O DU C T
YourDash offers families customizable memorial websites

they can continue to add to and share for generations.
First Place winner:
Yourdash
Dallas, Texas
www.yourdash.com
n Great example of personal-
ization.
n Great for far-flung families.

n Hands-down the best idea
and most valuable, from my

perspective.
n Family involvement to keep

memories alive; a living memorial for generations to come.
n Nothing more personal than
keeping memories growing
with photos, text, etc.
above, the Yourdash memorial websites are designed to work well on any sort of screen.
Below right, the Yourdash website provides examples of videos to show families what is possible.
Below left, an example of a website, with sections for memories, video, stories and photo gallery.
YourDash stores memories online
Yourdash CeO
elio guarnuccio.
40
ICCFA Magazine
t YourDash, our mission is to protect and

share everyones life stories for generations
to come, We believe that everyone has
a story to tell, which is why we make it easy and
affordable for anyone to get started.
Our multi-platform website allows families to
create, share and treasure their own stories and the
stories of their loved ones through their very own
website. It is not a splash page within our
website, and they do not need to go through
our website to access it. The website is
their very own to personalize and share for
generations.
Our user-friendly templates are tailored
to reflect ones personality and interests.
We offer an endless number of fonts, colors,
themes and template options, making no
two sites exactly alike.
At YourDash, we understand that not
everyone is a computer guru, which is why
we make it easy for even the least techsavvy person to preserve his or her stories
for years to come. We do this by creating
the website for them and following up with
exceptional customer care. Once we get
the website started, it is theirs to add to and
continue personalizing how they wish. We
are always there to guide them and help
them through the process with ease.

To get started, all they need to do is fill out
our short questionnaire, bring their photos to their
funeral service provider and within one to two days
they will receive access to their custom-built site.
Its as simple as that. Families receive:
A personalized website: Families can protect
and share their memories for generations to come.
A memorial video: The customized video can
be used at the service or viewed online anytime.
Hassle-free set up: We make it easy by setting
up our clients websites for them.
Easy customization: We give families the tools
to further customize their sites to their liking.
Limitless photo and story uploads: They can
store their favorite photos and stories in one place.
No hosting fees: Once they purchase their site,
its theirs forever and has no annual fees.
r
KIP AWARDS: INNOVATIVE PE R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T
Photos, colors, symbols and words woven into a one-of-a-kind,

personalized picture of a persons life create these caskets
the family can design online and order from LifeArt.
honorable Mention:
Lifeart international
Hong Kong, China
www.lifeart.com
n Havent seen this before.
n Great way to personalize
the funeral experience.
Two examples of using art to personalize a casket through LifeArt Internationals process.
Lifeart CeO Mike

grehan
LifeArt lets families design the casket
eve learned that selecting the casket

is the what people enjoy the least
when planning a funeral; few people
even want to approach the casket display.
Independent research shows that more than 33
percent of people want a personalized design option
for their casket, and another 26 percent are open to
the idea if presented with the option.
We launched the LifeArt online casket designer
to make it easier for funeral professionals to offer
personalized caskets to their customers.
Families can see the results on a rotating 3D
model of the casket and instantly make changes.
The casket design can be shared with family and
friends before finalizing. Once the design is agreed
on, it is sent online to LifeArt for printing on the
enviroboard casket.
Creating a personalized casket can be done either
preneed or at-need.
You can try out the online designer by going to
www.lifeart.com/design. There are four help videos,
each approximately 1 and a half minutes long, that
explain how to work with images and text and
explain the buttons and how to change the color of
symbols and the casket.
LifeArt believes that everyone deserves to be
remembered in a way that reflects who they were

as individuals, everyone deserves to be given an
opportunity to make use of an environmentally
friendly option and everyone deserves a service
where the center of attention is beautiful and
personal, not just a wooden or metal box.
r
May 2015
41
by ICCFA Magazine columnist

Todd Van Beck, CFuE
toddvanbeck@sbcglobal.net
iCCFa Magazine
author spotlight
Van Beck is one of the
most sought-after speakers

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

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

College of Funeral Home Management
and is on the faculty of ICCFAUs College
of Embalming and Restorative Arts.
ICCFAU 2015 is scheduled for July 17-22
at the University of Memphis Fogelman
Center. www.iccfa.com
Van Beck received the ICCFA Educational Foundations first ever Lasting
Impact Award in 2014.
42
Like Todd Van Beck

on Facebook today!
ICCFA Magazine
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Affectation is something you cannot afford in life or in business

even if youre a proud graduate of mortuary college.
A lesson best learned early:

All great people are humble
It is just possible that the

have come to a
safest way to communicate
conclusion about people:
All great people are
with cynicism, suspicion and
humble. There it is, straight
lack of trust is simply for
and simple. To people who
you and me to be humble.
have the gift of true humility,
Arrogance tossed into an
it is always a mystery as
already fragile environment
to what arrogant people
of cynical, suspicious and
hope to gain by their very
untrusting people is like
unattractive attitude.
tossing gasoline on a fire.
Affectation is a very
Rather than winning
interesting word, is it not? In
respect, the arrogant posture
fact, the word affectation
marks its owner as having
Life is a long lesson
of humility.
is part of the very definition
an overinflated ego, what
Sir James M. Barrie
of arrogance as found in
psychologists used to call a
1860-1937
Websters Dictionary.
superiority complex. This
Scottish author
Webster defines arrogance
persons mind is classed
and dramatist;
as a sense of affectation
as being self-centered and,
author of
of superiority. Affectation
instead of impressing,
Peter Pan
simply means the effect of
merely arouses usually silent
something on something.
contempt, which results in
Affectation should not be confused with resentments which over time can easily
affection. Affection is a giving word; it is
erode and corrode communications.
a humble word. Affectation is not giving
in any sense. Affectation means, to use an
A hard-earned lesson
old Iowa farm saying, that you are full of Here is a good example from my own
yourself.
life. I graduated from mortuary college
Affectation and arrogance are a
during the period of history when Moses
dangerous combination, and for this one
was leading the Children of Israel to the
simple reason. If these arrogant people
Promised Land. In other words, a long
could know the secret discomfort and
damned time ago.
resentment aroused when they constantly
At the time of my graduation, I was
try to impress, they would stop their
terribly insecureworse than I am
actions immediately.
nowvery insecure. Privately, I had been
Most people keep it their own secret
terrified that I would not graduate. I had
when they are subjected to the type of
never been a solid student, to the constant
arrogant individuals I am writing about.
annoyance and mortification of my dear
Most people are decent enough to keep
parents. In fact, the career counselor in
their aroused feelings of discomfort,
my high school told me straight out one
of embarrassment, of resentment to
day that I did not have the brains to make
themselves, and with good reason, for to
it through mortuary college. But make it
challenge an arrogant person most of the
through I did.
time is simply not worth the effort.
I well remember the morning of
This type of arrogance is dangerous in
graduation, which was held in the
a time when our culture is brimming with
sanctuary of the Old South Church on
cynical, suspicious and untrusting people.
Boylston Street in Bostons Back Bay.
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
I marched across the ramparts of the
sanctuary and was given my diploma.
In that second of time, my ever-present
insecurities transformed themselves into
phony, undeserved arrogance, and this
affectation of superiority was predicated
on the simple fact that I had graduated
from a mortuary college. I am ashamed,
40-plus years later, to put this truth
in writing, but that is precisely what
happened.
Truth be told, my insecurities had not
vanished in the least. The only difference
was that now I had a piece of paper in my
hands which I could easily use, or at least
I mistakenly thought I could use, to prove
just what an important and successful and
superior human being TVB actually was.
Looking back now, as I write these
words, it was ridiculous to think I was
superior to anybody on earth. Reading
this makes me feel stupid today, but
nonetheless, flaunt my diploma I did, not
realizing that the vast majority of people
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Arrogance and high-hatting also can be costly, for one arrogant staff person
can drive away more clients than a dozen sensible people can create.
I have made thousands of friends in our
beloved profession over the last 40 years,
and I count those manifest relationships as
the greatest blessing in my life, besides my
wife, Georgia.
We have all encountered arrogant
persons, have we not? Far too many people
entrusted with the responsibility of being
of service to other human beings have the
serious and dangerous fault of high-hatting.
I am not remotely suggesting we can
be all things to all people, but what I am
suggesting is that the simple character
flaw of arrogance belittles each person in
the relationship. A relationship built on
arrogance will never attain the heights of
satisfaction possible without arrogance.
Arrogance and high-hatting also can
be costly, for one arrogant staff person
can drive away more clients than a dozen
sensible people can create.
Sir Winston Churchill, the great wartime prime minister of Great Britain, once
said, The true gauge of superiority is
humility. What Churchill meant was that
great human beings are invariably humble
human beings. They know so much that
they are able to realize how little they
know, and are willing to admit that truth.
Arrogance wins no friends
When I was a student in Boston, I got a

very strange job. I ended up as one of the
25 or so practice pianists with a prestigious
Boston orchestra.
I would show up and practice a piece
of music in place of the guest artist, who
would only show up hours before the
performance.
One of the other practice pianists was
a nice lady. She was in her 20s, as was I.
The only difference between us was that I
was a really mediocre piano player and she
was absolutely excellent. I used to sit in
amazement at her talent and skill, and in the
years since then, she has gone on to heights
of glory in the classical repertoire.
However, one day she waltzed into
Symphony Hall with a look on her face
which clearly bespoke that she was this day
the Queen of Romania and the rest of us
were mere musical novices and peasants.
I had never seen her in such a state of selfimportance, and secretly thought she must
44
ICCFA Magazine
have picked up the blue pill instead of the

green one.
Anyway, in short order the conductor
arrived. This man was the maestro, he
was the masterhis musical genius was
undisputed, and on top of all this he was
a nice guy. Off the rehearsal went and
about halfway through the first piece, the
conductor stopped the orchestra and called
the lady pianist on the carpet. He told her
straight out that he wanted her to watch
him, as the conductor, not the practice
pianist, set the tempo of the music.
I sat quiet as a church mouse in the
corner secretly thinking Thank you, Lord,
this is happening to her and not me.
Another 10 minutes went by, and by then
even I knew that the lady pianist, for some
unknown or possibly arrogant reason, was
setting her own tempo, was not following
the conductor.
Finally, enough was enough, and the
conductor stopped the orchestra again, and
now in anger told the offending pianist that
she needed to mend her musical manners,
respect what the composer wrote, and do
what the rest of the 110-member orchestra
was doing. In other words, to be a humble
professional.
Seemingly amazed, the lady pianist
responded by saying, I dont understand. I
know this music backwards and forwards,
and I do show you every courtesy. The
conductor shot back, Oh, youre courteous
in your own way, but youre so confounded
condescending about it. I never saw this
pianist at another rehearsal again.
My observation is that arrogance is a
smokescreen to camouflage insecurities
I know that was the case in my own life.
However, you cant get away with arrogance forever, particularly in a culture that
is as complicated, touchy, grumpy and fussy
as is the one we live in day to day.
One day, a retired cemeterian who
was highly respected and admired in his
community for his genuine humility walked
into the office of the cemetery to get some
information. This retired cemeterian had
sold his property some years before, but still
sat on the board of directors in the capacity
of CEO emeritus.
The young lady behind the desk of
the cemetery office did not recognize the
tall, stooped, Lincolnesque figure. She

answered the retired cemeterians questions
with great disdain, arrogance and false
superiority, scarcely even looking in the old
gentlemans direction.
The retired cemeterian finally said, I
want to ask just one more question, and I
hope you wont think me bothering you.
What is your name?
The young lady behind the desk drew
herself up haughtily saying, Im sure I
cant understand how that could be of any
interest to you. I have already given you the
information you asked for. We are under
HIPPA rules here and that information is
private.
Youll understand in the morning,
young lady, said the founder of the
cemetery. And with that, this grand human
being quietly walked out.
That young cemetery desk clerk got
some news the next morning which was
very unpleasant, yet well deserved.
Now, please, dont get me wrong. Many
high-hatters, arrogant people, affectation of
superiority characters, do get by with this
attitude. Those people, however, are not in
the common rank and file of humanity. I am
not talking about the Donald Trumps of the
world, I am talking about the Donald Trump
wannabes.
In everyday, common, ordinary times of
life, the high-hat, arrogant attitude is poison.
It is dynamite, as well as utterly ridiculous,
in the end. I know I made myself look
ridiculous when I pushed my diploma from
mortuary college into the face of everybody
I encountered. This is the direct opposite of
what we all know is the historic successful
attitude in dealing with others in funeral and
cemetery service.
Success in handling our customers calls
for warmth, friendliness and simple, levelheaded common sense, and part of that
common sense in knowing when to keep
quiet about your personal feelings toward
the arrogant human being.
Remember President Calvin Coolidges
sage and great advice: You will never be
asked to repeat something you havent said.
It is a great mistake in our lives and work
to be anything other than humble. Trust me,
my friend, I have the battle scars to prove
the truth of not living by this statement. r
I C C FA N E W S
iccfa
u
university
Educating todays practitioners, developing tomorrows leaders
July 17-22, 2015 Fogelman Executive Center Memphis, Tennessee
ear prospective
students,
I am honored
to serve as your ICCFA
University chancellor. I
have had the pleasure over
the past 23 years of seeing
the university from all
Kidwiler
sides, first attending and
graduating, then becoming a professor in
several colleges, and finally serving as
dean of the College of Land Management
& Grounds Operations for five years.
I was raised in the funeral service
industry, with my family owning a
cemetery and funeral homes in the
Philippines, and me personally working
for memorial design companies for
numerous years. I thought I had a pretty
good grasp of what was going on in the
profession until I was encouraged to attend
ICCFA University back in 1992. After I
attended, my career really began.
Why is the ICCFA University so lifechanging and one of the most revered
educational programs in our profession?
The program is more than just a
training seminar or conferenceit is an
EXPERIENCE. The experience starts
from the moment you arrive in Memphis,
and actually continues for the rest of
your career. The professors and fellow
students you share the week with will
become lasting friends. The memorable
conversations during breakfast, lunch
and dinner with fellow students are
enlightening. The opportunity to sit on a
couch and have a late-night fireside chat
with Gary OSullivan is priceless. It will
be difficult to explain to others just how
awesome the hospitality provided by the
Fogelman Center staff is. Everything you
learn will alter the lens through which
you view the profession from that point
forward. This is a situation where the
whole is much more than the sum of its

parts.
ICCFA University boasts seven
colleges in tune with our profession
today.
Cremation Services
Funeral Home Management
Land Management & Grounds
Operations
Leadership, Management &
Administration
J. Asher Neel College of Sales &
Marketing
21st Century Services
And introducing the new College of
International Studies!
This new curriculum, spearheaded
by dean Jim Hammond, offers you the
opportunity to learn about funeral and
burial customs from around the world.
The globe has become a smaller place
in our modern world, which means
that you now have customers of many
different backgrounds in your community.
Learn how to attract and serve them in
accordance with their heritage and beliefs
by attending this brand-new college.
Islam, Catholicism, Judaism, Greek
and Russian Orthodoxy, Buddhism and
specialty American services are just some
of the session topics. There will even be a
class project to conduct a service based on
what you learn during your five days at the
university.
Become the best by learning from the
best. The success that ICCFA University
enjoys is the result of the dedication and
hard work of our seven remarkable deans,
and the numerous professors who have
amassed a wealth of real-world experience
in their fields. They truly are experts at
what they do. They continually fine-tune
their curricula throughout the year to
present you with the most relevant and
current information to take back and apply
as soon as you get home. And we should

note that most of them donate their time
and share their expertise on a volunteer
basis. They just want to give back to
our profession that has so generously
rewarded them over the years.
Debating on whether or not to
attend? Listen to what past students
have to say about their experience at the
University. Watch video testimonials at
www.iccfa.com/university.
Scholarships are available. To see if
you might qualify, check out the ICCFA
website at www.iccfa.com/university.
Scholarships for the 2015 session have
already been awarded, but its never too
early to start thinking about next year.
The 2015 ICCFA University is the
ultimate educational opportunity in our
profession. Everyone involved in the
university is proud to continue this oneof-a-kind venue by which thousands have
already enriched themselves, their firms
and ultimately their customers through
superior, relevant and contemporary
service.
I encourage you to enroll in the
2015 session of the U to begin, or
continue, your journey of professional
development today.
Sincerely yours,
Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE

ICCFA University Chancellor
Complete program and online

registration available at
www.iccfa.com/university
May 2015
45
I C C FA N E W S
College of 21st Century Services

Dean
Glenda Stansbury, CC
How do you respond to a family who says,

We dont want a traditional funeral?
Youll learn how to go beyond
tradition with innovative offerings and
become certified as a funeral celebrant
trained to provide meaningful alternatives
to clergy-led services.
Classes include:
Celebrant Training, Doug Manning and
Glenda Stansbury: Celebrants offer an alternative to services
provided by clergy for those families who are not affiliated with a
church or who do not wish to have a traditional religious funeral
service. They design services that are completely personal,
incorporating the unique stories, songs and experiences that
defined the deceased.
After completing this college, students will be certified as
celebrants. The training for celebrants as established by the InSight Institute seeks to provide the most comprehensive and
sensitive training available for people who wish to develop this
as a profession or to add to their current job description. It is
important that a family knows they are being served by someone
who understands the process and is prepared to offer the very best
funeral possible.
What is a Presentation? Principles of Liking, Carol Little:
Carol Little is a Certified Master Trainer and Facilitator. In her
15-plus-year career she has trained leaders in the computer,
finance, corporate real estate, automotive, funeral, electronics
and health care industries, as well as many high-level executives
and individuals. She excels at helping people move beyond the
roadblocks that prevent them from achieving their full potential.
Dedicated and hardworking, Little is committed to her clients
success. Her passionate and fun style keeps her clients coming
back for more. She is also the managing trustee of an educational
trust fund.
She has three years of experience providing public speaking
training for InSight Certified Celebrants and brings her skills to the
university for the first time to assist our newly trained celebrants in
polishing their presentation and speaking tools.
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College of Cremation Services

Dean
Jim Starks, CfuE, CCrE
Cremation doesnt have to mean no

service or no memorialization. Youll
discover how to better serve families,
improve cremation operations and
increase your companys cremationrelated revenues. Youll also earn three
types of certifications: operator, administrator and arranger.
Some of the classes offered:
Crematory Operator Curriculum (sponsored by Matthews

Cremation Division), Ron Salvatore and Richard Thomas:
You will receive an extensive operations manual and training on
professional terminology, incinerator terminology, principles of
combustion, cremation and the environment, incinerator criteria
and design, basics of operating cremation equipment, general
maintenance and troubleshooting, forms and record keeping and
handling and exposure control.
Please note: This college includes a one-day option for
those who wish to attend only the Certified Crematory Operator
program.
Administrator Curriculum: Zoning/NIMBY/Equipment
Real and Imagined Issues, Ron Salvatore: One of the
highest-rated portions of the College of Cremation Services,
this curriculum covers: adding a crematory to your operation,
4
municipality zoning hurdles to installation, timingfrom
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ICCFA Magazine
ordering to being fully operational, costs to purchase/maintain

equipment, facility requirements and considerations in selecting a
crematory supplier.
Administrator Curriculum: Cremation & Crematory Risk
Management: Go Ahead, Dont Bother. I Dare You!, Jim
Starks, CFuE, CCrE: Jim Starks will wow you with a riveting,
real-world presentation on operations and compliance. Failure
to properly manage the risk of providing cremation services
and/or operating a crematory is an invitation for disaster. Learn
the steps you need to take to minimize potential problems and
liabilities from an expert who has handled compliance and
risk management issues for hundreds of funeral homes and
crematories.
Arranger Curriculum: Reducing Your Liability to Add to
Your Bottom Line, Poul Lemasters, Esq.: This seminar will
focus on the Cremation Authorization Form, and educate the
arranger on why each section is critical. Participants will not only
learn the importance of each section, they will also learn how to
explain the sections to the family. There will also be examples of
lawsuits that have cost providers millions.
Arranger Curriculum: What Is Your GRASP on
Cremation Consumers?, Nctar Ramrez: Many funeral
service professionals have a preconceived notion that families
who choose cremation do not want to have memorial services.
The GRASP approach to the cremation arrangement conference
uses a probing model designed to fully engage the family in
making the irrevocable decisions that are made when a death
occurs. GRASP challenges the funeral service professional to
offer service options for the cremation family similar to what they
currently offer the burial family.
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I C C FA N E W S
J. Asher Neel College of Sales & Marketing

Dean
Gary OSullivan, CCFE
The principles of sales and marketing

dont change, only technique and
application do. Learn how to take the
tried-and-true principles of cemetery
and funeral sales and apply them within
todays highly mobile, multi-cultural,
high-tech, information-driven marketplace.
Some of the classes include:
What Great Sales Managers Know That Good Sales

Managers Dont, Gary OSullivan, CCFE: We hear a lot of
talk among businesspeople about how to go from good to great.
In this opening session, youll discover the five things great sales
managers understand and employ that good sales managers dont.
This is a session that may change everything if your desire is to
be a great sales manager.
Doing the Right Things for the Right Reasons, Poul
Lemasters, Esq.: Achieving sales targets is just one aspect of
your role as sales manager. Equally important is how we do
what we do. Doing things right means more than simply learning
how to make an effective sales presentation; it also means doing
things ethically and legally. In this session, youll discover how
pervasive ethics and the law are in numerous areas of sales
leadership.
Building Your People Beyond Sales, Andrs Aguilar:
Finding the right people to sell and lead within your organization
is one of your biggest challenges as a sales manager. The next
biggest challenge? Building, growing and keeping them. Training
people is one thing, but truly developing them is another. In this
session, youll discover how building people beyond their sales
skills can be an important catalyst for creating more sales and can
lead to a culture where good people want to come and stay.
Interactive Social Media Workshop: Creating Viral
Content for Your Funeral Home or Cemetery, Zachary
Garbow: Social media posts dont go viral automatically; they
must be crafted in a way to maximize engagement. In this fastpaced, interactive workshop, youll gain hands-on experience
creating content primed for maximum engagement on Facebook
and other social media channels. Youll learn what posts get the
most engagement, tips for creating posts that are viral by nature,
how to create custom content to post on social media, where to
find the best content to re-share and how to measure your impact.
Creating a Unique Graveside Experience That Generates
Leads, John Gouch: In this session, you will learn to create and
execute some of the most unique service experiences that will
have families in your community raving about your cemetery.
But more than that, you will learn how to generate leads that are
warm and welcoming when they are contacted. If you need to
generate more warm leads, you need to attend this session.
The Service and Opportunities of Family Service, Linda
Jankowski: Do you know where the best source for new

business is in your market and the fastest way to get to get there?
Do you know what processes will help new sales professionals
get integrated into your business faster, will facilitate all sales
staff in developing deeper relationships with your clients, and
help you build your heritage? Where is this source? What is the
process? Its something many know, but few do well: the service
of family service. In this session, you will learn systems to help
you create and/or improve your service to families and create
new opportunities.
The 7 Vital Signs That Drive Your Sales Teams Success,
Patrick Downey, CCE: This session will show you the seven
key diagnostics that can show a sales manager how to take
the pulse of his/her sales organization and how to direct their
skills and energy toward the actionable areas that matter most.
Participants will learn what sales performance warning sign to
watch for and how to apply the best proven prescriptions for
keeping a sales team healthy and on track for high performance.
Creating Your Brand: Going Beyond Advertising, Tiffany
Gallarzo: What is your brand? How does your community view
your firm? What is your competitive edge? If you dont know
what makes your firm unique, neither do your customers. Learn
how to develop and execute your own strategic marketing plan,
from a system for organizing what you know and what you have
to do next to a schedule for reviewing your progress. Walk away
with effective marketing strategies that will build your brand and
enhance your companys reputation.
Increasing Production by Mastering Your Time, Rahsaan
Brown: As sales professionals we have very busy schedules.
Some weeks are hectic and full of meetings, appointments,
deadlines and family commitments. We are constantly bombarded
with information, people and things that demand our attention.
As a result, we often fail to accomplish the tasks that are most
important to our professional and personal lives. In this session,
you will learn effective time-management and goal-setting skills,
which will help you increase your effectiveness and give you
more control of your day.
Branding From the Inside Out, Tiffany Gallarzo: Whether
your sales team consists of one person or 100 people, brand
integration is the key to success. In this session, youll learn that
the way weve always done it isnt going to cut it anymore.
In todays world, we must create a culture and an environment
for development and growth that will unite your staff to increase
retention, enhance your companys reputation and ultimately
increase sales.
Coaching Your Sales Team From Good to Great: Best
Practices, Patrick Downey, CCE: In this session, participants
will learn and role-play top techniques and best practices for
coaching individual sales representative to improve from
good sales performers to great sales performers. Learn the
fundamentals of coaching, including how to conduct effective
weekly one-to-one coaching sessions, facilitate simple team
meetings that build performance, and best practices for measuring
and managing the sales activities that matter most.
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May 2015
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I C C FA N E W S
College of International Studies

Dean
Jim Hammond
Globalization is making the world

a much smaller place to live in. Are
you sure that you know how to serve
families of all nationalities and religious
backgrounds in your community? Learn
about the funeral customs of all major
religions and population groups from around the world.
Chinese Funeral Practices and Customs, Bob Yount: The

burial of the dead is a matter taken very seriously in Chinese
societies. Improper funeral arrangements can wreak ill fortune
and disaster upon the family of the deceased. To a certain degree,
Chinese funeral rites and burial customs are determined by the
age of the deceased, the manner of his/her death, his/her status
and position in society and his/her marital status.
Eastern Orthodox Customs and Traditions: Part I, Alan
Mackinnon, CCE: At a time when cemeteries confront many
competitive pressures, the Orthodox community represents
an attractive and affluent niche market for cemeteries as this
population highly values traditional burials and cremation is
specifically forbidden.
Hindu Funeral Beliefs, Nisha Hafiz: In Hindu funeral
tradition, the body remains at the home until it is cremated, which
is usually within 24 hours after death. At the service, mourners
may dress casually. Black attire is inappropriate and white is
preferred. Learn some of the dos and donts of Hindu beliefs in
this course.
Class Project, Bob Yount and Jim Hammond: Taking
applications learned and applying them to daily practices can
be difficult tasks for many in our industry. Yount and Hammond
will take the topics from sessions covered and, with class
participation, complete a funeral and disposition that will be in
line with the correct practices and traditions.
Three Stages of Vietnamese Funerals, Jim Hammond: The
way a funeral is organized in Vietnam is strongly influenced by
various Chinese rites and activities. Most funerals in Vietnam
consist of three stages. These stages may sound very familiar,
but what takes place for the Vietnamese between stages is what
separates them from other countries around the world.
Capturing the Hispanic Market, Andrs Aguilar: This class
will teach you how to cater to this exponentially-growing market,
but more importantly, it will show you how to differentiate your
operation by providing services that will make Hispanics choose
your business over the competition.
Korean Traditions, Customs and Practices, Sophia Park:
Korean funeral concepts and practices differ somewhat from the
American understanding of funerals. Come learn about Korean
traditions, old and new, so you may help make a familys services
feel more close to home.
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ICCFA Magazine
Jewish Funeral and Burial, Paul Goldstein: Jewish tradition

teaches that human beings are created in the image of God. This
is the foundation for all Jewish funeral and burial rituals.
This class will examine those practices and the religious
traditions behind them. You will learn about funeral customs,
their origins and the practices of modern Jews.
Muslim Funeral Traditions, Nisha Hafiz: Did you know
that the body should be ritually washed and draped before burial,
which should be as soon as possible after death? That Muslim
women never attend burials and it is rare for funeral directors
to be involved? Many Muslim sects have a strong belief of
the sacredness of the human body and are against postmortem
examinations. These are just a few of the traditions and customs
covered in this course.
Roman Catholic Funeral Rites, Father Partick Carrion:
The Catholic Church identifies burying the dead as a one of the
seven Corporeal Works of Mercy. The works of mercy indicate
that everyone has basic rights to life. The church sees that right
extending to the person in death itself. The dignity of the person
transcends their human existence. This basic right to dignity
in death is expressed in the Rites of a Christian Funeral. The
presentation will review the three stages of the funeral rites and
how best to celebrate them in the Roman Catholic tradition.
European Influences in Funeral Customs, Bryant Holt:
German, Irish and British cultures have been uniquely influential
in the way funerals are conducted and how cemeteries are
structured. In this course, youll explore a comparison between
old world and new world mores, how culture dictates how a
person is to be mourned and how their life should be celebrated,
and much more.
Masons and Mormons, Bryant Holt: Come take a storied
stroll through the international inception of the Masons, up
through their societal impact and majesty and down through their
declining role in todays Rites of Christian Burial. Prepare to
be stunned, amazed and possibly even a little amused. We will
investigate an American phenomena from a historic view. Well
take a close look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints. Well discover the evolution and funeral traditions of
these people who have now come to be called the Mormons.
Eastern Orthodox Customs and Traditions: Part II, Alan
Mackinnon, CCE: Mackinnon has traveled extensively in
researching Orthodox custom and traditions related to burial
practices and other aspects of their faith. He has applied the
knowledge gained from these travels to develop The Orthodox
Garden and Holy Resurrection Chapel at The Gardens at
Gethsemane cemetery in Boston, which embraces the customs
and traditions of the Orthodox faith.
Services for Military Veterans, Jim Hammond: Have you
ever wondered how certain military traditions came about?
There are many traditions and customs around military
services. This class will look into the origins of them all and
look at how these traditions have become a mainstay in military
services. We will also take a look at some new ways cemetery
and funeral homes are honoring military veterans today.
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I C C FA N E W S
College of funeral home management

Dean
Todd Van Beck, CFuE
Too many managers consider

creativity someone elses department.
In funeral service, creative management
is the key to differentiation. Youll
learn Dr. W. Edwards Demings creative
service management system and its
specific applications to our profession.
The Legal Aspects of Funeral Service, Poul Lemasters,

Esq.: When was the last time you reviewed your bylaws or
articles of incorporation? Do they provide a foundation for
consistent management? Do your rules and regulations support
the management and appeal of your funeral home? Are you
federally compliant and shielded against liability by quality
management practices? Are you using sound human resources
practices to protect both management and staff? Gain solid
legal education to help prepare you in all facets of funeral home
management so you can effectively communicate, manage and
interact with your staff and todays consumers.
Management Is Not Having the Title of Manager; It

Is Being Creative in Vision: Well introduce The Worthy
Ideal, the philosophy of creative management and what
management looks like when you base it on the mission of
your ideal. Central to this discussion will be the quality service
management system of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Well discuss:
the magic 15 steps in service management
Plan, Do, Check, ActAccomplish transformations
the Seven Deadly Sins in quality service management
Learn the foundations of qualitywhat quality service is and
what it is not.
Note: Students in this college are asked to research Deming
before arrival.
The Application of Creative Management: Part I:
Todays sessions will focus on three key areas of management:
Momentum. Discover the power of the momentum of daily
management vs. the risks of making it up as you go.
The DNA of Creativity. Including:
visibility of people, places and things
attention to people, places and things
information about people, places and things
consistency with people, places and things
Funeral Home Telephone Shopping, Julie A. Burn, CCrE,

CSE: Answering the phone is easy, right? Not so fast. StoneMor
Director of Cremation Services Julie Burn goes undercover as
a mystery shopper, calling firms to gauge their skills at handling
phone inquiries, and you may be surprised at some of her
findings.
When someone calls your business to inquire about your

services, what type of impression do you and your staff make?
Are you welcoming and helpful? Do you simply answer the
callers questions, or do you take advantage of the opportunity to
explain the value of what you do?
Join Burn as she shares her phone shopper experiences,
including both well-handled calls and those that could be
improved. Youll learn how to:
make the connection with your caller
educate the consumer
promote value
take effective follow-up action
Application of Creative Management: Part II: Delve into
a how to approach to creative management. This program will
teach you:
how to teach your staff telephone etiquette
how to teach your staff telephone shopping skills
how to implement the telephone shopping tracking
program
how to develop and implement the telephone shopping
matrix
how to teach common sense funeral/cemetery
economics
how to develop and implement the visible general price
list
Youll receive a CD filled with programs you can put to use
immediately.
Implementation of Creative Management: Part I: Roll

up your sleeves and create individualized master timelines to
ensure success in implementing your four-year schedule of
activities. Youll receive a master list of 318 best practices and
creative enhancement ideas for less than $500 each. Among the
innovative marketing and promotional programs youll receive:
meaningful Christmas and Easter events and holiday
memorial programs
clergy seminars and appreciation events
charity car washes
open houses
life planning seminars
cemetery programs
veterans programs and Flag Day dedication events
Implementation of Creative Management: Part II:

Discover the power of gaining visibility through interesting
community presentations. Youll learn how to get up in front
of people and wow your audience. The programs are already
finished, complete with scripts and PowerPoint images. Here are
just a few of the 18 community presentations youll receive:
The History of Grave Robbing
The Worldwide Cemetery Tour
The Story of the Titanic Funerals
The Presidential Gravesite Tour
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May 2015
49
I C C FA N E W S
College of Land Management & Grounds Operations

Dean
Gino Merendino
Exceptional cemetery service starts with

the grounds and operations department.
Without effective land management
and a commitment to an attractive,
well-maintained property, there will be
no sales or service. Youll learn how your
grounds management team can succeed
and continuously improve interments, landscaping, buildings,
grounds maintenance and exceptional client experience and
satisfaction.
Exceptional Cemetery Maintenance: Experience

the Difference!, Gino Merendino: A cemeterys maintenance
operations, procedures and resulting outcomes are the defining
experiences for families who enter our gates. What is exceptional
cemetery maintenance and why does it matter? Well kick off our
week together with a high energy and dynamic look at what we
are doing to enable meaningful experiences at our cemeteries and
share collective ideas on how to improve our efforts.
Creating a Committal Service that Everyone Talks About,
John Gouch: Succesful cemeteries create great community
events that bring visitors into the cemetery and have them leaving
in awe. John Gouchs cemetery has that experience designed into
every committal service performed. He will share his step-by-step
process so you can exceed customer expectations and create a
buzz in your community for every funeral you service.
OSHA and Graveside Safety, Mary Malotke: OSHA has
regulations for digging in a narrow but deep space such as a
grave. This session covers backhoes, ladders, setting vaults,
adjacent grave and monument issues and witnessing liabilities.
Well also examine the requirements for soil assessment, trench
protection and air-quality issues that can become critical during
opening and closing. Students will receive a DVD on Gravesite
Safety, which you can take back to train your entire maintenance
staff to help fulfill your OSHA training requirements.
The Key Steps to OSHA Compliance, Mary Malotke:
Cemeterians must develop and implement an OSHA program for
grounds and facility maintenance. This program covers OSHAs
expectations for compliance, documentation and training. Topics
include hazard communication, chemical safety, outdoor issues
such as weather and pests, equipment maintenance, flammable
liquids, mowers and trimmers and record requirements.
High Profile Funerals/Visit to Graceland and Elvis
Grave, Hannah Smith: Hannah Smith will discuss key topics
to think about when conducting high profile funerals as you tour
Graceland and Elvis Presleys grave.
Community Outreach, Christine Toson Hentges, CCE:
Christine Toson Hentges will share best practices and creative
ideas for starting or growing your cemetery community outreach
program, as well as the importance of having one. A great
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ICCFA Magazine
outreach program can go a long way in better understanding

the communities that we serve as well as offering unparalleled
networking and opportunities to become engaged in our
communities.
Those Sales People! What Are They Thinking? Jim
Hammond: Why is it that the sales force is always making
our lives difficult out hereselling products that dont exist,
complaining that the property is sub-par and thats why they cant
sell, scheduling services at the same time? Find out who is right
and how our roles are one and the same. The course objective
is to train non-sales department heads and middle managers to
become partners with the sales department.
Healing Grief: The Essence of Our Profession, Todd Van
Beck, CFuE: Lack of compassion is usually caused by a lack
of understanding. Learning more about grief and bereavement
allows us to be more empathetic. In this session, we will explore
the journey of grief. Discover the ways in which our mourning
traditions emerged, how our professon has evolved and the ways
in which we can assist our familes move toward healing.
Developing Hidden Treasures on Your Property, Christine
Toson Hentges, CCE: Small spaces, V-ditches, fence lines
what are they good for? Christie Hentges will show you how to
turn your neglected spots into money-making treasures.
The Art of the Interview and the Science of Selection,
Mike Hays: Led by one of our professions top managers, this
session will focus on crucial hiring skills, including: how to ask
meaningful questions, how to interpret resumes, how to identify
your ideal candidate, how to follow up on references and how to
conduct second interviews.
Heroes Serving Heroes, Jack E. Lechner Jr., CFSP:
Serving our active military, veterans and their families is a
unique and memorable privilege for our profession. We will share
best practices regarding veteran funerals, supporting our active
military/veteran communities and hiring veterans coming back
from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Memorialization: Definition?, Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE:
What is the true meaning of memorialization and how does it
fit in at your location? Are we truly offering memorialization
products and services that our families want? Thirty percent of
the deaths in the United States occur without memorialization.
Ask yourself, is this acceptable at my location? Discussion
topics will include looking at past practices, current applications
and future trends. Upright memorials only add to the cost of
maintenance and We cant change our rules and regulations
are these common excuses that prohibit proper memorialization
for the families we serve at your location? How do we change our
memorialization sales?
Arboretum/Cemetery Sustainability, Gino Merendino:
Satirist George Carlin once said that cemeteries and golf courses
are wasted space, referring to their social and environmental
impact. Our nations oldest cemeteries are in fact arboretums
that lead the nation in sustainability practices that even the
George Carlins of your community would approve. Lechner
and Merendino will share their best practices for improving
your carbon footprint, water management, plant selection, waste
recycling and environmental stewardship.
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I C C FA N E W S
College of Leadership, administration & Management

Dean
Gary freytag, ccfe
The cemetery, cremation and funeral

service profession is changing, and so
are the skills needed to manage and lead
effectively. Youll receive solid, relevant,
results-focused training targeted at
todays required core competencies.
Principals of Effective Leadership, Steven Tidwell: If you

have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of selfstudy, education, training and experience. Learn how to develop
the leader within you by exploring various facets of leadership,
including attitude, motivation, vision, self discipline, character
and handling change. This course will enable you to benchmark
your leadership effectiveness and help you develop your leadership ability.
A Critical Look into the Future: Adjusting to Issues,
Trends and Changes, David Nixon: What are the critical issues,
trends and changes in our marketplace and in our profession?
Uncover, examine and provide the strategic ideas and adjustments
you need to embrace to maintain your success. Learn how to
build a stronger, more viable business with the knowledge of
these future trends.
A Case Study in Leadership, Gary Freytag, CCFE: This
course will challenge the class to take on a leadership crisis taken
from real life events. Students will team up to recommend viable
solutions to the CEO while dealing with human resource, legal
and operational repercussions. This course will help evaluate and
benchmark your leadership effectiveness and help you develop
your leadership ability.
Community Outreach: Setting Your Company Apart,
Debbie Budke: Are you doing everything you can to build your
companys ties into the community? Is your organization the first
one families think of in a time of need? This course will explore
the variety of ways Spring Grove builds its presence and positive
awareness, including everything from grief programs, events and
tours, to car shows, Segways and Facebook.
Communication and the Art of Effective Feedback, Carol
Little: We all know that powerful communication is essential to
strong leadership. But what is powerful communication and how
can you effectively deliver feedback so your team will actually
receive and benefit from it? In this workshop, she will discuss the
essential elements of feedback; how, when and where to deliver
feedback; how to address problems and get your team to buy in
to the solutions; and an explanation of the feedback sandwich.
The Facebook Formula: Secrets for Taking Your Business
Viral on Facebook, Zachary Garbow: To most death care
professionals, Facebook remains a mystery. But understanding
the secrets of how the worlds largest social network operates is
the key to taking your message viral. This class will uncover the
secrets behind how Facebook determines who sees your content
and how you can use that insight to expose your business to even
more people within your community. By the end of this class,
youll walk away with the knowledge and actionable advice
necessary to grow your Facebook fan base and dramatically
increase its engagement and effectiveness.
Business Law: Funeral Home and Cemetery Legal
Outlook, Poul Lemasters, Esq.: When was the last time you
reviewed your cemetery bylaws? Do they provide a foundation
for consistent management? Do your rules and regulations
support the management and appeal of your cemetery? Is your
funeral home federally compliant and shielded against liability
by quality management practices? Are you using sound human
resource practices to protect both management and staff?
Gain solid legal education to help prepare you in all facets of
cemetery and funeral home management so you can effectively
communicate, manage and interact with your staff and todays
consumers.
Employee Reviews, Evaluations, Incentives and Effective
Morale-Boosting Programs & Events, Christine Toson
Hentges, CCE: This course teaches you how to create an
employee review process that management and employees will
cherish rather than dread. It offers effective techniques, tools
and templates for conducting effective employee reviews and
appraisals. In addition, youll walk away with ideas for incentives
and company programs that help employee morale, retention
and enthusiasm while increasing workforce engagement and
productivity.
Employee Engagement, Motivation, Hiring & Firing,
Robert Taylor: Your employees are your most important asset.
Todays business environment presents unique challenges
because of the high level of inter-industry competition for
quality personnel. This session will cover standard business rules
for finding, keeping and removing personnel, as well as new
ideas for engaging and motivating employees through effective
communication.
Funeral Home and Cemetery Accounting: Keys to
Affecting Your Bottom Line, Bill Williams: Profit is all about
increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. But what are the
standards against which you can benchmark yourself? How
often does your company truly analyze its expenses? Do you
sometimes wonder whether there are line items you should be
taking a keen look at but are missing? In this session, well
examine critical expense items, including how to manage them,
ideal ways to reduce them and industry norms to benchmark
against them.
Social Media: Welcome to the Dark Side, Poul Lemasters,
Esq., Abbie Brammer Quiocho and others: Social media can
be a tremendous tool to inform and promote, but also can be
incredibly destructive.
This class will delve into the dark side of social media and
answer questions such as: Can I decide not to hire someone
because of their pictures or posts, and can they sue me for it?
How to deal with negative consumer posts and how to react when
seeing illegal posts. This class will give you working guidelines
to deal with the legal, social and interpersonal ramifications of
q
social media in the workplace.
May 2015
51
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.
A rendering of the redesigned Fairmount Cemetery and Mortuary office and chapel
into a Celebration Event Center, now under way.
n fairmount cemetery, Denver,

Colorado, is undertaking a multi-phase
renovation project costing more than $5
million. The work will include the architectural renovation and expansion of the
existing mortuary building and chapel into
an improved visitor services area, creating
new entry foyers, office space and meeting
and gathering spaces. The interior will be
redone to include more natural light from
skylights in the gathering spaces.
Outside, parking lots and asphalt driveways will be replaced with gardens, plazas
and a processional motor court to accom-
modate a variety of life celebration events.

CPRA Studio and Sprocket DesignBuild Inc., both of Denver, have partnered
on the work, with the Sprocket focused on
the Fairmont Mortuary Chapel and office
building and CPRA focused on the surrounding landscape.
The project includes a large-scale
redevelopment of the Lower Ivy Terrace
to include three new garden mausoleum
buildings designed by CPRA.
The renovation project is the first phase
of the campaign. The next phase kicks off
a public campaign, called Restoring His-
In memoriam
When SCI was reorganized into two

North American divisions in 1996, he
assumed responsibility for all operations
east of the Mississippi. He was elected a
corporate vice president by the Board of Directors in 1998 and became head of North
American operations in March 1999, and
relocated to Houston that year. In August of
2002, he was appointed senior vice president of eastern operations.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara, a
son and daughter, his mother, a sister and
two brothers, including Kevin Mack, who
also works for SCI. A visitation was held
in Houston at the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H.
Lewis & Sons, where the funeral service
was also held, followed by a catered reception in the grand foyer.
A visitation also was held in New York
City, at Frank E. CampbellThe Funeral
Chapel, where a prayer service also was held.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at
the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, followed
by a luncheon and by a brief program at the
New York Athletic Club. The rite of committal and interment in Montauk, New York,
were private.
Memorial contributions may be directed
to Angelas House Houston, 6725 Reed
Road, Houston, TX, 77087; or to the
Stephen M. Mack
Stephen M. Mack, who rose

through the ranks at Service
Corporation International,
died March 19 at his home
in Houston, Texas. Born in
New York City in 1952, he
worked at a funeral home doing errands and yard work as
a teen-ager. He began considering a career
in funeral service after being pressed into
service to and meet talk to families inside
the funeral home.
He earned a degree from State University of New York, and went to work at Claude
R. Boyd Funeral Home, Babylon, New
York, an SCI property. In 1983, he became
manager of Walter B. Cooke Funeral Home
in the Bronx, and then in 1984 moved to
Florida to serve as general manager of Riverside Memorial Chapel in Miami Beach.
He was named district manager for the
then Southeast Region in 1985, and in 1986
he returned to New York to become assistant
regional manager for the Eastern Region.
He was promoted to vice president, regional
manager for the Eastern Region in 1987, and
then Eastern Region president in 1992.
52
ICCFA Magazine
tory, for operational and working capital

toward design, development and construction to restore and preserve Ivy Chapel,
Gatehouse and Arboretum. Fairmount
Cemetery and Mortuary was established
in 1890 and encompasses more than 280
acres of land.
n carriage ServiceS, Houston,
Texas, announced record results for the
year ending December 31, 2014. Our
2014 full year performance was an earning
power milestone record with adjusted net
income of $24.8 million equal to adjusted
diluted EPS of $1.34 and adjusted net
income margin of 11.0 percent on record
revenues of $226.1 million, made possible
by an extraordinarily strong fourth quarter
finish of adjusted diluted EPS of $0.38 on
record revenues of $59.4 million, said
CEO Mel Payne.
Carriage as a consolidation and
operating platform for funeral homes and
cemeteries has reached an earning power
sweet spot in maturity and size, Payne
said, as reflected by the leveraging of a
12.9 percent total revenue increase in the
fourth quarter into much larger increases
of 25.6 percent in total field EBITDA, 27.8
percent in adjusted consolidated EBITDA
and 52.0 percent in adjusted diluted EPS.
Payne said he expects the trend to conWounded Warrior Project.
Burton H. Levinson
Burton H. Levinson, 91, longtime owner of Sol Levinson &

Bros. Funeral Home, Pikesville, Maryland, died March
8 at his home in Boca Raton,
Florida. He was a third-generation funeral director.
He served as a medic with
the 143rd AAA Gun Battalion
during World War II. He went to work for
the family funeral home the day after being
discharged from the U.S. Army in 1946. His
brother, Stanley T. Levinson, chairman of the
funeral home board, said Levinson played a
major part in helping the business grow into
one of the largest Jewish funeral homes in the
country.
Survivors include his wife, Bettye; a
daughter; a son, Ira, who is president of the
funeral home; a stepdaughter; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services were held at the funeral home,
with interment at Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made
to Beth El Congregation, 8010 Park Heights
Ave., Baltimore, MD 21208.
r
UPDATE
tinue this year. He listed 2014 highlights
as:
Dave DeCarlo joining him and Bill
Heiligbrodt in March as a member of the
executive team with the primary responsibility of growing the company by selective, strategic acquisitions;
Entering two large, new strategic
marketsNew Orleans and Washington,
D.C.with the acquisition from SCI in
May of five funeral homes and one combination business;
Completing the refinancing in May
of all the old high-rate components of the
balance sheet with low-rate $325 million
syndicated five-year bank credit facilities
and $143.75 million seven-year convertible subordinated notes;
Establishing a highly collaborative
operations and strategic growth leadership
team comprised of the executive team and
12 senior leaders representing field operations and Houston support teams;
Updating and revising strategic
acquisition model criteria and methodologies and begining to build a new strategic
development team focused on building
relationships with top quality acquisition
candidates in large and medium strategic
markets and areas.
n The HiStoric wooDlawn
cemetery, the Bronx, New York,
and the green-wooD cemetery
cHapel, Brooklyn, New York, were
included on a recent list of the best free
museums in new york city by time
out new york magazine. Woodlawns
landscape art and mausoleums were noted.
In addition to Green-Woods chapel, its
Victorian mausoleums, cherubs and gargoyles, as well as the soaring arches of its
main gate, were mentioned.
n The funeral Service founDation, Brookfield, Wisconsin, is accepting applications for its four academic
scholarships: The Joseph E. Hagan Memorial Scholarship, the Memorial Classic
Golf Tournament Scholarship, the Schoepp
Memorial Scholarship and the Shipley
Rose Buckner Memorial Scholarship. The
deadline for all applications is June 15.
Scholarship awards range from $1,000
to $5,000 and are intended only for full- or
part-time students enrolled in or accepted
into a mortuary science program at an
ABFSE-accredited school during the 2015
fall term. Guidelines and application materials are available at www.FuneralServiceFoundation.org. Since 2002, nearly 500
funeral service students and professionals
have received Funeral Service Foundation
scholarships.

LED Lighting Solutions

for Memorial Products
E N E R G Y S AV E R
LED light bulb for Crypt

& Niche Fronts
Warm color for Bronzes
E A SY TO I N S TA L L
www.septechnologies.com
1 877 515-4672
to page 54
May 2015
53
UPDATE
Above, from left, heart-shaped cookies, strawberries dipped in chocolate, punch and door prizes (boxes of chocolate) set out and
ready to go at the Valentines Day event at Hoff Celebration of Life Center. Below, attendees painting and showing their work.
Helping those mourning a loss find joy on February 14

n Hoff celebration of life
center, Winona, Minnesota, added
wine and canvas to its third annual
valentines Day party. Fifty-five people,
Hoff clients who had lost a loved one, attended this years event.
In addition to the cocktails, hors
doeuvres and door prizes, attendees were
offered the chance to create a painting,
with the help of a teacher. The Hoff staff
had chosen a floral landscape, a field of
poppies, as the subject. Forty-nine of the
guests decided to try their hand at creating
an acrylic painting.
As you can see from the photos, everyone came dressed in their Valentines Day
finery, wearing red sweaters or jackets and
heart jewelry, Hoff staff member Sydney
Smith said.
Our painters were all smiles; every
finished piece was different and unique.
Some took photos of the teachers work
so that they could show their families
what they were aiming for. The whole
experience was fun. I thought it was also
therapeutic, a different way for folks to
connect and express themselves. Some of

the comments from attendees:
Sure was more fun than sitting home
today.
I have never done a painting before,
but it was lots of fun.
I am glad that you do this on
Valentines Daya day or week later
would not count.
One woman won a bouquet of flowers
and commented, My husband always
gave me flowers on Valentines Day; it was
so nice to win these today.
r
from page 53
n weSt laurel Hill cemetery,
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, New York, held
its annual chocolate, candy & cough
Drops ticketed event in february. The
event was held at Bringhurst Funeral Home
on the cemetery grounds. The owner of
Shane Confectionery, Americas oldest candy
shop, talked about Philadelphias confectionery history. The program included a demon54
ICCFA Magazine
Left and far left, some

of the chocolate at
West Laurel Hills annual February event.
stration of the companys

staff preparing the cafes
new drinking chocolate;
samples were offered. An optional truffles
and wine tasting was included. Attendees had
a chance to win delicious door prizes.
r
If youre a funeral industry supplier but not an IMSA member, you should
know what our members are getting that youre not: the best booth pricing
at the major tradeshows, hours of free one-on-one consultation from top
industry experts, business-boosting webinars, networking with other IMSA
members, and so much more. And the kicker is, our members pay only
$175 a year for the privilege. Is that unfair? It is, unless you join IMSA
too. Dont lose the upper hand. Join now at www.IMSA-Online.
Supply Line
New Memorials Directs new anodized

stainless steel memorial jewelry.
One of Celebration Heirlooms permanent photo memorials, created from

photos submitted by the family.
READERS: To find the products and services you need online, go to www.iccfa.com
and select directory to find:
Supply Link Search
Engine, the fastest way
to find the products and
services you need at your
funeral home, cemetery or
crematory.
SUPPLIERS: Send your press releases
about your new products and services,
and about awards, personnel changes and
other news to sloving@iccfa.com
for inclusion in Supply Line. Large files that
will not go through the ICCFA server can be
sent to slovingiccfa@yahoo.com.
56
ICCFA Magazine
n new MeMorials Direct, Gig

Harbor, Washington has expanded its
selection of fingerprint engraved memorial jewelry to include anodized stainless
steel pieces. This style is anodized on top
of stainless steel to create a striking lighton-dark appearance when engraved. This
results in a beautifully clear, smooth print
guaranteed to last forever. Any type of
print can be used in this process, including thumb, hand, foot and pet paws. Four
shapes are available: dog tag, heart, round
and oval. 1.877.995.8767;
service@newmemorialsdirect.com;
www.newmemorialsdirect.com
n celebrations heirlooMs,
Chalfont, Pennsylvania, has introduced
a new line of photographic memorial
products. The company takes images submitted by the family, retouches, enhances
and color balances them for uniformity
and visual impact and creates a picturestory art piece, which is placed in a custom
frame finished with framers acrylic glass to
ensure damage-free delivery to the funeral
home.
Three sizes are available: full size for
display at the funeral or memorial service
and later in the home, companion size
for various family members to keep and a
small laminated version to be placed in the
casket. 215.997.4550;
rudy@celebrationheirlooms.com;
www.celebrationheirlooms.com
n clearpoint feDeral bank & trust,
Batesville, Indiana, has hired
walt Dixon and ashlee
Theising as vice presidents.
Dixon, vice president, legal
counsel, previously served as
vice president/assistant general counsel for Forethought
Dixon
Life Insurance Co. Dixon
previously was vice president/corporate
counsel for Service Corporation International and worked for 14 years as a private
practitioner, representing funeral homes,
cemeteries and life insurance companies
throughout North America. He graduated
from Kansas State University in 1969 and
was awarded his Juris Doctor degree from
the University of Iowa College of Law in
1973. He was licensed to practice law by
the Supreme Court of the state of Texas in
1973 and was granted a business counsel
license by the Supreme Court of the state of
Indiana in 2009.
Theising is vice president, trust operations. She joined the company in 2006 in
trust administration, most recently serving
as trust operations manager. She graduated
from Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana, in 2006 with

a degree in economics and
finance. She has completed
Cannon Trust School Levels
I and II, received a certificate
in business informatics from
Northern Kentucky University and recently began a
Theising
three-year term on the Indiana Bankers Association Trust Committee.
1.800.763.0234;
www.clearpointfederal.com
n hoMesteaDers, Des Moines, Iowa,
has elected president-ceo steve lang
chairman of the board. He succeeds Graham J. Cook, who will continue serving as
a board member. Lang joined Homesteaders in 2008 as an executive vice president
and was named COO in 2010 before his
election to the board in 2013. He became
president-CEO upon Cooks retirement in
February 2014.
Also, krista frank has
been promoted to senior
vice president-customer
service. She has seved as vice
president-customer service,
for the past three years.
Frank has over 30 years of
experience in insurance
and financial services and is
Frank
deeply rooted in all major
aspects of customer service including
market research, competitive intelligence
and sales operations. Prior to her tenure
at Homesteaders, Frank worked at several
other insurance firms, including Principal
Financial Group, Wellmark Blue Cross and
Blue Shield and Assurity Life Insurance Co.
1.800.477.3633;
www.homesteaderslife.com
n astral inDustries, Lynn, Indiana, has recently joined the social media
world by creating facebook, twitter and
linkedin accounts. The companys goal
is to increase its branding efforts and to
familiarize not only the funeral industry
but also consumers with Astral.
1.800.278.7252; sales@astralindustries.com;
www.astralindustries.com
n wilbert funeral services,
Broadview, Illinois, recently recognized
22 licensees for their sales accomplishments in 2014. Whited Cemetery Services,
Menifee, California, received the Special
Achievement Award for outstanding success
in gaining new business. Two awards for
sales growth in lined burial vaults were presented. Norwalk Wilbert Vault Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut, received the award for
the greatest growth in the number of lined
S U P P LY L I N E
Freddie Sannipoli (left) of Whited Cemetery Services, Menifee, California, receives the Special Achievement Award
from Dennis Welzenbach, president,
Wilbert Funeral Services.
burial vaults interred in 2014 over 2013.

Evans Eagle Burial Vault Inc., Enola, Pennsylvania, earned the award for the greatest
percentage increase in lined burial vaults.
Cremation product sales growth was
recognized with the award for the greatest growth in units, presented to Keating
Wilbert Vault Co., Wilbraham, Massachusetts, while the greatest percentage growth in
cremation products was earned by Alabama
Wilbert Inc., Albertville, Alabama. Also in
the cremation category was the WilbertDirect Award, acknowledging Norwalk Wilbert
Vault Co. for the highest sales increase in
cremation products sold through WilbertDirect.com, WFSIs ecommerce website.
Sixteen Wilbert licensees received the
Wilbert 110 Percent Club Award, recognizing those whose 2014 burial vault sales
were at least 110 percent of those in 2013.
Recipients were: McNeill Inc., Andalusia, Alabama; Gulf Coast Wilbert Inc.,
Crestview, Florida; Sexton Wilbert Corp.,
Sullivan, Indiana; Terre Haute Wilbert
Burial Vault Co. Inc., Terre Haute, Indiana;
Wilbert Funeral Services, Manhattan, Kansas; Baton Rouge Wilbert Burial Vault Co.,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Brown-Wilbert
Inc., Morris, Minnesota; Evans Eagle Burial
Vault Inc., Enola, Pennsylvania; Wilbert of
Pittsburgh Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Charleston Wilbert Vault Co., Summerville, South Carolina; Chattanooga Wilbert
Vault Co., Chattanooga, Tennessee; Bolton
Concrete Products, Johnson City, Tennessee; Wilbert Burial Vaults Inc., Knoxville,
Tennessee; Ott Wilbert Vault Co., Galveston, Texas; Brown-Wilbert Inc., Hurley,
Wisconsin; Brown-Wilbert Inc., Superior,
Wisconsin.
1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com
May 2015
57
S U P P LY L I N E
Howard Millers new Chaplin floor

clock.
A Passages certificate for a free tree to

families who buy one of the companys
eco-friendly caskets.
Promotional photos for Lemasters

Consultings coat drive, which provides new coats, hats and gloves.
58
ICCFA Magazine
n howarD Miller co., Zeeland,

Michigan, has introduced the chaplin
floor clock to the memorial industry.
This floor clocks detailed tripod and bezel
design was inspired by retro Hollywood
movie lights and evokes a sense of nostalgia, said Cheryl Stormzand, the companys
director of design and merchandising. It
features select hardwoods and veneers finished in black coffee, with polished chrome
metal accents. The battery-operated, triple
chime clock stands 73 inches high and 25
inches wide, allowing it to be placed next
to furniture or in a corner of an entryway.
It includes a volume control and chime
shut-off option.
616.772.9131; www.howardmiller.com
n passages international, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has launched its
new memorial tree program. Launched
April 1 in honor of the 45th annual Earth
Day, the program partners with the Arbor
Day Foundation by joining its gift tree
program and offering a free starter tree
with the sale of any of the companys ecofriendly caskets. Passages provides cards
for the funeral home to give the family as
a thank-you for the casket purchase. The
family will then go to Passages website to
order their tree.
The type of tree will depend on the region
where the tree is sent. Trees in the program
are Colorado blue spruce, Norway spruce,
Arizona cypress, ponderosa pine, coast
redwood, bald cypress, longleaf pine and
white pine. Trees are packaged in a 14-inch
reycleable plastic tube with detailed planting instructions. The Arbor Day Foundation
guarantees the tree will grow and will replace
it at no charge up to one year after the original
order. 1.888.480.6400;
sales@passagesinternationalcom;
www.PassagesInternational.com
n leMasters consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been conducting an
ongoing coat drive to help needy city
residents stay warm. Since 2011, the drive
has provided 1,825 coats, 430 pairs of
gloves and 362 hats to Cincinnati families.
What makes our coat drive different is
that we donate brand new coats, hats and
gloves, said Poul Lemasters. The Blue Ash
Old Navy store has partnered with the
company over the past few years, helping
donations stretch farther through discounts and sales. Thanks to Old Navy, my
clients, friends and partners in our annual
coat drive , we were able to donate items
valued at $34,956.54 this year, Lemasters
said. Distribution was handled by the citys
Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
www.lemastersconsulting.com
Caitlin
Doughty,
left, and
Lauren
LeRoy,
below, panelists on
Qeeprs
first
#Talkdeath
online
discussion.
n Qeepr,
Montreal, Quebec, hosted its
first edition of
#talkdeath, a live
online roundtable discussion
with funeral
professionals, in
March. The panel discussion featured Caitlin Doughty and Lauren LeRoy. Doughty
is a mortician, founder of The Order of
the Good Death and a best-selling author.
LeRoy is a 25-year-old funeral director and
founder of the Little Miss Funeral Blog.
The discussion was broadcast on Google+
and streamed live via YouTube.
Doughty was the first panelist and
provided great insight into the world of
alternative funerals. She touched on
modern approaches within the death
industry, including green burials and home
care. LeRoy answered questions based on
her experiences within traditional funeral
practices. She brought insights into her
experience as a young, female professional
and discussed the expanding possibilities
for personalized services within the field.
A recap listing highlights, as well as a
video of the entire discussion, is available
at www.qeepr.com/blog/talkdeath-recap/.
The #Talkdeath web series was inspired
by the international movement of Death
Cafes, and hopes to be a venue wherein
death professionals and the general public
can come together in conversation. According to the Qeepr team, #Talkdeath
aims to change the idea that people should
only speak with death professionals when
they are forced to do so through circumstance. 514.886.7900; info@qeepr.com;
www.qeepr.com
n southwest airlines cargo,
Dallas, Texas, has been named airforwarder associations Domestic carrier
of the Year for the sixth consecutive year.
The airline also earned the Express Delivery and Logistic Associations awards for
Domestic Airline of the year for the 15th
S U P P LY L I N E
year in a row, as well as its Excellence in
Web & Technology Award.
www.swacargo.com
n passare, San Francisco, California,
has added product enhancements to
improve data accessibility and operational efficiency for independent funeral
homes. The newest release of Passares
End of Life Management Platform features
software integrations with leading funeral
stationery and print providers Bass-Mollett
and Messenger, as well as QuickBooks.
The enhancements include the ability to
export data directly into Messengers Make
It! Personal web application for creating
customized products.
Based on feedback from existing Passare
customers, the company also made significant improvements to its dashboard to help
funeral homes manage case administration
with greater ease of use and customization. The new dashboard features advanced
search and filtering functionality to locate
case files faster and easier. Other enhancements include customizable dashboard settings and user-defined tabs, in addition to
the ability to export dashboard summaries
to a CSV file. 925.968.9495;
renee@philosophypr.com;
www.passare.com
n sauder funeral
products, Archibold,
Ohio, has added loren roth
and Jan rychener to its
sales and marketing team.
Roth joins the Sauder Funeral Products sales team with a
focus on strategic planning.
He started his career with
Roth
Sauder Woodworking Co.
in 1989 and has experience
in production, consumer
services and international
sales. The last seven years
he functioned as the director of sales and operations
planning for the ready-toassemble furniture division.
Rychener spent 28 years with
Rychener
the Sauder Woodworking
Co. ready-to-assemble furniture division.
She has a background in sales, software
implementation and project management.
also, sauder has introduced the saybrook casket. The casket is finished in a
rich dark cherry called coach cherry, with
the rich color tones of cherry wood but
in a grain with a more casual, less formal
look. The Saybrook is a traditional American design with a domed lid, full-length
bed with a cradle design and three lift
mechanisms that allows the bed to tilt if
needed. It has traditional details such

as four-sided, swing-bar handles with
decorative brass-finish accents. It is
also offered in a full-couch option. the
caskets are built with an environmentally responsible material made from
97 percent recycled high-quality soft
and hardwood trimmings and other
formerly wasted wood products that
remain after the milling of lumber and
plywood. 1.866.419.3010;
www.sauderfuneralproducts.com
n pierce chemical, Broadview,
Illinois, has introduced its nXt line of
cucumber-melon scented embalming
fluids. They are designed to address the
formaldehyde odors in the prep room that
linger on the clothing of those who work
there. The NXT fluids combine a blend of
scents and penetrating agents that result in
products that are pleasant to use without
compromising effectiveness. Cucumbermelon was selected as a scent with widespread appeal, often chosen by consumers for products ranging from soaps and
lotions to air fresheners and candles.
Pierce also considered the everincreasing female demographic among
funeral professionals, responding to female
customers who expressed the strongest
interest in embalming fluids that were less
overwhelming. Pierce NXT fluids now
available include NXT 22, a medium tissue fixation arterial fluid; NXT 30, a deep
tissue fixation arterial fluid; and NXT 20, a
rapid-firming cavity fluid.
1.800.527.6419; www.piercechemical.com
n aurorasurfaces llc, Minneapolis, Minnesota, has introduced
aurorastone personal commemoratives,
memorial pieces made from recycled
taconite tailings from northern minnesota. These transportable memorials can
be personalized with an engraved name,
and can incorporate cremated remains.
The company offers a bowl of memories
(available in 12-inch and 9-inch sizes)
with memory stone and a Lake Superior
memory plaque, as well as three pet memorials (terrier, spaniel and retriever).
www.personalcommemoratives.com
n the center for loss and life
transition, Fort Collins, Colorado,
has added a new product, the under
reconstruction pin. Suitable for both
men and women, its meant to be worn on
the lapel, shirt or tie as a means of communicating the wearers loss. In days gone
by, people mourning the death of someone
loved wore black clothing or armbands,
said the pins creator and renowned grief
educator Dr. Alan Wolfelt. This signaled
Sauders new Saybrook casket, finished in a dark cherry.

Two of the
products in
Pierce Chemicals
new NXT line of
cucumber-melon
scented embalming fluids.
Personal commemoratives from AuroraSurfaces include the bowl of memories (above) and pet memorials (below).
An
Under
Reconstruction
pin
from The Center for Loss, designed to
signal that the wearer is mourning a
loss.
May 2015
59
S U P P LY L I N E
their grief to others and communicated
their need for understanding and support.
Sadly, such conventions have fallen out of
style, so I created this pin as a contemporary solution. When others notice your pin
and ask you what it means, this gives you a
chance to share your story of love and loss
and embrace the empathy you are offered
in return. The pin catalyzes healing. The
pin is a 1.25-inch oval of gold nickel with
black fill. Bulk-rate options are available.
970.226.6050; www.centerforloss.com
n Disrupt MeDia, Zanesville, Ohio,
has introduced fsDp (funeral social
Design process), a full-service media
strategy program crafted specifically for
the funeral profession. The introduction
follows 36 months of testing with a number
of funeral homes throughout the US. FSDP
is comprised of a collaborative four-step
process for social media success. The first
step is the goal-setting stage, where realistic, obtainable goals are mutually identified. This is followed by the story session,
which uncovers the main components in
the stories behind the firms social media
strategy. These stories become the plat-
From left, Matt Kendall; Blake Swinford, Trigard project manager; Carl
Sandberg College mortuary college student Michell Morrow; Drew Edwards,
Sunset Funeral Homes general manager; Tim Krause, Carl Sandberg College
administrator. Swinford has received a $250 scholarship from Trigard, Danville, Illinois. 1.800.637.1992; www.trigard.com
form for what is posted on the firms social

channels. After this, the stories are brought
to life through engaging content created
by DISRUPT Media which is posted to
the social channels. Finally, the efforts are
tracked and then measured against the
social media goals originally identified.

To schedule a demonstration to learn
more, go to funeralsocial.com/demo, email
social@disruptmedia.com or visit the funeralsocial Facebook page. 740.617.0599;
r
www.disruptmedia.com
Calendar
E-mail calendar listings and additions or
corrections to Association Pipeline to
bclough@iccfa.com.
For continually updated meeting listings
and direct links to websites for professional

associations, go to www.iccfa.com; select
Directory, then Industry Association Directory.
May 3-5: Texas Cemeteries Assn. Annual

Convention, Worthington Renaissance Hotel,
Fort Worth. 817.339.8210
May 10-13: Kansas Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Capitol Plaza Hotel, Topeka.
www.ksfda.org
May 11-13: North Carolina Annual Ed. Conf. &
Expo, Sheraton Downtown Hotel, Raleigh.
www.ncfda.org
May 11-14: Michigan Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Lansing. www.mfda.org
May 12-14: Iowa Funeral Directors Assn. Annual
Convention. www.iafda.org
May 14-15: Georgia Cemetery Assn.
Convention & Expo, Hyatt Atlanta Perimeter,
Atlanta. www.gacemeteries.com
May 18: National Museum of Funeral History
21st Annual Golf Tournament, Kingwood Country
Club, Texas. www.nmfh.org
May 18-20: Minnesota Funeral Directors Assn.
125th Annual Convention, Earle Brown Heritage
Center, Brooklyn Center. www.mnfuneral.org
May 31-June 2: Oregon Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Seaside Convention Center,
Seaside. www.ofda.org
60
ICCFA Magazine
May 31-June 5: Texas Funeral Directors

Assn. Annual Convention, Sheraton Arlington,
Arlington. www.tfda.org
June 1-2: Missouri Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention & Tradeshow, St. Charles
Convention Center, St. Charles.
www.mofuneral.org
June 2-4: Arizona Funeral, Cemetery &
Cremation Assn. Annual Convention, Carefree
Resort & Conf. Center. www.azfcca.org
June 3-6: Independent Funeral Directors of
Florida Annual Convention & Trade Show,
Sanibel Harbour Marriot, Fort Myers, Florida.
www.ifdf.org
June 3-6: Jewish Cemetery Assn. of North
America 7th Annual Conventnion, Doubletree
Hotel BWI, Baltimore, Maryland. www.jcana.org
June 3-4: Indiana Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Marriott Hotel, Indianapolis.
www.indiana-fda.org
June 6-11: Pennsylvania Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention & Expo, Holiday Inn,
Grantville. www.pfda.org
June 7-10: West Virginia Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention. www.wvfda.org
June 8-10: Two Hearts Pet Loss Centers
To see all industry conventions and meetings for

a particular month, go to www.iccfa.com; select
Find a Member, then Industry Calendar.
Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certification
Course, Scottsdale, Arizona. 317.966.0096
June 8-11: Funeral Service Assn. of Canada
& Alberta Funeral Service Assn. Annual Joint
Convention, Lake Louise, Alberta. www.afsa.ca
June 11-12: Australasian Cemeteries &
Crematoria Assn. Mid-year Sem., Novotel
Melbourne, St. Kilda. www.accaweb.com.au
June 12-14: UK National Funeral Exhibition,
Stoneleigh Park.
www.nationalfuneralexhibition.co.uk
June 14-16: Louisiana & Mississippi Funeral
Directors Assn. Joint Annual Convention, Royal
Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana.
www.lfdaweb.org
June 14-16: Southern Cemetery, Cremation &
Funeral Assn. Convention in conjunction with
the North Carolina Cemetery Assn. & South
Carolina Cemetery Assn., Embassy Suites Hotel
at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina. www.sccfa.info;
www.sccemeteryassociation.com
June 14-17: Virginia Funeral Directors Assn.
127th Annual Convention, The Hotel Roanoke &
Conf. Center, Roanoke. www.vfda.net
June 17-19: Funeral Directors of Kentucky
to page 62
New Members
Providing exceptional education, networking
and legislative guidance and support to
progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation
professionals worldwide
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICCFA AND MEMBERSHIP:
Go to www.iccfa.com/membership to download a benefits
brochure and an application form.
Call 1.800.645.7700 to have membership information faxed or
mailed to you.
Regular
Gethsemane Cemetery
Reading, Pennsylvania
La Vista Memorial Park
National City, California
Clarkes Funeral Home
Gladstone, Manitoba
FuneralProvider.com
San Antonio, Texas
Hanlin Funeral Home
Millington, Michigan
Hari P Close Funeral Service
Baltimore, Maryland
InvoCare USA Inc.
San Diego, California
Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Memorial Plan
Miami, Florida
Moriconi Funeral Home Inc.

Northern Cambria,
Pennsylvania
Parque del Sendero SA
Santiago, Chile
Reger Funeral Home Inc.
Huntington, West Virginia
Schmidt Funeral Home
Brookshire, Texas
Squamish Funeral Chapel &
Crematorium
Garibaldi Highland, British
Columbia
Professional/Supplier
de Laureal LLC
Metairie, Louisiana
Funeral Research & Insight
Indianapolis, Indiana
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Admission to ICCFA membership normally requires a majority vote
of those present and voting at any meeting of the executive committee. The names of all applicants must be published in this magazine.
ICCFA members objecting to an application must do so in writing
to the ICCFA executive director within 45 days of publication. In the
event of an objection, the executive committee will conduct an inquiry. If an applicant is rejected, they will be granted an appeal upon
written request. The decision of the Board of Directors shall be final.
Yadkin Bank
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1-800-Autopsy
La Crescenta, California
3D Universal
Valley Stream, New York
American Grave Groomers
Sarasota, Florida
Bell Memorials
Beloit, Kansas
Card Connect
Overland Park, Kansas
Cremation Urns of Vermont
Proctor, Vermont
Eternal Memory
Longueuil, Quebec
Miles Supply Company Inc.
Barre, Vermont
National Trench Safety
Houston, Texas
North Carolina Mutual

Insurance Agency
Durham, North Carolina
OpenEdge
Cary, North Carolina
Smart Choice Distributors Inc.
Del Ray Beach, Florida
Sweet Shop USA
Mt Pleasant, Texas
TK Design Group
Austin, Texas
United Community Bank
Greenville, South Carolina
Professional: Pet Loss

Services
All Paws Go To Heaven

Euless, Texas
CEMETERIES CREMATORIES FuNERAL HOMES SuPPLIERS PET LOSS PROFESSIONALS
Submit your news to ICCFA Magazine
Have you held a groundbreaking or grand opening for a new facility? Hired or promoted someone?
Is your company offering a new or updated product to cemeteries and/or funeral homes?
Have you recently held an unusual service or a successful seminar at your location? Added a grief therapy dog to
your staff?
Share your news with colleagues all over the worldsend it in to ICCFA Magazine!
Its a simple way to receive some well-deserved publicity for you & your staff & to share ideas with peers.
Heres how to get your news in ICCFA Magazine:
n Write it down. It doesnt have to be written perfectly (thats why we have editors)it just needs to include the
facts. Remember the basics: Who, What, Where, When & How (and sometimes Why).
n Send it in:
Email your Word document as an attachment to sloving@iccfa.com, or write your release in the body of your
email. Please include your full name and title and the companys name and location in the body of your email.
If your email is a large file and bounces back, send it to slovingiccfa@yahoo.com.)
Photoshigh-resolution jpgscan be emailed. Remember you must adjust digital camera settings to take highresolution images before taking the photos! Check the owners manual for instructions. (If youre scanning in glossies, they must be scanned in at a minimum of 300 dpi at the size they are to be printed.)
Questions? Need some guidance? Email ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor Susan Loving at sloving@iccfa.com.
May 2015
61
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31
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43
25
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57
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Alicia Tapp Designs
American Cemetery/Mortuary
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ASDAnswering Service for
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Continental Computer Corp.
CremainGem
Doric Products
Ensure-A-Seal
Flowers for Cemeteries
Funeral Call Answering Service
Funeral Home Gifts
Grever & Ward
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5
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39
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23
57
33
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2
53
9
23
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53
43
7
29
33
63
27
29
Holy Land Stone

Homesteaders Life Co.
IMSA
Johnson Consulting
Johnson Consulting
Kryprotek
Live Oak Bank
Madelyn Co.
Matthews International
Merendino Cemetery Care
Messenger
Miles Supply
Nomis Publications
Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &
Hippel
Rock of Ages
SEP Technologies
SuperNova International
Supply Link
SVE Portable Roadway Systems
The Key Chain Urn Co.
Timberland Urns
US Metalcraft
Vantage Products Corp.
WithumSmith + Brown
Worsham College
Wuxi ANA Industries Ltd.
Zontec Ozone
CALENDAr
from page 60
133rd Annnual Convention & Mid-West Regional

Funeral Trade Show, Hyatt Regency Hotel,
Louisville. www.fdaofky.com
June 18-20: Buckey State Funeral Directors
& Embalmers Assn. Annual Convention, Deer
Creek State Lodge & Convention Center.
www.bsfdea.net
June 19-20: (UK) National Assn. of Memorial
Masons Trade Exhibition, Warwickshire
Exhibition Center, uK. www.namm.org.uk
June 21-23: Montana Funeral Directors Assn.
& Wyoming Funeral Directors Assn. Joint
Convention, Red Lodge, Montana.
www.montanafuneraldirectors.org
June 23-24: New Hampshire Funeral Directors
Assn. Summer Mtg., Ashworth by the Sea,
Hampton Beach. www.nhfda.org
June 24-25: Wisconsin Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Madison Marriott West,
Middletown. www.wfda.org
June 25-27: Southern Monument Builders Assn.
Annual Convention,Embassy Suites San Marcos,
Classifieds
Texas. www.montanafuneraldirectors.org
June 26-28: California Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Hyatt Regency San
Francisco. www.cafda.org
June 28-July 1: Virginia Morticians Assn. 87th
Annual Convention, Renaissance PortsmouthNorfolk Waterfron Hotel, Portsmouth.
www.virginiamorticiansassociation.org
June 28-July 2: Maryland State Funeral
Directors Assn. 96th Annual Convention,Clarion
Resort & Conf. Center, Ocean City.
www.msfda.net
July 10-12: The Compassionate Friends
38th Annual National Conf., Hyatt Regency
Downtown, Dallas, Texas.
www.compassionatefriends.org
July 16-18: Florida Cemetery, Cremation &
Funeral Assn. Convention, Bonita Springs. www.
thefccfa.com
July 17-22: ICCFA university, Fogelman Conf.
Center, university of Memphis, Memphis,
Tennessee. www.iccfa.com
July 28-August 1: Cremation Assn. of N.
America 97th Annual Convention, Marriott

Marquis & Marina, San Diego, California.
www.cremationassociation.org
August 3-5: Ohio Cemetery Assn. Annual
Convention annual Convention, Hilton Garden
Inn, Miamisburg.
www.ohiocemeteryassociation.com
August 5-6: National Funeral Directors &
Morticians Assn. 77th Annual Convention &
Expo, Hilton Anatole, Dallas, Texas.
nfdma@nfdma.com
August 16-19: New York State Funeral
Directors Assn. Annual Convention & Exhibition,
Poughkeepsie. www.nysfda.org
September 9-10: ICCFA Cremation Arranger
& Operator Training, Dallas Institute of Funeral
Service, Dallas, Texas. www.iccfa.com
September 16-19: Selected Independent
Funeral homes 97th Annual Mtg., New Orleans,
Louisiana. www.selectedfuneralhomes.org
September 22-25: Catholic Cemetery Conf.
66th Annual Convention & Exposition, Town &
Country Hotel, San Diego, California.
info@catholiccemeteryconference.org
r
Check the classified announcements at www.iccfa.com/employment.htm

To place a classified, contact Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com
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ICCFA Magazine
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May 2015

MADE WITH OUR MATERIALS. MADE BY OUR CRAFTSMEN.

International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association :

Providing exceptional education, networking and legislative guidance and support

KIP Award winners: 1. Dulaney Valley

Government & legal affairs

by Robert M. Fells, Esq.

Creating a new business model Incrementally improving what we offer

12 kiP: Best Practice/Personal touch

Grand Prize Winner: Dulaney Valley donates burial arrangements

22 Rolling Oaks, family foundation create a place to honor children

Cooks #idrivetextfree campaign aims to raise awareness, save lives

30 kiP: most Personalized service or memorial

Careful planning, attention to detail created a service that captured

34 The funeral for a world-renowned conga player had to be a concert

Darin B. Drabing, president

Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president

Robert Treadway, director of

Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &

Rick Platter, supplier relations manager

Brenda Clough, office administrator

Susan Loving, managing editor

Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator

at Sterling, VA, and other offices. Copyright

Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

Grow with Us!

PreNeed Systems trains and supports our staff to

PreNeed Systems Vice President of Sales Lori Crabb said, We ask

Educating todays practitioners,

Services Includes celebrant

Restorative Art & Other Care

47 J. Asher Neel College

of Sales & Marketing

49 College of Funeral Home

Management & Grounds

A Day to Heel focused on remembrance & saving pets

40 kiP: innovative Personalized Product

YourDash stores memories online Your Dash

41 LifeArt lets families design the casket LifeArt

Subscribe to ICCFA Magazine

r One-year subscription (10 issues) for just $39.95*

Name as it appears on card

Security ID (3-digit # on back of card or 4-digit # on front of AmEx)

Build YOUR Brand with OURS

Discover Metalcraft. Contact us today for more information on

Why We Vote. Fells series of

ICCFA Government and Legal Affairs

Recent columns are available online

Top consumer complaints:

he Federal Trade Commission has

percentage of funeral-related complaints

Government & legal affairs members

The percentage for 2014

and Funeral Home, Fairfax, Virginia, for the

From Death Care to Memory Care

CHANGE THE FACE

Laser Engrave Every Memory

LEADING THE WAY

Incrementally improving what we offer families

Creating a new business model

very year 30,000 new products are

why would anyone expect them to invest in

Producing what people want

In contrast to silly gadgets, marketers

"

! "