ICCFA Magazine February 2019

February 2019
MAGAZINE
CEMETERY CREMATION FUNERAL
Seven Stones:
Building a garden,
a new cemetery
and a community
Van Beck on dealing
with conflict & stress
Forest Lawn opens
Patriots Chapel in
Heritage Mausoleum
Deadline to apply for

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Feb. 18 www.iccfa.com
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International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association®
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to progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide
10 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The 2 1/2 minute manager: Dealing with conflict and stress We
work in a stressful profession, but there are things you can do to make
your situation more manageable.
by Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
12 CEMETERY DESIGN
Boulder memorials and an art installation Seven Stones focuses on building a community Where would you
by a brook at Seven Stones botanical
gardens cemetery.
start if you could design a cemetery from scratch? The developers of
Smaller photos: Adirondack chairs are Seven Stones botanical gardens cemetery started by focusing on cus-
placed throughout the gardens to encour- tomer experience and planning for change.
age people to spend time there, enjoying 24 The multiple meanings behind the name ‘Seven Stones’
the grounds, the art and each other and
interview of Doug Flin, RLA, ASLA, by Susan Loving
building a sense of community.
Metal panels made of weathering (Cor- 46 ICCFA 2019 convention 47 Membership benefit spotlight:
ten) steel can be used as chalkboards Sneak peak into the program LifeLock identity theft protection
and also can hold photos that family and April 2-6, 2019
friends bring for services. The cemetery
47 Join the nation
leaves chalk and magnets out for families 46 Thank you in thanking a Vietnam veteran
to use during events, services or small to our 2019 convention sponsors 48 Educational Foundation
gatherings. Story, page 12. 47 ICCFA University awards 50 scholarships to attend
Spotlight on 4 of the 8 colleges 2019 Wide World of Sales
July 19-24, 2019 49 Thank you to 2019 WWS sponsors
8 Washington Report
Government shutdown could affect ICCFA calendar
timing of the FTC’s 2019 review of go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship information
the Funeral Rule
by guest columnist MaryBeth McGowan
2019 ICCFA Sponsored Celebrant Training
36 Supply Line April 1-3, Hilton Charlotte City Center,
39 Highest family satisfaction: Charlotte, North Carolina
At-need cremation with memorial
Glenda Stansbury, CC, The In-Sight Institute
40 Update
44 Forest Lawn dedicates
Patriots Chapel, makes donation 2019 ICCFA Convention & Expo
to help local veterans April 2-6, Charlotte Convention Center &
50 Ad Index The Westin Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
Co-chairs Mathew Forastiere and John Gouch Jr.
50 Calendar
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WHAT’S GOING ON? Have you held a groundbreaking or
grand opening for a new facility? Hired or promoted someone?
Is your company offering a new or updated product or service to
cemeteries and/or funeral homes? Have you recently held an
unusual service or a successful seminar at your location? Have
you added a grief therapy dog to your staff?
Share your news with colleagues—send it in to ICCFA Magazine! It’s a simple way to receive
some well-deserved publicity for you & your staff & to share ideas with peers.
WHAT TO DO: Write it down. It doesn’t have to be written perfectly (that’s why we have edi-
tors)—it just needs to include the facts. Remember the basics: Who, What, Where, When & How
(and sometimes Why). Send it in: Email your Word document or pdf as an attachment to
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and title and the company’s name and location in the body of your email.
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If you’re scanning in glossies, they must be scanned in at a minimum of 300 dpi at the size they
are to be printed.
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Washington Report
by ICCFA
guest columnist
Government shutdown could affect timing
of the FTC’s 2019 review of the Funeral Rule
T
Mary Beth McGowan
MMcGowan@dykema.com
he new 116th Congress convened on is resolved, the FTC will continue operating at the
January 3, 2019, amid a partial govern current level of funding for the remainder of the
ment shutdown of about a quarter of federal fiscal year, which ends September 30.
departments and other agencies, including the President Trump and congressional leaders
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The shutdown from both parties met on January 2 in an effort to
is now in its third week as of this writing because reach a funding agreement and reopen the closed
President Trump and Congress have not been departments and agencies. However, the meeting
able to agree on a funding level in the Fiscal Year was not productive and the shutdown continues with
2019 (FY19) Department of Homeland Security no immediate end in sight.
Appropriations Bill for a southern border wall. House Democrats elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi
President Trump is demanding $5 billion for the (D-CA) as speaker of the house. She said that
wall and Congressional Democrats only support her first order of business will be to bring up six
➤McGowan is a govern- extending the current level of $1.8 billion for of the seven of the Senate’s outstanding FY19
ment policy advisor who border security. appropriations bills and pass them in an attempt to
has been providing federal Unlike the 115th Congress, where the Republican prompt Senate leaders to do the same. The package
government relations ser- Party held the majority in both the House and the of appropriations bills would include $309.7
vices to Dykema’s clients, Senate, the Democrats now are in the majority in the million for the FTC. The House also passed a one-
including the ICCFA, since House of Representatives. This means, as a practical month Continuing Resolution for the Department
2008. She consults a broad matter, they can pass legislation in the House that of Homeland Security to provide more time for
range of clients from local requires a simple majority vote of 51 percent. negotiations on border funding.
governments to nonprofit
The new House majority also means that President Trump, however, indicated these
organizations to corpora-
committee chairmanships have changed measures are non-starters and he will not support
tions on legislative and
regulatory issues related to hands, with Democrats now chairing all House them. Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch
transportation, cybersecu- committees. Again, as a practical matter, this McConnell (R-KY) has said he will not bring up any
rity, electric power and en- means that legislative priorities in every committee measure opposed by the president.
ergy, environmental policy, will be set by the Democratic chairs, who will Beyond these pro-forma steps that the newly
telecommunications, the determine which proposed legislation will be convened Congress will take, what follows in
appropriations process and considered and which bills will not. this process is unclear. With the FTC closed
federal budgetary matters. The pending House-passed FY19 Financial until a funding deal is reached, the timeframe for
➤Prior to joining Dykema, Services and General Government Appropriations implementing its 2019 agenda, including the review
McGowan worked as a Bill provides $311.7 million for the FTC, an increase of the Funeral Rule, will be delayed. FTC staff have
policy advisor to United of about $2 million over the FY18 funding level. told ICCFA that while the Funeral Rule review has
States Sen. Arlen Specter The amount of FTC funding pending in the Senate’s been officially scheduled to take place in 2019, as
(R-PA). version of the bill is equal to the FY18 level. a practical matter the review may not begin until
It is unclear at this point whether there will be much later in the year. This was said before the
an opportunity to negotiate between the House and government shutdown, so it is uncertain whether the
Senate levels or whether, once the funding dispute rule review will occur this year after all. r
ICCFA officers Cremation and Funeral Association. Subscription

February 2019 rates: In the United States, $39.95; in Canada,
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
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ICCFA Magazine (ISSN 1936-2099) is published
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by ICCFA Magazine columnist
Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
vanbeck@
guptoncollege.edu;
toddvanbeck@ We work in a stressful profession, but there are things
gmail.com
you can do to make your situation more manageable.
ICCFA
Magazine
spotlight
➤Van Beck is one
The 2 1/2-minute manager
of the most sought-
Dealing with conflict & stress
H
after speakers and
educators in funeral
service. He is the director of continuing as someone ever told you they The research revealed that the two men
education for John A. Gupton College, thought working in a funeral home were strikingly different from each other.
Nashville, Tennessee. or cemetery must be really easy, One was a clean-living teetotaler, the other
www.guptoncollege.edu because your customers don’t complaint? a hopeless alcoholic like his father. The
➤Van Beck is dean of ICCFA University’s Have you ever heard the statement that researcher asked each of them why he had
College of Funeral Home Management there are no stupid questions? Well, there are ended up the way he did, and each gave an
and received the ICCFA Educational stupid questions, like the one at the beginning identical answer: “What else would you
Foundation’s first ever Lasting Impact of this article. Of course you’ve had at expect when you have a father like mine?”
Award in 2014. least one person say that to you. And the This story was shared by the famous
premise their statement is based on shows the Dr. Hans Selye, who was an internationally
More about this subject ignorance of most people about what we do. known Canadian physician, still
➤Previous articles in this series can be Of course the dead don’t verbally remembered as “The Father of Stress.” (Not
read online by members in good stand- cause us stress, but they certainly do it because he caused it but because he came
ing. Go to www.iccfa.com under ICCFA nonverbally. Enough said about that. up with the term.)
Magazine. Let’s look at the living people we deal Dr. Selye was a medical pioneer and
More from this author with, those we encounter as we work in our he devoted the majority of his years to the
beloved profession. As James Madison, the exploration of biological stress. Here are the
➤In Van Beck’s new author of the United States Constitution, conclusions of Dr. Selys’ work with the two
book, “Exploring the
ably said, “Men are not angels.” men with the alcoholic father:
Heart of Funeral Ser-
vice,” he explores topics
A typical day in our profession? Ah, It is not what happens to you in life that
pertinent to funeral com what are the possibilities? A client gets makes the difference, it is how you react
munications and funeral annoyed with the funeral director over some to each circumstance you encounter. Each
service counseling. detail of the service; a grave gets dug in the human being facing the same situation has
www.amazon.com wrong place; a grave doesn’t get dug at all; the option of choosing how he or she will
the pre-need counselor promises way too react to it, either positively or negatively.
much; the receptionist gets his feelings hurt; Stress is not caused necessarily by
➤Van Beck’s book the apprentice says he feels like a second- stressor agents. It is caused by the way the
“Reverence for the Dead: class citizen. And then top of all that, the stressor agents are perceived, interpreted or
The Unavoidable Link,” hearse gets rear-ended and the battery on appraised in each individual case.
addresses in detail the the backhoe dies. Does any of this sound Outside events and people upset some
ethical standards of car- familiar? people more than others, because they
ing for the dead and the
Funeral and cemetery service is not easy, are looked upon and dealt with in entirely
ethical consequences of
and people certainly do complain when different ways. The stressors may even
not doing so.
www.amazon.com they’re unhappy about something, as do be the same, yet the reaction will almost
members of your staff. The stress can be always be different in different people.
➤Van Beck’s book difficult to deal with. It’s not possible to What causes stress? Stress usually
“The Genius of Frank remove everything that causes you stress, occurs when our perception of how we want
E. Campbell,” is the first so learning how to better cope with it is to live and how we want the world to be is
biography of the famed important. threatened.
funeral director, probably Two young boys were raised by an For example, the new employee at the
the most famous and fa- alcoholic father. As they grew older, they cemetery who, through no fault of their
miliar name in the history moved away from that broken home own, is viewed as a threat by a long-time
of the funeral profession. environment, each going his own way in the employee who mistakenly concludes
www.amazon.com world. Several years later, they happened to that this new person is in reality his
be interviewed separately by a psychologist replacement.
who was analyzing the effects of alcoholism The common denominator in causing
on children from broken homes. stress is our reaction and response to
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
circumstances that either in reality or in our interpersonal directness. cation breakdown—it happens everywhere,
perception significantly threaten us. What Differences in perception/values. all the time, but it can be improved upon. As
seems to be a cruel world to one person Most conflicts result from the varying discussed in previous articles in this series,
might be one filled with challenge and ways different people view the world. communication, if not attended to with care,
opportunity to another. It is our reaction that These incongruent views are traceable is as likely to fail as to succeed.
makes the difference. to differences in upbringing, culture, Unfulfilled expectations. Many of the
race, experience, education, occupation, causes listed here—and there are more—
Understanding conflict socioeconomic class and other environ- contribute to one person not fulfilling
and working to avoid it mental factors. the expectations of another. Unfulfilled
Here are some thoughts which might help Differences over methods. Two sides expectations are the ultimate cause of
reduce interpersonal conflict and stress, may have similar goals but disagree on how divorce, firings and other forms of relational
as well as ways to avoid stress caused by to achieve them. For example, how should breakdown.
unfulfilled expectations. funeral directors and pre-need counselors
cooperate and support each other? Both Ways to avoid stress and conflict
Roots of interpersonal conflict: sides have similar goals, but agreeing on caused by unfulfilled expectations:
Prejudice/bias. Funeral and cemetery how to achieve them can be a challenge. • Minimize the number of expectations
service strife is sometimes traced to Competition for supremacy. This you place upon others.
“personalities,” or one person differing with occurs when one person seeks to outdo • Make fewer promises to others.
another based simply on how he or she feels or outshine another. This can be seen in • State your expectations clearly and
about that person. funeral and cemetery service when two solicit the same treatment from the people
Nastiness/stubbornness. Some people employees compete in a pre-need sales you deal with.
go through life with a chip on their shoulder competition, or when a licensed funeral • Test expectations for acceptability and
and seem to search for combatants. director holds themselves up as superior to for appropriateness.
Sensitivity/hurt. This occurs when all unlicensed personnel. • Negotiate expectations and establish a
a person, because of low self-esteem, Misunderstandings. The majority of contract for mutual behavior.
insecurity or conflict in his or her life, what looks like interpersonal stress and • Review and renew expectations as the
easily feels attacked by criticism or other conflict is actually basic human communi relationship develops. r

CEMETERY DESIGN
People at Seven Stones botanical gardens cemetery in the Whispering Walk garden following a service for a young man.
interview by ICCFA Magazine Where would you start if you could design a cemetery
Managing Editor Susan Loving from scratch? The developers of Seven Stones
sloving@iccfa.com
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
botanical gardens cemetery started by focusing on
dflin@Discover customer experience and planning for change.
SevenStones.com
➤Doug Flin, RLA, ASLA,
is one of the four founding
partners of Seven Stones, a
Seven Stones focuses on
botanicial gardens cemetery,
in Denver, Colorado. He
building a community
D
also is founder and owner of
CPRA, a cemetery planning
and design firm also in Den- oug Flin has been designing ceme to be a low-maintenance one.
ver. He has more than 25 years of cemetery teries for other people for a long When yoga classes are scheduled on
planning and design experience. He also time at CPRA, a Colorado-based the grounds, there are no families with
owns a memorial Company, Life Remem- cemetery planning and design firm, but he’s generations of interments at the cemetery
brance LLC, also based in Denver. only recently become a cemeterian himself. calling the office to complain. People who
➤He is on the board of Fairmount Mortuary He and three partners broke ground on a 33- purchase lots at Seven Stones know that
Co., Denver; served on the board of Rocky acre cemetery, Seven Stones, in the Denver there will be a wide variety of events at the
Mountain Memorial Park, 2003-2013; and area in 2015. Since then, he’s learned what cemetery, and that families might be playing
was on the ICCFA’s Operations and Mainte- it’s like to operate a cemetery and has come horseshoes and grilling hamburgers on the
nance Committee, 2001-2006. He received to appreciate both the challenges and the grounds after an interment. They know
a bachelor’s degree in environmental design rewards. and expect it and probably buy there partly
from the University of Colorado. As a new cemetery, Seven Stones does because of it.
www.discoversevenstones.com not have heritage to draw on for sales. Seven Stones’ vision statement starts off
www.cprastudio.com On the other hand, it doesn’t have historic by noting briefly what it is not (“drab, dark,
lrmemorial.com monuments, mausoleums and features somber and scary”) but concentrates on what
needing upkeep, and can design its landscape it is: “light and nature ... a gathering place ...
Above, the committal area can accommodate a large crowd for services and events if it’s not raining, and rain is rare in the arid
Denver climate. Smaller services can be held beneath the canopy. Below, an artist’s rendering depicts a portion of the initial de-
velopment at Seven Stones which has been constructed. The Mystic Lawn garden in the foreground accommodates both tradi-
tional and cremation placement while Whisper Walk garden in the background accommodates only cremation placement. Under
the red shade sails is the committal plaza, centrally located for all families to use in this first phase. The memorials in this phase
complement the landscape and offer families a variety of artful, unique memorials never seen before.

CEMETERY DESIGN
Chalk panel on which visitors can write

and draw were set up at the ground-
breaking and were a huge hit, Flin said.
Such panels are available throughout
the cemetery.
At the groundbreaking for Seven Stones are the founding partners, from left, Doug
Flin, Charlie Piper, Don Guerra and Monte Losaw. Behind them hangs a rendering
of the plans for the first phase of the cemetery.
an entertainment venue ... family reunions pay. His background is construction; he’s an for friends and family members, and it’s
... a setting for stories told of loved ones ... electrical contractor, and he’s a creative guy. not fun. If we can make it better and more
a chance to reaquaint yourself with friends He’s always coming up with new ideas and meaningful, I’m all for it.
and distant family ... roses and poppies, different ways to do things. Fortunately for me, we had Monte as
cottonwoods and creeks, sculptures and He had some land that he’d looked a partner, someone who looked at this
waterfalls ... We help to heal. And allow you at putting housing on, but there’s a huge as a business opportunity as well as an
to remember.” community being developed about a mile opportunity to improve offerings in our
ICCFA Magazine talked to Flin about away—12,000 to 14,000 units—and the market. It was serendipitous, all of us coming
how Seven Stones got started, how it was county didn’t want to see more housing together with our varied backgrounds.
designed, the importance of service and on his land. He thought about putting in a Our fourth partner is Charlie Piper,
memorialization options to today’s families, cemetery instead, and started working with Monte’s stepbrother. Charlie brings
how to let families place mementos without Don Guerra, whose background is in civil his executive and “turn-around” CEO
disrupting the grounds crew and why Seven engineering, strategic land development background to the team with the ability to
Stones is being branded as a “botanical and financing. Guerra said he didn’t know connect with funding partners. He’s been
gardens cemetery.” anything about cemetery design, which instrumental in structuring our initial capital
What led to the creation of Seven Stones? spurred Monte to find CPRA, one of my raise and growth strategy.
This does not seem like a great time to start companies that provides cemetery planning When we first started this venture, we
a cemetery, and of course you’re in a high and design services. thought it would be only one property—one
cremation rate state, which seems like a We got together in the spring of 2011 and and done—on the south side of Denver
double whammy. Why would you start a since then, it’s been an amazing collaboration where several of us grew up and live now.
cemetery at all? Why would you do it in a among the partners and others who have After CPRA prepared a feasibility study,
high cremation state, other than the fact that come into the business. we realized more opportunities exist—we
you live there? So basically, it started with an unhappy could develop more small cemeteries in
customer thinking cemeteries can do better. the Denver market and are exploring those
It’s a good question; there are a lot of facets to
“Why aren’t they doing things that better opportunities now.
it, but I think the thread that runs through all
serve customers? Why does every cemetery So you’re talking about developing small,
of it has to do with customer experience. The
do the same thing, the same way, every “boutique” cemeteries, if you will, rather
idea of starting a cemetery came from Monte
time?” than, “Here are a hundred acres of land
Losaw, who had lost his mother, his father
I’m all about promoting change in the that will give us 500 years of inventory.”
and a brother in a very short span of time.
cemetery industry, and about customer
As a customer, he didn’t really like the fit, Correct.
experience. And I’ve also sat on the other
finish and level of service for what he had to You started meeting in 2011, and you broke
side of the table, making arrangements
CEMETERY DESIGN
ground in 2015, so a lot of planning must
DESIGNING
have gone into Seven Stones.
Yes, as noted, there was a feasibility study in
2011, and we filed the articles of organization
at the end of that year. We spent 2012 raising
capital. As the capital was coming in, and on
through 2014, we focused on planning and
design work, brand establishment, business
AND
BUILDING
planning and entitlements. We had our first
sale in 2014.
We didn’t really start with our true brand
marketing campaign until after we secured
financing for construction, in the spring of
2015, when we had our groundbreaking. YOUR FUTURE—TOGETHER!
Sales had trickled in during the winter of
2014-15 just from word-of-mouth and people
hearing about us. We’d had some initial press
to raise awareness of what was coming and
to see if there was any excitement about what
we were creating.
After the groundbreaking, we had to
secure some utilities before the county would
allow us to really start moving earth. Between
August 2015 and February 2016, we were
moving earth and installing infrastructure,
and building our welcome center. Since then,
we’ve been developing the gardens. We had
our first burial in May 2016.
I did find a number of stories in the local
press, especially around the time of your
groundbreaking. Many referred to Seven
Stones as a “botanical gardens cemetery.”
Was that wording a deliberate marketing
choice?
It absolutely was. We spent a lot of time,
energy and money on our marketing not
only on the name, but also on developing
the brand around that name. One of the
challenges we all face in this industry is how
to get more folks through the doors in other
ways beyond just a burial service. We thought
about how we were going to communicate all
of the different things we’d be doing at Seven
Stones.
Our marketing folks peppered us with all
kinds of questions, trying to dive into who we
are, what we’re about and how we’re going
to communicate that to the public, a vision
of something different from a traditional
cemetery.
During all of this, the tagline, “the
botanical gardens cemetery” came out. It was
the easiest way to explain who we were: If
you’ve been to Denver’s Botanic Gardens or
TRIBUTEINC.COM
Littleton’s Hudson Gardens, Seven Stones
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CEMETERY DESIGN
Adirondack chairs for seating. We’ve got

horseshoes and cornhole set up for people to
play. We’ve got art and sculpture integrated
throughout the beautiful landscape. The
design and the creative memorialization are
very customized.
We’ve also got integration with techno
logy. We package every memorial with a QR
medallion from Memory Medallion. That’s
been a huge benefit—clients absolutely love
having that option and being able to tell their
loved one’s story.
Our sales process is informative, consul
tative and educational. I have a little tagline
that says we need to inform and educate
before we engage. There are so many
customers coming through the door who
have limited knowledge of who we are,
what we do, what’s offered, and who are
misinformed about what they can and can’t
Above, earthwork begins on the Seven Stones property, which was originally a flat do. Until they get truly informed, it’s hard
prairie. Stormwater management infrastructure had to be built, yielding excess dirt to have a substantive dialogue with them, so
used to sculpt the gardens and create movement in the landscape. The developers we try to be as transparent and informative
were able to balance all material on site without any import or export. as possible so they can make the best
Below, part of the gently rolling landscape created for the first phase of the cem- decisions for their family.
etery, which also included a pond with integrated waterfalls. We spend as much time as the family
needs to get to know us, to get to know
the options, feel comfortable about their
selection. We give them information on
other providers in the marketplace if
there’s something that’s more fitting for
what they’re looking for. I can’t tell you
how much positive feedback we get from
families about that process.
We’re also extremely flexible from
the standpoint of that final remembrance/
celebration service.We’ve created a
platform where families can come in and
explore on their own what they feel is
meaningful and symbolic. And we’re not
hard and fast with rules and regulations. We
let it evolve. Families love our flexibility.
Do you let people put all kinds of stuff on
the graves, or do people not tend to do that
at Seven Stones?
There’s a little bit of that. As we all know,
memorialization. our primary goal is to create sacred places
those souvenirs are extremely powerful and
A number of cemeteries have earned for those who came before us. But as you
meaningful, and staying connected to their
designation as arboretums, and have get to the surface, there are many points of
loved one is so important for families. So the
“arboretum” in their names, but I tend differentiation.
way we’ve designed the gardens is that all the
to associate that with historic ones. Yours From a scale standpoint, we’re smaller
mementos and flowers and things like that are
is a new cemetery and you seem to be and more intimate. And the primary focus
actually outside our operational area.
thinking ahead, and a botanical garden is a of everything we do—planning and design
We have a totally new layout to our
place people would go for an outing. How work, sales and marketing, social media—is
ground burial section that affords us the
would you say Seven Stones is like existing about customer experience and customer
opportunity to be very efficient with our
cemeteries, and how is it different? engagement.
grounds burial crews without disrupting what
We’ve got strolling paths, water features,
We’re pretty similar below the surface, as families place in their memorial spaces. This
chalk walls, fire pits and patios with
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CEMETERY DESIGN
We have activities like painting for the kids. We have live music and storytelling. People can experience
the garden. It’s a way to get people to see the cemetery who otherwise might not want to come.
Above, an educational
event in the committal area
Nearby beekeepers handle the apiaries at Seven Stones. Jane
at Seven Stones, providing honey and Barton of Cardinal LLC
educational events. spoke about the gifts and
challenges friends bring to
unique way of handling it allows us to let our lives. She highlighted
families have these mementos when they are the importance of both
most needed after a loss. lifelong friends and friends
Of course, if something becomes made more recently, and
inspired people to check
unsightly, or if there are safety issues,
in with a friend not seen
we’ll ask that it be removed, and we’ll
for a while. Left, children
communicate the “why.” To this date, we’ve enjoy an art project while
only had a couple of families who have adults relax and tell stories
brought items that detract from the grounds around the fire pit.
and have had to be removed after a few
weeks. history within just a few miles of this area. 500 and 700 people. There were food trucks
What kind of emphasis are you placing We are on the Roxborough Area Historical and bands, and we were supporting local
on events? That’s usually the community Society board and do some cross-events with artists. Through that process, we raised
outreach that cemeteries do. them. funds for three not-for-profit community
When we first started out, we branded We conduct nature walks. We’ve got organizations. It was extremely successful.
a community event we call “Time and eagles flying over our property and perching We partner with Douglas County, the
Togetherness,” which we try to host about in the cottonwood trees, so we try to take county the cemetery is in. They have a
every three months. It’s exactly what it advantage of that. We back to a local state program called Art Encounters, designed to
sounds like, a time where we can come park and are blessed to have eagles migrating promote public interest in art. The art is on
together as a community, as a family, tell through the property and perching in our display in high-visibility locations, including
stories, share music and art. cottonwood trees, allowing a synergistic our cemetery. We’ve installed eight pieces,
We have activities like painting for the collaboration with our local Audubon society. some of which are permanent and some of
kids. We have live music and storytelling. We have some small group meetings which rotate. Our first year we had four and
People can experience the garden. It’s a we brand as “Seasons of Change” to help then we added four more our second year. We
way to get people to see the cemetery who families through that immediate transition, inted to expand our collection every year.
otherwise might not want to come. It’s been the loss and grief. We started that a couple of Of course, we’re involved with the
extremely rewarding and is growing. years ago and it’s continuing to grow. Chamber of Commerce and business
We have history walks. We back right up We have an annual art show. Our second leadership groups in the area, and have some
to the Highland Canal. We’ve got a lot of one last summer drew somewhere between cross-educational sessions with those groups
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CEMETERY DESIGN
Artist Kimmerjae Macarus does some

touch-up work on “Mask of Breath:
Self,” a sculpture made out of Colorado
marble (also pictured on the cover of
this issue).
Many cemeteries are known for their sculpture, sometimes including elaborately
carved marble statuary. As a new cemetery, Seven Stones does not have that
heritage, yet has art throughout its grounds, partly through participation in a local
program that places art in visible and visited spaces to encourage public interac-
tion with it. The result is more modern pieces than most people would expect to
see at a cemetery. Left, some of the art at the cemetery. Above, one of the many
patios/seating areas throughout the property where people can relax while enjoy-
ing the art and the mountain views.
that are beneficial and allow us to be a Yes, this is one opportunity where we can
resource for their members. “breathe a little life” back into our business
Early on, we learned there were three and give back. It’s been well received and is
beekeepers who live close by, and they growing every year.
asked if they could be a part of our venue, I was going to ask about staff later on, but
so we have two apiaries on site that provide hearing this list, I’m thinking you must have
our families with honey. When I say some staff to handle all this.
“our families,” I mean people who have
To be honest, we’re still evolving in how we
purchased at Seven Stones. The beekeepers
do things, in how we want to be perceived.
provide educational sessions; we’ve had
Titles aren’t a really big thing for us. We have
high school students conduct senior projects
a mix of full-time, part time and seasonal
that have involved coming to the cemetery
employees: three full-time, one who is
to learn about the bees.
basically family service coordinator, and two
We hold yoga classes in the gardens
of whom are grounds people. We also have a
during the summer and host an annual
part-time accounts manager.
blood drive.
During the growing season, we have five
So, we’ve done a fair amount in the
contracted seasonal employees who not only
short time we’ve been up and running, and
help on the grounds but also provide support
I hope we’ll continue to expand that and
for the events I was describing. The family
be as much of a resource as possible to the
service coordinator coordinates the events.
community and the families we serve.
We’ve got a great team. They’re very ener-
It sounds like you’re doing a lot. I’m glad getic and yes, they have to be a great group of
you’re doing the blood drive. A very early people to pull off all the things we do.
KIP Award winner was for a funeral home
Do you have any kind of volunteer group?
that did a Valentine’s Day blood drive, and
I thought it was brilliant. They encouraged No, but it’s on our radar for 2019. The past
people to donate in honor or in memory of two years, we’ve been under construction,
a loved one. and we didn’t want the liability risk of having
personal.
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CEMETERY DESIGN
We offer a mix of price points, types and styles to show people,

with the idea of getting a read from our customers about what they like, what moves,
what sells, information that we can take into account in future development.
The Archstone in the Mystic Lawn section. Memorialization panels are starting to be put up under the arch. Also pictured are
more traditional bronze-on-granite Gardenstone bevel memorials, freestanding Dancing Glass upright memorials and, in the
background, the Cascade family estates, which feature waterfalls and comfortable bench seating between each of the units.
volunteers out here during all of that. Now just, “Let’s see how many products we can 20 to 30 different memorial types, depending
that we’re done with phase one construction, get into this area to maximize the number of on where in the garden you want to be.
we’ve had a number of family members offer sales we can make.” What I’ve seen in my 25 years is that
their time, people who are master gardeners Clearly, we’re in a high cremation rate area, sometimes people say they want cremation
or belong to local garden clubs. We have a list but there are plenty of traditional casketed and that might dictate they go in a certain
of about two dozen people who want to help. families who need to be served. And you area, so you show them that. But what
I can see how helping out at the cemetery don’t always capture those cremation we’ve seen with our design is that when we
would be therapeutic for people. In fact, families—some are taking the remains up walk families out to the garden, they might
one of our part-time crew happens to be the into the mountains, some are keeping them see a memorial they like and gravitate
widow of someone who is interred at Seven at home, at least for a while. toward that. Their memorial choice might
Stones. She was here visiting her husband We developed a two-acre, mixed-use end up dictating whether they choose
every week, spending time in the garden— burial area that offers a blend of traditional cremation or traditional burial.
and reminding us she was interested. We and cremation placement options. You also Memorialization options are extremely
brought her in on a couple of events and she can select green burial, and we have a number creative; everything here was custom-
did a wonderful job, so we have her working of estate options, from ones already designed designed through CPRA and Life Remem-
on beautification. to ones that will be custom-built. brance. We wanted something unique on
I think it’s a win/win situation, and we We have a Forever Friends garden area this site and for the families we serve. There
have a couple dozen more people who have where you can either bury your pet or be are some one-of-a-kind options here that
told us, “We love what you guys are doing buried with your pet. We’re just kind of you’ve never seen before, like what we call
out here. We want to be a part of this.” It’s teasing/testing the market with this offering. our Archstone, a stainless steel arch with
just so rewarding. A lot of families talk about it, but will they memorials suspended from it. There’s also a
What kind of memorialization options do actually act on that desire? We thought we’d bridge with memorials supported from it.
you offer, and how did you decide? One start with a small area and beta test it to see We’ve got dancing glass, glass and metal
thing I’m hearing more from cemeterians is what we learn from our clients. together. We’ve got a wide range, including
that they want thoughtful garden design, not Within this two-acre burial pod, there are a bronze-on-granite option which is a little
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The multiple meanings behind the name ‘Seven Stones’
W here did the name “Seven Stones”
come from for this botanical gardens
cemetery? It’s a unique name for a cemetery
number has special meaning in the culture
of the Germans, the Spanish, the Chinese
and the English. The American Cherokee
and might seem, on the face of it, ironic for flag has seven stars, and there are seven
one that eschews traditional headstones. clans.
The founders have an answer ready for stands for divine perfection and completion, “Seven has universal appeal, which
this question, one they frequently get: and there are countless references in the is our goal in creating this very special
“We gave a great deal of thought to the Bible: seven parables in Matthew 13, seven place, welcoming of faith and imbued with
name of our first cemetery, and there’s a lot signs in the Gospel of John—at least 490 meaning.
of meaning behind it. such instances. “And the stones? A stone is a symbol
“Throughout history to modern day, “In Hinduism, seven represents the of permanence, stability, solidity and
the number seven has held a special earthly plane of existence. Islam includes trust. A strong foundation. That’s what
significance. It took seven days to create the seven heavens and seven earths. In Judaism, we’re offering with our botanical gardens
world. There are seven colors in a rainbow, seven is a powerful number representing cemetery—a place of permanent beauty,
seven seas, seven continents and seven creation, good fortune and blessing. stability and ongoing trust in the care that
wonders of the ancient world. Seventh “Seven was significant to the ancient we’ll lavish on the grounds where you
heaven is an expression for a supremely Egyptians (seven souls). The number is celebrate the life of a loved one. We’re
happy state. prominent in Japanese (seven lucky gods) creating an ever-evolving natural space with
“Seven is an important number in and Celtic (seven tears) mythology. There a strong foundation designed to change and
religions around the globe. In Christianity it are seven laws of life in Taoism. The grow in magnificent ways.” r
CEMETERY DESIGN
more traditional, though our bronze is de In the turf areas, we brought in organic
tailed with a bit more of a contemporary look. material and blended it with the existing soils
We offer a mix of price points, types and in a two-foot profile. The whole idea is to
styles to show people, with the idea of getting give the turf a great growth profile. Those
a read from our customers about what they roots will go 18 to 24 inches deep. A lot of
like, what moves, what sells, information we times, when you only prep the top four to six
can take into account in future development. inches of soil, the roots will hit a hard pan,
Life Remembrance, which creates all the forcing you to constantly apply water and
memorials, is a subsidiary we spun off from fertilizer to keep the grass looking good.
CPRA about eight years ago. It started with We really thought all this through to see
my desire to create something unique and The Welcome Center, which offers easy what we could do up-front that will save
memorable for my father-in-law. I got great access to the gardens. After the Discov- time, money and energy in operations and
feedback on the stone/glass/metal memorial I ery Center is built, this building will ei- maintenance and help us meet our future
created for him, so we started to develop and ther be removed or used for something perpetual care obligation.
deploy a mix of product types that would fit else. Using the grade, landscape, slat We’re testing different turf types. We’ve
walls and other site amenities, Seven
into a creative landscape architectural feel of integrated a Colorado bluegrass blend
Stones was able to turn a double-wide
all the cremation gardens we were planning, trailer into a nice-looking facility. specifically formulated for our region and
designing and developing. area. We also integrated a Rhizomatous
My whole design philosophy is that the grade. But we were able to use all dirt Tall Fescue (RTF) in what we call our
first we create the space via landscape from the site, to balance all the material Meadowview garden as well as other test
architectural elements—walks, landscaping, on-site. Sometimes you haul in or haul out areas on the property. They both consume
patios, plazas, walls, grading. We start there material, but we didn’t. Material we took out less water than Kentucky bluegrass blends
to create the environment and experience, and for our required detention/retention facilities with RTF using almost half that needed for
then we look at what memorial types can be and pond was used to sculpt the gardens and Kentucky bluegrass.
integrated in to complement and emphasize create space. We initially thought we’d only offer our
what you’re trying to create so they blend We have a very arid climate here; we don’t green burial options in the Meadowview
together seemlessly. Everything has a reason, get a lot of rain, so we’re being sensible of garden area, but then we opted to offer green
a purpose. water use and distribution. By sculpting the burial throughout the cemetery in what I call
ground, we can control the flow of what rain “shades of green.” Some people want to go in
Have you made any changes in the we do get and direct it to our higher water use
landscape to develop it as a botanical the ground simply and with no embalming,
areas. We don’t have seas of turf; we have but they like the manicured bluegrass look
garden? What was the ground like? pockets of turf, concentrated in low-lying and they like that glass memorial and want to
For starters, the ground was flat prairie; it was areas to capture as much of Mother Nature’s be buried in that area. Some people want to
hayed—they had horses out there. So in the water as possible and allow us to use as little go into a hand-dug grave in a shroud in our
process of creating drainage, we manipulated irrigated water as possible on those areas.
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CEMETERY DESIGN
In the turf areas, we brought in organic material and blended it

with the existing soils in a two-foot profile. The whole idea
is to give the turf a great growth profile. Those roots will go 18 to 24
inches deep. A lot of times, when you only prep the top four to six
inches of soil, the roots will hit a hard pan, forcing you to constantly
apply water and fertilizer to keep the grass looking good.
tall grass meadow and want very simple read on what our customers want. Do they
memorialization. want an indoor venue with heat, light and
Again, we’re testing different things, using power? Do they want event spaces, flexible
a botanical garden philosophy of collecting spaces? Room for a life celebration event, a
information about the native species in wedding, for local groups to meet? Should
our wildflower and meadow areas and the there be a revolving art display?
plantings we’ve installed. We will use that There are so many different things we
as we develop phase two, and also to give want to do, we want to take more time and a
families an option to come to Seven Stones thoughtful approach to figuring out what this
and learn about the different plants we have facility should be for us and the community.
Green burial is offered throughout in this area. Do you have any other buildings planned?
Seven Stones, in various “shades.”
It sounds like you’re definitely doing some No mausoleum yet, but we’re hoping to
People can be buried in a shroud or
xeriscaping and trying to use native plants have a garden mausoleum started in the early
pine box, with simple or more elaborate
memorialization. rather than bring in exotics that are hard to part of 2020. We’ve got a few sketches, but
maintain in your area. nothing to move forward with yet. It will be
Absolutely. We’re using natives and cousins small, extremely small, integrated into the
of natives, trying to keep it as local as topography and the surroundings.
possible. We have a committal service shelter/space,
Where are you exactly in terms of what’s which is very valuable to families, and great
been completed? for operations, because everything can be
staged right there rather than at the grave site.
We feel phase one is substantially complete.
Everything from the lecturn to the chairs and
Originally we planned to build our Discovery
tables can be in one spot you can control, and
Center as part of phase one, but we decided
families don’t have to worry about getting to
to hold off on that until we have discussions
the grave site, dealing with snow.
with our families and see what the commu
Fortunately for us, ours is nestled on a
nity wants it to be.
spot in the cemetery that’s central to all the
In the meantime, we have a temporary
burial spaces, with beautiful views up to the
facility serving as a welcome center. It’s on a
mountains and the canyons in one direction
portion of the property that’s easily accessed.
and looking back up toward our brook and
Families come in and then head out from
some of the artwork in another direction.
there on the paths into the gardens. In the
We leave it up to families, but most take
future, it might be turned into an operations
advantage of that space for the celebration
office or maintenance facility, or we might
service and the gathering of people. And then
remove it.
after that, there’s the ceremonial procession
The Discovery Center is meant to be on
from there to the grave space, though some
the high point of the property. The idea is
people might stay in the shelter.
to create what I would describe as a non-
Some families don’t want us to do the
threatening venue where people can find out
interment right away, so we do it after they
about the industry, what the trends are in the
leave. Some want it done before the service.
U.S. and around the world, how Colorado
This is part of our flexibility, giving the
and Seven Stones fit into the picture. It’s a
family options.
learning and awareness center about all the
We offer families the venue, tell them
things we deal with, and a way to share that
what can be done, what other people have
with the public.
done, and allow them to come up with what’s
We decided the time wasn’t right to build
appropriate for them and their loved one.
it as part of phase one. We wanted to learn
more from the community, to get more of a How large is the cemetery, and how large is
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CEMETERY DESIGN
Our services are usually large and long, full of story and a lot of sharing.
phase one?
After you account for a right-of-way,
Seven Stones is 33 acres. Phase one is
about two acres, with about 4,000 spaces.
We’re projecting the cemetery has room
for somewhere between 55,000 and 75,000
interments.
We have plenty of space for now, but
there are some product types that are nearing
being sold out, so we’ll probably have some
small sub-phases, not a full-blown phase two
development, but a phase 1A, 1B, as we run
out of some memorial types that have sold
extremely well.
Did you do a master plan for the entire site?
How much flexibility does it have?
Yes. Master plans can take on a number of
different looks depending upon the level of
detail required and how they will be used.
The procession for a service for a Based on my experience and seeing how
young girl was led by her friends in a dynamic cemetery development can be
What could be more traditional than a
child-sized electric car driven on the over time, we developed a broader land-use bagpiper at a cemetery service? Here,
cemetery’s path/trail system. master plan. he joins some youngsters in making use
This plan defines key infrastructure of one of the less-traditional features
such as buildings, utility routings, roads, at Seven Stones, a metal chalkboard
mass grading/drainage improvements, on which friends and family can write
burial pods, features, shelters, etc. without and draw messages or use magnets to
getting overly detailed as to the exact burial/ display photos.
memorial types and locations. what we do, how we differentiate—and then
This will give us the flexibility we need we leave it up to them.
in the future to adjust our offerings based on If a funeral home feels we’re a good fit for
customer demands and preferences as well the family they’re serving, then we obviously
as new memorial types that will be offered work together and figure out the needs and
10, 20, 50-plus years from now. wishes of that family. If we’re not, we totally
What we really developed is more of a understand that. We’ve had a number of
land-use or land-use master plan. Where did families who have come through our doors
we want turf pockets versus plant bed areas, who were looking for something more
Princes and princesses followed the
electric car for what Flin described as a and how are those shaped throughout the traditional, and clearly what we have out
very touching and meaningful service. property? But we have a significant amount there is not traditional, and we get that. It’s
of flexibility in how it changes over time. few and far between, but we have had several
Product types, memorialization types, are people like that who have come through.
changing. People’s preferences are changing. We’re also trying to get our branding
We wanted to allow as much flexibility as we recognition and awareness out there through
could within a broader framework. our events.
How many interments have you had so far? We did a massive radio campaign when
we first started in 2015, flooding the airways
We’ve had about 300 total sales, with about
with who we are, what we’re about, what
half of these being at-need interments.
we’re doing and how we’re different.
Are you marketing to funeral homes or And, as you know, in this profession, our
more to families directly? ability to put our best foot forward during a
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CEMETERY DESIGN
Above left, a balloon release after a birthday celebration for a someone who died at a young age. The young man’s family held
a potluck barbecue in his honor. Above right, a large service in the committal area, with photos posted on the chalk boards.
committal or memorial services, or do they some horseshoes, relax, do a little grilling and to see our branding as a botanical garden
bring in their own officiants or celebrants? honor so-and-so.” Absolutely. We get that set cemetery, they wanted to learn more.
A little bit of everything. We have a number up for them and we make it theirs. It requires About your endowment care fund, as
of go-to celebrants our families use. If a little overtime on our part, but the reward ICCFA General Counsel Bob Fells prefers
they’re affiliated with a church or temple, and the value it brings that family is just to call the perpetual care fund: Does
they’ll bring the priest, minister or rabbi in to tremendous. Colorado mandate a percentage of sales you
conduct the service. Some families opt for the I’ve heard of cases where cemeteries want to have to place in the fund?
open mic approach, pass the mic around and add activities such as movie nights and got Yes; it’s pretty basic and similar to a lot of
tell stories. some pushback, but I guess at a cemetery other states. It’s 10 percent for above-ground
I want to emphasize that when we that’s new and not very traditional, people and 15 percent for in-ground property.
designed Seven Stones, we designed it so that expect things to be different. Having worked on and been in and out of
people would feel comfortable being in these Exactly. It’s been nice to start fresh and not hundreds of cemeteries across the U.S., I can
spaces so they would want to come back, heal have traditional expectations on us. When tell you it’s one of those things that are often
and keep the story alive of that loved one. families come in, they hear firsthand that woefully underfunded. A lot of cemeteries
We have fire pits and patios and plazas we have these events. They know we’re a started back in the late 1800s or early 1900s
and people can come out here, bring their vibrant, dynamic venue engaging the public and they’re large properties with a lot of
family, bring a bottle of wine if they want to, and trying to foster a connection in the heritage development, meaning development
and celebrate on a birthday, an anniversary. community. pre-state statutes. When the statutes did
Seeing people of all ages and genders engage It’s extremely rewarding when I see come into effect, people didn’t say, “Maybe
the space to pay tribute and keep the stories widows come out and share similar stories. we should be putting in more than what the
alive is what drives me in this profession. Their husbands are in the same location, and state mandates, or have a supplemental fund,
Too often, somebody places that loved they become friends. They’re able to help because we have a little catch-up to do for all
one in the cemetery and never goes back. each other through that process, because those years we didn’t put money away.”
That’s not good for the healing process, and they’re both going through a loss. These little Here, our goals is to have a $40 million
it’s not good for our industry. So what we’ve things I’ve seen happen in this venue are just fund by the time we get to our last sale. We
created is a venue that allows people to feel amazing. have the state-mandated fund, and we also
as comfortable as possible so they’ll want have a supplemental fund like the ones I’ve
I see you had a certain amount of press
to come back, to share it, to bring friends helped a couple of clients develop. So we
coverage generated by your groundbreak
and family with them. It’s been extremely actually put away a blend of 20-25 percent on
ing, which is something that’s typically
rewarding to watch that play out. each sale. We have no catch-up to do, and we
covered, but you’ve had coverage beyond
Can people reserve an area like you would the local paper. can dial the extra contributions up or down
at a municipal park that has shelters and depending on what we think our projected
I was fortunate that one of my peers on a
grills and seating? costs are going to be.
local mortuary board has a PR firm with quite
We’ll do that in the future. We haven’t hit a few connections that have helped us out Are you expecting or hoping that other
that critical mass where it’s been necessary, tremendously. cemeteries will follow the Seven Stones
with multiple families wanting an area at the It was interesting that there was some model? If you and your partners plan on
same time. Sometimes, someone will come “buzz” as well about how this was the first taking your model to other cities, maybe
to us and say, “Hey, I’ve got some family in cemetery developed in Douglas County in you’ll be just as happy if other cemeterians
town. We’d like to come out there and play over 100 years. And once people started don’t learn any lessons from what Seven
VINCE AZZARO
& GARY BENITO
BENITO & AZZARO
PACIFIC GARDENS CHAPEL
“WE ALL TALK

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After 40 years in business, it was time for us to start Benito and Azzaro has been a team effort from
developing a succession plan. We didn’t want to start to finish, and when we both decide to retire,
hang on for so long that something might happen we want to walk into the sunset proud of what we
to one of us. Neither of us wanted to saddle the accomplished. Joining Foundation Partners gave
other with trying to run the business on his own. us the security to move forward, allowing us to
That’s where Foundation Partners came in. With focus on the things we love most – taking care of
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CEMETERY DESIGN
The cemetery’s columbarium niche wall

contains its Touchstone memorials. A
mix of niche sizes and granite fronts
and groupings give the wall personal- Above and left, Whispering Walk crema-
ity. The wall is also the back side of the tion garden includes formal and informal
Cascade family estates (pictured to the paths, water features, chalk panels and
right in the photo on page 22), which a mix of cremation memorials, including
include three water scuppers. the Dancing Glass memorials, which are
Stones is doing! integrated throughout the gardens and
are available for both traditional burial
I’ve got no expectations about what other and cremation families.
cemeterians are going to do, other than the
fact I’ve observed over the past 25 years that So you spend quite a bit of time out at the
cemeterians are constantly learning from each cemetery?
other and challenging how they’ve always For the past three years, yes. Getting it off
done things. I hope I can give back as much an eye for detail and always want to tweak the ground, getting ops going, sales and
as I’ve gained from them over the years. If things and make them better, when the marketing, meeting with families, getting
they take one nugget from what we’re doing, construction is actually taking place it outside doing the burials, conducting the
great. If they take 10 nuggets, great. If they makes it challenging for the contractors. services, putting on the events. I change my
don’t take anything, that’s fine. We’ve learned things from the develop- hat by the hour, depending on what role I’ve
Diving head first into this venture has ment standpoint, sales and marketing, got to play.
allowed me to see all the challenges, the day- ops—there are a lot of things we’ve learned Now that we’ve got it out of the ground,
to-day operational issues and family issues, from, and we’re still making mistakes and it’s time to take what I’ve learned and apply
people in the industry deal with. It’s one thing learning from them. that back to CPRA and what we offer clients.
to be a consultant, but I have gained a huge I think the most important thing we’ve Do the majority of the families who inter at
amount of respect for anybody on the funeral learned is how meaningful and valuable this Seven Stones have a service of some kind?
or cemetery side. industry is to families. Sometimes families
Every one of them. Sometimes, it might
That comment dovetails into my next have a service and you’re expecting them
be as short as 30 minutes. Sometimes they
question about what you’ve learned from to leave after the interment, but they find a
might be there a half day.
the process and how it’s different being the place to mingle, or they pick up some chalk
and write these extremely meaningful, Thirty minutes is not that short for a
cemeterian in addition to the landscape cemetery service.
planner. profound messages on our chalk walls.
And then they come up to you and say, Well, for us it is. I’d have to say our average
It was a challenge having me, the landscape “What you guys have created here is so is probably about an hour, hour and a half.
architect, out there through development, meaningful. We’re so thankful for it.”
because I wanted to tweak and adjust things Many people do the service at the funeral
That’s something I didn’t see as a home or church and then when they go to
as they were coming out of the ground. consultant. When you’ve got that emotional, graveside, maybe it’s just family. There’s a
I think my partners were about ready to personal investment in these families day
throw me off the job. prayer, done.
in, day out, it’s just awesome.
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43 114 4966 0119 US

CEMETERY DESIGN
We have fire pits and patios and plazas and people can
come out here, bring their family, bring a bottle of wine if they
want to, and celebrate on a birthday, an anniversary.
Visitors play Jenga, one of the games

available for families to use.
and see our property, they’re actually asking
to have a full service at our facility. We’ve
had a couple that go from the celebration
service, and then we conduct the placement,
and then everybody migrates back for a fully
catered event. The family can provide food,
music, beverages—you name it. It’s been fun
to watch. Our services are usually large and A buffet set up under the committal shelter for one of Seven Stones’ Time and To-
long, full of story and a lot of sharing. getherness events during the summer of 2017. Seven Stones works with caterers,
and families are also welcome to bring their own food.
Do you work with caterers?
We do. We’ve got a good group of caterers, and touring the grounds, there’s a tension you’re doing and how you can improve on
and we also rent event equipment. The that’s lifted and many people comment on the it. So I’d say listening to your customers,
committal space comfortably seats about 100, healing nature of our grounds. engaging in a dialogue with them as much as
but we’ve had events where we’ve had to All the hugs, kisses and thank-yous for you can, is huge.
have parking attendants—up to 300 people. what we’ve created has been a delight and I think you also should look at other indus
We tried to limit the amount of road one we weren’t expecting. tries. You’ve got to step outside this one and
infrastructure. We have a main, heart-shaped As far as things that were easier or harder see what others are doing and how they’re
loop at the center of the property that will than I expected, running a cemetery is differ responding to today’s and tomorrow’s
accommodate about 80 cars. For larger servi ent from designing them. Cemeterians and generation. How are they planning for the
ces and events, we have overflow parking. funeral directors are used to juggling last- future?
The committal space is designed so that minute changes, tweaks to the burial service, Also look around at the spaces and places
the family can have another 100-200 people family requests. you visit and think about what you like and
out on the lawn. If they want to go up into I’m a planner; I like everything structured. don’t like about them. What do you like or
the garden, we’ve got some built-in bench When last-minute curve balls get thrown dislike about their customer service? Taking
memorials people can sit on. at me, it kind of throws me for a loop. So all those nuggets and bringing them into your
One of the gentlemen who passed away I’ve had to adjust. Kudos to all the funeral organization can be powerful.
was kind of a “green” hippie guy and they directors and cemeterians who are doing this Ask your peers and family members
wanted it to be a no-shoes event. Everybody all the time, every day—I’m amazed. for feedback. They’ve been a great help to
threw their shoes off on the lawn, and they What advice would you give cemeterians us. Family members can give you the most
were out there for a couple of hours just who are looking for ways to bring families honest feedback: “Honey, I don’t think you
telling stories and singing. into the cemetery and to keep cemeteries should do that.” Ask family and friends to
meaningful to future generations? come to your operation, ask them to walk
Is there anything that’s surprised you?
through and give you some feedback.
Anything that’s turned out to be easier or All I can recommend is listening to your
You’re liable to get stuck in a rut and not
harder than you thought it would be? customers. I think too often everybody gets
want to change. Change is hard. It’s hard to
There have been a lot of surprises along the in that daily grind of “This is my job, this is
shift course when you’ve got existing systems
way, butI think my partners would agree that what I’m doing. The family comes in, I meet
and processes in place, but you can’t be shy
overall, it’s been extremely rewarding to see with them, I help them through the process,
about trying new things. You can try new
the transformation people go through because and on to the next family.”
things in small batches, if you will, to see
of what we’ve created. Try to gather intel from your customers
how they work, how people respond to them.
We know they enter our doors with from the moment they walk through the
We have to be meaningful to today’s
hesitation and anxiety and don’t really want door, during the arrangement, after the fact—
generation and look ahead to tomorrow, not
to be there, but after meeting with our people anything they would like to share about what
back at yesteryear. r
If crypt flies don’t keep you
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Supply Line
n MORTUARY LIFT CO., Cedar Rapids, n PLOTBOX, Ballymena,
Iowa, has introduced a new electric stair- Northern Ireland, has named
climbing transport device. The Stepper Rick Dagenais as vice presi-
makes it possible for someone to remove dent of sales North America.
a body weighing several hundreds pounds He will be based out of the
without a helper and without back strain. company’s Boston, Mas-
Mortuary Lift stepper above and, be- On stairs, a second set of wheels electrically sachusetts, office. With more
low, in action. grabs the next step and pulls the wheeled than 25 years of experience in
platform up, or lowers it down, eliminat- Dagenais legal technology, document
ing manual lifting and pulling. A three-step management and accounting systems, he has
hydraulic prop stand simplifies transferring held positions at LexisNexis, Ricoh Legal,
remains from horizontal to vertical. The Step- Anaqua and other technology leaders. As
per fits industry standards for stretcher height, CEO of document management systems inte-
straps, boards and pouches. It can be seen in grator and Xerox Partner DOCUcom Inc., he
action on the Mortuary Lift website and Insta- managed the transition from paper to digital
gram (mortuaryliftcompany). documents for corporations, educational and
1.800.628.8809; www.mortuarylift.com religious organizations, and oversaw numer-
n BOGATI URN CO., Sarasota, Florida, ous complex systems implementations.
is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2019. sean@plotbox.io; www.plotbox.io
Andrea Bogard LeBlanc founded Bogati Urn n HOMESTEADERS, Des Moines, Iowa,
Co. in 2004 with two lead crystal urn designs has named Joan Schoborg as regional
in her product line. Its inventory now includes director. She fills a role previously held by
hundreds of memorial urns for adults, child Karen King, who is retiring after 46 years
ren and pets in varying materials, including with the company. Schoborg joined Home-
glass, marble, wood, porcelain, brass and steaders 16 years ago as a member of the
metal. Custom options are also available. customer service team. In 2009, she helped
Bogati Urns has earned a few significant expand the company’s executive program by
accolades along the way. In 2009, it earned becoming its first home office account execu-
one of Fido Friendly Magazine’s Best Pet tive. 1.800.477.3633;
Products awards. In 2012, Bogard LeBlanc www.homesteaderslife.com
was chosen as one of 12 Sarasota busi- n FUNERAL DIRECTORS LIFE
nesses to receive a one-year training pro- INSURANCE CO., Abilene, Texas, has
READERS: To find the products and gram through the Ewing Marion Kaufman promoted four people to the position of
services you need online, go to Foundation’s Urban Entrepreneur Partnership vice president: Amy Biggs, vice president
www.iccfa.com for the Supply Program. In May 2016, Bogati was chosen by of operations; Jason Gazaille, vice president
Link Search Engine, the fastest Chase Bank as one of 700 small businesses of finance; Melissa Magers, vice president of
way to find the products and throughout the U.S. and one of four within accounting; and Zack Shahan, vice president
services you need at your funeral home, the Tampa Bay, Florida area, for the bank’s
cemetery or crematory. of security operations.
Ring the Bell for Small Business campaign. Biggs joined FDLIC as a
SUPPLIERS: Send your press releases Another sign of the company’s progress temp on a six-week assign-
about your new products and services, has been the growth of its physical space, ment 23 years ago. She has
and about awards, personnel changes which has recently continued with the pur-
and other news to sloving@iccfa.com for more than 20 years of mana-
chase of a new building. The third move in 10 gerial and supervisory level
inclusion in Supply Line.
years, the new headquarters, again located in experience in operations, in
Sarasota, will include eight offices and over the areas of new business un-
14,000 square feet of warehouse space— derwriting, commissions and
more than double the capacity of the previous Biggs policy administration. Most
onsite warehouse. recently, she oversaw the claims, new busi-
To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the ness and document processing departments as
company will continue its Bogati Gives Back director of policy services.
efforts, choosing more funeral service and Gazaille was most recently
mortuary students for the 2nd Annual Bogati the company’s director of
Scholarship Fund, and create special offers finance. Since joining the
and promotions for customers throughout company in 2015, he has
the year. Those wishing to know about the expanded his department’s
promotions can go to its website and sign up services to include not only
for the company’s email list. funeral home lending, but also
sales@bogatiurns.com; www.bogatiurns.com Gazaille
S U P P LY L I N E
a consulting services division, Directors Busi- feedback on their experience via mail
ness Solutions. He graduated from McMurry or through an online review. Funeral
with a marketing degree. directors can decide on a case-by-case
Magers joined the compa- basis which families to enroll and then
ny in 2012 and most recently step back and let the process work. The
served as director of account- decedent’s information is automatically
The Starmark Preview cemation con-
ing, overseeing the account- pulled into Aftercare.com from the obituary,
tainer uses a rental insert that features
ing and financial reporting avoiding duplicate data entry. a crepe interior with pillow and overlap-
functions for all but one of 812.934.7500; www.batesville.com ping blankets, above, comes in a natu-
FDLIC’s affiliated companies. 1.800.721.7097; www.aftercare.com ral and a canyon brown finish, below.
She received both a bach- n STARMARK CREMATION PROD-
Magers elor’s degree and an MBA in UCTS, Richmond, Indiana, has introduced
accounting from Hardin Sim- a new solid wood alternative container
mons University. viewer, the Preview. Available in both a
Shahan has been with natural and canyon brown finish, the Star-
FDLIC since 2006, begin- mark Preview is positioned as an affordable
ning as network analyst and container for private viewings. At first glance,
advancing to director of one might ask, “Where’s the lid?” The
technology infrastructure. He Preview is not a traditional casket designed
is a graduate of Texas State for burial families. It uses a cost-effective
Shahan Technical College with a rental insert that features a crepe interior with
degree in computer networking and systems pillow and overlapping blankets as well as a
administration. lid that facilitates transportation of the insert
FDLIC also has added after use. The Preview solid wood alternative
Mike Gedert as market cen- container viewer ships complete with the con-
ter manager for Ohio. Gedert tainer base and six rental inserts.
has been active in the funeral 1.888.366.7335; www.starmarkfp.com
profession since 1981, with
sales management experience n AMERICAN MORTUARY COOL-
since 1990. After spending ERS, East Tennessee, Tennessee, offers
more than 20 years working a variety of mortuary and cemetery
Gedert
with specific funeral homes, products, including coolers of various Two of Ameri-
he moved into pre-need insurance, where he sizes, mortuary storage racks, embalming can Mortuary
served as an account executive before joining and dressing tables, church trucks, first call Coolers, prod-
Funeral Directors Life. He received his de- equipment, cot covers and ID viewing sets, ucts, a 10-by-10
funeral traffic signs, gloves and personal walk-in cooler
gree from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary (above) and a
Science and has been a licensed funeral direc- protective equipment, procession equipment
four-tier stor-
tor since 1982. He is also a member of the and lamp shades. The company began in
age rack (right).
Ohio Funeral Directors Association Mortuary 2013 as a division of Funeral Source One
Response Team and has helped with disaster Supply Co., founded by T.R. Ward. All
response for 15 separate events, including the products are 100 percent American-made.
World Trade Center attacks in 2001. 1.888.792.9315;
www.funeraldirectorslife.com www.americanmortuarycoolers.com
n BATESVILLE, Batesville, Indiana, has n THE DODGE CO., Billerica, Massachu-
partnered with AFTERCARE.COM, setts, has announced the retirement of Jack
Clinton, North Carolina, to offer an auto- Adams. Adams was a Dodge representa-
mated outreach program to its website tive for almost 30 years in the Chicagoland
customers. The Aftercare card program territory. He plans to continue submitting
allows funeral directors to continue to support articles to Dodge Magazine, working with
families by sending a personalized sympathy with Dodge on technical clinics, helping to
card following the death, and remembrance develop program materials and to continue
cards honoring a loved one’s birthday, the teaching at Worsham College and working
Christmas season and the first anniversary of with state funeral associations with embalm-
their passing. All four cards can be cus- ing programs. He can be reached at
tomized with digital signatures, logos and jackgonefishinn@gmail.com.
messages to reflect the funeral home’s brand. Also, Mazell LLC, owned by Craig
Families also receive a follow-up survey six Caldwell and Robert Mazza, has taken over
weeks after the service so they can provide ownership and management of The Dodge

S U P P LY L I N E
Co. UK and The Dodge Co. Australia. square screw and water-tight rubber gasket
Caldwell has been managing director of for secure storage of cremated remains.
Dodge UK for 11 years, and of Dodge Aus- 1.877.995.8767;
tralia since its inception in 2014, along with service@newmemorialsdirect.com;
holding the position of vice president of stra- www.newmemorialsdirect.com
Above, Iowat Group’s MonuGrid tegic planning and business development for n WILBERT FUNERAL SERVICES,
system in place as a memorial founda- Dodge US. He’s been an integral part of the Broadview, Illinois, has signed a letter of
tion. Below, material filling the grid is Dodge Company since joining the company intent to acquire certain assets of AS-
smoothed over before a memorial is in March 2000.
placed on the foundation. TRAL INDUSTRIES, Lynn, Indiana, and
1.800.443.6343; www.dodgeco.com related Astral companies. The contemplated
n IOWAT GROUP INC., Ottowa, transaction would also include certain assets
Ontario, offers MonuGrid, a trade- of Astral Carrier Inc. and other associated
marked, concrete-free foundation system assets. Astral would retain its manufacturing
for monuments and flat markers. The platform in Lynn along with the other related
system is lightweight and enables monu- companies and day-to-day operations would
ment foundation work to be done quickly be maintained by a combination of existing
and effectively at a fraction of the cost of management from Astral and Wilbert.
traditional methods. There is no need to Astral manufactures a wide range of steel
construct forms or mix concrete. caskets and is a leading provider to indepen-
The product uses recycled low-density dent casket distributors and funeral homes
polyethylene (LDPE) combined with a through regional service centers across the
specific engineered shape that deflects the United States. Astral Carrier is a 48-state
weight that a headstone or monument ap- contract carrier with a fleet of air-ride tractors
plies to the soil. The aggregate used to fill and trailers. A provider of burial vaults and
the MonuGrid cells are confined and stay cremation-related products, WFSI would
in place. Unlike concrete, which increases strengthen its offerings to the funeral industry
weight dramatically, MonuGrid disperses through the contemplated transaction. Pend-
weight like a snowshoe. It also protects the ing completion of due diligence and execu-
monument against uneven settling of the tion of a definitive and binding agreement
soils. It has a weight-bearing capacity of outlining the terms and conditions of the
1,000 tons per square meter and increases acquisition, WFSI and Astral would oper-
the weight-bearing capacity of the soils ate separately while working together for a
by as much as 85 percent. Monument smooth transition.
restoration costs are dramatically reduced. 1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com
MonuGrid is now being specified and www.astralindustries.com
A memorial in place over the MonuGrid
recommended by the Commonwealth War n DORIC PRODUCTS, Marshall, Illinois,
foundation.
Graves Commission and Veterans Affairs presented their annual dealer awards at its
in Canada. IOWAT also designs and engi- 83rd Annual Fall Meeting. Carolina-Doric
neers foundations for columbaria. Inc., Florence, South Carolina, was recog-
1.613.822.3223; www.iowatgroupinc.com nized as #1 Dealer and received the Greatest
n NEW MEMORIALS DIRECT, Gig Number Sold and Doric Athenian and Doric
Harbor, Washington has added a bar-style Patrician-Greatest Number Sold awards. At-
cremation pendant to its offerings. The tendees also helped Creter Vaults celebrate its
new style is available in sterling silver, 14K 100th year in business, touring its two loca-
gold-plated over sterling, 14K solid gold or tions in New Jersey. Award receipients were:
platinum and with a choice of horizontal or Greatest Number Sold—Phoenix: Divi-
vertical bar orientation. Each bar is approxi- sion I, Rex Vault & Mausoleum Service;
mately 34 mm by 7 mm by 4 mm with text Division II, Forsyth-Puttmann LLC; Division
engraving availability of 20 characters each III, American Concrete Industries. Greatest
on three of its four sides. The horizontal ver- Percentage of Increase—Phoenix: Division I,
sion of the bar comes with a built-in adjust- Buckeye Vault Service; Division II, Brewster
New Memorials Direct’s bar pendant, able chain which can be adjusted from 16 Inc.; Division III, Willmar Precast.
which can be engraved on three of its inches to 20 inches. For the vertical version, Greatest Number Sold—Patrician: Divi-
four sides. any matching metal chain may be purchased sion I, Carolina-DORIC Inc.; Division II,
separately for the pendant. The ash-holding Praireland Funeral Supply LLC; Division
chamber is accessible via the bottom of the III, American Concrete Industries. Greatest
bar pendant and features NMD’s proprietary Percentage of Increase—Patrician: Division
Highest family satisfaction: At-need cremation with memorial
n Overall satisfaction is highest for fami-
lies choosing an at-need cremation with
memorial and lowest with those choosing
pre-need cremations, according to the an-
nual report released by JOHNSON CON-
SULTING, Scottsdale, Arizona, based on its
Performance Tracker program.
Traditional at-need burials were a close
second in high family satisfaction. Follow-
ing pre-need cremations at the low end of the
satisfaction scale were immediate at-need
burials and direct at-need cremations.
The analysis of thousands of pieces of data cleanliness, and condition was rated high- cremation over burial continued to creep
was written by FUNERAL RESEARCH est, and the convenience and comfort of the slightly higher from 2016 to 2017. However,
AND INSIGHT, Indianapolis, Indiana. Sales facilities received the lowest scores. Those while the significant difference noted from
and family satisfaction survey data from least satisfied with facilities typically cited the 2015 to 2016 is still very evident, the shift
2015, 2016 and 2017 were analyzed. Among outdated appearance of facilities in need of from families choosing burials to choosing
the findings: updates. cremations appears to be leveling off.
• Highest satisfaction ratings were associ- • According to survey ratings, most re- • Small increases in the average sale for
ated with staff and services, while experi- spondents are still very likely to recommend at-need cremations and at-need burials from
ences during the initial contact received the their funeral home. 2015 to 2016 were erased in 2017 as the
lowest ratings. The least satisfaction was • About three-fourths of all families average sale per case was lower across all
reported with initial phone conversations or continued to report that costs were what they categories.
the welcome on first arrival. expected. • Combining all case types, the average
• A high level of professionalism, accom- • Prior experience with a firm continues sale per case in 2017 was $4,742, approxi-
panied by compassion, courtesy, respect and to lead funeral home selection, with nearly mately 6 percent below the average in 2015
caring were the features contributing to the 50 percent of all respondents identifying and 2016. While the $309 difference since
highest ratings. Conversely, a lack of profes- this as an important factor in their decision. 2015 reflects a lower average sale across
sionalism, attention to detail (including errors Convenient location, pre-arrangement, and all categories, the decline is predominantly
in names and dates), confusion over services, reputation were also consistently reported as driven by a larger number of families choos-
costs and fees, and a focus on sales and con- significant factors in the selection. Other rea- ing lower-priced cremations and a significant
tracts were common complaints among those sons for selecting a particular funeral home, decrease in the average sale for pre-need
with poor ratings. including price, advertising or organizational burials (considered non-controllable sales
• Consumers continue to rate their arrang- affiliations, were reported by fewer than 10 since arrangements were made in the past
ing funeral director highly across all attributes percent of respondents. and were not influenced by current pricing or
measured. Funeral directors earned the high- • Cremations accounted for nearly 55 merchandising).
est ratings on effectiveness in listening and percent of dispositions reported by JCG firms 1.888.250.7747;
answering questions and being attentive to in 2017, burials for approximately 42 percent, info@johnsonconsulting.com
families’ needs. and shipping cases the remaining 3percent. www.johnsonconsulting.com r
• Satisfaction with vehicles’ appearance, • The overall trend of families choosing
S U P P LY L I N E
I, The Fort Miller Service Corp.; Division Perfection Concrete. Greatest Percentage Service; Division II, Hardy Doric Inc; Divi-
II, Mercer Vault Co.; Division III, Doric of Increase—Lydian: Division I, Doric sion III, Perfection Concrete; Division III,
Vaults of Hudson Valley. Concrete Vaults; Division I, Doric South; Precision Precast-Western Massachusetts;
Greatest Number Sold—Athenian: Divi- Division II, Esterly Burial Vault Service; Division III, Willmar Precast.
sion I, Carolina-DORIC Inc.; Division II, Division III, Perfection Concrete. Overall Greatest Percentage of Increase:
Vanden Boomen Burial Vaults; Division III- Greatest Number Sold—Bronze: Divi- Division I, C & M Precast Co.; Division II,
Temple Vault Inc. Greatest Percentage of In- sion I, Carolina—DORIC Inc.; Division Vanden Boomen Burial Vault; Division III,
crease—Athenian: Division I, Norwalk Vault II, Rocky Mountain Monument & Vault; American Concrete Industries. Top Crema-
Co.—Connecticut; Division II, Brewster Inc.; Division III, Jacson Inc.; Division III, tion Product Sales Award: Cordeiro Vault
Division III, Doric Vaults of Hudson Valley; Perfection Concrete; Division III, Preci- Co. Daisy Chrisom Award: Rocky Moun-
Division III, Precast Concrete Products Inc. sion Precast—Western Mass; Division III, tain Monument & Vault. Greatest Number
Greatest Number Sold—Lydian: Divi- Willmar Precast. Greatest Percentage of Sold: Carolina-Doric Inc. No. 1 Dealer Sales
sion I, Carolina Doric Inc.; Division II, Increase—Bronze: Division I, Creter Vault Award: Carolina-Doric Inc. 1.800.457.0671;
Esterly Burial Vault Service; Division III, Corp.; Division II, Esterly Burial Vault www.doric-vaults.com r

Update Send in news about your cemetery, funeral home, crematory or association to sloving@iccfa.com. If you publish a newsletter,
please email a copy to sloving@iccfa.com or mail to: Susan Loving, ICCFA, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA 20164.
Left, the new glass-

enclosed entrance
and gathering space
for Mount Auburn’s
Bigelow Chapel es-
tablishes a stronger
connection between
the historic chapel
and the cemetery’s
renowned landscape.
Below, Bree Harvey,
Mount Auburn vice
president of cemetery
and visitor services,
and President and
CEO Dave Barnett
welcome people to
Bigelow Chapel’s
new entrance and
event space.
Right, at the Bigelow
Chapel ribbon-cutting
and open house, from
left, Pat Jacoby, chair of
Mount Auburn’s Board
of Trustees; Mount Au-
burn President and CEO
Dave Barnett, Rep. Jona-
than Hecht, 29th Middle-
sex District; Watertown
Town Councilor Angie
Kounelis; and Bill Rawn,
founding principal of
William Rawn Associ-
ates, Architects Inc.
n MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY, ensued. According to Board Chair Harriett mausoleums; renovated and expanded the
Cambridge, Massachusetts, recently held F. Neville, McAvinney was selected for her cemetery’s crematory; opened recreation
a ribbon-cutting for its revitalized Big- extensive experience in the management of trails for public use; and established a 501
elow Chapel, the cemetery’s touchstone not-for-profit organizations. (c) (3) charitable foundation to raise funds
and most ambitious project to date. The Her experience includes six years to help preserve the cemetery for future
eclectic Gothic Revival chapel, built in the working as deputy commissioner for the generations.
1840s, was updated and expanded. A new, Rochester Department of Recreation and In addition, she imple-
energy-efficient crematory was included in Youth Service, where her responsibilities mented the cemetery’s
the bold glass and wood addition horse- included oversite of the city’s municipal merger with Canandaigua
shoed around the historic structure. The cemeteries, as well as the position of as- Lakeview Cemetery in 2008
project was featured on the cover of the sistant to the mayor. She also served as and purchased land adjacent
October 2018 ICCFA Magazine. regional chief programs officer for the to the cemetery in 2016,
n The board of directors of Finger Lakes and Western NY region for adding a total of 10 acres of
the American Red Cross, and was execu- Vittum burial property overlooking
WHITE HAVEN MEMO-
RIAL PARK, Rochester, tive director for 13 years of two family Canandaigua Lake.
New York, has elected Jud- branches of the YMCA of Greater Roch- In the process of developing the two
ieLynn Nassar McAvinney ester. cemeteries, Vittum added a variety of in-
as president and CEO. Vittum, who will continue as senior ad- novative products and services, including
Previous President Andrea visor to the president, came to work at the two nature trails for cremation burial, the
Vittum, CCE, had recom- cemetery in 1985 and had been president Bluebird Meadow for green burial, The All
mended McAvinney for the McAvinney since 1993. She oversaw the develop- Seasons Chapel with a gathering room for
job when telling the board ment of 10 ground burial sections, two of catered meals, the White Haven Crematory
in 2014 that she planned to retire in a few which contain unique monuments honor- Reflection Room for final goodbyes and
years, and a gradual transfer of duties ing U.S. veterans; built five community rock memorials in natural settings.
Who Supplies
the Suppliers?
For funeral and cemetery suppliers, business
has never been more isolating. Often ideas
are done in a vacuum. What you know is only
what you know, which limits how far you can
go. IMSA membership can change that. We’ve
brought together some of the top industry
experts to offer our members free one-on-
one advice on marketing, business planning,
legal issues and more. We also bring to
our members insightful business-boosting
webinars, meaningful industry resources and
networking with other IMSA members. All this
for just $175 a year. We’re the only association
serving all funeral and cemetery suppliers.
Because what’s good for the suppliers is
good for the providers and that’s good for the
families. IMSA. Supplying opportunity.
www.IMSA-Online.com
IMSA members now get free consultation with Dan Katz & Rolf Gutknecht of LA ads, Jake Johnson
of Johnson Consulting, Ryan Thogmartin of Disrupt Media and Poul Lemasters of Lemasters Consulting.
U P D AT E
airmen deployed during the holidays and

throughout the year.
n FOUNDATION PARTNERS GROUP,
Orlando, Florida, has acquired Edwards
Memorial Funeral Homes, Chapels and
Crematories, University Place, Federal
Way, Lakewood and Lacey, Washington, and
Loyless Funeral Homes, Land O’ Lakes
and Tampa, Florida, and Florida Mortuary
Funeral & Cremation Services, Tampa.
The Edwards acquisition expands Foun-
dation’s network in Washington’s South
Sound area to seven locations. Edwards was
founded in 2005 when Derek and Brianne
Edwards were in college and wrote a busi-
Kahlen Knapik a PIMS alumnus, and Lorri Krnc, both from National Mortuary Ship-
ness plan together for an affordable alterna-
ping, gave PIMS students a presentation about the intricacies involved in shipping tive to traditional funeral homes. Following
human remains internationally and domestically. Their discussion with the stu- advice from their professor, they secured
dents included stories of unique cases they had handled. funding and launched the business, grow-
ing it into one of the largest providers in the
n PITTSBURGH INSTITUTE OF n The CONNECTICUT FUNERAL DI- state of Washington.
MORTUARY SCIENCE, Pittsburgh, Penn- RECTORS ASSOCIATION, Weathers- The Florida acquisition expands Founda-
sylvania, hosted a presentation by National field, Connecticut, recently donated to the tion’s presence in that state to 21 locations.
Mortuary Shipping for its students. Lorri Connecticut National Guard’s Operation John Loyless co-founded Florida Mortu-
Krnc, international shipping specialist, and ELF holiday drive for the 10th year. The ary Funeral & Cremation Services in 1987
Kahlen Knapik, LFD and NMS business 2018 efforts were expanded to include a to offer simple and affordable funeral and
development manager, spoke. toy drive for Connecticut Children’s Medi- cremation services in the Tampa market. In
Also, PIMS held its annual Christmas cal Center. For the third time, the public 1994, he opened Loyless Funeral Homes, a
drive for the needy, as members of the was invited to join the funeral directors by traditional, full-service operation, in Land
PIMS Student Senate and student volunteers donating unwrapped toys and gift cards at O’ Lakes, and in 2012 expanded his service
assisted with the Kingsley Association Break- one of 42 funeral homes across the state area with the Loyless Funeral Homes Ar-
fast With Santa. Students collected donations or at the CFDA’s convention. Operation rangement Center in Tampa.
of toys, food and clothing and helped with ELF provides donations to the families of FPG owns and operates funeral homes,
arts and crafts and the meal. Connecticut National Guard soldiers and cremation centers and cemeteries in 17 states.
Lord Hayden
Peters at the
mausoleum at
Historic Oak-
wood Cemetery
in Raleigh, North
Carolina, which
was full of people
drawn by his
Art of Mourning
presentation.
Oakwood was
the only cem-
etery stop on
the most recent
world tour by the
jewelry historian,
collector and lec-
turer, who lives
in Australia. Oak-
wood Executive
Director Robin
Simonton said the event drew attendees from five states.
ICCFA Feb. '19:Layout 1 1/9/19 11:49 AM Page 1
U P D AT E The opportunity to choose a Keepsake Pendant

presents itself only once.
n The LAKEWOOD CEMETERY The comfort a Keepsake Pendant offers, lasts a lifetime.
ASSOCIATION, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
has named Chris Makowske as president.
TM
Makowske joined Lakewood in September

2009 as an assistant to the president, part of a Keepsake
long-term succession plan in-
stituted by Lakewood’s board Pendant
of trustees.
Prior to joining Lakewood, Assortment GoldVermeilSlidingHeart 14K White Gold Cross
Makowske directed programs,
staff and finances for Immacu- Known for quality materials
late Heart of Mary Church and craftsmanship,
and School in Minnetonka, Madelyn Co.
Makowske Minnesota. Previous to that, Keepsake Pendants
he held a similar role at the Churches of Saint are hand made using
Michael and Saint Mary in Stillwater, Minne- jewelry-grade metals.
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tri-parish consolidated programs, including call about monthly specials or visit our website
Saint Michael Cemetery. 800-788-0807 Fax 608-752-3683 www.madelynpedants.com e-mail orders@madelynco.com
Makowske is a past chair of the Twin Cit-
ies Association of Cemetery Officials and a
past director of the Minnesota Association of
Cemeteries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in
philosophy and English from the University
of Saint Thomas with a minor in business
administration. He has an MBA degree with
a concentration in venture management, also
from the University of Saint Thomas.
Makowske takes over the role from
Ronald Gjerde Jr., who was president for 29
years and will continue as a board trustee and
consultant for an additional year to round out
a full 50 years of service to
Lakewood.
In an interview on Lake-
wood’s website, Gjerde said
the most memorable service
held at the cemetery during his
tenure was that of former Vice
President Hubert Humphrey.
Gjerde
He started his career at the TAP INTO the dynamic
cemetery by answering an ad for someone to online supplier network
handle general clerical office duties. He later Optimized. of the ICCFA with the
became office manager and, in June 1989, ICCFA Supply Link.
was named executive vice president and Powered by MultiView,
the ICCFA Supply Link
assistant superintendent. Six months later, he is the premier search tool
was named president. for your industry. All the
Under his leadership, the award-winning products and services
Lakewood Garden Mausoleum and Recep- you need, all within the
tion Center, was completed in 2011. (It was supplier network of the
associaton you trust.
featured on the cover of the July 2012 ICCFA
Magazine.) Also, the administration build- Start your search at
ing and Lakewood Memorial Chapel were our homepage
both renovated during his tenure. One of his www.iccfa.com.
first major projects was getting a book about
Lakewood’s history published for its 125th
anniversary. Lakewood, founded in 1871,
includes 250 acres of urban parkland. r

UPDATE
The dedication for the Patriots Chapel at Forest Lawn Memorial Park—Cypress.
Forest Lawn dedicates Patriots Chapel,

makes donation to help local veterans
F orest Lawn Memorial Park—Cypress,
California, recently dedicated its new
Patriots Chapel at the Heritage Mausoleum
are an essential part of Forest Lawn,”
Drabing, said. “Our on-site events, such as
our annual Easter Sunrise Service, Veterans
with a patriotic celebration. The invitation- Day, Memorial Day and Dia de los Muertos
only dedication and grand opening reception programs, bring the community together for
honored the local military community with celebrations of life. The dedication of the Above, the keynote speaker with military
military band performances, posting of the Patriots Chapel at the Heritage Mausoleum re-enactors. Below, with a “check” sym-
colors, speeches and docent-led tours of the as a new public space signifies the ways bolizing Forest Lawn’s $100,000 donation
mausoleum’s art, architecture and gardens. Forest Lawn helps communities thrive.” to the Veterans Resource Center are some
Patriotic music was performed by Dr. To further mark the dedication, Forest of the veterans and Dr. Joanna Schilling
Gary Scott and the band of the California Lawn made a donation to the Cypress and Juan Garcia, MSW, from the Veter-
ans Resource Center, Cypress College,
Battalion; a keynote speech was delivered by College Veterans Resource Center, the
and Forest Lawn CEO Darin Drabing.
retired Maj. Gen. Peter James Gravett; and a primary advocate and support for military
Cypress College art department gallery show and veteran students at Cypress College.
included art by student veterans. The donation will enhance the new brick-
In addition to the programming, politicians and-mortar facility on the college’s campus,
and community leaders on hand included which is set to break ground in 2019. It
Cypress Mayor John Peat; Brenda Threatt, also will help establish programs and
executive director, U.S. VETS Long Beach; events, including educational and social
Dr. JoAnna Schilling, president, resource services, which will create community and
center at Cypress College; Dr. Richard Rams, educate the general student population and
dean, Cypress College; and Forest Lawn administration about America’s military
President and CEO Darin Drabing. Veterans history and student veteran sacrifices and
and representatives from the Veterans challenges.
Resource Center provided information about Designed by Forest Lawn’s architects
the center’s operations and community, and Brian Emerson and Anthony Dottore, the
the Orange Frontier District Boy Scouts Patriots Chapel is the focal point of the
served as junior hosts of the event. newly constructed Heritage Mausoleum.
“Community outreach and involvement The indoor-outdoor facility continues the
Boy Scouts served as junior hosts.
Left, the
Patriots
Chapel
of Forest
Lawn’s new
Heritage
Mausoleum
includes
traditional
pews
and that
modern-day
necessity,
a large,
flat-screen
TV at the
front of the
chapel.
Above left, the mausoleum at night, draped with red, white and blue bunting for the dedication. Above right, from left, mayor of
the city of Stanton; Forest Lawn President & CEO Darin Drabing; Angie Ray, vice president, Forest Lawn—Cypress; Maj. Gen.
Peter James Gravett; Dr. Joanna Schilling, Cypress College; Mayor Jon Peat, City of Cypress. Below, a recess in the mausoleum.
Early American or Federalist architectural weddings, graduations, baptisms, funerals
style—an expression of American pride and other community events.
and patriotism—used throughout Forest Founded in 1906, Forest Lawn has
Lawn—Cypress. been a Southern California landmark for
In keeping with Forest Lawn’s tradition more than a century. The natural beauty of
of creating beautiful spaces for reflection Forest Lawn—Cypress’s peaceful setting
and celebration, the mausoleum includes has been enhanced by some incredible
exquisite stone finishes fabricated by Marmi art and architecture, including an exact
Ghirardi of Carpendolo, Brescia, Italy; while bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David, a
Henry H. Kitson’s bronze The Minute Man meticulous re-creation of the church where
is the centerpiece of the garden and the most glass window of the Liberty Bell by Forest Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give Me
prominent of the five sculptures on the site. Lawn’s stained glass master Fergus Foley, Liberty or Give Me Death” speech and the
The chapel, which includes a stained seats 180 people and is available for stunning domed Heritage Mausoleum. r

I C C FA N e w s
Sneak peak into the ICCFA 2019 Annual Convention

Business Management & Operations Session Embalming and Funeral Home Session
Friday, April 5, 1 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2 p.m.
Employee Empowerment: When Your Day Ends
Profitability, Culture & Satisfaction Jeffrey Chancellor, CFSP, HS Eckels & Co.
Tim Bridgers, Live Oak Bank
During this presentation we will explore
In a market of merging generations, business the process of decedent care management with
owners must lead their people. The energized special emphasis on strategies to empower
employee who believes in their mission and employers to attract and retain the best
understands how to achieve it is the one who brings their embalmers, to safely and effectively treat today’s most difficult
hearts to work every day. Cash flow, marketing and financial cases, explore nuclear medicine and nanoparticles in health care
metrics are crucial in operating a successful business; however, and offer practical clinical care offerings that are in line with
empowering your employees is the fuel that makes your business today’s consumer without breaking the bank.
move. With statistics and directives on hand for how to form a
plan that better empowers and engages your employees, Bridgers Grief and Funeral Home Session
will share the most productive way to increase call volume, Friday, April 5, 2:30 p.m.
benefit from changing market trends and remain successful for Youth and Funerals
many years to come. Moderator: Mathew Forastiere,
Park Lawn Corp.
Cemetery Session The Youth & Funerals initiative has sparked
Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. meaningful conversations across the country
Fighting for Relevance: A Healing Path about the important of including young people
Approach for Cemeteries in the funeral and, ultimately, the value of the funeral in helping
Jason Troyer, PhD, founder of Mt Hope Grief participants begin their healing journey. This panel of experts
Services & C. Lynn Gibson, PhD with real-world experience in supporting young people through
In the face of social and cultural trends that the loss of a loved one will share their experiences and help
threaten sustainability and growth, cemetery attendees better understand how the Youth & Funerals initiative
professionals must remind their communities can help them serve the families in their care. In addition,
of the unique healing features of cemeteries. the panel will discuss the opportunities to share the Youth &
In this program, Troyer and Gibson present an Funerals initiative with other end-of-life care providers in
innovative program, the Healing Path. The goal your community. The Youth & Funerals initiative and toolkit
of the Healing Path is to draw people to the is provided by the Funeral Service Foundation thanks to the
cemetery for healing experiences. Specific generous support of donors throughout funeral service.
strategies on how any cemetery can create and market a The convention program will also feature three keynote
Healing Path will be discussed. Please note: This breakout speakers and over 30 educational breakout sessions. To see
session is a replacement for “Alkaline Hydrolysis: A Legal more of the 2019 ICCFA Annual Convention program sessions
Perspective,” that was scheduled for Saturday, April 6. and to register, visit www.iccfaconvention.com. 
Thank you to our 2019 annual convention sponsors!

• Batesville • Cypress Lawn • National Guardian Life
• Blackstone Cemetery • Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks Insurance Co.
Development & Mortuaries • NOMIS Publications Inc.
• C&J Financial • Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuary • Park Lawn Corp.
• Carrier Mausoleums • Homesteaders Life Co. • Service Corporation International
Contructions Inc. • Inglewood Park Cemetery • The Woodlawn Cemetery
• Cherokee Casket Co. • Lending USA • Tukios
• ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust • Madelyn Co. • UPD Urns
• Coldspring • Matthews Memorialization • Wilbert Funeral Services
I C C FA N e w s
Membership benefit spotlight: LifeLock Identity Theft Protection

D
on’t let a new year bring a new you! Stay in control of being you by protecting yourself
and your business from identity theft. LifeLock, a leader in identity theft protection,
uses proprietary technology to provide identity threat detection, preemptive identity
alerts and comprehensive remediation services.
As a member of the ICCFA, you are eligible to receive a 10 percent discount off the annual
cost, plus a 30-day free trial. LifeLock protection plans range in price from $9.99 to $29.99 per month (plus applicable sales taxes).
Call 1.800.416.0599 and mention promo code, AFFINITY 40, or visit online at www.lifelock.com. Enroll in LifeLock today for a
more secured tomorrow.
To access more information on this membership benefit, and to see more benefit discounts and services, visit www.iccfa.com, log in
with your username and password and click on Programs & Benefits. r
Gear up to attend ICCFA University, July 19-24, 2019, in Memphis
I
CCFA University will be held July 19-24, 2019, leadership and catering team management.
at the Fogelman Executive Conference Center at Funeral Home Management
the University of Memphis in Memphis, Ten- Dean Todd Van Beck, CFuE
nessee. You can attend for a year or two, or you may Too many managers consider “creativity” someone
go on to complete four years and become an ICCFAU else’s department. In funeral service, creative man-
graduate. There are eight colleges to choose from, agement is the key to differentiation. You’ll learn Dr.
four of which are listed below. Each college’s curricu- W. Edwards Deming’s creative service management
lum contains courses that combine proven business theory with system and its specific applications to our profession.
practical operational instruction and networking opportunities in Leadership, Administration & Management
a college-campus setting. Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE
21st Century Services The cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession is
Dean Glenda Stansbury, CC changing, and so are the skills needed to manage and lead
How do you respond to a family who says, “We don’t want a effectively. You’ll receive solid, relevant, results-focused
traditional funeral?” You’ll learn how to go beyond tradition with training targeted at today’s required core competencies.
innovative offerings. Become certified as a funeral celebrant There’s still time to apply for an ICCFAU scholarship!
trained to provide meaningful alternatives to clergy-led services. The deadline to submit your online scholarship application is
Hospitality & Event Planning February 18. Applicants must be ICCFA members in good
Dean John Bolton, CCE, CCrE, CSE standing and have been employed in the cemetery, cremation
This college is designed to give students a foundation in funeral and funeral profession for a minimum of two years.
home/cemetery hospitality and catering management. Topics The full ICCFAU program will be out in late March/early
range from basic event planning to interpreting financial budgets, April. To learn more, go to www.iccfa.com/university. q
Join the nation in thanking a Vietnam veteran

A
cross the nation, Americans are uniting to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their
families for their service and sacrifice. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs,
nine million Americans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during the period
of the Vietnam War; approximately seven million are living today. To reach these large numbers,
The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration has enlisted the assistance of many
thousands of organizations and businesses at the local, state and national levels to partner with them
and conduct hometown-centric events and activities that thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their © https://www.vietnamwar50th.com
families in their local communities.

The commemoration’s primary objective, as penned by Congress, is to thank and honor our Vietnam veterans and their families for
their service and sacrifice on behalf of the nation. The commemoration recognizes all who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed
Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location; and their families. They make
no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period.
The ICCFA Veterans Committee invites you to join them in honoring our Vietnam veterans and their families by becoming a
commemorative partner of The USA Vietnam War Commemoration project. For more information, visit www.vietnamwar50th.com,
or better yet, stop by the ICCFA Plaza on the exhibit floor of the 2019 ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and fill out an application form for your business to become a proud partner with The USA Vietnam War Commemoration.
Free support materials are available to all partners, including Vietnam veteran lapel pins and a commemoration flag. r

I C C FA N e w s
Educational Foundation awards 50 scholarships ...

T
he ICCFA Educational Foundation Denise Childress Howard Green
awarded a record 50 scholarships Curlew Hills Memory Gardens Lindquist and Sons Mortuary
for individuals to attend the 2019 Palm Harbor, Florida Ogden, Utah
Wide World of Sales Conference in Las
Vegas in January. We applaud all of the Carla Guenard
winners, as well as the companies and Lauren Christakos Forest Park West Cemetery
individuals whose donations made these Arlington Memorial Gardens Shreveport, Louisiana
scholarships possible. Recipients are: Cincinnati, Ohio
Nicki Adams Todd Hanson

The Roosevelt Investment Dresden Cincurak Cooperative Funeral Fund
Group Inc. Williams Funeral Home & Madison, Connecticut
New York, New York Crematory Veteran Scholarship
Columbia, Tennessee
Heather Barney Michelle Haslock
Memorial Mortuaries & Elsa Clerici Williams Funeral Home & Polk Memorial
Cemeteries Brusie Funeral Home Garden
Salt Lake City, Utah Chico, California Columbia, Tennessee
Women in Leadership Scholarship
Kathleen Berry Rashad Cleveland
Kathleen M. Berry & Allen Dave Funeral Homes & Richard Hatfield
Associates LLC Crematorium Acacia Cemetery
Cleveland, Ohio Houston, Texas Beverly Hills, Michigan
Veteran Scholarship
Cinnamon Bombard Wilhelmina Cockroft Larry Hawkins
Flanner Buchanan Historic Eden Cemetery Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral
Indianapolis, Indiana Collingdale, Pennsylvania Homes, Crematorium and
Cemeteries
Colin Cumberworth Shreveport, Louisiana
Griselda Borja Gethsemane Memorial Gardens
The Trustees of St. Patrick’s Kim Horn
Charlotte, North Carolina
Cathedral G.A.R. Cemetery - City of Miami
New York, New York Miami, Oklahoma
Brian Dresang
Women in Leadership
St. Joseph Cemetery Inc.
Jeremy Buck Scholarship
Appleton, Wisconsin
River View Cemetery Funeral
Home Chris Hrycaj
Portland, Oregon Jason Easton Mount Hope Memorial Gardens
Veteran Scholarship Cairn Parnters Livonia, Michigan
Woodland, Washington
Meredith Byrne
Westchester Hills Cemetery Kelley Hubbard
Kent Elkins
Hastings on Hudson, New York Diehl-Whittaker Funeral Service
Midwest Memorial Group
Women in Leadership Scholarship Columbus, Ohio
Beverly Hills, Michigan
Zach Carnley
Lucas & Blessing Funeral Home Lee Ericksen Marsey Iverson
Lindquist and Sons Mortuary Lindquist Mortuaries and
Burleson, Texas
Cemeteries
Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Justin Carty
Justin Goldberg Michelle Johnson
Midwest Memorial Group
Kraeer Funeral Home & Forest Lincoln Funeral Home &
Beverly Hills, Michigan
Lawn Memorial Park
Memorial Gardens Dallas, Texas
Pompano Beach, Florida
I C C FA N e w s
... to attend 2019 Wide World of Sales Conference

Dana Lambe Claudia Perry Gabriel Stanford
Daniels Family Funerals and Forest Lawn North Williams Funeral Home &
Cremation Pompano Beach, Florida Crematory
Albuquerque, New Mexico Columbia, Tennessee
Franklin Rainear
Todd Leary Franklin H. Rainear Jr. Mark Thomas
Maple Lawn Park Cemetery Affordable Funeral Service & Watson-Thomas Funeral Home
Paducah, Kentucky Cremation and Crematory
Ewing, New Jersey Galesburg, Illinois
Janna Leick
Emerald Hills Funeral Home Charles Rouse Jennifer Waldron
Kennedale, Texas Saber Management Walker Funeral Homes &
Louisville, Kentucky Crematory
Veteran Scholarship Toledo, Ohio
Heather Leigh Women in Leadership
Greenhaven Memorial Gardens Gail Rubin Scholarship
Elgin, South Carolina A Good Goodbye
Albuquerque, New Mexico Taylor Walls
Global Atlantic Financial Group
Erika Lohr Batesville, Indiana
Forest Lawn Cemetery Amiee Sadler
Scholarships to attend ICCFA
Houston, Texas Williams Funeral Home & Crematory
Columbia, Tennessee educational programs are provided through
Women in Leadership Scholarship the ICCFA Educational Foundation, a
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity whose sole
Renato Lopez
purpose is to make education accessible
Señoriales Corporacion de Brett Simon
to future leaders in the death care profes-
Servicio Swan Law Funeral Directors
sion. The ICCFA Educational Foundation
Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Colorado Springs, Colorado
scholarships are presented annually and
Kenneth Edward Varner
applicants must be ICCFA members in
Memorial Scholarship
Marcus Smith good standing.
Scholarship applications for the 2020
Liz McMahan Lincoln Funeral Home &
Wide World of Sales Conference will
Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary Memorial Park
be available later this year. For more
Centennial, Colorado Dallas, Texas
Veteran Scholarship information on the ICCFA Educational
Foundation, visit iccfa.education or call
1.800.645.7700. r
Thank you to our 2019 WWS sponsors!

Assurant Solutions Great Western Insurance Co. Park Lawn Corp.
Biondan North America Inc. Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuary Plotbox
Blackstone Cemetery Development Hillside Memorial Park & Mortuary Ring Ring Marketing
Cairn Partners Homesteaders Life Co. Security National Life Insurance
ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust Inglewood Park Cemetery Service Corporation International
Coldspring Johnson Consulting Group The Bancorp
Davey Tree Live Oak Bank The Travel Plan by Inman
Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Matthews Memorialization The Woodlawn Cemetery
Mortuaries Merendino Cemetery Care Trust 100
Funeral Decisions National Guardian Life Insurance Co. Tukios
Funeral Directors Life Insurance Co. NOMIS Publications WebCemeteries.com
Global Atlantic Financial Group NorthStar Memorial Group

New Members AD INDEX
Providing exceptional education, networking and 17 A.C. Furniture 29 Kryprotek

legislative guidance and support to progressive 3 Aftercare.com 43 Madelyn Co.
cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide 43 American Cemetery/ 51 Merendino Cemetery
For information about the ICCFA and membership MortuaryConsultants Care
• Go to www.iccfa.com/membership to download a benefits 9 American Memory Craft 17 MooneyTunCo Inc.
brochure and an application form. • Call 1.800.645.7700 to have Merry Christmas
membership information faxed or mailed to you. 25 ASD—Answering
Service for Directors From Heaven
Membership applications
Admission to ICCFA membership normally requires a majority 29 C&J Financial 25 Nomis Publications
vote of those present and voting at any meeting of the executive 5 Carrier Mausoleums 19 Obermayer Rebmann
committee. The names of all applicants must be published in Construction Maxwell & Hippel
this magazine. ICCFA members objecting to an application must
do so in writing to the ICCFA executive director within 45 days of 19 Columbarium by Design 11 Platinum Clebration
publication. In the event of an objection, the executive commit- 2 Continental Computer Services Co.
tee will conduct an inquiry. If an applicant is rejected, they will
17 Ensure-A-Seal 19 SEP Technologies
be granted an appeal upon written request. The decision of the
Board of Directors shall be final. 25 Flowers for Cemeteries 43 Supply Link
31 Foundation Partners 35 THE SYSTEM
Regular Professional: Pet Loss Group 15 The Tribute Companies
Alan Moore Cremation Care Services 19 Funeral Call Answering 9 Triple H Co.
Palmetto, Florida Life Celebration Pet Service 27 U.S. Cremation
Greenhaven Memorial Gardens Crematory LLC 52 funeralOne Equipment
Elgin, South Carolina Mooresville, North Carolina 33 Great Western Insurance 7 U.S. Metalcraft
Hebrew Cemetery Association Lifetime Companion 9 VKM International
27 Holland Supply
of Greater Charlotte Owensboro, Kentucky
41 IMSA 21 Wilbert Funeral Services
Charlotte, North Carolina
Heritage Memorial Gardens Professional/Supplier 9 J. Stuart Todd Inc. 25 WithumSmith + Brown
Inc. Ceremony Masters 23 Johnson Consulting 35 Zontec Ozone r
Westminster, South Carolina Monroe, Washington
James Reid Funeral Home & LifeWellLived
Crematorium
Kingston, Ontario
Sparks, Nevada
MooneyTunCo Inc. Merry
Calendar ➤E-mail calendar listings, additions
or corrections to sloving@iccfa.com
Shelly Funeral Home Inc. Christmas From Heaven

Warrington, Pennslvania Weymouth, Massachusetts February 4-7: Dr. Alan Event, Nashville, Tennessee.
Southern Memorial Gardens San Diego Precious Metal Wolfelt’s training session for www.ogr.org
funeral directors, “Creating March 11-13: The Foresight
Houston, Texas Refinery Meaningful Funeral Ceremo-
San Diego, California Companies Funeral Business
Thompson Spring Grove nies,” Scottsdale, Arizona. Boot Camp, Scottsdale Resort
Funeral Home The Budde Agency Inc. www.centerforloss.com at McCormick Ranch, Scott-
Spring Grove, Illinois Amityville, New York February 5-7: CANA’s Annual sale, Arizona. www.thefore-
Trustees of St Patrick’s Urn Towers LTD Cremation Symposium, Paris sightcompanies.com
Cathedral Kildare, Ireland r Las Vegas (Nevada) Hotel. March 11-13: MKJ Mar-
New York, New York www.gocana.org/CANAheroes keting Sea Summit, The
February 8-10: Monument Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida
Builders of North America In- 1.888.655.1566
dustry Show, Marriot St. Lous
Classifieds
March 11-13: The Foresight
To place a classified, contact Grande & St. Louis Conven-
Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com
Companies Funeral Busi-
tion Center, Missouri. ness HR Seminar, Phoenix,
Check the classified announcements at www.iccfa.com/employment.htm www.monumentbuilders.org Arizona www.theforesight
February 16-23: Frontrunner -companies.com
Workshop Cruise, Caribbean. March 15: PIMS Best Practi-
1.866.748.3625 cies Spring Continuing Educa-
February 25-27: MKJ tion Event. pims5805@aol.com
Marketing Ski Summit, The March 27: The Cremation So-
Arrabelle at Vail Square, Vail, ciety, Institute of Cemetery &
Colorado. 1.888.655.1566 Crematorium Mgmt., the Fed-
March 7-8: The Foresight eration of Burial & Cremation
Companies Cemetery Impos- Authorities; and the Assn. of
sible Boot Camp, Phoenix, Private Cemeteries and Cre-
Arizona. www.theforesight matoria joint Bereavement
companies.com Services Seminar Stratford
March 10-11: The Internation- Manor Hotel, Stratford-upon-
al Order of the Golden Rule Avon, England. r
Annual Young Professionals
smart phone scan Property in photo is Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, NJ, Merendino client since 2005

ICCFA Magazine February 2019

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 February 2019

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