Funeral Director Daily

Thank You for 2021!

By Funeral Director Daily / December 31, 2021 /

I wanted to make sure that my last post of the year was a Thank You to the many readers and sponsors of Funeral Director Daily.  This venture started five years ago as a periodic article to relate my experiences as a funeral director and, hopefully, relate those experiences to mentor others in the profession. …

Out with the old. . .

By Funeral Director Daily / December 31, 2021 /

This article will be sent to Funeral Director Daily subscribers on the last day of 2021.  By that time America will have passed the 800,000 number of deaths due to Covid-19 and will have had more deaths in 2021 than in 2020.  That’s 800,000 individual human beings who have lost their lives and it is…

Are we ready for a “Craft” funeral industry?

By Funeral Director Daily / December 30, 2021 /

I can remember going to my first couple of craft breweries.  It was in the mid-1990’s and one I went to was in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, prior to attending a basketball game at their downtown civic arena.  Then later, I was in Hawaii with my wife and going for dinner found us at the…

Digital life and legacy services company has raised $7.5 million to date

By Funeral Director Daily / December 29, 2021 /

What happens to our online accounts, photos, documents and more when we die? According to this press release, “Our digital lives – and deaths – are increasingly complex.  Recent surveys show that some 65% of U.S. adults do not remember their passwords and another shows that 95% have no idea what happens to their digital…

9th century Viking sword discovered in Scottish grave. . and a discussion on heritage families

By Funeral Director Daily / December 28, 2021 /

Not every article that appears in Funeral Director Daily has a direct bearing on the business world of funerals, cremations, and burials.  However, if you stick with me with this article, dealing with this discovery, we will discuss the power of heritage funerals among other things. A sword found buried in a Scottish grave in…

Some great advice and wisdom

By Funeral Director Daily / December 27, 2021 /

Busch Funeral and Crematory Services, based in Cleveland, Ohio,  co-owner Mark Busch retired not long ago.  According to a recent article that I read, he began work at the family firm in 1982 and retired in 2020.  The family firm dates it origins back to 1905. Busch recently talked of his involvement as an owner…

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men

By Funeral Director Daily / December 24, 2021 /

It’s been an unusual two years to say the least.  Covid-19, mandates, vaccinations, lockdowns, a presidential election where one candidate stayed at home and didn’t campaign,  hospitals filled to the brim. . . . . .any way you look at it, it has been a couple of years like no others in my lifetime.  And,…

Is this the start of the M & A train we were told is coming down the tracks?

By Funeral Director Daily / December 23, 2021 /

A high number of Baby Boomers in ownership roles, the un-planned last two years of Covid-related operations, the thought of an increase in capital gains taxes. . . . . .those are all valid reasons that have many owners of funeral homes thinking of getting out of the ownership realm..  At the beginning of 2021…

Who’s paying for America’s funerals?

By Funeral Director Daily / December 22, 2021 /

Time has a way of changing one’s perspective.  I’ve told you before that I started in this business as a funeral director in 1980.  I was paid $1,000 per month and our funeral home conducted virtually 100% of our funerals in the traditional “casket, funeral, vault, burial” method.  I remember that the final billings, including…

Anthem Partners expands to Canada

By Funeral Director Daily / December 21, 2021 /

This press release from Frisco, Texas, based Anthem Partners will let you know that the privately-held operator of cemeteries and funeral homes has expanded into Canada with the addition of the Speers Group of Companies.  According to the press release, the Speers Group consists of funeral homes and memorial gardens located in the provinces of…