Funeral Director Daily

Jessica Mitford 2.0? . . . This might be the 21st Century version

By Funeral Director Daily / March 5, 2026 /

  I have distinct memories of accompanying my father to a community forum that included Death Care at our local technical college back in about 1972 when I was a young teenager.   What I remember most about that event is the questions hurled at my father about what appeared to be the way funeral…

Sunset publishes “Estate Settlement Report Card”

By Funeral Director Daily / March 4, 2026 /

    “If you are a funeral director and don’t know about Sunset yet you are probably missing out on a tool that your families would thank you for. . . ”   Last week MarketWatch published an article (that is stopped by a paywall from accessing) about Sunset’s first ever “Estate Settlement Report Card“.  That…

Park Lawn Corporation adds Mississippi operation with 20+ locations

By Funeral Director Daily / March 3, 2026 /

  In an announcement released yesterday, March 2, Park Lawn Corporation announced the acquisition of “substantially all of the assets of South Mississippi Funeral Services, LLC, comprised of a group of businesses located in southern Mississippi”.   The press release, which you can read here, goes on to make this statement, “The South Mississippi Funeral…

Carriage Services Year-End 2025: Higher Revenue, Higher Margins, Higher Profit

By Funeral Director Daily / March 2, 2026 /

  In a press release issued last week Carriage Services, the Houston-based publicly operated funeral home and cemetery operator, reported the results of their 2025 4th Quarter and their 2025 Year-End results.  When one takes a look at their GAAP Metrics for the Full-Year 2025 you will find that Total Revenues increased 3.3% (from $404.2…

Homesteaders celebrates 120 years, $5 Billion in force

By Funeral Director Daily / February 27, 2026 /

  In a press release received the other day, Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in Preneed Death Care funding announced that 2026 marks the 120th year for the company.  The company issued its first policy in February 1906 and, according to the company press release, “has since grown into the most often-use preneed company…

Does Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) face religious headwinds?

By Funeral Director Daily / February 26, 2026 /

  From 2015 to 2021 I served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.  That 12-person governing board for the State of Minnesota got to know each other very well.  One of the people I served with, and sat right next to at board meetings for four years, was the Minnesota legislature’s former Speaker…

Responsibility, Balance, and Gratitude all lead to positive mental health

By Funeral Director Daily / February 25, 2026 /

  The longer we live, the more we learn about ourselves and others.   As you may know my wife, Angie, and I winter for three months in Southwest Florida.  This past week I’ve been alone as Angie each year  takes a week or ten days to travel back to Minnesota to visit with her…

“Burial Battle” looms as casket company sues Oklahoma State Funeral Board

By Funeral Director Daily / February 24, 2026 /

  For a period of time it was unknown to the owners of Caskets of Honor, located in Calvin, Oklahoma, that selling caskets in their home state was illegal without the procurement of a funeral director’s license.  Then, according to this recent story from KFOR-TV of Oklahoma City, the husband and wife ownership team of…

Service Corporation: Notes and Quotes from the 4Q25 and Year-End 2025 Earnings Call

By Funeral Director Daily / February 23, 2026 /

  As has become our custom, Funeral Director Daily reports and gives our commentary on Quarterly and Annual financial reports of the public companies in Death Care.  And, then it comes to the principals of those public companies giving commentary and answering questions for financial reporters about their reports in what are called Earnings Calls.…

Tukios introduces new AI Photo Engine

By Funeral Director Daily / February 20, 2026 /

    I was a funeral director that operated my own funeral home with the help of five or six other licensed funeral directors.  Much of the last 15 years of my work-life consisted of management, but there were times where I made funeral arrangements, wrote obituaries, and was asked to produce video tributes.  …