Cemetery

Memorial Day 2026 — “Freedom isn’t free”

By Funeral Director Daily / May 25, 2026 /

    As we stop today to reflect on the memory of not only our military personnel from the Revolutionary War on, we remember that the holiday was officially started to pay respects to those who fell in action during the Civil War.   Over time we realize that the Memorial Day holiday has moved…

Everstory Partners recognized as a “Great Place to Work” — Again!

By Funeral Director Daily / May 22, 2026 /

  StoneMor Partners left the world of public companies and was taken private by Axar Capital Management in November 2022.  At the time StoneMor was arguably, by revenue, the second largest company in Death Care.  Second only to Service Corporation International and, in revenue, ahead of Carriage Services and Park Lawn Corporation at the time.…

Might this be a trend in small community cemetery financing?

By Funeral Director Daily / May 14, 2026 /

  Nobody really likes taxes. . . .But, then again, nobody wants their loved ones forgotten either.   If you are in the Death Care business you know of the costs to operate cemeteries.  And, since cremation has been growing resulting in a loss of full-body cemetery lots being sold, many small cemeteries without the…

New York’s Green-Wood Cemetery becomes more immersive

By Funeral Director Daily / May 12, 2026 /

  This recent article from the Smithsonian Magazine mentions that “Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery—a sprawling, hilly burial ground filled with tombstones from the 19th and 20th centuries—has long been a destination for more than the dead. Established in 1838, the cemetery quickly gained a reputation for its beauty, drawing tourists like other New York attractions such as…

SCI Earnings Call: CEO Tom Ryan answers on Preneed and Managing

By Funeral Director Daily / May 11, 2026 /

  Service Corporation International reported on their 1st Quarter of 2026 about ten days ago and then followed that up with an Earnings Call with stock analysts that follow the company.  As usual Funeral Director Daily took a look at the Earnings Call transcript which you can access here and decided to lay out some…

California county sees fit to restrict Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) remains

By Funeral Director Daily / April 30, 2026 /

  Over the last month or so we have followed a growing discontent in Fresno County, California, and specifically an area along the San Joaquin River about the process of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) remains being spread on public land.  As you can read in this recent article from the Desert Sun “Fresno County officials…

Price: Calculated by Supply and Demand

By Funeral Director Daily / April 29, 2026 /

  I’m not an economics major but I know that the price I can charge for my goods or services is somewhat dictated by the supply and demand of those goods and services.  Is that true of cemetery space – everywhere?   When the price gets “too high” as determined by the intended consumer that…

Are we asking the right question?

By Funeral Director Daily / April 28, 2026 /

  Over my years as an active funeral director I would be called to the place of death and eventually ask the family before I left, “Are you thinking about burial or cremation?”  If you’re not a funeral director it is a question that needs an answer because how the funeral director would take care…

This might give a new meaning to “Permanent Memorialization”

By Funeral Director Daily / April 1, 2026 /

  I’m a big fan of “permanent memorialization” for the simple fact that that memorialization of that type continues to give creedence to a “life that was lived”.  I’ve seen the graves and permanent memorialization sites of President John F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery, Paul Revere in the Granary Burying Ground of Boston, President…

SCI: Strategy changed in early 2000’s to target 8-12% Earnings Growth

By Funeral Director Daily / March 20, 2026 /

    Service Corporation International (SCI) recently participated at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference and were represened there by Senior Vice-President and Treasurer Aaron Foley.  Seeking Alpha provided a transcript of Foley’s comments and answers to questions that you can access here.   In those comments and questions one gets an idea of how SCI…