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

May 22, 2026/Business, Cemetery, Finance, Regulations/

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.

However, at least among the people I know, StoneMor did not have a great reputation as a place to work and it appeared that little was being done to alleviate whatever problems that they had.

Axar Capital Management took over, changed the name to Everstory Partners, and installed Lilly Donohue, a health care executive with, from what I can see, no experience in Death Care, as the CEO of the company. Since that time, Everstory appears to have its 460 funeral home and cemetery locations moving up and appearing to thrive.

Just last week we learned that Everstory Partners had, for the 2nd year in a row, reached “Great Place to Work” certification. From my point of view it is an indication that employee satisfaction is leading to turn-around success for the company.

In the press release on the award, which you can access here, you will see examples of how Everstory is making their company a “Great Place to Work” for their employees. Here are some examples of initiatives that have been built into the culture of the company leading to this recognition:

Everstory Parnters . . . . .

. . .Introduced an annual cash Anniversary Award for full- and part-time employees, recognizing years of service on their work anniversaries.

. . .Launched an Aspiring Manager Program – a self-study development initiative for employees who want to learn skills to help them grow professionally with Everstory.

. . .Selected location-level employees to attend national industry conventions to promote their professional development.

. . . Established Everstory Cares – an employee assistance program designed to provide financial assistance to qualified employees experiencing unexpected financial hardships.

. . .Implemented the Everstory Legends Award program to celebrate front-line team members who go beyond expectations and truly define what legendary service looks like.

CEO Donohue made these comments about the recognition that came from employee surveys, “These initiatives are part of our continued focus on supporting our people and strengthening our teams. This feedback reinforces the progress we are making, but we know there is more to do. Our employees are central to that progress and to our ability to lead the industry with consistent, compassionate care for every family who places their trust in us.”

Everstory Partners Chief People Officer Karen Sheean made the following comments about the recognition, “It really stands out that more than 90 percent of our employees participated in the survey process. We want to actively listen to and understand the voices of our employees, and this shows our multi-year commitment to our workforce is making an impact. . . . .

Our success is because of our people, dedicated employees from all levels and all locations. This is a time to celebrate them and thank them for all they have done to support Everstory’s mission.”

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take: While I don’t know the whole story, back prior to the “take private” movement by Axar Capital Management StoneMor (the name at that time) did not seem to have much positive momentum in the Death Care world. However today, and while I’m guessing that they have some issues with some of their 460 properties, the company under the Everstory moniker seems to be on an upward swing.

I also believe that as a “cemetery-heavy” company, Everstory Partners has some great potential in, what I believe is a resurgent, growing cemetery memorialization business environment.

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