Grandview Cemetery
Ravenna Township

As we move up on Memorial Day next Monday and want to honor those who have went before us, it seems that there is always something in our industry that casts a pall over the business of funeral directors and cemeterians.  I discovered a recent article in the Record-Courier of Ravenna, Kent and Portage Counties of Ohio where a cemetery owner was recently accused of being dishonest with pre-arrangements.

According to the article, Ted and Arminda Martin were the owners of the Grandview Cemetery of Ravenna Township and are now serving a prison sentence for tax evasion.  Work was not being done at the cemetery so a judge in the area appointed a receiver to look into the operations and financials of the cemetery.

Attorney Stephen Colecchi is still sorting out the paperwork but has discovered a balance of only about $332 in the businesses checking account and consumer receipts for pre-arranged caskets, vaults, and mausoleum spaces that have never been  put in trust, purchased, or built.  Unless some other accounts materialize, it looks like the Martins have used all of the money on themselves.  Colecchi noted that it does not appear that those who paid for pre-need items will ever receive them.

The article also mentions that the Martins also own the Fairview Cemetery in Delaware County and another receiver was appointed to oversee that business also.  Volunteers with loved ones at that cemetery have been mowing, pruning, and weeding while Ravenna Township has offered to do the upkeep at the Grandview Cemetery for the time being.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We seem to see this type of thing way too often.  The old saying, “Buyer Beware” comes to mind here, but there has to be a better way of protecting those who put down hard earned money for proper burial rights.  Making pre-need funeral plans is smart consumer thinking and they should not be robbed because of their smart thinking.

The idea of being able to purchase and store caskets and vaults for later use is, in my opinion, the wrong way to go about this pre-need situation.  Our funeral home, which has an active program and has advocated pre-need since 1964, prefers to put pre-need funds into insurance policies where we explain the consumer has a “Bag of Money” to spend on their funeral at a later date.  That “Bag of Money” is good at our funeral home or any other funeral home they may go decide to go to, but “does not guarantee” certain caskets, vaults, and services.  It is simply money to be used at a later date.

Even if the consumer moves out of your market area or chooses to use another funeral home at the time of need, your funeral home will have received a commission on the pre-need sale at the time.  there is no need to purchase a casket or vault and store it at the time.

I recognize that that is not a perfect system either, but it does allow for a regulated approach for the consumer and the funds that they have set aside.  At the time of death family members can make the decisions on casket, vault, etc with the money in the account at the time.

I’m pretty tired of the “Bad Apples” of funeral and cemetery services giving pre-need, which is a smart decision for the consumer,  a bad name.[wpforms id=”436″ title=”true” description=”true”]