Over the past several weeks I’ve had several instances which caused me to wonder “What is going to happen to rural America’s home town, home-owned, funeral homes.” Again, it has not been one thing, but a string of instances that have made me wonder about that. For instance, I know of firms in my state…
We learned last week via this press release that Anthem Partners, the Frisco, Texas, based owner and operator of funeral homes and cemeteries had acquired Serenity & Company Memorial Service. According to the press release, Serenity & Company began in 2007 in Arkansas, but has expanded and now operates in Arkansas, California, Nevada, and New…
In this news release from Messenger News you can read about the Messenger Company and its acquisition of the Thumbies Fingerprint Keepsakes business. The release states that “the new addition to the Messenger family of companies will allow the Messenger team of sales representatives to offer the complete line of Thumbies jewelry in their portfolio…
Last week I saw an article about the Fast Food Accountability and Standards (FAST) Recovery Act that has passed both houses of the California legislature and is awaiting a signature by Governor Gavin Newsome to make it a law. Part of what that law would do is create a 10-person fast-food council with employee and…
StoneMor Inc., the Pennsylvania based operator of funeral homes and cemeteries announced the acquisition of Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services of Belvidere, Illinois, last week. According to this press release from StoneMor, company CEO Joe Redling said of the acquisition, “StoneMor’s acquisition of Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services is a valuable strategic move for us…
BUSINESS
“Size” has its own set of issues
Great Britain’s Pure Cremation, quite possibly the most successful start-up in the history of Death Care, continues to grow their direct cremation business. And, that growth in itself seems to cause some problems. …
Oklahoma family business gets initial court win to move forward in casket sales case
According to this recent article from the Institute for Justice the District Court of Oklahoma County has ruled that Casket of Honors owners Candice Mentink and Todd Collard may proceed with their case against…
FINANCE
Death Care Index (DCI) once again trails major indexes
Over the years I’ve seen many family funeral homes explode in value as they built more market share, acquired more facilities, and simply built a culture of enhancing revenues while at the same…
Matthews International names new President/CEO
It didn’t take long for Death Care conglomerate Matthews International to name a new President and CEO following this August 4, 2026, press release indicating that current President/CEO Josepah Bartolacci would be retiring after more…
A.S. Turner & Sons has a busy summer — adds a funeral home and terramation service line
A.S. Turner & Sons has served the population of Decatur, Georgia, and the greater Atlanta area for more than 120 years. Funeral Director Daily recently mentioned the firm in this article about The Natural…
REGULATIONS
Oklahoma family business gets initial court win to move forward in casket sales case
According to this recent article from the Institute for Justice the District Court of Oklahoma County has ruled that Casket of Honors owners Candice Mentink and Todd Collard may proceed with their case against…
CEMETERY
CREMATION
“Size” has its own set of issues
Great Britain’s Pure Cremation, quite possibly the most successful start-up in the history of Death Care, continues to grow their direct cremation business. And, that growth in itself seems to cause some problems. …
A.S. Turner & Sons has a busy summer — adds a funeral home and terramation service line
A.S. Turner & Sons has served the population of Decatur, Georgia, and the greater Atlanta area for more than 120 years. Funeral Director Daily recently mentioned the firm in this article about The Natural…
PRENEED
Pure Cremation exec: Is the “At-Need choice” death market contracting?
The number of deaths in the United States is expected to grow 26.3% from 2019 (the last year prior to the pandemic) until 2040 by certain estimates. Estimates for the number of deaths in…
Anthem Partners announces strategic partnership with Family Shield Credit
In a press release from earlier this week funeral home operator Anthem Partners announced that they have formed a partnership with Family Shield Credit in order to provide families with “flexible, budget-friendly payment options while…
Connecticut budget includes money for victims of allegedly stolen pre-arrangements
Earlier this month, as you can read in this article from NBC Connecticut, the legislature of Connecticut passed their state budget which included the “Act Concerning Unlawful Funeral Service Practices”. The state appropriated…
PRODUCTS
Oklahoma family business gets initial court win to move forward in casket sales case
According to this recent article from the Institute for Justice the District Court of Oklahoma County has ruled that Casket of Honors owners Candice Mentink and Todd Collard may proceed with their case against…
A.S. Turner & Sons has a busy summer — adds a funeral home and terramation service line
A.S. Turner & Sons has served the population of Decatur, Georgia, and the greater Atlanta area for more than 120 years. Funeral Director Daily recently mentioned the firm in this article about The Natural…









