I’m a baseball fan. . . have been since I served as Batboy for the local town team when I was about eight years old. I was fortunate enough to get to see my Minnesota Twins baseball team win the 7th game of the 1987 World Series in Minneapolis. So, it won’t surprise you that…
I graduated from mortuary school in 1980. It seems to me that life was a little easier back then, traditions were pretty normalized, and funeral services consisted of a pretty “run of the mill” body preparation-visitation-funeral service-burial logistic sequence. Of course, prior to that service sequence a funeral director had to also meet with the…
Just perfect to leave you with for this weekend is access to this podcast from Let’s Get Social entitled “How the funeral industry is using social media effectively”. It comes to us from one of our readers in Ireland who sent us the access information along with this note: “I co-host a social media for…
You can’t get away from it anywhere. There is a lot of talk on the national political stages about “Green Energy” and the environmental movement. In the death care world we have been hearing that recomposition (the art of human composting) and alkaline hydrolysis (known by some as “cremation by water”) are going to be…
The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) says the 2020 cremation rate in the United States was 56.1%. That same reliable group says that within the next decade – in 2030 – the national cremation rate will rise to 72.8%. Considering the fact that the vast majority of cremations in the United States do not…
BUSINESS
Death Literacy: “Concerns over the rapid rise of Direct Cremations”
“Death Literacy” is something you may be hearing more about in the days to come. This article from SABR-A Care Collective mentions that “Raising death literacy aims to equip people with the skills not…
“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. …
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
Death Literacy: “Concerns over the rapid rise of Direct Cremations”
“Death Literacy” is something you may be hearing more about in the days to come. This article from SABR-A Care Collective mentions that “Raising death literacy aims to equip people with the skills not…
“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. …
PRENEED
Death Literacy: “Concerns over the rapid rise of Direct Cremations”
“Death Literacy” is something you may be hearing more about in the days to come. This article from SABR-A Care Collective mentions that “Raising death literacy aims to equip people with the skills not…
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…
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…









