Just last Friday we reported of a case that was in trial concerning the issue of six Mississippi black-owned funeral homes believing that they did not receive as many death calls, proportionately, from the coroner of Harrison County as white-owned funeral homes did. The plaintiffs were asking for $870,000 in damages for the years 2012-2016.…
Last week we learned of former First Lady Barbara Bush’s death. Over the weekend we received news reports on the visitation and funeral service. I never really saw the events on television but on Sunday read about the visitation and funeral service on line and in my daily newspaper, The Minneapolis Star Tribune. It struck…
An article in the Daily Times of Maryville, Tennessee, that you can read here announced that the Smith Funeral and Cremation Service has successfully applied for, and been approved, to add a crematory in their existing funeral home inside the city limits of Maryville. Owners Jason Chambers and C. Lynn Gibson indicated that the cremation…
Testimony continued in the Gulfport, Mississippi, trial where six black-owned funeral homes have contended that Harrison County and its coroner, Gary Hargraves, have discriminated against them by sending deceased bodies in greater numbers to the white-owned funeral homes in the county. In testimony yesterday, which is summed up by the Associated Press here, Harrison County…
Dignity, PLC, the British based conglomerate reported revenue for the 1st quarter of 2018 the other day. The company reported revenue of US$ 135 million for the quarter as compared to revenue of US$ 132 million for the 1st quarter of 2017. That is an increase of 2.2%. The increased revenue number is…
BUSINESS
Jessica Mitford 2.0? . . . This might the 21st Century version
I have distinct memories of accompanying my father to a community forum that included Death Care at our local technical college back in about 1972 when I was a young teenager. What I…
Sunset publishes “Estate Settlement Report Card”
“If you are a funeral director and don’t know about Sunset yet you are probably missing out on a tool that your families would thank you for. . . ” Last week MarketWatch…
Homesteaders celebrates 120 years, $5 Billion in force
In a press release received the other day, Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in Preneed Death Care funding announced that 2026 marks the 120th year for the company. The company issued its first…
FINANCE
Sunset publishes “Estate Settlement Report Card”
“If you are a funeral director and don’t know about Sunset yet you are probably missing out on a tool that your families would thank you for. . . ” Last week MarketWatch…
Park Lawn Corporation adds Mississippi operation with 20+ locations
In an announcement released yesterday, March 2, Park Lawn Corporation announced the acquisition of “substantially all of the assets of South Mississippi Funeral Services, LLC, comprised of a group of businesses located in southern…
Carriage Services Year-End 2025: Higher Revenue, Higher Margins, Higher Profit
In a press release issued last week Carriage Services, the Houston-based publicly operated funeral home and cemetery operator, reported the results of their 2025 4th Quarter and their 2025 Year-End results. When one takes…
REGULATIONS
Does Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) face religious headwinds?
From 2015 to 2021 I served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. That 12-person governing board for the State of Minnesota got to know each other very well. One of the people…
Responsibility, Balance, and Gratitude all lead to positive mental health
The longer we live, the more we learn about ourselves and others. As you may know my wife, Angie, and I winter for three months in Southwest Florida. This past week I’ve been…
“Burial Battle” looms as casket company sues Oklahoma State Funeral Board
For a period of time it was unknown to the owners of Caskets of Honor, located in Calvin, Oklahoma, that selling caskets in their home state was illegal without the procurement of a funeral…
CEMETERY
Natural Organic Reduction to be done on the East Coast
Green-Wood Cemetery, the venerable and historic cemetery in New York City announced last week a plan to become the first facility on America’s East Coast that will offer Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) or Terramation…
VA Cemeteries set new record for “Customer Satisfaction”
Funeral directors should feel good about their role in helping the “The Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration earn the highest customer satisfaction score ever achieved by any public or private organization measured…
Funeral homes and cemeteries — Where’s the future potential?
I’ve been around the Death Care business my whole life. . . . and one thing I can tell you is that, like other businesses, “things” change. For instance, Death Care clientele used to…
CREMATION
Private Equity company Epiris to sell a “Structured Minority interest” in Pure Cremation
I’ve watched the growth of direct cremation provider and preneed cremation business Pure Cremation from a start-up to, in my opinion, the most profitable investment in Death Care over the past decade. According to…
Will the large-scale use of Hydrogen-powered cremation come into play?
One of the positive things of living during the winter months in a Florida golf community is that I get to meet and play golf with lots of new people with greatly differing…
Veterans’ Affairs recently grants $77 million to state-operated veteran cemeteries
According to this recent article in Newsweek “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded more than $77 million in new grants aimed at expanding and improving state-operated Veterans cemeteries. The funding, announced…
PRENEED
Homesteaders celebrates 120 years, $5 Billion in force
In a press release received the other day, Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in Preneed Death Care funding announced that 2026 marks the 120th year for the company. The company issued its first…
Is a 10% credit card interest rate ceiling good news for funeral homes? . . . Maybe not
Today is January 20. It is the day that President Trump wanted to institute one of his ideas for making life more “affordable”. That idea is a 10% cap on interest rates on credit…
Can you the provide the opportunity for additional Preneed sales in the 1st Quarter of 2026?
“Strike when the iron is hot“. That’s a 15th-century saying that came from the blacksmith trade and meant to suggest that the blacksmith should “bend the metal when it is hot and somewhat flexible”. …
PRODUCTS
Sunset publishes “Estate Settlement Report Card”
“If you are a funeral director and don’t know about Sunset yet you are probably missing out on a tool that your families would thank you for. . . ” Last week MarketWatch…
Does Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) face religious headwinds?
From 2015 to 2021 I served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. That 12-person governing board for the State of Minnesota got to know each other very well. One of the people…
“Burial Battle” looms as casket company sues Oklahoma State Funeral Board
For a period of time it was unknown to the owners of Caskets of Honor, located in Calvin, Oklahoma, that selling caskets in their home state was illegal without the procurement of a funeral…
