For as long as I can remember, those of us who work in Death Care have been un-deservedly percieved by many as part of a strange or dark world. You’re going to see that perception rise again as the new movie “The Mortuary Assistant” will debut in theatres on Friday the 13th of February.…
When it is all said and done, corporate conglomerate Matthews International, with a heavy presence in Death Care, will probably be glad that they have left Fiscal Year 2025 behind and are charging into Fiscal Year 2026. FY2025 found Matthews streamline their company by divesting their SGK unit and, while technically FY2026, the…
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 spend a high percentage of their “Death Care spend” on caskets and other merchandise. That’s not always the case anymore.…
Effective as of yesterday, February 2, 2026, Carriage Services implemented “a series of executive leadership promotions and appointments that reflect the Company’s continued momentum and its deliberate efforts over the past several years to build a durable foundation for sustained growth” according to this January press release from the company. Carlos Quezada, Vice…
In a press release issued earlier in January 2026 out of Batesville, Indiana, ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust made the following statement: “ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust, a federally chartered savings bank that has been providing trust and recordkeeping services to the funeral and cemetery industry since 1998, announced today that Community…
BUSINESS
Wisconsin acquisition follows “Successful” strategy
A quote from a 1987 Los Angeles Times article on the then growing acquisitions of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries goes like this, “In increasing numbers, long-established mortuaries are closing or, more often, selling to…
CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”
To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States. However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…
Chptr makes moves, promotes televised Death Notices
The people at Chptr are not standing still. In the last couple of weeks they have added Death Care industry veteran Glenn Gould to their team in a position that they term President of…
FINANCE
Wisconsin acquisition follows “Successful” strategy
A quote from a 1987 Los Angeles Times article on the then growing acquisitions of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries goes like this, “In increasing numbers, long-established mortuaries are closing or, more often, selling to…
CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”
To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States. However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…
Carriage Services’ 4th Q25 and Year-End ’25 Earnings Call “Notes and Quotes”
Last week funeral home and cemetery operator Carriage Services reported on their 4th Quarter of 2025 and their Year-End of 2025 financial results. Earlier in the week Funeral Director Daily published this article on…
REGULATIONS
CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”
To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States. However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…
There has to be another side to this story
Late last week Fox 6 TV of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, broke a story pertaining to Death Care that I found to be incredulous. Here’s the headline, “Milwaukee County funeral home debt; officials move to collect…
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…
CEMETERY
There has to be another side to this story
Late last week Fox 6 TV of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, broke a story pertaining to Death Care that I found to be incredulous. Here’s the headline, “Milwaukee County funeral home debt; officials move to collect…
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…
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
Funeral planning: There seems to be a gap between “Perception and Action”
Funeral planning is an interesting topic on an individual basis. In my opinion, regardless of your age, self-mortality is a thought all human beings have at more than one point in their lives. …
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…
PRODUCTS
CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”
To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States. However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…
Chptr makes moves, promotes televised Death Notices
The people at Chptr are not standing still. In the last couple of weeks they have added Death Care industry veteran Glenn Gould to their team in a position that they term President of…
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…
