“It’s been a good run.” That’s what funeral director John Kaatz said according to this newspaper article announcing the sale of four funeral homes that he was associated with. Kaatz, who succeeded his father in the operation of Kaatz Funeral Home and eventually owned facilities in four Michigan cities, reflected on his career…
As we stop today to reflect on the memory of not only our military personnel from the Revolutionary War on, we remember that the holiday was officially started to pay respects to those who fell in action during the Civil War. Over time we realize that the Memorial Day holiday has moved…
StoneMor Partners left the world of public companies and was taken private by Axar Capital Management in November 2022. At the time StoneMor was arguably, by revenue, the second largest company in Death Care. Second only to Service Corporation International and, in revenue, ahead of Carriage Services and Park Lawn Corporation at the time.…
It’s not for me. . . .but neither is skydiving. I’m talking about Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) or what some lay people call “human composting”. NOR is a legal form of human disposition in at least 14 states by my count. The process used for human remains disposition was first legalized in the…
Security National Financial Corporation (SNFC), the Utah-based company that serves the Death Care profession through their funeral homes, preneed insurance, and other financial tools issued their 1st Quarter 2026 financial report last week. In that press release that you can access here you will note that Total Revenues dropped 3.6% from $82.7 million…
BUSINESS
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…
Parting Stone enforces patent protection
It’s just the way it works. If you are a company or other entity that seeks patents to protect your intellectual property you have to be able to fight off others who may…
FINANCE
Park Lawn adds another Oklahoma funeral home to their group
History will tell us that the oil boom in Oklahoma began in 1897 when a massive discovery of oil was discovered near Bartlesville. Since December 2025 the folks at Park Lawn Corporation seem…
Pinnacle Funeral Service makes another acquisition
We learned earlier this week that Pinnacle Funeral Service had acquired Gent Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Alton, Illinois. You can learn more about the acquisition from this article on the Pinnacle Funeral…
Will a “Hawkish” Federal Reserve put more interest costs on your business?
My routine is pretty normal during the work week. I get up before 6 am, put the coffee on, do my devotions, and then enjoy the coffee for a few minutes while watching the…
REGULATIONS
Parting Stone enforces patent protection
It’s just the way it works. If you are a company or other entity that seeks patents to protect your intellectual property you have to be able to fight off others who may…
Recompose: On the “Grow”
I started publishing Funeral Director Daily about the same time that entrepreneur Katrina Spade was involved in a pilot research project with Washington State University on the possibility and merits of composting human remains. …
The potential Venezuela Death Care crisis
As you are well aware of two large-scale earthquakes occured in Venezuela last week. As I write this article on Saturday morning June 27, the official death toll in the country is listed at…
CEMETERY
Everstory Partners adds New Jersey cemetery to its group
Everstory Partners the cemetery heavy company that operates more than 460 cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematories in the United States and Puerto Rico announced last week that they had acquired the Franklin Memorial…
Cemetery sued over private casket-lowering policy
When I was a practicing funeral director I was well aware of safety concerns at the cemetery when the casket was lowered into the vault and grave. Our good friends from Wilbert Vault were…
Cuba’s crisis with death
Cuba, the island country only 90 miles off the Florida coast has a crisis with death and Death Care. If you look at the Wikipedia page for Cuba you will notice that the population…
CREMATION
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…
Parting Stone enforces patent protection
It’s just the way it works. If you are a company or other entity that seeks patents to protect your intellectual property you have to be able to fight off others who may…
Pizza Hut, Batesville, and CANA
Pizza Hut, Batesville, and CANA? A reader sent me an article earlier this week that brings these three topics into a Venn diagram sort of picture for me. First of all, the…
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
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…
Parting Stone enforces patent protection
It’s just the way it works. If you are a company or other entity that seeks patents to protect your intellectual property you have to be able to fight off others who may…
Recompose: On the “Grow”
I started publishing Funeral Director Daily about the same time that entrepreneur Katrina Spade was involved in a pilot research project with Washington State University on the possibility and merits of composting human remains. …
