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The Chris Biggins Team &emdash; A Walk For Mom &emdash; April 10, 2005
Dear MFDA Members:
In March of 2004, our family was devastated to find out that our "Mom" had been diagnosed with MS. At first it was a very difficult thing to accept. Through time and education, we've learned how to individually adjust all of our lives to MS. Over the past year our mom has shown us what a trooper she really is. We joined the walk last year and were very successful! This year were looking to raise an even larger walking team & contributions! Our family is ready to walk for the fight of MS, and of course most importantly, for our "Mom".
Erin Biggins
Daughter of Bob and Chris Biggins
Magoun Biggins Funeral Home, Rockland, Massachusetts.
Would you like to be a sponsor of Erin's team in honor of her mom Chris with the objective of helping to find a cure for MS? Please click on her team page at http://www.nationalmssociety.org//MAM/personal/my_team.asp?pa=51437339&pd=MAM0EWLK20050410BOS or contact Erin @ erinbiggins@aol.com for more details about how you can help.
Contact: Jack M. Springer
Executive Director
312/644-6610
For Immediate Release
CANA Offers New Hampshire Cremation Certification
March 11, 2005&emdash;The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) has offered to hold a Cremation Operators Training and Certification Program for crematory operators in New Hampshire and adjacent New England states.
CANA Executive Director, Jack Springer, said the offer was made on March 9th in response to New Hampshire Governor John Lynch's call for greater control and supervision of the cremation industry. "We told the governor that if New Hampshire legislature makes operator certification mandatory that CANA would be prepared to hold an operator certification program in the state." Springer pointed out that Illinois, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida has legislation that requires operator training.
Springer said "to emphasize the depth of CANA's commitment to meaningful legislation and the importance of diligence to those offering cremation services, Governor Lynch also was sent a copy of CANA's updated Model Cremation State Law and CANA's Guidelines For Funeral Directors Who Do Not Have A Crematory: What To Inspect."
CANA is a non-profit trade association that was formed in 1913 to educate the public and profession on correct cremation procedures and the importance of memorialization if cremation is chosen. CANA membership, of over 1400 firms, is made up of funeral and cemetery establishments, cremation societies and providers, as well as suppliers and consultants to the industry. CANA's web site, www.cremationassociation.org, number one in its field, contains all the latest state and national cremation figures as well as cremation projections to 2010 and 2015.
We are the only home of the P.A.N.D.A. (Planned Activities Nurturing Death Awareness) Funeral Inlcusion Program.
Designed by a Funeral Director for funeral directors
Also on staff is Masters level graduate of lehigh university specializing in special education of children.
Together we have designed P.A.N.D.A.'s one of a kind system which affords all children the safe, fun and supportive atmosphere needed for inclusion in the funeral process.
we do this by careful design and professional packaging of the program.
And that's not all! soon we will have our newly published book about a boy explaining his funeral experience to his peers called "rest in peas". It also doubles as a coloring book. Our grief tattoos have also been a hit in the local market.
For funeral professionals looking for that "value" missing in their services, this is it. Show them value, and they will come back. Families will be demanding this program.
Lastly, for your convenience, you can shop online securely and safely anytime at www.panda4kids.com.
In a message dated 3/10/05 5:42:38 PM, Mike Flynn in Boston writes:
March 10, 2005
A Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages Wednesday to the husband and daughter of a woman who was embalmed contrary to her religious beliefs.
Jeffrey Post and his stepdaughter, Sarah Anne Sanchez, showed no reaction as the jury read its verdict after nearly two hours of deliberation. The jury found that Professional Transport Systems Inc. and its owner, Joseph Damiano, improperly held onto the body of Madeline Post for 18 days in December 2000, leaving it at Lynn University for use in a final exam for its mortuary program.
Post testified during the trial that he and his late wife, Reform Jews, did not believe in embalming, and were clear about their desire to have her remains cremated. Professional Transport Systems was supposed to take the body from Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapels in Tamarac to a crematorium 6 miles away. Instead, it was taken to Lynn University, in Boca Raton Florida.
The body was cremated 18 days after Madeline Post died.
Jeffrey Post and his stepdaughter settled lawsuits against the university and the funeral home. After Post and Sanchez came forward, 32 other families filed suit against Damiano and the college. Lynn University has since canceled its funeral services program.
When he testified, Damiano described his company as a "courier service" and denied knowing how the body wound up at Lynn University.
The lawsuit against Damiano included his daughter, Yolanda, and the Oakwood Crematorium as defendants. Jurors found in favor of Post's family on all points but one, finding that Yolanda Damiano, one of Oakwood's license holders, did not intend for Post's body to be mistreated. She was included in findings of reckless disregard.
The jury awarded $500,000 in compensatory damages to Jeffrey Post and $300,000 to Sanchez.
Damiano's lawyer, David Tarlow, declined comment after the jury's decision was read.
Jurors also found the defendants liable for punitive damages, and will return to court today to determine how much Post and Sanchez should be awarded.
"We're pleased the jury found in our favor and trust they will make a just decision when we get back," said Post's lawyer, David Charlip.
In a message dated 3/7/05 5:54:51 AM, LRTEXMR writes:
Two more families are wondering how their loved ones' bodies ended up in a van parked on a street in Hurst several years after they thought their deceased relatives had been cremated.
A daughter of one of the men initially didn't believe officers when they said the body of her father, Thomas Shadowens, was among those of three men found in the van Wednesday, said the daughter's friend and neighbor, Manuel Humphrey.
He said Cheryle Jacobs responded by telling officers, "No, my father's right here," and by pointing to an urn she thought contained Mr. Shadowens' ashes.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office released a prepared statement Sunday confirming the identities of two of the men as Mr. Shadowens, a Lake Highlands resident who was 89 when he died in August 2000, and Odis Hughes of Fort Worth, who died at age 56 in May 2000.
The other man, identified Friday, was Lonnie Leffall, a 93-year-old retired Fort Worth barber who died in September 2000.
Linda Anderson, a medical examiner's spokeswoman, said Williams Funeral Home in Fort Worth handled all three bodies. Her office had issued a cremation permit at the funeral home's request for the bodies of Mr. Hughes and Mr. Leffall.
A woman who answered the phone at the funeral home Sunday said she had no information on the incident and declined to comment.
The funeral home had contracted with North Star Transportation Service, owned by Donald Short, to transport cadavers. The bodies were discovered Wednesday when Mr. Short's van was repossessed.
Police said earlier that the bodies found Wednesday were kept at cold-storage facilities until late last year and then moved to the van.
As of Friday, Fort Worth police had not filed any charges against Mr. Short. Neither police nor Mr. Short could be reached Sunday for comment.
Mr. Hughes' aunt, Ophelia Douglas of Fort Worth, made her nephew's funeral arrangements with Williams Funeral Home. The family did not have a funeral, she said.
When the funeral home asked Ms. Douglas whether she wanted the ashes, "I told them no, I didn't even want to see the container that they was in. They said, well, if nobody claimed them, that they'd bury them somewhere," she said.
"I feel bad because I thought he was at rest. Whoever left them there, I think something should be done about it."
Mr. Leffall's relatives said they purchased an urn for the ashes and instructed Williams Funeral Home to bury it, but they're unsure what really happened after his death.
Mr. Humphrey said Ms. Jacobs also had no idea that anything had gone awry after her father died.
"She's not too happy about it," Mr. Humphrey said. "She's just trying to make the best out of a bad situation."
Ms. Jacobs, her son and her mother, Vivian Shadowens, moved into a house across the street from Mr. Humphreys' home about 12 years ago. Mrs. Shadowens, a teacher, died at age 84 in April 2003 and was buried at a cemetery near Fort Worth.
Mr. and Mrs. Shadowens had divorced in 1973. They also had a son, Mark Shadowens, who is listed as an Irving resident. Neither the son nor the daughter returned phone calls Sunday. Mr. Humphrey said he believed their father had been in a nursing home before his death.
Ms. Douglas said Mr. Hughes had diabetes and relied on a wheelchair because his legs had been amputated. He died in bed after a seizure.
Ms. Douglas said she and her nephew were more like siblings.
"When he was growing up, mostly he lived with my mother," she said. "He was a sweet little boy."
Mr. Hughes joined the military after high school. He was married at one time but had no children. In the mid-1980s and early '90s, Mr. Hughes was in trouble several times on drug charges.
His most recent conviction came in 1991, when he received a five-year sentence for drug possession, records show.
"He got out and settled down," Ms. Douglas said.
In his later years, Mr. Hughes lived on his own even after his legs were amputated, she said.
"Odis was an independent person," Ms. Douglas said. "He was a smart person and he was a Christian."
In a message dated 3/4/05 7:48:40 AM, Mike Flynn in Boston sends us:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050304/BIZ01/503040364/1076/BIZ
In a message dated 3/4/05 6:52:25 PM, Joe in Indiana sends us:
WINCHESTER, INDIANA - State police on Thursday arrested former funeral home director William Lightner for allegedly stealing money set aside for pre-paid funerals.
Lightner, 45, Farmland, is accused of stealing $137,000 from August 2002 through October 2003 from irrevocable funeral trust funds established by pre-paid funeral expenses on 20 victims, reported Sgt. Rod Russell.
Lightner formerly owned Lightner Funeral Services, which operated funeral homes in Jay and Randolph counties.
He allegedly cashed checks on the 20 accounts that were underwritten by an insurance company. The pre-paid accounts were on people who were not deceased.
Randolph County Prosecutor David Daly was made aware of the alleged thefts in May 2004 and contacted state police Det. Joe Carmin, who conducted the investigation.
Warrants were issued Thursday accusing Lightner of 20 counts of theft, all class D felonies.
He was arrested without incident and jailed in Randolph County. Bond was set at $20,000.
In a message dated 2/26/05 3:07:27 PM, Mildred in Alabama sends us:
Jurors recommended the death penalty for Christopher Shane Hyde, the Florida ex-convict found guilty in the slayings of three people at an Alabama funeral home.
The Walker County jury voted 10-2 Friday for the death sentence after about 90 minutes of deliberations.
Hyde, 32, was found guilty Thursday on three counts of capital murder in the deaths of June Williams, Rick Peterson and Randle Lane. The victims were shot to death March 26, 2003 in the preparation room of Bell Funeral Home in Sumiton, near Birmingham.
Circuit Court Judge Jerry Selman will sentence Hyde later. Selman could accept the jury's death penalty recommendation or impose life in prison without parole. A death sentence brings an automatic appeal.
Hyde had been released from prison in Florida four months before the killings after serving time for attempted murder, robbery with a weapon and auto theft. His crimes included beating a paraplegic with a microwave oven, according to Broward County court records.
On Friday, Hyde glanced at this mother, Wanda Griffis, while waiting for the jury's sentencing decision, but showed no emotion when it came. His mother wept.Walker County District Attorney Charles Baker praised jurors for their decision on the penalty and commended investigators whose work led to Hyde's arrest.
"We have developed a tremendous relationship with the families, and it is my hope and prayer that this helps put this horrible part of their lives to rest just a little bit," Baker said.
Hyde told investigators that he had come into the funeral home asking to use the restroom, then with a gun "loaded to the hilt" robbed and shot the three. In a taped confession, Hyde described the robbery and killings.
He fled in one victim's truck, which was abandoned in nearby Argo. Hyde took a bus to Atlanta where he was captured.
Defense attorney Mark Turner described the killings as a "horrible tragedy for all" involved.
"Until we, as a society, become more serious about the incredible responsibility of loving and raising our children in a strong and positive family environment, we will continue to have these atrocities. This is not an isolated case," he said.
In a message dated 2/18/05 7:27:18 AM, Mflynn6705 writes:
Family Says Funeral Home Returned Organs
MADISON, W.Va. - A family claims a deceased relative's organs were among personal belongings returned by a funeral home as they were preparing for the wake.
The family of Charles Quarles Sr. has filed a lawsuit in Boone County Circuit Court against Armstrong Funeral Home of Whitesville, Charleston Mortuary and the state Medical Examiner's Office. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, lost sleep, embarrassment and humiliation. It also seeks to recover the cost of medical treatment they received after seeing the organs.
Quarles died on Oct. 7, 2003. Two days later, an Armstrong employee gave Charles Quarles Jr. two large plastic bags when the family went to the funeral home to make arrangements for the wake. The employee allegedly told the family that the bags contained Charles Quarles Sr.'s personal belongings, according to the lawsuit.
When family members later opened the bags, they discovered that one contained "their decedent's internal organs surrounded by blood and other body fluids," the lawsuit claimed.
"Plaintiffs suffer now and will suffer in the future a horrible final image of their decedent that is forever etched in their minds," the lawsuit said.
The defendants denied the lawsuit's claims in court filings, saying they don't have specific knowledge of the allegations
"We believe the evidence will ultimately show us non-negligent," said Colleen McCulloch, the funeral home's lawyer.
Source: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/10916680.htm?1c
RESTON, VA (February 17): The International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICFA) is gratified to learn of a major policy shift by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) regarding access to the NFDA volume discount music license deal. ICFA has long been of the opinion that access to a music license should be affordable and available to all businesses in a free market environment.
According to ICFA President Patrick Downey, CCE, vice president, sales and marketing, Palm Cemeteries and Mortuaries, Las Vegas, Nevada: "The ICFA has been gratified at the strong support for our own music licensing program unveiled this past December. We are pleased that our program has served as an apparent catalyst for the NFDA to change its longstanding policy of tying the music license availability to full NFDA membership, and offer a separate music licensing option."
Downey continued: "The availability of the NFDA license appears to be limited to members of various industry trade groups, however, and would specifically exclude many industry businesses. ICFA's Music License Membership is available to any funeral home or cemetery in the U.S. for only $238 and no additional fees. This is still, by far, the least expensive music licensing option available in the industry because it is not contingent on membership in any other organization."
ICFA's Music License Membership offers a group of benefits in addition to the music license with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. These benefits include discounted registration fees for ICFA educational programs, access to the online ICFA Network Forum, and a free subscription to the "ICFA Wireless" biweekly newsletter. More information on ICFA Music License Membership is available online at www.icfa.org/music.
According to Downey, "One of the motivating factors in the creation of ICFA's Music License Membership last December was the consistent negative feedback within the industry regarding limited access to a discounted music license. As one industry member put it, 'You should not have to buy the cow just to get some milk.' Members expect their national trade associations to work together to negotiate the best music license agreement possible. We are pleased to see NFDA join ICFA in this effort."
In a message dated 2/17/05 2:53:48 PM, kmonfre@nfda.org writes:
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Fay Spano or Katie Monfre
800-228-6332
NFDA Expands Music License Program Rate Becomes Lowest Available
Brookfield, Wis. - The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is
expanding its music license program, offering the lowest rate available
in the profession. Because of NFDA's commitment to allied
associations, it is extending an invitation to FAMIC (Funeral and
Memorial Information Council) member organizations and NFDA federated
state associations to participate in this offering. To qualify for the
$196 music license only fee, a participant must be a member of one of
those organizations. This is the same rate that NFDA members currently
receive.
FAMIC members include: National Funeral Directors Association;
International Order of the Golden Rule; National Funeral Directors &
Morticians Association; Cremation Association of North America;
International Cemetery and Funeral Association; Casket & Funeral Supply
Association; Monument Builders of North America; National Concrete
Burial Vault Association; and the American Monument Association.
Though the music license is available to FAMIC and federated state
associations, the program will still be administered by NFDA, and music
license payments should be sent directly to NFDA. The $196 license fee
does not include membership to NFDA, which provides benefits such as The
Director magazine, free marketing and public relations materials, and
discounted continuing education offerings.
"This is an issue that has far-reaching effects on the funeral
service profession," says NFDA Chief Executive Officer Christine
Pepper, CAE. "Now that the music licensing agencies have granted
NFDA this opportunity, we can provide another option for firms in the
country, particularly the smaller firm. If a significant number of
funeral directors, cremationists and cemeterians respond positively, we
may have even more bargaining power with the music licensing agencies,
resulting in an even lower rate in the future."
Pepper explains the importance of the music license rate being tied to
association membership. "In an ever-changing marketplace, it is
critical for funeral service professionals to be informed of the latest
funeral service trends, issues, and consumer preferences, in order for
them to succeed," says Pepper. "Professional associations can
provide the necessary tools - music licensing is just one of them."
Pepper also notes that compliance to music licensing laws is something
funeral service professionals should not take lightly.
"The music licensing agencies have also informed us that they plan to
step up their enforcement efforts at funeral homes in 2005," adds
Pepper. "Noncompliance fines can be as high as $30,000 per
violation."
NFDA is the leading funeral service association, serving more than
21,400 individual members who represent 12,486 funeral homes in the
United States and other countries. From its headquarters in Brookfield,
Wis., and its Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C., NFDA provides
advocacy, education, information, products, programs and services to
help members enhance the quality of service to families. For more
information, visit www.nfda.org.
RESTON, VA (February 16, 2005) &endash;The International Cemetery and Funeral Association is pleased to announce its 2004 KIP (Keeping It Personal) Awards winners, recognizing the best in personalization in the cemetery and funeral service profession.
Created by the ICFA Personalization Committee, the KIP program honors recipients in six categories: Magic Moment; Product That Personalizes; Innovative Personalized Product (Supplier); Most Personalized Service; Special Events Over $1,000; and Special Events Under $1,000.
This year's contest drew more than 30 entries from across the United States. Six communications and marketing professionals from outside the cemetery and funeral service profession performed the judging.
Information on the winners is available on the ICFA Web site at www.icfa.org. Applications for the 2005 KIP Awards will be available from the ICFA in April. The ICFA congratulates the winners and all who entered the 2004 KIP Awards.
The winners are as follows:
PRODUCT THAT PERSONALIZES
1st Place and Grand Prize Winner
Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home
Tim Lancaster, Executive Vice President
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Eternal Hills has implemented an open-ended question process designed to elicit details about a loved one's interests and priorities during the arrangements conference. This results in a life appreciation service that can encompass six elements of focus: family, religion, hobbies, organizations, work and special events. The greater depth of information resulting from this process has led to innovative and expanded services.
MAGIC MOMENT
First Place
Nelsen Funeral Home
Blair Nelsen, President
Richmond, VA
and MKJ Marketing
Marilyn Jones Gould, President
Largo, Florida
Realizing the need to memorialize pets in a dignified personal manner, Blair Nelsen has introduced Loving Pets Crematory. MKJ Marketing was commissioned to develop a Web site, an ad campaign and brochures. Personalized pet merchandise such as urns, keepsakes and memorials have been offered to a wide market.
Honorable Mention
Warren County Memorial Park
Ruth F. Seebeck, Secretary-Treasurer and Co-Manager
Warren, Pennsylvania
Warren County Memorial Park commissioned a local ceramics shop to make hearts in a variety of colors and designs. The keepsake hearts are about 2 inches across and are unglazed on the back so that a family member or friend can pen a personal remembrance. This not only provides a remembrance of a loved one, but reminds friends and family of services available.
Honorable Mention
D'Esopo Funeral Chapel
Michael Klett, President
Wethersfield, Connecticut
and MKJ Marketing
Marilyn Jones Gould, President
Largo, Florida
The D'Esopo Life Tribute Center was created as a special place away from the funeral home setting that allows a family to make unique funeral arrangements in a less stressful atmosphere. Offering a single site for music, floral and catering planning has created interest among both the service provider community and families.
MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE
First Place
Bringhurst Funeral Home at West Laurel Hill Cemetery
Nevin W. Mann, President and CEO
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
In November 2004, "Mrs. W." died on a Thursday morning. The visitation was on the following Monday, and a church service followed on Tuesday. The arrangements organized during this short time frame included obtaining a pen-and-ink drawing of the mausoleum to be displayed at the service, displaying art created by Mrs. W., distributing calla lilies and pink breast cancer ribbons to attendees, taking photographs of all the floral arrangements and creating 25-slide personal DVDs with audio, which were played during the visitation on three televisions.
Honorable Mention
Cypress Lawn Cemetery Association
Ken Varner, President and CEO
Colma, California
The remains of 97 unidentified men, women and children who were buried in the mid-1880s in San Francisco's first public cemetery were discovered in the late 1990s by construction workers erecting the city's Main Library and Asian Art Museum. Cypress Lawn donated a $56,000 burial plot to the city and re-interred the remains in their Pioneer Garden. The service in November 2004 was attended by state and local dignitaries.
INNOVATIVE PERSONALIZED PRODUCT (SUPPLIER)
First Place
Renaissance Urn Company
Mary Hickey, Co-Founder
San Francisco, California
Renaissance Urn has designed a silk remembrance urn package that serves as both an urn and a storage place for memories. It includes a photo frame, note cards on which to share memories, a pen/flower holder and a padded silk slipcover.
Honorable Mention
Making Everlasting Memories
Phyllis Hershman, Director of Business Development
Cincinnati, Ohio
A leading Internet-based memorial archive and tribute movie production company, Making Everlasting Memories provides families with a password-protected Internet site to post biographies, sign guest books and store photographs and moving images.
Honorable Mention
Integrity Burial Boxes
J. Pat Green, President
Roanoke, Virginia
Integrity's publication of "The ABCs of Building and Marketing a Columbarium Wall" provides a step-by-step guide for anyone considering building a columbarium wall. The book includes designs, photographs, pre-construction and construction check lists, cost estimate forms, niche specifications, box-urn information and a free customizable marketing brochure on CD.
EVENT UNDER $1,000
First Place
Keystone Group
Jim Price, Chief Operating Officer
Tampa, Florida
After the death of Ronald Reagan, the 100 Keystone affiliated funeral homes erected temporary memorial walls in honor of the former president. The public was invited to visit and sign condolence books, which were later forwarded to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. People also left candles, jellybeans, photos, drawings and memorabilia.
Honorable Mention
Wyuka Funeral Home and Cemetery
Bryan K. Block, Director of Cemetery Operations
Lincoln, Nebraska
Wyuka Funeral Home partnered with a local church to stage a Living Nativity in their historic stables building during the Christmas holidays. Choral/drama productions were presented in the chapel, animals were available for petting, food and monetary donations were collected for the local food bank, and gifts were purchased and wrapped for the People's City Mission.
EVENT OVER $1,000
First Place
Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery
Dennis Radford, Cemetery Manager
Kelowna, British Columbia
Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery partnered with the local chapter of The Compassionate Friends to design and build a memorial for those whose children have predeceased their parents. The Compassionate Friends is an international support organization open to all bereaved parents and family members. The project includes a plaza with memorial walls, a dedication monument, a life-sized bronze statue and landscaping. Families were offered the opportunity to put a child's name on the memorial walls. Interest was so great that The Compassionate Friends had to cut off the names at 160. More than 500 family and friends attended the dedication.
Honorable Mention
Nelsen Funeral Home
Blair Nelsen, President
Richmond, VA
and MKJ Marketing
Marilyn Jones Gould, President
Largo, Florida
A free flag exchange was organized for Veterans Day by Nelsen and MKJ Marketing. People were encouraged to bring in old American flags for dignified disposal, and they received a new flag in exchange. A ceremony honoring local veterans also was held.
Honorable Mention
Chippiannock Cemetery
Gregory M. Vogele, Superintendent
Rock Island, Illinois
In conjunction with the celebration of the Grand Excursion of 1854, Chippiannock Cemetery held a Grand Epitaphs historical event. Costumed re-enactors performed historical vignettes revolving around 10 individuals buried at Chippiannock who were planners or had a part in bringing rail service to the Mississippi in 1854. The event included live period music and 'epitaffy,' a salt-water candy packaged in a bag, each featuring one of a series of original epitaphs gathered from cemetery memorials.
Grand prize winner Tim Lancaster of Eternal Hills receives a free registration to the ICFA 2005 Convention & Exposition, March 30-April 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. All first-place and honorable mention winners will be recognized at the Convention and in International Cemetery & Funeral Management magazine and are being provided promotional news releases to submit to their local media.
Founded in 1887, the ICFA is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, funeral and memorialization industry. Its membership is comprised of 6,500 cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers, crematories and related businesses worldwide.
In a message dated 2/15/05 9:30:44 AM, Mike Flynn in Boston Massachusetts writes:
WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND -- Former funeral director Paul Menoche has been denied parole on his second try before the Rhode Island Parole Board.
"He's going to serve out the entire sentence," a spokeswoman for the board said Tuesday.
In May 2002, Former funeral director Paul Menoche, 56, was arrested for absconding with more than $400,000 in funds from customers' pre-paid funeral contracts. He later pleaded no contest to felony embezzlement and to two counts of failure to establish escrow accounts for pre-paid funeral contracts, as required by law.
In August 2002, a Superior Court judge sentenced Former funeral director Paul Menoche to 15 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, Cranston -- with four years to serve and the balance suspended, with probation. Menoche was also ordered to make restitution to his victims.
Former funeral director Paul Menoche appealed to the Parole Board for the second time recently and was granted a hearing on Dec. 21, officials said.
Before the hearing, however, the parole board held a rare meeting outside of the state prison complex in Cranston to assess the impact of Menoche's crimes on victims. The parole board said it had sent letters to about 200 people listed in its files as Mr. Menoche's victims to notify them of the session, held last month at the Woonsocket Senior Center.
The gathering was closed to the press.
Joy Fox, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said Mr. Menoche is presently held in minimum security at the ACI, on work release. Joy Fox said Mr. Menoche leaves the prison in the morning to work at a mortgage company in Providence and must return to the prison daily by 4:30 p.m.
Former funeral director Paul Menoche was initially slated for release on Aug. 14, 2006, but with time off for good behavior he will finish serving his sentence on March 3, 2006, Fox said.
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This is just a hobby, if you send and don't address the subject line with FSPA, it usually delete it because it looks like junk mail, FSPA get over 50 pieces of mail a day, most gets deleted, THE SUBJECT LINE is the key so please, use the subject line properly. Put FSPA in the Subject line along with the flavor of your message.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE the posting(s) you send are some times resent to others be careful, if you are proud of what you said and want the world to know how you feel Put your name, location and e-mail address at the end.
However If you don't want the world to know your ideas and you want to remain anonymous, just put name withheld at the end. FSPA does not reveal who its members are nor does FSPA lend it's list of members to others. There is no need to identify yourself. If you are not proud of your response (like the air line lost a body on us) it is not recommended you identify yourself, since we can all learn from problems. We need your input! Your answers go all over the place, E-mail is so easy to forward. We are happy to learn from your problems and issues, there is no need to identify yourself if you don't want to, South Western United States if just fine.
If the article you want is from a commercial publisher YOU MUST get permission from the person or company who created the story.
Because e-mail can be altered electronically, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed. Any of the items you read here, you are free to reuse, understand, the postings are just that, the items are for the most part cut and pasted from E-mail, others FAXed and of course from funeral publications and other media. What you see here is never checked, if you do decide to republish or quote any thing FSPA puts out, check it out, please do not name the individual who sent the article without their permission. If you see fit to use any information from FSPA please give us credit. Ages ago a state association news letter posted a quote using the senders name, she was not a happy camper nor was her company, please use caution in the future. We appreciate your understanding and we need your support.
Consider these steps for your life.
1. Work like you don't need the money.
2. Love like you've never been hurt.
3. Dance like you do when nobody's watching.
C YA
John
BOTTOM LINE: WE ALL WORK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF FUNERAL SERVICE PROFESSION AND THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY THE CONSUMERS WE SERVE AND THE PROFESSIONALS WE WORK WITH. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING WRONG, IF SOMETHING HERE REALLY OFFENDS YOU, LET'S WORK TOGETHER. PLEASE NOTIFY FSPA IMMEDIATELY, YOU CAN E-MAIL TO lowellma@aol.com Or call FSPA in the United States Voice 978-458-6816 Fax 978-459-0115 or the old fashioned way through the mail at FSPA c/o 14 Highland Street Lowell, Massachusetts 01852-3399 USA
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