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In a message dated 12/6/02 8:55:46 PM, AmSocEmbalmers@aol.com writes:
Click here: The American Society of Embalmers
Friends and colleagues: For more than 3 years I have been working with Bob Mayer (Pittsburgh) to put together an embalming association. We have felt a very real need for this type of organization. One that will address the concerns of embalmers around this country. All of you receiving this email have expressed interest in this type organization.
The link above will direct you to a home web page that describes the proposed organization. We would like to ask you to answer a few questions as we proceed to develop this organization. Please know that we appreciate your interest & dedication to our profession.
1) What kinds of services would you like this organization to provide? (i.e. - an email newsletter, seminars, a magazine, technical support service, membership directory, etc)
2) What would you be willing to pay in the way of dues for this kind of organization?
3) Do you feel that there should be any requirements or exclusion criteria for membership (i.e. only embalmers, only practicing embalmers)?
4) Would you be willing to provide the name of at least one additional person to add to a membership drive?
5) Would you be willing to serve as an initial officer or committee member as we move along in the process?
Again, thank you for your support and we look forward to hearing from you.
Melissa Johnson Williams, CFSP
Robert G. Mayer, CFSP
In a message dated 12/30/02 8:44:47 PM, Gail in Massachusetts writes:
Funeral accident turns grief into anger
By KITTY CAPARELLA & JOSEPH R. DAUGHEN
Four days before Christmas was a sad time for two families.
A 63-year-old Northeast widow was driving on Large Street three blocks from home after putting flowers on her husband's grave.
Other mourners were driving on Cottman Avenue to a cemetery for graveside services for that family's 71-year-old matriarch.
At Cottman and Large, the widow, Priscilla Langhuber, said she followed "two or three cars" through a green light. Police said she hit a car in the funeral cortege, which slammed into another car.
The 1:30 p.m. chain reaction ignited mourners' grief into a flash of road rage. The outcome was anything but sympathetic.
Langhuber was left with a black eye, bruised left jaw and a constant migraine headache after police said she was allegedly beaten up by two mourners, Tamara Prince and Stacey Holly, both 30, of Camden.
Prince and Holly were initially charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, but charges of aggravated assault were dropped at their bail hearing. They were released after each posted 10 percent of the $16,000 bail.
Four children were treated at Frankford-Torresdale Hospital and released. One complained about his back, police said. Two of the four children were Prince's twin 5-year-old boys.
Other adults were treated at Jeannes Hospital and released.
Left at Fairview Cemetary in Abington Township, Montgomery County, were only a few family members of the late Margaret Jones, wondering where the rest of the funeral cortege was, including out-of-town relatives from Maryland, West Virginia and New Jersey.
"This is an unfortunate story," said Sgt. Joseph Gindele, of the Northeast Detective Division.
The Rev. Brenda Prince was so distraught after losing her mother, having her daughter and niece arrested, and her two grandchildren in an accident that she reported the incident to the Daily News, the police and planned to report it to the district attorney's office.
Now, she doesn't answer her cell phone, nor did she return a message left at her apartment on Frankford Avenue near Unity Street. Neither did Tamara Prince nor Stacey Holly, after a reporter visited their Camden home and asked a housemate to have them call the Daily News.
Gindele said the Rev. Prince came to his office and wanted to know "why this had to happen to her."
"She was burying her mother and then all this happened. She was standing in the hallway here crying her eyes out," he added.
"She wanted to know why the other woman wasn't arrested. I tried to explain to her that Priscilla Langhuber was liable for what she did, for any damages she caused. But you can't just beat someone up because of a car accident.
"The six witnesses say [Langhuber] stayed in her car until the two women pulled her out and started beating her. She had several large lumps and bruises on her face, her left cheek."
Police and paramedics initially believed Langhuber's left jaw was broken, but X-rays showed it was not.
Langhuber remains frightened by "everything," but particularly at intersections.
"I had the green light. The traffic in front of me went through fine," she said. She said she didn't know it was a funeral procession. "They must have gotten separated from the others" when the accident occurred.
"I stopped my car to get my insurance papers. I was going through my pocketbook. I didn't even get out of my car when two women started hitting me," she said.
"I tried to get out of the car, but I got hit again," she added. "I got hit at least five times.
A 30-year-old female witness in an SUV on Large Street at Cottman Avenue opposite the accident, said traffic was congested because of Christmas shopping.
"Four or five women flew over to [Langhuber's] car. They were screaming and cursing...and pounding on her car. It really got out of hand," said the witness, who gave a police report, but asked that her name not be used.
Langhuber "rolled down the window...and they pulled down the window. Two women I actually saw hit her," she added. "They just put their hands through the glass and pounded her.
Motorist Anthony Anella, 30, also at a light on Large Street at Cottman Avenue opposite the accident, jumped out of his SUV, yelling "Yo! leave her alone," the female witness said.
Anella and another man stood in front of Langhuber's car, so the assailants couldn't get at her, according to the witness and Langhuber.
Anella "was trying to protect her until the cops came," she added. "He was the real hero."
Once police arrived, they tried to calm everyone down. But a couple mourners tried to hit the cops, and were handcuffed, the witness said.
Langhuber's "face was blown up, black and blue, and she was a nervous wreck. She didn't know what was going on," said the female witness. "That was inhumane what happened to that woman."
"I got out of my car and a heavyset woman in her 40s yelled at me, 'You better get in your car or what happened to her is going to happen to you,'" she added.
Langhuber "must have only skimmed the car because I checked her car and the gray car [that was hit]. There were only black marks [from scraped paint]. No dents or impact" damage, said the witness.
Paramedics arrived and whisked Langhuber inside the medic unit, then tried to find out if anyone else was hurt. "They had to lock the door because they were afraid [the mourners] were going to come after me," said Langhuber.
"What happened was very unfortunate," said Gindele. "Priscilla Langhuber made a mistake. She hit a car and it slammed into another car. Both cars were in the funeral procession. Because of the accident, the funeral procession was interrupted and the out-of-town people got separated from the rest and never made it to the cemetery.
"Tamara [Prince] and Stacey [Holly] got out of the car and with their fists caused enough damage to Priscilla Langhuber to have them charged...They caused some real damage to this woman's face," said Gindele.
"They apparently told Tamara's mother that the woman was attempting to flee, but that's not true. We've got six witnesses who saw what happened," he added.
Inspector William Colarulo, Police Department spokesman, said he's checking into why no traffic citations were issued.
"If people have different information about what happened here, we want them to come forward and tell us about it and we will conduct a full internal affairs investigation," said Colarulo.
Todd Van Beck has taken over as president of
Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service, Houston.
A frequent presenter at state and national
conventions, Van Beck was previously director of the
New England Institute at Mount Ida College, Newton
Centre, Mass. Before that he was director of funeral
service education for The Loewen Group in Cincinnati.
He is an internationally recognized expert in funeral
service education and cemetery management.
Van Beck is a certified funeral service practitioner,
a certified professional death educator and a
certified disaster coordinator. He is a prolific
writer and is a regular contributor to American
Funeral Director magazine, as well as other death care
publications. He is also author of more than 60 books
and manuals on grief, funeral service, cemetery
management and disaster planning.
Van Beck is a graduate of the New England Institute,
Mount Mercy College and the Athenaeum of Ohio &emdash; Mount
Saint Mary's Seminary.
In a message dated 1-20-2003 5:13:56 AM, Robin writes:
I would like to introduce a new veteren service in California... also look for it in your favorite search engine...
Click here: Veterans Burial California http://www.veteransburial.com/
In a message dated 12/31/02 2:47:23 PM, Josiah in Alabama writes:
December 29, 2002
A cemetery operator accused of taking money from grieving families to buy tombstones, and then not paying for them, won't go to trial until spring.
Floyd W. Bush, 67, is charged with theft by deception in Fayette and Pickens counties. He has 15 counts against him in Fayette and six in Pickens.
Chris McCool, district attorney for Pickens, Fayette and Lamar counties, said Bush is on the May trial docket in Fayette and the June docket in Pickens.
The trials were scheduled to take place before the end of the year, but more time was needed to gather evidence, McCool said.
Bush, of Pleasant Grove, owns the West Alabama Memorial Gardens cemeteries in Fayette and Reform.
In June, The Tuscaloosa News reported customers were concerned about Bush's business practices after a manufacturer had repossessed tombstones from the cemetery in Fayette.
Customers said they had paid Bush for the tombstones, but the manufacturer said it had not been paid by Bush. One family complained that it paid Bush to bury a loved one in a "prime location" in one of the cemeteries, but that wasn't done.
Four counts of criminal conspiracy were also brought against Bush's secretary, Ann Atkinson, 66, of Guin. McCool said Atkinson has been charged only in Pickens County and is free with bail set at $20,000. McCool said Atkinson's case also is up for trial in May.
Bush was arrested and charged with swindling his cemetery customers at least twice before.
Theft-by-deception charges were brought against him in Marion and Pickens counties on Dec. 13, 2000. In both instances, Bush paid restitution to the victims and the charges were dropped.
In a message dated 12/31/02 2:47:26 PM, writes:
Officials: Funeral director's theft charge rare
12/04/02
OKLAHOMA CITY &emdash; Despite "what people believe," the case of a Sapulpa funeral director charged with stealing wedding rings from a dead woman before burying her is a rare one, the executive director of the Oklahoma State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors said Tuesday.
"In the seven years that I have been here, these kinds of charges have never come up," Terry McEnany said.
James Michael Owen, 54, was arrested Friday in Creek County on a complaint that he stole two rings, valued at $850, from the body of Leona Thomas after telling the woman's daughter-in-law the rings were too small to be removed without being cut.
"It just doesn't happen a lot, despite what people believe," McEnany said.
The State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors handles an average of 40 complaints a year with about half of those being dismissed after an executive review because they do not fall within the jurisdiction of the board.
"The other half, about 20 a year, are referred to the board for a hearing," McEnany said. "About half of those result in some sort of disciplinary action."
Complaints must be made in writing and must be signed by the person filing the complaint. Once a complaint is received and the executive review determines it falls within the jurisdiction of the board, the accused is notified and given a chance to respond in writing to the charges.
A hearing is then held.
But in McEnany's seven years or in the 11 years Assistant Attorney General Joe McCormick has worked with the board, neither has dealt with a funeral director accused of theft from a dead body.
"People think it happens all the time," McEnany said. "But it doesn't."
He said Thomas' family first contacted the board and was referred to Sapulpa police.
Officers investigated the family's claims and arrested Owens at his home Friday.
McEnany said once the criminal case against Owens concludes the board will hold a hearing on the complaint and determine if disciplinary action is warranted.
"His license could be revoked and he could be fined up to $10,000," McEnany said.
The Owens case is unusual because the state board has two charges to consider against him.
Thomas' daughter-in-law, Inice Faye Ray, told police she asked Owens to remove the deceased woman's rings. After Owens said the rings were too small to be removed without first cutting them, Raye opted to allow her mother-in-law to be buried with the rings.
But family members charge that pictures of the body taken at the Owens Funeral Home in Sapulpa reveal that Thomas was not wearing the rings. Police say they can't tell from the photographs whether the rings are on Thomas' hand.
When Raye complained, she said, Owens eventually gave her the rings.
McEnany said the funeral director claimed to have disinterred Thomas' body, opened the vault, then the casket and removed the rings.
Thomas' granddaughter told Sapulpa police she doesn't believe her grandmother was buried with the rings on.
"Either way he's got a problem," McEnany said. "If he stole the rings then that's illegal. If he disinterred the body without the proper authority, that's illegal, too."
State investigators have been unable to corroborate claims that the operators of two Big Island mortuaries removed bodies from caskets and buried them in plastic bags.
Deputy Attorney General Rick Damerville said yesterday the state does not have evidence to support the allegations and is no longer pursuing an investigation of the missing caskets, instead focusing solely on the 39 theft charges filed in October against Robert Diego, his wife, Momi, and their daughter, Bobbie Jean, and their companies, Diego Mortuary Inc. and Memorial Mortuary Plan Inc.
The Diegos are accused of selling funeral plans without a license and not maintaining a trust account to protect the money. They pleaded not guilty to the charges during arraignment Tuesday in Hilo Circuit Court. Judge Riki May Amano set their trial for March 31. The Diegos remain free on $2,000 bail each.
The mortuary owners and their attorney, Brenda Carreira, did not return phone calls yesterday seeking comment, but they earlier denied all the accusations involving illegal funeral plan sales and improper burials.
The Diegos were initially arrested for theft in March but were released without being charged. A month earlier, investigators with the attorney general's office obtained a search warrant to seize company records. A court affidavit filed in support of the search warrant said two Big Island families told investigators that when they disinterred relatives for reburial at a different cemetery, they found the bodies lying on bare dirt in bags, even though they had purchased funeral plans, caskets and concrete vaults from the Diegos.
In both cases, the initial burial took place in the 1980s at Mauna Kea Memorial Park in Papa'ikou, which has no connection to the Diegos. Robert Diego has said the actual burials were conducted by previous owners of the cemetery, which has a checkered history.
Dilapidated conditions at Mauna Kea Memorial Park were the subject of news accounts in the 1980s, when a former County Council member threatened to sue the state and a former owner for negligence because hundreds of thousands of dollars that were supposed to have been held in trust for upkeep of the cemetery was missing.
A subsequent owner, Mark Fellman, was indicted in 1986 for allegedly stealing $300,000 from the cemetery's trust fund. He disappeared and the indictment was never served.
News accounts at the time said Fellman had offered bargain burials using plastic coffins. That could explain why probes and metal detectors used by the Army's Central Identification Laboratory failed to detect the presence of metal caskets at several gravesites during the course of the recent investigation of the Diegos. The state attorney general's office requested the Army lab's help to avoid having to dig up the graves.
Damerville would not elaborate on why the state was unable to corroborate allegations made in the affidavit. He said the state has no plans to exhume any graves.
The state investigation into the mortuaries was launched in July 2001 on the basis of allegations made by Robert Diego's former girlfriend, Lucille Mossman. Aside from improper burials and selling funeral plans without a license, Mossman claimed that Diego conducted embalmings even though he was not licensed to do so.
Diego is an apprentice embalmer, which allows him only to clean bodies, dress them and do cosmetic work. He has said he does not conduct embalmings and uses a contract embalmer or has had the work done at other mortuaries.
A total of 38 counts of second-degree theft and a single count of first-degree theft were filed against the Diegos and the two businesses for the alleged illegal sale of funeral plans between Jan. 1, 1989, and Feb. 28 of this year. The first-degree charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine or double the theft amount, whichever is greater. The second-degree charge carries a maximum five-year term and a $10,000 fine or double the theft amount.
The Diegos also are the subject of a 16-count civil complaint involving the sale of funeral plans that was filed in October by the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
In a message dated 12/31/02 2:47:30 PM, Regina in Ohio writes:
The case of Adele Craven
Jury must decide role in killing of husband
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEXINGTON - Stephen Craven suffered 12 blows to the head from a crowbar, but he still breathed.
Prosecutor Luke Morgan says Adele Craven heard her husband gasp, shoved a pistol into a hit man's hand, and ordered him to finish the job. When that bullet failed to silence the Delta Air Lines pilot, he says, Ms. Craven reloaded the .38 caliber revolver and issued an order to shoot twice more.
Ms. Craven, a licensed mortician, faces the death penalty if convicted of complicity to murder Mr. Craven, 38, in July 2000. He was found face down in a pool of blood in the basement of his Edgewood home.
She would become only the fourth woman in Kentucky history sent to death row.
read more! http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/12/05/loc_kycraven04.html
In a message dated 1/5/03 10:57:21 AM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
Last updated Saturday, January 4, 2003 Hong Kong Man Told to Stop Mock Funerals
HONG KONG -- A Hong Kong court has ordered a man to stop conducting mock funerals near a luxury housing development, after would-be buyers were spooked, a village official said Saturday.
Choi Chung-ching allegedly staged fake funerals -- complete with music, incense and an altar -- after he moved into a house just outside the up-market Beverly Hills development in suburban Tai Po. Many people in Hong Kong avoid property with funerals going on nearby because of superstitions.
Trustees of the Shuen Wan Hueng village, which owns the house, filed a lawsuit against Choi last week. They accuse him of causing a nuisance and trying to squeeze money from property developer Henderson Land Development Ltd.
The injunction bans Choi from staging any more fake funerals and orders him to remove any funeral items, including two coffins and sacrificial scrolls, said Chan Ping, a village representative.
After the funerals, the South China Morning Post reported Henderson Land received but rejected a demand to take over the two-year lease on the house for $2.5 million -- 55 times the value of the lease.
Henderson has declined to comment, and Choi could not be reached.
In their lawsuit, the village trustees also ask the court to order Choi to return the house and pay unspecified damages.
NORTH CAROLINA FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
Thomas Jefferson (T. J.) Altman, Sr.
Thomas Jefferson (T. J.) Altman, Sr., 87, father of Sam Altman, manager of
Cotton Funeral Home of New Bern, died Sunday at his home.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2003, at Nebo Baptist
Church in Britton1s Neck, NC. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday, January 7, at 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Nebo Baptist
Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Nebo Baptist Church Building
Fund, 6411 Highway 908, Britton1s Neck, SC 29546.
In a message dated 1/16/03 3:51:08 PM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
Stones fan would Not Fade Away without a final concert
by Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Thursday, January 16, 2003
There are die-hard fans and there are die-hard fans. Then, there's the guy whose ashes wound up on stage with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones at the FleetCenter Sunday night. Let's just say Will McDonough wasn't the only one who had a big send-off on Causeway Street this week!
From the Truth-Is-Stranger-Than-Fiction File, get this: A woman shows up at the arena for the Stones show Sunday night. She's carrying a Baggie. Turns out that in the Baggie is not what you usually bring to a Stones concert in a Baggie. It's the remains of her late hubby. A HUGE Stones fan.
Seems her dearly departed bought the tickets for the show, then shed this mortal coil. So his grieving widow brought him to the concert to fulfill his dying wish - to see Mick & Co. one last time. And just so it wouldn't be all his Love In Vain she wanted her hubby to have a really good seat.
"`She went up to the runway stage and asked one of the security guards if she could dump her husband's ashes there,'' said FleetCenter spokesguy Jim Delaney. ``The security staff told her that that probably wouldn't be the most appropriate thing to do.''
Which kind of put the grieving widow between a Rock And A Hard Place. So she took matters into her own hands.
``About 10 minutes later, there she was tossing the ashes onto the runway,'' Delaney said.
Well, the staff didn't know what to do. Should they vacuum up the late, lamented Stones fan? Sweep him back into a Baggie? Or just let him, er, live out his dying wish?
Well, before the debate concluded, Mick, Keith, Ron, Charlie et. al. jumped onstage and the discussion became moot. Because Mick was Dancing With Mr. D-parted!
Delaney said the Stones weren't aware Mick was dancing on his biggest fan's grave until after the show. Which is probably just as well because if Keith saw all that powder, he may have snorted it!
A spokesgal for the band would only say, ``That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.'' Hmm. Not been with the Stones long???
Anyway, Delaney said no one got the woman's name but she didn't seem the least bit unhinged.
``She knew what she wanted,'' he said, ``She wanted him to have the best seat in the house.''
Well then, we think it's safe to say that somewhere, up there, her hubby has gotten some posthumous Satisfaction!
ICFA WIRELESS is a biweekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the
International Cemetery and Funeral Association the latest government and
legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICFA members
current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome.
Write to: mailto:wireless@icfa.org .
IN THIS EDITION:
INDUSTRY NEWS
VA Increases Cash Allowance for Outer Burial Containers
Regional, State Cemetery Associations Add Sponsorship Support to CCSC
Consumer Newsletter Urges Readers to Contact ICFA for Funeral Disputes
Wall Street Journal Praises Appeals Court Decision on Casket Sales
ICFA NEWS
Naked Sales V Attracts 260+ Registrants; Spaces Still Available
ICFA's 'Riddle Me This!' Clues Lead to $1,000 Grand Prize
January Product of the Month: ICFA Recruitment Tools
---------------------------
INDUSTRY NEWS
---------------------------
VA INCREASES CASH ALLOWANCE FOR OUTER BURIAL CONTAINERS
Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced an increase for the
year 2003 of its cash allowance paid to veterans' survivors who privately
purchase grave liners or vaults for placement in national cemeteries in lieu
of receptacles furnished by the VA.
According to the VA, the amount of the cash allowance is based on "taking the
VA's total cost during a fiscal year for single-depth grave liners É and
dividing by the total number of such graveliners procured by VAÉ. The
calculation excludes both graveliners procured and pre-placed in gravesites
as part of cemetery gravesite development projects and all double-depth
graveliners." On this basis, the VA's average cost is $162.90, an increase
from $153.70 for the previous year.
After deducting administrative expenses incurred by the VA for processing and
paying the cash allowance, calculated at $9.75, an increase of $0.25 from the
previous year, the total net cash allowance payable for 2003 is $153.15, an
increase from $144.29 for 2002. The net increase from 2001 to 2002 was only
$2.06, suggesting that the VA's costs increased significantly during 2002.
---------------------------------------------------
REGIONAL, STATE CEMETERY ASSOCIATIONS ADD SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT TO CCSC
During 2002, three cemetery trade associations became financial sponsors of
the Cemetery Consumer Service Council, a nonprofit organization staffed by
industry volunteers who answer consumers' questions and informally mediate
disputes involving cemeteries. The new sponsors are the Western Cemetery
Alliance, the Interment Association of California and the Illinois Cemetery &
Funeral Home Association.
Founded in 1979 by the ICFA (then the American Cemetery Association), the
Cremation Association of North America, the Central States Cemetery
Association, and the Southern Cemetery Association, the CCSC works with state
associations, the Better Business Bureaus, government protection agencies and
related entities to assist consumers without charge. For more information and
the latest annual activity survey, visit http://www.icfa.org/ccsc.htm
---------------------------------------------------
CONSUMER NEWSLETTER URGES READERS TO CONTACT ICFA FOR FUNERAL DISPUTES
The January 2003 issue of "BottomLine/Tomorrow," a widely circulated consumer
newsletter, refers its subscribers to the ICFA for help to resolve any
problems they may experience with funeral homes.
A reader felt his family was overcharged by a funeral home and "got
absolutely nowhere" when they complained to the funeral home. Columnist Nancy
Dunnan recommended that if consumers are dissatisfied with a funeral home's
response, they should contact the Funeral Consumers Alliance and the ICFA,
noting that the association offers a free mediation service. Since the
article's publication, the ICFA has received several calls for assistance.
---------------------------------------------------
WALL STREET JOURNAL PRAISES APPEALS COURT DECISION ON CASKET SALES
The January 3 edition of the Wall Street Journal contained an editorial
titled "Nails in the Coffin," praising a recent decision by the U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals affirming the unconstitutionality of a Tennessee law
prohibiting anyone except licensed funeral directors from selling caskets.
(See the December 10 issue of ICFA WIRELESS for details.)
The editorial stated, "We don't plan on ordering caskets anytime soon. But
we're happy that the heirs of those who need them will get them at better
prices, and that people who had previously been criminalized simply for
bringing those caskets to market at lower prices can now make an honest
living."
The Journal made no mention of a recent federal district court decision in
Oklahoma that found a similar law in that state is constitutional. (See the
December 19 ICFA WIRELESS for details). We understand that the Oklahoma
decision will be appealed.
-------------------
ICFA NEWS
-------------------
NAKED SALES V ATTRACTS 260+ REGISTRANTS; SPACES STILL AVAILABLE
Recognized as the best value for sales management training in the industry,
Naked Sales V, January 16-17 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans,
Louisiana, has drawn more than 260 pre-registrants. Additional registrations
are being accepted and also will be taken onsite.
If you want to learn from the top achievers in prearrangement sales
management, don't miss this two-day conference on "The Five Commandments of
Sales." Highlights will include a two-hour keynote address on maximizing your
referral program as well as sessions covering appointment-setting techniques,
booths and fairs, effective closings, management ethics, recruiting and more.
For a complete program or to register, visit
http:www.icfa.org/naked_sales_03.htm
---------------------------------------------------
ICFA'S 'RIDDLE ME THIS!' CLUES LEAD TO $1,000 GRAND PRIZE
As the ICFA 2003 Convention & Exposition draws near, the clues to its "Riddle
Me This!" game are beginning to add up. Attendees who correctly guess the
single object that fits the clues will be eligible to enter a random drawing
for a Grand Prize of $1,000, a First Prize of $500 and several smaller
prizes. To date, three clues have been posted at
http://www.icfa.org/riddle_me_this.htm and additional clues will be posted
each week.
The 2003 Convention & Exposition, March 10-13 at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las
Vegas, Nevada, will offer educational sessions on topics such as improving
customer service, promoting cremation memorialization, generating additional
revenue, improving family service, managing mausoleums, avoiding litigation
and more.
For more information on the 2003 Convention program and to register, visit
http://www.icfa.org/ac03.htm or call 1-800-645-7700.
---------------------------------------------------
JANUARY PRODUCT OF THE MONTH: ICFA RECRUITMENT TOOLS
Just in time for your start-of-year hiring efforts, the ICFA is offering
discounts on tools for recruiting preneed sales counselors.
Our "Once You Understand the Concept, You'll Love the Opportunity" flier
describes the importance and potential of selling preneed, both for
cemeteries and funeral homes. Regular price: $13 per set of 100. January
price: $5 per set of 100.
The "More Than Just A Selling Job" audio cassette contains a four-minute
presentation explaining the value of a career in prearrangement sales.
Applicable for both cemetery and funeral preneed operations, this is the
perfect tool for inexpensively informing prospective counselors about the
prearrangement industry. Regular price: $2.50 per tape. January price: $0.75
per tape.
Shipping and handling fees are additional. For more information or to order,
call 1-800-645-7700.
--------------------------------------------------
AND MORE . . .
ICFA University introduces two new colleges: the College of Embalming and
Restorative Arts and the ICFA/CANA College of Cremation Services.
ICFAUniversity will be held July 18-23 at the University of Memphis in
Memphis, Tennessee. For more information on the new colleges, visit
http://www.icfa.org/icfanews.htm#icfau_colleges .
The ICFA News Page at http://www.icfa.org/newspage.htm takes you to sources
throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most
comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available
anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to
national and world events. The News Page is the second most visited page on
the ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
The ICFA Internet Expo at http://www.icfa.org/expo/index.html is the largest
online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and
funeral home owners and operators will find more than 300 providers in over
100 product and service categories at the Expo. Exhibit space is provided as
a free, exclusive benefit to all ICFA supplier and professional members.
Check it out today!
Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's benefit
program offering free telephone legal consultations at
http://www.icfa.org/pepperman.htm .
In a message dated 1/16/03 3:51:08 PM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
Stones fan would Not Fade Away without a final concert
by Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Thursday, January 16, 2003
There are die-hard fans and there are die-hard fans. Then, there's the guy whose ashes wound up on stage with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones at the FleetCenter Sunday night. Let's just say Will McDonough wasn't the only one who had a big send-off on Causeway Street this week!
From the Truth-Is-Stranger-Than-Fiction File, get this: A woman shows up at the arena for the Stones show Sunday night. She's carrying a Baggie. Turns out that in the Baggie is not what you usually bring to a Stones concert in a Baggie. It's the remains of her late hubby. A HUGE Stones fan.
Seems her dearly departed bought the tickets for the show, then shed this mortal coil. So his grieving widow brought him to the concert to fulfill his dying wish - to see Mick & Co. one last time. And just so it wouldn't be all his Love In Vain she wanted her hubby to have a really good seat.
"`She went up to the runway stage and asked one of the security guards if she could dump her husband's ashes there,'' said FleetCenter spokesguy Jim Delaney. ``The security staff told her that that probably wouldn't be the most appropriate thing to do.''
Which kind of put the grieving widow between a Rock And A Hard Place. So she took matters into her own hands.
``About 10 minutes later, there she was tossing the ashes onto the runway,'' Delaney said.
Well, the staff didn't know what to do. Should they vacuum up the late, lamented Stones fan? Sweep him back into a Baggie? Or just let him, er, live out his dying wish?
Well, before the debate concluded, Mick, Keith, Ron, Charlie et. al. jumped onstage and the discussion became moot. Because Mick was Dancing With Mr. D-parted!
Delaney said the Stones weren't aware Mick was dancing on his biggest fan's grave until after the show. Which is probably just as well because if Keith saw all that powder, he may have snorted it!
A spokesgal for the band would only say, ``That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.'' Hmm. Not been with the Stones long???
Anyway, Delaney said no one got the woman's name but she didn't seem the least bit unhinged.
``She knew what she wanted,'' he said, ``She wanted him to have the best seat in the house.''
Well then, we think it's safe to say that somewhere, up there, her hubby has gotten some posthumous Satisfaction!
In a message dated 1/16/03 9:19:47 PM, Marilyn in Pennsylvania writes:
Subject: When God made Pennsylvania........
When God Made Pennsylvania
Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days.
Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day.
He inquired of God, "Where have you been?"
God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards
through the clouds, "Look Michael, look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call
it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."
"Balance?", inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth, "For example, northern
Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while southern
Europe is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a hot spot.
Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a
continent of black people,"
God continued, pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely
hot and arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a large land
mass and said, "What's that one?"
"Ah," said God. "That's PENNSYLVANIA, the most glorious place on earth.
There are beautiful lakes, rivers, sunsets and rolling hills. The people
from PENNSYLVANIA are going to be modest, intelligent and
humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be
extremely sociable, hard working and high achieving, and they will be known
throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then, what about balance,
God? You said there would be balance!"
God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the idiots I'm putting around
them in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Ohio."
Only someone who has grown up in Pennsylvania would forward this e-mail.
In a message dated 1/16/03 11:14:05 AM, Pat in California writes:
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I `m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?"
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us. Lady, we'd really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."
The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.
"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"
"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
"Thank you lady!
Thank you very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.
In a message dated 1/15/03 6:54:39 PM, sahd@generatesales.com writes:
his news may be of interest to your members as a new trend in the industry or also as a business opportunity:
NEWS RELEASE
January 15, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Patented Process and New Product Line Will Significantly Reduce Cost of Cremation to Consumers in Southern California
Contact One:: Ed Irwin
Cremation Technologies, Inc.
toll free: 1-877-874-5551
email: edirwin@cremationtechnologies.com
url: www.cremationtechnologies.com
Contact Two: Phill Hunt
Infinity Memorial Systems™ of Southern California
phone: 949-283-3153
Infinity Memorial Systems™ of Southern California, a dba of PBH Enterprises, Inc. in Irvine, has been awarded an exclusive distributorship for a new line of cremation products that drastically reduces the cost to consumers of urns, memorial markers and resting niches.
Infinity Memorial Systems™ products, manufactured by Cremation Technologies, Inc. in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, compliment a patented process which compresses cremated remains into specially crafted urns that are half the size of traditional vessels. The stainless steel, cylindrical urns are placed in memorial walls that are designed to accommodate nine times the capacity of traditional columbaria.
Phill Hunt is president of PBH Enterprises, Inc. "We are pleased to have an experienced professional like Phill Hunt represent our products in this important market place," said Ed Irwin, president of Cremation Technologies, Inc. "His knowledge of the death care industry and his reputation for providing outstanding service gives us great confidence that Infinity Memorial Systems™ will provide local families with better values in cremation."
In addition to occupying less space than traditional columbaria, Infinity Memorial Systems™ are modular and mobile. These features are especially beneficial to churches and nonprofit organizations that require flexibility for expansion and relocation. The memorial walls can be custom manufactured in almost any size or shape and can be placed outdoors or inside.
Infinity Urns™ are sealed with a positive atmosphere which helps make them imperious to damage from fires, floods and other disasters. This safety feature, in conjunction with the virtually maintenance-free memorial walls, makes Infinity Memorial Systems™ attractive to non-professional and experienced columbarium operators alike.
The compact nature of the systems reduces the cost of building a columbarium by as much as 80%. Consumers will save up to 70% when purchasing an urn, memorial plate and niche resting-place from their church or organization compared to the cost of the urns and niches used in traditional columbaria.
Hunt's formal education consists of a Bachelors Degree in Business; a Bachelors Degree in Funeral Service, and a Masters of Business Administration. His career in the funeral industry includes many years of experience as a general manager of both independent and corporate owned funeral homes. His company, PBH Enterprises, Inc., also does business as Coastal Funeral Services.
Active in community organizations and service clubs, Hunt has held offices in Rotary International, California Funeral Directors Association, American Red Cross, BTAC and Executive Association of Orange County.
For more information about placing these new products in a church, organization or cemetery, contact Phill Hunt, Infinity Memorial Systems™ of Southern California, at (949) 283-3153.
- END -
Submitted by:
David M. Sahd
Cedar Marketing Group, Inc.
dba Business Strategies
B2B marketing services
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1849 Tramway Terrace Loop
Albuquerque, NM 87122
505.856.1903
505.856.1641 fax
sahd@generatesales.com
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In a message dated 1-22-2003 3:50:32 PM, Tim in Massachusetts writes:
THE EMPEROR'S SEED
An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose His successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.
He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.
Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about 3 weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. 6 months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.
Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.
Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot but his Mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his Mother was right.
He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful-in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"
All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.
He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"
Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?
Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.
Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.
Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
But:
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.
So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after.
Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
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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
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