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In a message dated 4/3/02 7:15:19 AM, John in Massachusetts sends us:
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and thé more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.
NORTH CAROLINA FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
919-876-7886 * 800-616-2332 * FAX: 919-876-5382 http://www.ncfda.org E-LINE April 2, 2002
MARGARET BRADSHAW CRUMPLER
Mrs. Margaret Bradshaw Crumpler, mother of G. Franklin Crumpler of Crumpler Funeral Home in Raeford, died on March 31, 2002.
The funeral will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 2, 2002, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Clinton, NC. Burial will follow in Clinton Cemetery. A visitation will also be held at Immanuel Baptist Church from 12:00 Noon - 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 12.
Additional survivors include: daughter, Velma Crumpler Chumley; son, Vernon Ray Crumpler; sister, Letha Proctor; brother, Thurman Bradshaw; and nine grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Lawsuit Filed in Fla. Over Embalming
In a message dated 4/3/02 9:56:33 AM, Ellen in Florida writes:
Lawsuit Charges Conspiracy Between Funeral Homes and University To Secretly Embalm, Desecrate Dead Bodies Slated for Cremation
Class Action Sought in Suit Against Lynn University, Levitt-Weinstein Memorial
Chapels & Others Alleging that Bodies Were Secretly Used For Embalming Practice, Violating Jewish Faith
MIAMI FLORIDA, April 1 Today, Robles Law Center of Miami filed a lawsuit against Lynn University, Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapels and other funeral homes charging them with conspiracy, tortuous interference with dead bodies, infliction of emotional distress, tort of outrage, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, and violation of Jewish law.
The charges were filed on behalf of Broward County resident Jeffrey Post whose wife Madeline died on November 25, 2000 and was to have been cremated. However, the lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of numerous individuals, and points to illegal activity over the course of several years.
The suit alleges that an agreement between funeral homes, a transporting company and Palm Beach County-based Lynn University resulted in the illegal use of numerous bodies as cadavers for students to practice embalming techniques. These bodies were to have been cremated without embalming. Lynn University provides instruction, certificates and degrees for funeral and mortuary services, including embalming.
"The conduct of the defendants was so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious and intolerable in a civilized community," Louis S. Robles, managing partner of Robles Law Center and a founder of the firm nearly 30 years ago. Robles noted that the defendant and his wife are members of the Jewish faith, which prohibits embalming.
The suit was filed in the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County.
"Levitt-Weinstein, by relinquishing Madeline Post's body to Lynn University, compromised and violated the integrity of her remains, committed mutilation and desecration of her body and exposed her body to students, all in violation of the family's wishes and their agreement with Levitt- Weinstein," said David Charlip, an attorney with Robles Law Center.
"Furthermore, we believe that this illegal activity may have occurred with more than 600 individuals over the course of several years," said Charlip. In addition to Levitt-Weinstein, other funeral homes in Florida as yet unnamed may later be included as defendants in the lawsuit.
Charlip points to a subcontracting arrangement for cremation services as a key element in the case, citing a company called Professional Transport Systems Inc. and/or Cremation Systems International. He explained that a few years ago, this transport company began undercutting the market with such low pricing for cremations, that Levitt-Weinstein and others began using them as a vendor for transport and cremations. Charlip stated that "the pricing was so low that it should have made any funeral home suspicious about the potential for irregularities." The lawsuit charges that Lynn University procured bodies from the transporter for the sum of $110.00, and that said bodies "were mutilated as students ruptured organs, injected arteries, and further desecrated the remains of said individuals as they learned embalming techniques."
Robles Law Center, P.A. is a private law firm with extensive experience in the areas of mass tort, class action, complex civil litigation, medical and professional malpractice, pharmaceutical litigation, aviation accidents, personal injury and other areas. Robles Law Center, P.A. is based in Miami, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - A widower filed a lawsuit claiming his wife was embalmed by a university's mortuary science students without his permission or knowledge. Jeffrey Post claims Lynn University violated his and his wife's Jewish faith because embalming is not allowed under their religion.
``There will be no closure now,'' said Post. ``If you are embalmed or tattooed, you are denied the privilege of seeing God. My wife will never rest in peace.''
The lawsuit seeks class-action status, saying up to 600 other bodies may also have been embalmed by Lynn University without permission.
Post filed the suit Monday against Lynn University and Levitt-Weinstein Memorial Chapel. They were accused of committing conspiracy, tortuous interference with dead bodies, infliction of emotional distress and other charges.
The lawsuit says Madeline Post's body was taken to the university and embalmed by Lynn students, and then delivered to Levitt-Weinstein, where she was cremated as planned.
According to traditional Jewish law, cremation also is not allowed. But Madeline Post believed cremation was acceptable under the traditions of Reform Judaism.
Jeffrey Post says he first learned of his wife's embalming, in a letter from Levitt-Weinstein, three months after her November 2000 death from cancer.
Officials at Lynn University, a 2,000-student private school in Boca Raton, declined comment Monday.
Levitt-Weinstein, a funeral home business based in Cincinnati and part of the Loewen Group of Funeral Chapels, said Professional Transport, a body transportation company, took Madeline Post's body to Lynn without its knowledge and permission. The company said it informed state regulators immediately when it learned what happened, and said no other bodies it handled were taken by Professional Transport to the university.
Professional Transport did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday. It is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
CLICK ON BELOW LINK FOR MORE DETAILS
In a message dated 4/2/02 7:21:02 AM, Walter in Tennessee writes:
In a message dated 4/3/02 5:03:59 PM, fspano@nfda.org writes:
Brookfield, Wis - During the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Advocacy Summit held March 19-20, 2002, in Washington, D.C., 222 funeral directors from across the country reached out to their members of Congress and colleagues. This is compared to 202 registrants from last year's NFDA Legislative Conference.
"The Advocacy Summit was extremely successful in unifying the voice of funeral service and spreading our message across the nation," said NFDA Chief Executive Officer Christine Pepper. "Thank you to everyone who was very charged this year and demonstrated their commitment to making a positive difference in funeral service by supporting this national effort."
In addition to NFDA members, leaders of many allied organizations also were present at the event, making the Summit truly successful in its goal of creating one solid voice for funeral service. Among the attendees included representatives from the International Cemetery & Funeral Association, International Order of the Golden Rule, Jewish Funeral Directors of America, National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, and Selected Independent Funeral Homes.
Face-to-face meetings with congressional members and their staffs focused on the following key issues:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule
2. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Exclusion
3. Health Insurance
4. Minimum Wage and Overtime Provisions
5. FTC Enforcement Funding
6. Federal Estate Tax
For more information on these issues, visit NFDA's Website at
http://www.nfda.org/calendar/summary.html.
During the NFDA Political Action Committee (PAC) Phone-a-thon, funeral directors called upon their colleagues to make a financial contribution to the NFDA PAC. "Every dollar contributed to the NFDA PAC is very much appreciated and our members can rest assured that their donation is benefiting funeral service and their business," said Pepper. More than $108,000 was pledged during the PAC Phone-a-thon.
For more information about NFDA's PAC, visit NFDA's Website at http://www.nfda.org/memberpage/govrel/pac/index.html. To make a donation, visit https://kumo.swcp.com/~proa/nfda/contribute.html or call 800-228-6332.
Other Advocacy Summit highlights included special presentations by Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Admiral Knouss and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Gary Visscher. A partisan debate, moderated by Washington Bureau Chief of The Chicago Tribune Vickie Walton James, took place between Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Representative Jerry Weller, R-Ill.
A special fundraising dinner, "United We Stand," raised approximately $4,500 for the NFDA 9-11 Fund and featured presentations by Director of Medicolegal Investigations at the New York Chief Medical Examiner's Office David Schomburg and U.S. Representative Steve Buyer, R-Ind.
NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. It is the world's oldest and largest funeral service association, serving about 13,500 members.
###
Fay Spano
Public Relations Manager
National Funeral Directors Assoc.
13625 Bishop's Drive
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-814-1549
fspano@nfda.org
In a message dated 3/28/02 12:54:52 PM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
http://www.townonline.com/metro/roslindale/living/35376604.htm
Funeral hit on VFW Parkway
Elisabeth Ollis' voice wavered as she remembered hanging upside down in her car, suspended in mid-air by her seatbelt.
Ollis, 59, was driving with her mother in a funeral procession on the VFW Parkway when her Volkswagen Passat station wagon was broadsided crossing Lagrange Street on March 20. Hit by a 1991 Dodge Caravan, Ollis's car was flipped over onto a Mercury station wagon before landing upside down on the street.
" It all happened so fast I have no idea how long it took, " she said. " Who would expect to be driving to a funeral and to expect to be hanging upside down from their seatbelts? "
Ollis and her mother, Ruth Ollis, were in a funeral procession for Ollis' cousin's husband heading from Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale to Gethsemane Cemetery on Baker Street when the accident happened.
Neither Elisabeth Ollis, Ruth Ollis nor Patricia May, the driver of the Mercury station wagon, were seriously hurt. The Ollises were transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital where they were treated for bruises and other minor injuries. Ollis said she and her mother still feel the aches and pains, but otherwise are fine.
The driver of the Dodge Caravan, Olajide Ogungbadero, 50, of Boston, has been cited with interrupting a funeral procession, a charge that could carry a sentence of up to one month in jail or up to a $50 fine. Ogungbadero was driving north on Lagrange Street when he struck Ollis' car in the intersection.
At the time of the accident, all the cars in the funeral procession had orange stickers on their windshields and were driving with their headlights ablaze.
State Police credit seat belts with saving two lives in the accident.
" And the only thing I can say is that the seatbelts saved our lives. If there is no other message that people get it's that. They literally saved our lives, " Elisabeth Ollis said.
-Deborah Eisner
IN THIS EDITION:
INDUSTRY NEWS
ICFA Submits Comments to IRS on Capitalizing Expenses Related to Sales
IRS Provides Religious Cemeteries with 'Good Friday' Good News
Congressman Asks GAO to Expand Crematory and Grave Desecration Inquiry
ICFA NEWS
ICFA Convention Hotel Rooms Selling Fast
April Product of the Month: 'How to Sell Cemetery Property Before Need'
---------------------------
INDUSTRY NEWS
---------------------------
ICFA SUBMITS COMMENTS TO IRS ON CAPITALIZING EXPENSES RELATED TO SALES
The Internal Revenue Service recently solicited public comments on its
proposal clarifying the circumstances whereby certain expenses incurred in
acquiring, creating or enhancing certain intangible assets or benefits should
be capitalized (IRS Announcement 2002-9). In response, the ICFA Government
and Legal Affairs Tax Subcommittee submitted comments supporting a "One-Year
Rule" under which expenditures would not have to be capitalized where the
created or enhanced intangible rights or benefits for the taxpayer did not
exist beyond 12 months.
In addition, the ICFA supports a "De Minimus Rule" whereby expenditures of
$10,000 or less with respect to a particular transaction would be currently
deductible and not capitalized. Comments were also provided on the "Regular
and Recurring Rule" under which transaction costs incurred in transactions
that occur on a regular and recurring basis are not required to be
capitalized. Finally, as a result of the disparate financial or regulatory
treatment in our industry, the Association discouraged the adoption of a
"Book Value Conformity Rule" where a taxpayer's treatment for financial or
regulatory accounting would be taken into account in determining treatment
for federal income tax purposes. The full text of the ICFA comments can be
downloaded at http://www.icfa.org/pdf/irscomment02.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------
IRS PROVIDES RELIGIOUS CEMETERIES WITH 'GOOD FRIDAY' GOOD NEWS
On March 29, Good Friday, the IRS published a Private Letter Ruling (PLR
200213021) concerning the deductibility, as a charitable donation, of amounts
paid for cremation niches and cenotaphs sold by a Roman Catholic parish that
is constructing a columbarium on its property. The sale of niches and
cenotaphs to members of the Catholic community is intended as a charitable
fundraiser; that is, the sale price would exceed the Fair Market Value (FMV)
of the items sold. The church also requested IRS guidance on whether amounts
it receives from such sales would be taxable to the church as unrelated
business income.
Regarding the deduction by donors of amounts paid for niches or cenotaphs,
the IRS held that since the church notifies donors of the FMV, amounts paid
by donors in excess of the FMV would be deductible as charitable
contributions. With regard to the potential taxation for federal income tax
purposes of amounts received by the church, the IRS held that as a tax-exempt
entity, the burial of the dead and related activities are within the scope of
the church's exemption. Therefore, amounts received from the sale of niches
and cenotaphs would not be subject to federal income taxation.
The IRS cautions that a private letter ruling is directed only to the
taxpayer requesting it, and may not be cited as precedent by others. However,
these rulings are useful for indicating the thinking of IRS on a given issue.
Members wanting a copy of this ruling should contact the ICFA at
mailto:wireless@icfa.org.
---------------------------------------------------
CONGRESSMAN ASKS GAO TO EXPAND CREMATORY AND GRAVE DESECRATION INQUIRY
Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) announced last week that the U.S. General
Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, had agreed to his
request to "examine the state statutes and regulations of Florida, Georgia
and California -- as well as do a national sampling of other states -- to
determine whether existing state laws are adequate to prosecute those
responsible" for the misconduct reported in those particular states in recent
weeks. According to Foley's office, the GAO agreed to his entire request.
The congressman has now requested GAO to expand its inquiry to include "the
alleged fraudulent practices . . . of a Hawaii-based funeral provider that
has been accused of selling mourners caskets then burying their loved ones in
plastic bags." The correspondence can be viewed at http://www.house.gov. and
following the prompts for "Member Offices" to the Mark Foley Web site under
"News Room."
-------------------
ICFA NEWS
-------------------
ICFA CONVENTION HOTEL ROOMS SELLING FAST
Registrations for the ICFA Convention & Exposition, April 24-27 in Orlando,
Florida, continue to stream in. The ICFA room block at the Renaissance
Orlando Resort is at -- and on some dates is beyond --capacity for the ICFA
Convention & Exposition April 24-27. As of this writing, rooms were still
available at the hotel; however, they are selling fast. Members are
encouraged to reserve a room as soon as possible at 1-800-327-6677.
In the event the hotel does sell out, alternate hotels will be available.
Members who are unable to reserve rooms at the Renaissance can call the ICFA
for a list of nearby accommodations.
For more information on the Convention and to download registration forms,
visit http://www.icfa.org/AC02.htm, or call 1-800-645-7700.
---------------------------------------------------
APRIL PRODUCT OF THE MONTH:
'HOW TO SELL CEMETERY PROPERTY BEFORE NEED'
For the month of April, the ICFA is discounting "How to Sell Cemetery
Property Before Need," a time-tested preneed sales publication written by
preneed pioneer Harold Brown. Its textbook-style lessons cover each step of
the selling process in detail and include review questions to involve the
reader.
In this new edition, Brown identifies and discusses 14 evolutions in the
industry, including the growing number of women sales counselors, as well as
combination operations, cremation, consolidation, cultural changes and the
Internet. The book is an invaluable training tool for newcomers as well as
experienced counselors trying to reach the next level of sales.
Regular price: $30.50; April price: $25! For additional information, visit
http://www.icfa.org/april.htm. To order, call the ICFA at 1-800-645-7700.
---------------------------------------------------
AND MORE É
The ICFA and preneed sales and marketing expert Gary O'Sullivan, CCE, are
teaming up in May 2002 to offer a highly economical one-day seminar for sales
counselors in four cities. "Selling Skills to Increase Your Selling Power"
will be held in Oakland, California; Del Mar, California; Indianapolis,
Indiana; and McLean, Virginia. For a description of the seminar and the exact
locations and dates, visit http://www.icfa.org/osullivan02.htm or call
1-800-645-7700.
The ICFA has spearheaded the Music License Coalition to obtain discounted
music licensing for industry members. The goal of the Coalition is to offer a
discount price of $185 annually for licensing from BMI, ASCAP and SESAC
beginning January 1, 2003. Membership in the Coalition is free and is not
tied to membership in any other industry organization. For more information
or to join the Coalition, visit http://www.icfa.org/music/ or call
1-800-645-7700.
The ICFA News Page offers a timely collection of interesting and useful news
items related to the cemetery and funeral industry, small business and
current events. Located at http://www.icfa.org/newspage.htm , the News Page
compiles articles from around the world and is updated regularly.
The ICFA has announced the winners of its 2001 KIP (Keeping It Personal)
Awards, recognizing the best in personalization in the cemetery and funeral
industry. A complete list of winners and additional information on the KIP
Awards Program is available at http://www.icfa.org/kip.htm.
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 .
The ICFA has published its 2001-2002 Buyer's Guide and Membership Directory,
an invaluable industry resource offering complete listings of ICFA member
cemeteries, funeral homes and allied members; industry suppliers;
international, national, regional and state associations; state funeral
boards and cemetery regulators; individuals working in the industry; and
more. A must for all key staff, copies are available for purchase at a member
price of just $25. For information or to order, call the ICFA at
1-800-645-7700.
The ICFA uses a national media placement agency to distribute an ongoing
series of newspaper articles and radio announcements with positive preneed
and memorialization messages. Placements to date have been highly successful,
reaching hundreds of markets throughout the country. For more information and
to view copies of the actual releases, visit http://www.icfa.org/media.htm.
ICFA members can establish their own Web sites for just $14.95 per month,
with no up-front fees. FuneralAssistant.com provides complete Web site
design, up to six pages; monthly site hosting; assignment of a Keyword that
directs Internet customers to the site; and Web site updates. For more
information, visit http://www.icfa.org/WebBenefit.htm .
---------------------------------------------------
International Cemetery and Funeral Association
1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 220
Reston, VA 20191
1-800-645-7700
(703) 391-8400
fax (703) 391-8416
http://www.icfa.org
In a message dated 3/27/02 4:28:38 PM, anonymous writes:
Mix-up leaves wrong man cremated
An Indiana family is grieving, not only for the loss of their loved one, but because he was cremated without their knowledge and against his wishes.
The 76-year-old man died at in a Local Hospital this week. But when family members went to the funeral home, they found the body of another man in his clothes and coffin, a brother said.
Apparently an out of state man who was to be cremated also had died at the same Hospital, the brother told The News Paper. The family has asked that their names not be revealed.
Hospital and funeral home officials declined to discuss what went wrong or how long the Ohio man's body remained in Town before the cremation.
The error was not discovered until the family arrived at the funeral home for a private viewing before visitation Tuesday.
The deceased's children and wife were aghast to find their loved one's clothes and glasses on someone else's body. Their anger and dismay heightened when funeral home staff could not find his body at any of Funeral Home's Branch sites.
The casket was closed, and the family struggled through five hours of public visitation, knowing it was not their loved one in the casket, the brother said.
Funeral home officials told the wife her husband was cremated and his ashes sent to another State. "We'll have the ashes back by Wednesday morning," they promised, the brother recalled.
But it was too late for the family to carry out the wishes of their loved one, who opposed cremation.
"On Wednesday morning, the Hospital and Funeral Home 'CEOs' show up with an urn. My sister-in-law said, 'I don't think those are (him),' " the brother said.
The wife rejected the funeral home's suggestion that the urn of ashes be placed in the empty casket. Instead, the funeral was held with an empty casket, which was then taken to a cemetery.
"The family went, but when they left, the empty casket was just sitting there," the brother said.
DNA testing cannot determine the identity of cremated remains, said Lynn Armstrong, Allen County deputy coroner.
The brother suspects The Hospital released the wrong body to the funeral home. Hospital officials have declined to discuss it.
"They're all dodging responsibility," the brother said. "Nobody will say, 'I'm wrong.' They're all saying, 'It just happened.' "
An owner of the funeral home, said he could not comment on the mix-up.
"It's our practice not to discuss anything to do with any of the families we serve," he said. "We consider all those matters confidential and private."
The family is "in a state of grieving over the loss. Right now there's a lot of rumors flying around," The Hospital's media coordinator said Thursday. "If the family wishes to not make any comment to the media, we're going to honor that wish also by not expanding upon the information you've been given."
"This has been very upsetting," said the deceased city man's brother. "He never wanted to be cremated. He didn't believe in it. Think about the other family out of State. Think how much misery they're going through. I want to know what procedure's in place to keep a mix-up like this from happening."
MORE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Daniel Hopkins
EMAIL: UndergroundHumor@aol.com
GOOD GRIEF! Finally, a shopping experience you can dig . . .
March 27, 2002 -- Death-defying describes UndergroundHumor.com, a new subterranean site where funeral service professionals and others can shop till they drop for books, t-shirts, movies and other items that defiantly mock "The Grim Reaper."
Launched this month, UndergroundHumor.com was created by a former funeral home professional who recognized that humor is a perfectly normal -- and very human -- response to death. In a business where facing one's mortality is an everyday occurrence, humor becomes an invaluable survival tool.
Lurking below the surface in a fun-filled site to behold is an assortment of merchandise that celebrates the natural relationship between death and humor.
Among the books available at UndergroundHumor.com are these amusing classics on mortality: * The Darwin Awards - Volumes I and II
* The Definitive Guide to Underground Humor* Unpleasant Ways to Die* The Gashlycrumb Tinies* Epitaphs to Remember
T-shirts bear the following morbidly memorable quotes:* "Your undertaker is the last person who will ever let you down." -- Anonymous* "I have never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary notices I have read with pleasure." -- Clarence Darrow* "Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." -- Elbert Hubbard*
"They say that hell is hot, but is it humid? Because I can take the heat; it's the humidity I can't stand." -- Ronnie Shakes* "I'm not afraid of dying. It'll be the one manicure I don't screw up." -- Anita Wise
Movies to stop you dead include a selection that meet the highest standards for being amusingly crass, morbid yet mirthful, and always offbeat: * Beetlejuice * Death Becomes Her* Defending Your Life* Harold and Maude* Waking Ned Devine* Weekend at Bernie's* Weekend at Bernie's II. All are available in both DVD and VHS formats.
Caskets of fancy solid chocolate are available with all the fittings of the finest burial box and are made from a mold owned by a real-life casket company.
New merchandise is being added to the website all the time.
UndergroundHumor.com accepts checks, money orders and credit card charges through PayPal, the acclaimed online e-payment system. A money-back guarantee applies to all purchases. For further information, visit www.UndergroundHumor.com
In a message dated 3/26/02 11:54:02 AM, theirishwake@comcast.net writes:
Nancy from NJ tells us:
New Company Offers Irish Funeral Items & Urns
(March 2002, South River NJ)
A new company called The Irish Wake is selling premium Irish items to funeral directors for families who would like to honor an Irish heritage or for anyone who admires the beautiful materials, designs and sentiments of The Emerald Isle.
The innovative company's line includes casket drapes of embroidered velvet and pure Irish linen ... framed photo tributes with pressed Irish wildflowers ... hand-cast replicas of Ireland's monolithic stone crosses ... Irish Connemara marble rosary and holding cross ... and for those who choose cremation, 20 different urns with pure Irish lead crystal, hand-cast bronze Celtic symbols, pewter crosses made in Ireland, hand-painted Irish parian china and much more.
The company was founded by two sisters-in-law, Mary Ellen Triola and Nancy Thorpe, after a fruitless search for an Irish cremation urn for mother Eileen. Finding nothing, they set about creating their own Irish urn. In the process, they discovered so many beautiful items that make for a poignant Irish farewell, they decided to share them with an industry that is clearly in need.
The complete line is featured at The Irish Wake web site: www.geocities.com/theirishwake
The Irish Wake offers glossy catalog pages of their items for funeral homes to include in selection books. To receive a catalog and wholesale price list, contact The Irish Wake toll-free at 1-866-IRISH-86 or e-mail TheIrishWake@comcast.net
www.geocities.com/theirishwake
In a message dated 3/21/02 12:10:36 PM, danisard@f4sight.com writes:
Dear John,
This is an instance where I think your readers can learn from someone else's
problem. In Northern Michigan a woman died. Her son and his girl friend
are wanting to bury Mom themselves. They are trying to do so without the
aid of a funeral director.
One of my clients is located in the area. This is becoming a press circus,
in part urged on by one of your frequent contributors, Ms. Lisa Carlson.
The press has been seeing this story wrong. While this is happening in
Michigan, it could take place in almost any state. This is clearly a
situation where funeral directors need to understand and assert the reason
for rules and regulations to protect the health and safety of everyone.
We have just seen what can happens when an unlicensed person is involved in
the process of handling the dead, without supervision of a licensed person.
The deceased has been dead for about 3 weeks, and still no resolution. The
body has severe decomposure. The Hospital has not been able to release the
body without a funeral directors signature. The hospital is asking the court
to give the parties further clarification, but that won't be resolved for
another 10 days! The funeral directors are being seen by Ms. Carlson in her
comments, as obstructionists and looking to interfere with someone's last
wish for the sake of a few coins. Ms. Carlson's fanaticism and support for
this son should be seen for what it is; reckless. Her support of this
family is akin to the National Rifle Association coming to the aid of the
Menendez Brothers, and their right to bear arms!
The following are our comments to our client to help prepare them for a
television interview. It will also be part of the April 4th nationwide
audio conference sponsored by Funeral Service Insider. I hope this helps
someone if they are approached on the same subject.
WHEN PREPARING FOR A TELEVISION INTERVIEW...
1. Wear a blue suit, white shirt, conservative neckwear
2. The interview should be in your office, with you behind a desk, or in a
chair, or standing in front of a book case, it can even be shot outdoors as
long as you are not squinting into the sun or you do not have "photo gray"
glasses. Under no conditions should the interview take place with you in
the casket selection room. If a reporter wants a shot of the selection
room, you can grant that. But don't walk them through. Have all prices
taken out of the caskets. Casket prices are taken out of context, and this
is not an arrangement meeting. The focus of the interview should be on your
comments, not the caskets
3. Turn your near shoulder in slightly, and look across into the camera
lens
As to the comments, keep the answers to 10 seconds or less!
The points of your comments:
Michigan has a state law.
There are similar laws requiring a license to serve other industries.
You are licensed by the state.
You could lose your license if you violate state law.
The state law was created to protect the population.
Dead human bodies can bear diseases
They need to be handled properly to avoid spreading diseases, to the handler
and the general public.
The diseases are numerous, just as a person can have during life
The most common would be any disease that is a blood born pathogen,
including
hepatitis
Preparing a body is a surgical procedure.
You have gone through special schooling as well as a term apprenticing to
get this training.
You have the right to charge for your services, just as anyone does.
Your business serves indigent families, but this family was not indigent.
This family was asking you to serve them for free.
This family did contact you upon learning of their mothers death.
You offered to stay late and work on their behalf.
The body was in a severe state of decomposition.
Limbs were falling off.
It was not a safe thing to have anyone handle this body that has not been
trained, nor has the proper equipment.
If the reporter asks about pricing...
The format of pricing is set by the Federal Trade Commission.
Funeral homes are required by law to have only 1 minimum fee, which is
charged to each family you serve regardless of what other services they
desire. That is the law.
You have a special price for those families that just want a body taken from
the hospital to the grave. The family can of course supply their own
casket. You offered it to the family and they declined to hire you.
If the reporter wants third party confirmation, have them call me.
John, I hope this helps your members.
Dan
MORE
In a message dated 4/6/02 12:24:08 PM, FuneralConsumers@aol.com Lisa Carlson writes:
Dan Isard's rant about what's happening in Michigan and his attack on me for supporting a family's right to care for their own dead simply shows his own lack of knowledge on the laws and is totally disrespectful of families, especially knowing that all of us are not alike.
In most states, it is *indeed* legal for families and church groups to care for their own dead. When LIFE magazine in 1999 did an 8-page article on an NC family we found for them--a family anticipating a Hospice death and planning to handle everything themselves--the response from the public was amazing. This was no crunchy-granola family, but a very average middle-class one. LIFE said they'd never had so many letters-to-the-editor from any recent story, letters supporting the idea and grateful for the coverage.
In a number of areas, church groups are caring for their own dead and have for many years--Quakers and Unitarians in Ohio, Jews in DC and Minneapolis, Amish in PA, Muslims in Pittsburgh and Toronto, Theosophists in small groups all over, Buddhists in Colorado . . . After all, it was the church groups years ago that ushered a body from the home to the cemetery for burial.
In reference to Noble, GA, Dan writes, "We have just seen what can happen when an unlicensed person is involved in the process of handling the dead, without the supervision of a licensed person."
Sorry, Dan, I'll take my odds with an unlicensed *family member* any day. Yes, there is a frozen couple in the basement of a son in France, another frozen home-body in Colorado, and a couple of women who've had trouble letting go of the apron strings when Mom died and kept the body around longer than you or I could imagine doing. Now, shall I start stacking up the violations of so-called "licensed" funeral folks--rotting bodies in Hartford, maimed and mangled at Menorah Gardens, wrongfully cremated in Florida, Texas, and how many other states, cut up and sold for a profit in Elisinor, leaking out of crypts in TX . . .
As for Dan's "public health" scare tactics, he's a little short on specifics or facts. A decomposing body is a *smell* problem, not necessarily a health problem. Otherwise, roadkill would be scooped up by the health police, and no one would ever order blue cheese dressing on a salad. Ruth Goss, probably like many other grannies, died of a bleeding ulcer, not the ebola virus. Even an AIDS or Hep-C death is less of a public health threat after the person has died than when the person was living--*except* to embalmers who cut the body open. (If anyone wants to see the article sent to me by the CDC on the risk of dead bodies -- none under normal deaths -- just e-mail me back with a fax number.)
And, yes, ultimately Ruth Goss's body began to decompose at the hospital morgue . . . just as it would have done had it been anywhere else after that amount of time . . . preferably in the ground, if the son had had his way in the first place. All he ever wanted to do was to bury his mother himself, and the state hasn't let him.
As for the subject of funeral pricing, yes, the son initially started to inquire of local FDs and was shocked at what he'd been quoted. It was only then that he began to understand what his mother meant when she told him, "I don't want a funeral."
I've talked with the FD who moved Ruth Goss's body to the winter tomb where it rests now, subsequent to the order from the Probate Court. She's a terrific lady, very generous, and eager to be sensitive to a family's needs. But I think it's hard for her and for most FDs to understand why Ty Goss has NO desire to be beholden to someone else for the burial of his mom when he was prepared to do it himself and had all the legal paperwork to do so.
I have a certain amount of admiration for a fellow who will persevere to prove his rights--in order to legitimatize those rights for others who follow--even at the risk of his mother rotting above-ground instead of under.
The purpose of our organization is to support consumer *choice* regardless of whether it's a choice others would make or not. We do not to push one particular form of funeral arrangements over another. Sensitive funeral directors understand and respect those same goals.
Lisa
In a message dated 3/19/02 9:26:44 PM, Anonymous writes:
MALAGA, Spain -- The discovery of at least 19 human remains -- some dead for a decade -- in the home and car of a former funeral parlor employee could shed new light on thousands of cases of cremation fraud in Spain, authorities said Tuesday.
Police found the remains Monday after the 40-year-old suspect, who worked until last year as a driver for a local funeral home, was stopped at a random road check in the town of Ardales, 250 miles south of Madrid.
Six skulls and a number of bones were packed inside industrial-size garbage bags in the trunk, and the suspect was apparently on his way to get rid of them, said spokesman Bernardo Molto of Spain's Civil Guard police force.
Investigators went to the suspect's home and found the remains of at least 13 more bodies in garbage bags on an outdoor patio.
According to preliminary investigations, the remains had been in his possession for at least four years, Molto said.
The suspect, a resident of Malaga in southern Spain, was identified only by his initials, F.E.B. He was to be arraigned on charges of illegal interment, police said.
Malaga's chief prosecutor, Manuel Villen, said the discovery could provide new evidence in the trial of seven defendants, including the manager and an employee of a public cemetery, accused of fraud in 3,000 cremation cases in Malaga province.
The case came to light in 1997 after police discovered the remains of about 50 people in one of the defendants' homes.
Hearings in the case had ended, and a ruling had been expected in the next few months.
"But if a link is proved, the court that conducted the trial would have to hold new hearings," Villen told the national news agency, Efe.
Molto said police believe the two cases are related because until a few months ago, the suspect detained on Monday worked for Funesur, a funeral parlor that had been investigated as part of the trial.
The Malaga case resembled the ghastly discovery in the United States earlier this year of hundreds of bodies stacked in pits, caskets and aboveground vaults of a family crematory business in Noble, Ga.
In Malaga, authorities believe the motive was profit. Prosecutors said the bereaved were given ashes of random people after cremations that were charged at about one-seventh the going rate.
In addition to jail sentences for the defendants, the prosecution has demanded $1.76 million in compensation for the families, according to Efe.
In a message dated 3/19/02 7:55:46 AM, Walter in Tennessee writes:
FOXNews.comhttp://foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,48163,00.html
Man Suspected of Flying While Dead
Monday, March 18, 2002
DES MOINES, Iowa &emdash; Authorities were trying to determine whether an 80-year-old man died on an America West Express flight or was already dead when he was wheeled on board.
James Walsh was pronounced dead Saturday after arriving at Des Moines International Airport on the flight from Phoenix. He had a history of heart and kidney-related problems.
A report by the Polk County medical examiner's office said members of the flight crew reported that he looked "kind of stiff" and didn't move during the trip.
The report also said Walsh's daughter-in-law told investigators his fingertips were turning purple and she couldn't find his pulse, but when a flight attendant checked on Walsh the daughter-in-law told her he was "just sedated, sleeping and had a pulse."
After they landed at Des Moines, Walsh's son, Mark Walsh of Green Valley, Ariz., wheeled his father into the terminal and was met by his sister, a registered nurse. The sister said he was dead at that time, and he was later declared dead at a hospital.
The medical examiner's office report said Mark Walsh told investigators he was "pretty much convinced he died in the airport terminal in Phoenix."
There was no immediate explanation why Mark Walsh took his father onto the plane if he suspected the man had died. There was no comment from Mark Walsh on Monday; he has no listed phone number in Green Valley.
Phoenix-based America West Express was satisfied that Walsh, who lived in Des Moines, was alive when he boarded, spokeswoman Patty Nowack said Sunday.
"We never would have allowed a passenger who had passed away to board an aircraft," she said.
Walsh was seated next to his son and daughter-in-law on the Boeing 737 with about 100 passengers on board, Nowack said. She said she had not heard any passenger complaints about the flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating. Spokesman Tony Molinaro in Chicago said pilots ordinarily would decide whether to land if a patient dies during a flight.
Both the Des Moines and Phoenix police departments said they did not plan to investigate.
Walsh had been staying with his son and daughter-in-law near Phoenix for the winter and was receiving medical treatment, the medical examiner's report said. His family was bringing him back to Des Moines on a doctor's advice.
Under Iowa law, anyone other than a funeral director who transports a body between states would need a burial-transit permit from a county registrar or funeral director, said Carol Fleagle, executive director of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association.
MORE
<< Aviation officials say the airline didn't break any rules by letting the elderly man board. >>
In a message dated 3/22/02 8:25:46 PM, Kevin in Nebraska sends us:
By JOHN McCORMICK
Register Staff Writer
03/19/2002Federal aviation officials said Monday they don't anticipate taking any action against an airline in the case of an elderly passenger found dead on arrival at the Des Moines airport.Regulators and America West Airlines said passengers may legally board a plane without being conscious, as was apparently the case for James Walsh.Flight crew members told authorities that Walsh, 80, was "kind of stiff" when his nonstop flight from Phoenix arrived Saturday afternoon. They also said Walsh hadn't moved during the 140-minute flight and, at times, saliva had dripped from his mouth.Whether Walsh was alive when his wheelchair was pushed onto the plane remains unclear.An airline spokeswoman said Walsh was breathing when he was lifted into a seat between his son and daughter-in-law, although his son told investigators he was "pretty much convinced" his father died at the airport terminal in Phoenix.Mark Walsh, the son, couldn't be reached for comment Monday.James Walsh, a former Des Moines firefighter with a history of heart and kidney problems, had spent the winter months with his son and daughter-in-law at their Arizona home.Federal Aviation Administration authorities plan to talk with the airline about the incident but expect no formal action. "It's more of an internal review than an investigation," said Elizabeth Isham Cory, an FAA spokeswoman. "We don't foresee that there were any violations of the regulations."Isham Cory said health codes require a passenger to be alive, but federal rules do not require passengers to be conscious."It is not a regulatory issue, but it is an airline issue," she said. "The airlines want people to be alert, who are able to evacuate the plane."Patty Nowack, a spokeswoman for Phoenix-based America West, said the airline does not require its passengers to be conscious when they board a plane."We do not have a policy that addresses that specifically," she said. "Our concerns were satisfied by our conversation with the family."Walsh's condition had deteriorated recently, according to a medical examiner's report, and relatives were instructed to fly him to Iowa for direct admission to a Des Moines hospital.A medical examiner's report recounted that Walsh was "a bit loud" when he arrived at the ticket counter with his son. The son told authorities that Walsh later "just kind of slumped over in his wheelchair and got real quiet" before boarding the plane.Shortly after the plane took off, the daughter-in-law noticed Walsh's fingertips were "turning purple" and couldn't find his pulse. The report says she told a flight attendant that Walsh was "just sedated, sleeping and had a pulse."America West officials said they were convinced Walsh was alive while about 100 passengers boarded - otherwise they wouldn't have allowed the Boeing 737 to depart."Our employee is the one who lifted him and put him in the seat, and she felt him breathing," said Nowack, the America West spokeswoman.Walsh was lifted back into a wheelchair when he arrived in Des Moines and was wheeled through the terminal. A relative who is a nurse was there to meet him.The medical examiner's report says the nurse checked for a pulse, called Mercy Medical Center and was told to call an ambulance.She reportedly responded that calling an ambulance "would make too much of a scene," and the family drove to the hospital, where Walsh was pronounced dead and in full rigor mortis. Cardiovascular disease and kidney failure are the probable cause of death.Arizona's large snowbird population makes the shipment of bodies to other states common, although they are typically shipped in coffins in aircraft cargo holds.Arizona ships out about 3,500 bodies a year - roughly 10 per day - for burials elsewhere, according to Rudy Thomas, executive director of the Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers."There are a high number of shipments here because there are so many people retired here," Thomas said.Arizona law requires bodies to be embalmed before leaving the state. A transport permit also must be issued.Marlo Hardy, a funeral director in Scottsdale, said it typically costs about $1,600 to ship a body to another state. The fee covers embalming, local transportation, packing and air transport. "It's a sizable portion of our business," Hardy said.
In a message dated 3/19/02 7:49:36 AM, Walter in Tennessee writes:
A legal scholar says it's too early to tell when lawsuits filed against Tri-State Crematory and area funeral homes will go to trial, or if they will go to trial at all.
"We probably, in terms of the predicting of private lawsuits, need to see how the criminal side plays out," said Ron Carlson, a professor of law at the University of Georgia. "There are a number of shoes to fall here before we get to the nitty-gritty of the civil cases."
Since the first discovery of bodies at the Tri-State site in Noble, Ga., on Feb. 15, more than 20 lawsuits have been filed in various county, state and federal courts in Tennessee and Georgia. The lawsuits name a variety of defendants, including members of the Marsh family; Tri-State Crematory; funeral homes that sent bodies to Tri-State; and their holding companies. Many of the lawsuits ask for class-action status.
Crematory operator Brent Marsh is charged in Walker County, Ga., with 204 counts of theft by deception, while his parents, Ray and Clara Marsh, and his sister, Rhames Lashea Marsh, each face a single charge of making false statements on a death certificate.
Brent Marsh also is charged in Bradley County, Tenn., with six counts of abuse of a corpse, but Georgia officials asked District Attorney Jerry Estes last week to wait 30 days before presenting the charges to the grand jury. Meanwhile, authorities have launched an investigation into whether Mr. Marsh violated Tennessee law in Hamilton County.
David Randolph Smith, a Nashville attorney who has filed lawsuits in Bradley and Hamilton counties, said a determination will need to be made over which courts will hear the cases.
"The worst thing that can happen is to have attorneys fighting over money over dead bodies," Mr. Smith said. "The case could take years. We're hopeful that it won't. A lot of it depends on judicial economy on how this is brought together."
Warren Coppedge, a Dalton, Ga., attorney who has filed a lawsuit in Walker County, said he also believes the cases will be consolidated, although it is too early to say how it will be done.
"I think it will shake out," Mr. Coppedge said. "I think it's not good for anybody for there to be an unseemly tussle for who is going to bring a case and when."
Professor Carlson said it appears the Marshes have some financial holdings, but funeral homes and their holding companies have deeper pockets because of insurance policies they typically carry. He said courts will have to determine what level of diligence individual funeral homes had in the case.
"It will be a challenge to legal systems in both states, for jurists to sort out what the legal standards are and to put some sort of reasonable order to the lawsuits," Professor Carlson said.
Some of the lawsuits specify damage amounts, but it will up to juries to specify awards, should the cases go to trial and the plaintiffs prevail.
Bob Batson, executive director of the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association, said it's unclear how this will affect the amount of insurance coverage a funeral home has.
"This is untested waters," he said. "Just how much is enough?"
Mr. Batson said courts will have to determine if funeral homes acted improperly, but he doesn't believe they did.
"There was no intent whatsoever," he said.
E-mail Kimberly Greuter at kgreuter@timesfreepress.com
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In a message dated 3/15/02 8:57:57 AM, Bill in New York Sends us:
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Funeral homes across the country have begun to offer clients a chance to store the DNA of deceased loved ones, a service providers say could help prevent disease in their descendants.
The DNA could help future generations determine whether they are genetically predisposed to conditions such as breast or colon cancer.
The genetic material could also be used in gene therapy, a process by which doctors would replace an existing, deficient gene in a living person with a better gene, said Bernard Naegele, president of Cincinnati-based DNA Analysis Inc.
"In another 10 to 15 years, gene therapy will be a household word," he said.
When a family requests the service, the D'Esopo Funeral Home in Connecticut collects DNA samples from the deceased -- an oral swab, blood and hair strands -- and sends them to DNA Analysis. The collection is free, but a family must pay $100 to have the genetic samples stored for up to 25 years.
For $350, DNA Analysis can produce a genetic profile from a sample, making it possible to run diagnostic tests. The testing itself can get pricey -- a breast or colon cancer test costs about $3,000.
Naegele concedes that the DNA could possibly be used to clone relatives in the future, but is adamant that he does not advocate cloning.
"I have several families that have stored DNA with that in mind," Naegele said. "I'm only the keeper of the product."
D'Esopo does not mention cloning when talking about DNA storage to clients, said Janet Klett, director of community service for the funeral home, which has locations in Wethersfield and East Hartford.
"It's offered to them with the understanding that ... in the future they could contact the laboratory to do some diagnostic testing," Klett said.
About a dozen families have stored DNA at the laboratory through D'Esopo since the home began offering the service three months ago, Klett said.
Naegele started collecting DNA from funeral homes over a decade ago, and several hundred now use the service, he said. Lab director Thelma Villanueva said the company has stored at least 1,000 samples in the last three years.
Although DNA Analysis has been open for business since 1989, DNA collection is only starting to catch on among funeral home directors, said Lisa Carlson, executive director of the Vermont-based Funeral Consumers Alliance.
"I haven't heard consumers talk about it at all," Carlson said.
But funeral home directors are discussing the matter, and D'Esopo also is considering collecting samples from the living.
Many police departments already offer fingerprinting services for children so that parents have identification on record should the unthinkable happen.
"We thought with this new technology, maybe the DNA would be a better profile for children," Klett said.
The idea is still in the discussion stages, she said.
In a message dated 3/13/02 5:00:40 PM, Rick in Ohio sends us:
In a message dated 3/13/02 7:47:16 PM, Mike in Oklahoma writes: FD Indy Driver
In a message dated 3/13/02 12:11:46 PM, Monty in South Carolina writes:
Norton Funeral Home of Cheraw celebrates its 112th anniversary. "A tradition of caring since 1890"
The Norton Funeral Home of Cheraw, SC recently celebrated its 112th anniversary.
Founded in January 1890, the funeral home was formerly known as the Stubbs-Redfearn Funeral Home.
The funeral home is the oldest continuously operating family owned business in Cheraw, SC. Current owner, Craig Norton, has had control of the business since his purchasing the funeral home in 1986. The firm was founded on a premise of providing service with care and compassion and still operates under those guiding principles. The staff of Norton Funeral Home of Cheraw can fulfill any family's needs with great care, respect and true Southern graciousness.
Located at 417 Third Street, Cheraw, SC, the elegant facility is in the Cheraw Historic District. Cheraw is affectionately known as "the prettiest town in Dixie," being home to many tree-lined streets and historic homes, but is most well known for being the hometown of jazz great "Dizzy" Gillespie. Cheraw was incorporated in 1820 according to the design of Eli Kershaw.
Owner Craig Norton pesonally oversees the day to day operations of the funeral home. He is a native of Cheraw, SC, a graduate of the Cincinnati Institute of Mortuary Science, andholds funeral service licenses in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
In the age of corporately owned funeral establishments, Norton Funeral Home of Cheraw proudly holds to its values by remaining independent and family owned. A full history of the funeral home (with photos) may be viewed on the newly established website: www.nortonfuneralofcheraw.com. For further information, the funeral home may be contacted via email at: nfh417@bellsouth.net.
In a message dated 3/13/02 11:33:43 AM, Mike in Massachusetts writes:
Funeral director helps at World Trade Center: Wayne Brasco retells harrowing experience for bereaved
By DeAnna Putnam
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
WALTHAM - Funeral director Wayne Brasco Sr. arrived home this weekend to take a much-needed break after helping identify the remains of World Trade Center attack victims.Brasco, 54, whose father also was a funeral director, runs the 59-year-old Brasco & Son Funeral Home with his own three sons.He spent the past two weeks assigned to the fatality team at the lower Manhattan Chief Medical Examiners office, helping relatives track down the remains of their loved ones. He worked directly under Shiya Ribowsky, deputy director of investigations, who is in charge of the recovery and release of victim remains from both the World Trade Center attack and the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, which went down in November in a Queens neighborhood."I've decided I have no fear of flying," Brasco said. "I have a tremendous fear of crashing - after you've seen all this."Brasco's understanding of the scope of the tragedy hit him on a deeper level as soon as he started having to go through individual victim's files, he said."You're going through them and you see the pictures families had brought," he said. "There's this beautiful girl blowing out her birthday cake. Or, a couple on a cruise."Brasco intends to keep in touch with some he interacted with, especially the New Jersey couple who brought in the birthday photo of their daughter."They called and asked if she was alone, was she with people, if she was frightened - questions I can't answer," he said.The couple's daughter, who worked for the FBI office at the World Trade Center, used to call her parents every day at 5 p.m., telling them how great it was to live in New York City, he said."They just can't accept the fact she's just gone," he said. "They'd ask, can you look in the file again? Was she burned and disfigured? Was she inside or outside the building? The father would say, 'I just can't accept this. I have to know more.' "The situation with Flight 587, however, is the exact opposite. Finding relatives willing to come forward to help identify their loved ones is not easy, he said.Many relatives of those on the flight likely are illegal aliens and are afraid to come to the authorities, even though the government has offered to give them amnesty so they can identify their relatives and grieve, Brasco said.The medical examiner's office is dealing with 15,000 human fragments, which they are trying to identify by DNA samples taken from toothbrushes, hairbrushes, or any personal effects relatives can find that may have traces of skin, hair or human cells, according to Brasco.Of the 2,830 estimated killed in the World Trade Center attack, only 275 bodies have been recovered fully intact enough to be identified straight out; 754 partial remains have been retrieved intact enough to be identified. Out of those numbers, 695 deceased have been released into the care of friends or relatives, he said."We would tell them we had a match with DNA and would release that portion of the remains with a funeral director," he said. "Then five weeks later they'd retrieve a limb or a hand, and you'd have to contact them again and tell them more had been found."Of 343 fireman killed, 147 have been identified, and 10 out of 20 deceased police officers have been identified. Seventeen Port Authority officers and three Emergency Medical Service personal also have been identified, he said.Brasco doesn't expect the medical examiner's task to be complete until at least August."Some people are never going to get any remains at all," Brasco said, "and they call daily - hoping, wishing, heartbroken - and they just keep calling and asking, did we find anything?"Detectives also have been assigned to the medical examiner's office to prevent fraud. Some have falsely claimed a relative or significant other was at the World Trade Center so they can collect money from charities.So many people will go unrecovered, fraud likely will be rampant, and that's one of the reasons the government is so intent on DNA testing, he said."In this field of work," Brasco said, "you can keep your sanity because traumatic or violent deaths don't happen every day in large numbers, and you allow yourself to recharge."But in this carnage it was just so massive and vast, and you think of the numbers...I'm willing to go down again, but I'm glad to be home. Two weeks was enough for me to need to come home and recharge my emotional batteries."
In a message dated 3/13/02 10:25:28 AM, Ralph in New York writes:
For immediate release
Contact Person: Mary Rizzo
Thanos Institute
1-800-742-8257
Buffalo, NY: Dr. Ralph L. Klicker, president and founder of Thanos Institute announced the publication of his latest textbook Restorative Art and Science. This book is directed at mortuary science students and was written following the curriculum outline in restorative art required by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
The need for this new textbook was determined after Dr. Klicker surveyed all the mortuary science schools and programs on what new textbooks were needed for students. Ninety percent of the respondents listed restorative art as the subject area most needed. The instructors also required that the book be in color to more easily facilitate the teaching of color theory and cosmetology. Klicker's book is in color.
This book covers all the aspects of restorative art by contains chapters on psysiognomy including bones and muscles of the head and face, facial markings and proportions; modeling facial features; 16 chapters on general restorative treatments such as discoloration, burns, swelling, and hair preparation; cosmetics, cosmetology and color theory; and funeral home lighting.
Information on the book can be obtained by contacting Thanos Institute, PO Box 1928, Buffalo, New York 14231 or call 1-800-742-8257.
In a message dated 3/11/02 11:42:43 AM, DennisCMcGeeJr@aol.com writes:
"Flower Power" Developing Positive Community Relations
Almost every funeral experience across this country has "Flower Power," yet; most funeral experience directors are unaware of the positive relationships that flowers can foster. At the conclusion of each funeral experience flowers are most often discarded thoughtlessly, once out of sight they are out of mind. In Riverside, New Jersey the Sweeney Funeral Home along with the Resources for Independent Living have partnered and developed the "Flower Power" program.
As most funeral homes routinely do; we receive flowers the day or so before the funeral experience, position them around the casket for the period of the visitation and often the funeral, transport them to the cemetery and leave them there once the funeral experience has concluded. We found that most families would take select pieces home, usually the fragile ones, but would leave several baskets to simply spoil. On occasion a family would request that we deliver the flowers to an alternative location rather than leaving them on the grave. One of those locations that we would deliver flowers to would most often be the Crossing of Riverside. The Crossing of Riverside is a senior citizens studio apartment community that was remodeled out of the former Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital that closed in 1996. Although the "Crossing" was happy to receive the left over flowers little was actually done with them. One or two employees of the "Crossing" would do what they can to distribute them to the residents; however, it turned out to be an exercise in futility.
Also housed in the former hospital is an organization called Resources for Independent Living (RIL). This is an organization that works with citizens with disabilities and provides training and occupational rehabilitation. In February of 2002, Executive Director Pamela Reid and Director of Volunteers Kathy English invited Maryanne Sweeney, Owner and Dennis C. McGee, Jr., Funeral Director at the Sweeney Funeral Home to tour their facilities and introduce and idea that they would like to partner with the funeral home, "Flower Power." The program is designed around the donation of flowers as well as any tools and supplies needed for floral arranging in order to be used to train citizens with disabilities the art of floral arrangement. "This program is not designed to compete with local floral businesses, but to help train disabled citizens for potential job placement and give to the community." Said Kathy English, Director of volunteers. All of the floral arrangements will be used to decorate the remodeled halls of the former Zurbrugg Hospital and other important places in Riverside such as the town hall and post office. RIL would also like to reach the possibility of donating arrangements to other assisted living and nursing home establishments that do not have the resources to implement these kinds of programs.
Most funeral homes across the country are small business operations, public corporations or otherwise, and community involvement is vital to the success of our businesses. These kinds of programs show the families that we serve that we genuinely care about the citizens of the communities in which we live and serve. The Sweeney Funeral Home is independently owned and operated by the Sweeney family and has been a proud member of the Riverside, NJ community for the past 34 years.
By:
Dennis C. McGee, Jr.
Funeral Director
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U.S. News & World Report Assails Cemeteries; ICFA Responds
FTC Clears Administrative Hurdles for National Don't Call List
ICFA NEWS
ICFA Expands Web Site to Meet Needs of Increased Visitors
ICFA Announces Winners of 2001 KIP Awards
ICFA Convention to Cover Cremation Scandal Lessons
March Product of the Month: Naked Sales I Videotapes
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INDUSTRY NEWS
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U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT ASSAILS CEMETERIES; ICFA RESPONDS
The current issue of U.S. News & World Report (March 11) contains an
article titled "Burial Plots: Cemetery Abuses Mean Your Loved Ones May
Not be Resting Where You Think." Claiming that "abuse of the dead is
nowhere near as rare" as the Georgia cremation case suggests, the story
alleges that a national scandal exists and "Authorities say there is no
way to even guess how many bodies may be misburied or otherwise
mistreated...." The article can be viewed at
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/020311/usnews/11cemeteries.htm.
In response, the ICFA immediately dispatched a letter to the editor,
which states in part, "It is with regret we note that 'Yellow
Journalism' is alive and well in the pages of your publication. The
article...juxtaposes some highly anecdotal accounts with some general
comments by state regulators and - presto - a national scandal is
fabricated." Pointing out that the ICFA has been in the vanguard of
pro-active industry regulation through its Model Guidelines for State
Laws and Regulations, the letter concludes, "The difference between our
respective publications is that ours advocates solutions, yours promotes
fear-mongering. Your readers deserve better than that." The full text of
the ICFA letter can be viewed at http://www.icfa.org/usnwr_letter.htm.
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FTC CLEARS ADMINISTRATIVE HURDLES FOR NATIONAL DON'T CALL LIST
Although interested parties have until the end of the month to comment
on the Federal Trade Commission's proposed national "Do Not Call"
registry in its Telemarketing Sales Rule, FTC has begun the process of
meeting the necessary compliance provisions of the Privacy Act to
implement the registry. Last week, FTC announced its planned registry
system, including the potential for consumers to specify the types of
telemarketing calls they may be willing to receive.
According to the FTC Notice, the names and telephone numbers on the
proposed registry would be non-public, per the requirements of the
Privacy Act, yet this information would be disclosed to telemarketers
for purposes of updating their "Don't Call" lists. Plans call for the
registry to be automated, and FTC is seeking comments on "the potential
costs of such methods for the government, telemarketers, and the
public." Procedurally, FTC must complete its review of the Telemarketing
Sales Rule prior to implementing any amendments. More information can
be viewed on the FTC Web site at http://www.ftc.gov by following the
prompts on the "Consumer Protection" icon.
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ICFA NEWS
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ICFA EXPANDS WEB SITE TO MEET NEEDS OF INCREASED VISITORS
The ICFA has expanded its Web site, adding new information for industry
members and consumers, in reponse to an increase in traffic in recent
months. In October 2001, the site had 62,000 hits and 5,100 visitors. In
February 2002, those numbers increased to more than 105,000 hits and
8,700 visitors, a 60 percent jump. What's more, the Directory of
Providers saw an increase from 250 to more than 2,900 hits per month
during that time, meaning many more people are using the site to locate
ICFA member companies.
Added sections include news from state and regional associations, new
supplier products, ICFA Model Guidelines, an "ICFA News" page, and
information on the ICFA Service Bureau and the Cemetery Consumer Service
Council. Check out the changes at http://www.icfa.org.
The ICFA welcomes your feedback on the site. Please send comments and
suggestions to: mailto:wireless@icfa.org.
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ICFA ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2001 KIP AWARDS
The ICFA has announced the winners of its 2001 KIP (Keeping It Personal)
Awards, recognizing the best in personalization in the cemetery and
funeral industry. Created by the ICFA Personalization Committee, the KIP
program honors recipients in four categories: Special Events Over
$1,000; Special Events Under $1,000; Magic Moments; and Products that
Personalize.
This year's contest drew 50 entries from across the United States and
abroad. Judging was completed by a panel of six non-industry marketing
professionals. The ICFA congratulates this year's winners and all who
entered. Winners are as follows:
Special Events Over $1,000 -- First Place and Grand Prize Winner --
Fernando Aguilar and Francisco Valencia, Cementerio Los Parques,
Guatemala.
Special Events Under $1,000 -- First Place -- John R. Herzig, CFSP,
Toland-Herzig Funeral Homes, Dover, Ohio.
Magic Moments -- First Place -- Slivy Edmonds Cotton, Perpetua
Holding/Wade Funeral Home and Florist, St. Louis, Missouri.
Products That Personalize -- First Place -- Mike Johnson,
Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Seattle, Washington.
For descriptions of the winning entries, a listing of Honorable Mention
recipients and additional information on the KIP Awards Program, visit
http://www.icfa.org/kip.htm.
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ICFA ANNUAL CONVENTION TO COVER CREMATION SCANDAL LESSONS
The ICFA 2002 Convention & Exposition will include a timely discussion
on how your cemetery or funeral home can handle the increased scrutiny
being placed on the industry following the Georgia cremation scandal. As
part of the Saturday morning Legal and Legislative General Session, a
panel of industry members will discuss the various procedures, both
legal and public relations, that members should establish in their
businesses.
To be held April 24-27 in Orlando, Florida, the Convention will feature
three days of "no fluff" educational programming as well as an extensive
exhibit hall featuring 180 supplier booths. The hotel cutoff and early
discount registration date is March 20. Members who register by this
date can save $50 off the full registration fee. Hotel reservations can
be made on a space-available basis after March 20.
The Convention program and registration forms are available at
http://www.icfa.org/AC02.htm or by calling 1-800-645-7700.
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MARCH PRODUCT OF THE MONTH: NAKED SALES I VIDEOTAPES
For the month of March, ICFA is offering savings on its Naked Sales
Videotapes. With more than 10 hours of educational programming, this set
of seven tapes was developed at Naked Sales I, the 1999 ICFA Sales
Management and Marketing Conference. They feature a succession of short,
focused presentations by an assortment of speakers, and, as an added
value, many include free handouts such as how-to instructions, ancillary
information, sample scripts and promotional materials.
Professionally produced and designed specifically for preneed sales
managers, the tapes will be offered during the month of March for half
the regular member price. Titles include: Recruiting; Training,
Motivation and Sales Meetings; Lead Generation and Tracking; Memorials;
Preneed Insurance and Trust Investment Options; Cremation; and Product,
Merchandising and Marketplace Positioning. The videos can be purchased
individually or as a set.
For pricing and additional information, visit
http://www.icfa.org/march.htm or call the ICFA at 1-800-645-7700.
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AND MORE É
The ICFA and preneed sales and marketing expert Gary O'Sullivan, CCE,
are teaming up in 2002 to offer a highly economical one-day seminar for
sales counselors in cities throughout the United States. "Selling Skills
to Increase Your Selling Power" will be held in Nashville, Tennessee;
Oakland, California; Del Mar, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; and
McLean, Virginia. For a description of the seminar and the exact
locations and dates, visit http://www.icfa.org/osullivan02.htm or call
1-800-645-7700.
The ICFA has spearheaded the Music License Coalition to obtain
discounted music licensing for industry members. The goal of the
Coalition is to offer a discount price of $185 annually for licensing
from BMI, ASCAP and SESAC beginning January 1, 2003. Membership in the
Coalition is free and is not tied to membership in any other industry
organization. For more information or to join the Coalition, visit
http://www.icfa.org/music/ or call 1-800-645-7700.
The ICFA News Page offers a timely collection of interesting and useful
news items related to the cemetery and funeral industry, small business
and current events. Located at http://www.icfa.org/newspage.htm , the
News Page compiles articles from around the world and is updated
regularly.
The ICFA uses a national media placement agency to distribute an ongoing
series of newspaper articles and radio announcements with positive
preneed and memorialization messages. Placements to date have been
highly successful, reaching hundreds of markets throughout the country.
For more information and to view copies of the actual releases, visit
http://www.icfa.org/media.htm .
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 .
The ICFA has published its 2001-2002 Buyer's Guide and Membership
Directory, an invaluable industry resource offering complete listings of
ICFA member cemeteries, funeral homes and allied members; industry
suppliers; international, national, regional and state associations;
state funeral boards and cemetery regulators; individuals working in the
industry; and more. A must for all key staff, copies are available for
purchase at a member price of just $25. For information or to order,
ca