Abbott & Hast Publications - This Month's Issue of Mortuary Management

Cover photo of Golden Popies growing in beach sand near Big Sur, California, by Allan Abbott

June 2009

The Season of Death
Editorial by Ron Hast
Not much has been said or written about the season of death. Regardless of how it is described or deliberated, it is a major factor as death care providers and grieving survivors interact during the course of this event. And we must clearly recognize that in the minds of those we serve, the person who has died is still very much a “person,” certainly not the body or corpse — it is not our business to impose or emphasize the fact that death has occurred. Their thoughts go beyond mere details of the body — loneliness and their children and loved ones who have passed. And their own future.

Our service to those whom we are privileged to serve should be a choice experience, not a sales experience. Thoughtfulness and compassion — as well as facilities — to meet needs and comfort, are paramount.
Colleague Wisdom:
This month’s question: What unique facilities and services do you offer that obviously attract families to your care
Just Conversation
Ron Hast
Service Corporation International (SCI) is again in the news because of alleged claims of conduct at the National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia — conduct far beyond and below the standards of care expected by the public and death care and funeral service practices. Known to employees as “central” to many SCI-owned funeral homes in the region, facilities such as this are not uncommon in many clustered firms throughout the country. Economies of scale for processing, embalming, management and convenience seem to be the choice of not only SCI, but others that centralize preparation and shelter of decedents in their care until arrangements are complete and instructions are provided regarding services. Then there is Robert “Bob” Waltrip, founder and chief of the largest chain of funeral homes in the world. While he had a clear intention to broaden his holdings nationwide and beyond, he claimed that a very important part of his goal was to honor and build upon the reputations of the names of his acquired firms — and their reputation and following within a community. The sensitivity of his personal attitude about death care is now lost and forgotten. His passionate support of the values many families built, lived and worked in their personally named establishments is now at risk. The SCI team should have a chat with Waltrip and revisit all the basic goodness and propriety funeral service is all about.

The 15-year-old son offered to wash the family’s still-new car, but the dad soon discovered the boy had scrubbed the driver’s side and hood with a scrubby pad. Realizing his son had not been given instructions or expense to resolve the problem, the father wrote in to the “Car Guys,” a national radio show seeking a solution. Short of the major expense of repainting the entire driver’s side and hood of the car, their recommendation was to just live with the problem and learn a lesson from it. There is a lesson here — funeral providers find themselves wanting to utilize their help for menial chores from time to time, and whether it’s washing vehicles or how to properly use a one-attendant cot, proper instructions are a necessity.
Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance
By Douglas O. Meyer
The Americans with Disabilities Act is intended, in part, to make businesses more accessible to the disabled by requiring, for example, the removal of physical barriers, placement of signs and the widening of doors. Though the law took effect in 1992, however, many mortuaries are still not in compliance with the law. Meyer relates examples of what you can do to bring your facilities into compliance — not simply because it’s the right thing to do, but because there are individuals and law firms that actively look for and sue businesses not in compliance.
Optimize to an Even Higher Level
By Robin Heppell CFSP
In part 10 of this continuing series, Heppell describes more tips on how to raise your company’s ranking on the Internet, such as including pertinent keywords in your file name and creating XML Sitemaps.
Technology and Trends in the Funeral Industry
Louise Zweben
The Internet has changed the way we shop, rent movies, read the news, do research or even interact with friends — and as a result, the publishing, education, telecommunications and entertainment industries have transformed. The Net has affected our industry as well, and Zweben shows you how you can utilize the Net to best serve your business.
When the Good Times Roll…Backwards
Jerry Brown
In turbulent, chaotic and severely violent times such as 9/11, spiking crime rates, wars, national disasters and severe economic instability, people tend to turn “inward,” the theory goes, by embracing such concepts as patriotism, frugality and family. Though we are now in the throes of a struggling economy, our society will respond with basic common sense and the ideals born out of vision, tradition and commitment — and solutions will come clear. We are still a nation of faith, hope, loyalty and a positive outlook.
Funeral Monitor

News and comment on happenings relevant to the industry.

News You Did Not See In The Magazine!

Convention to Be Held (Scottsdale, Arizona)
The Arizona Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association will hold its annual convention May 28-30. Jim DeCastro, executive director of the Diocese of Tucson Catholic Cemeteries and Convention Chairman, said, “We are expecting a great turnout due to changing times and the challenges facing our industry. The meeting provides an opportunity to have a forum for all interested parties to come together in service.” For more information, call (480) 945-5440 or email w.wolfendenwn@juno.com.
University Seeks to Build Columbarium (Tallahassee, Florida )
A proposal in Florida’s legislature would grant exemptions to the state’s 11 public universities to build columbariums where ashes of alumni can be interred. To do so, however, a university would have to be licensed as a cemetery, and state law requires new cemeteries have a minimum of 30 acres, more than most universities have available. The idea to grant state schools an exemption is being pushed by the University of Florida, which said that a few times a year, people call about having their ashes spread on the school’s football field. The school has tried to honor those requests and knows alumni quietly scatter ashes on the campus’s lake or behind fraternity houses. Now the school wants to build a more permanent home. The University of Virginia opened a 180-vault columbarium in 1991 and another 180 spaces in 2004. Indiana’s Notre Dame opened a cemetery in 1843 and in 2007 added a columbarium with approximately 650 niches and 70 crypts.
Comedians Star in Funeral Film (Los Angeles, California)
Coming soon to theaters is Death at a Funeral, starring funny men Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock. The film is a remake of a 2007 Frank Oz film; it will be directed by Neil LaBute and will also star Danny Glover, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short, Loretta Devine, Ron Glass and Regina Hall.

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The Story Behind Our Cover Photos

During casual conversations with our readers, we are occasionally asked why the scenic covers of Mortuary Management have no relationship to funeral service. Publisher Ron Hast explains that our covers are purposely chosen to be supportive of the surroundings they are often found in. “I recall visiting funeral establishment lobbies over the years where trade magazines were visible. Covers often carried lines about embalming and other issues that could be disquieting to a bereaved family. We know that many receptionists and others read trade journals during visitation hours and covers are visible to others,” Ron says. Most readers concur. The picturesque scenes are also representative of the respect and enjoyment of nature by everyone at Abbott & Hast Publications and have been the compliment of many.
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