×‰?×B!Ü ×‘C’×˜š Íü ÍüÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://k0U4i1fl3YfTX99DapSWdpMeTO-P46tVmwyyj3W54TIÎ übÍ`ÍóÍ²×‰	Ú 7cassandra://kEOl-Vn40hCnQDz41ox2hEQ9Ys1H4YzBa8s50sAXPMEÍhzÍ`ÍsÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://RvoJ0vDHDx9pZ800l6Lxkoe2qalrPUON8QXjnDCmJ5MÍ'©Í`ÌÆÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://HNwtcZ6askVB-bCZrWY2AhdE2znST0UIlEzjBAwHv3sÎ uÌÎ ’xÍ Í]Íð×`kÙ<Dœh÷ø×˜š   ÍüÍ(u×ˆœ×   ‹±¢RA  ‘× ×`kÚ<Dœh÷ÿ Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×ˆE×`k×<Dœh÷º×‰EÚ éSpring 2021 | Volume 26 | Issue 2
Industry Research:
COVID-19
Impacts on
Mental
Health
P.8
P.6
Golden Circle Celebration
P.12 â€˜Tribal Marketingâ€™ for Veterans
P.24 Tell Your Funeral Homeâ€™s Story1
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
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ºÍð×`kÚ<Dœh÷ ”× ×`kÙ<Dœh÷û <Íq9 ×‰SG
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××ÒÔÔÔrÒïïïÌ× ×`kÙ<Dœh÷þ <ÍV+9 ×‰S
G
××ÒÔÔÔrÒïïïÌ× ×`kÚ<Dœh÷ Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚdThe IndependentÂ® is a benefit of membership in the International Order
of the Golden Rule (OGR), a not-for-profit organization tax-exempt under
Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal ID No. 431828432.
Published quarterly, The IndependentÂ® is mailed the first month
of each new quarter. Non-member subscriptions (USD): One year: $40;
two years: $60; single copy: $11.50. Send address changes to OGR,
Attn: Mailing List, 3502 Woodview Trace, Ste. 300 Indianapolis, IN 46268.
â€” BOARD of DIRECTORS â€”
President
President-elect
Â©2021 International Order of the Golden Rule. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Founded in 1928, OGR is composed of independently owned and operated
funeral homes located throughout North America and overseas. Editorial
material and letters of opinion are invited. Published articles reflect the
opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the
Association. OGR reserves the right to edit all submitted materials and does
not assume responsibility for unsolicited materials. For author guidelines,
contact the editor, (800) 637-8030, or visit www.ogr.org.
Advertisers Index
Access Financial Group ..................................................................... 31
Chris Chigas, (800) 487-8220, ext. 8233
cc@afinancial.com | www.afinancial.com
Answering Service for Directors .......................................................... 37
Kevin Czachor, (800) 868-9950
sales@myasd.com | www.myasd.com
Cremation Consulting ......................................................................... 11
Andrew Loos, (816) 808-6828
andrew@cremationconsulting.com
The Dodge Company ........................................................................... 21
Timothy Collison, (800) 443-6343
tcollison@dodgeco.com | www.dodgeco.com
Express Funeral Funding ..................................................................... 42
John Goebel, (812) 949-9011
john@expff.com | www.expressfuneralfunding.com
The Foresight Companies ................................................................... 38
Catherine Belliveau, (602) 274-6464
catherine@f4sight.com | www.f4sight.com.com
INEX, Inc. .......................................................................................... 30
Mike Burnett, (888) 829-8362
mike@inexinc.com | www.inexinc.com
Matthews Auroraâ„¢ Funeral Solutions ................................................. 35
Marty Strohofer, (812) 926-5673
mstrohofer@matw.com | www.matw.com
Nomis Publications ............................................................................ 10
Peggy Rouzzo
peggy@nomispublications.com | www.nomispublications.com
Skyways Media .................................................................................. 27
Garry Wayne, (289) 290-4409
garry@skyways-media.com | www.skyways-media.com
Starmark Cremation Products ............................................................. 47
Arie Elder, (765) 966-7676
arie.elder@starmarkcp.com | www.starmarkcp.com
Thumbies .......................................................................................... 14
Jennifer Myers, (877) 848-6243
jmyers@doughertyenterprises.com | www.thumbies.com
2 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Secretary-Treasurer
Immediate Past President
Directors
Mary F. Steele
Evan J. Strong
Paul A. Hummel, III
Tom L. Hemmerle
Kim R. Hunter
Raffy S. Jose
Chris B. Miller
Peter A. Urban, Jr.
Jamie L. Wieting
â€” STAFF â€”
Executive Director/CEO
Member Resources Director
Education & Events Director
Communications Director
Meetings & Mem. Coord.
Communications Coord.
Member Services Coord.
Wendy King
Nancy Weil
Emilie Perkins, CAE, CMP
Evan Hoffmeyer
Alyssa Castille
Adeline Border
Krystal Flores
Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. The advertisement of any product or
service in The IndependentÂ® does not represent an endorsement of such product or service
by OGR. Call the communications department to reserve space or to request a rate card and
mechanical specifications. OGR does not accept ads that discriminate on the basis of race,
religion, national origin, age, gender, disability or any other federally protected class.
Publisher International Order of the Golden Rule
3502 Woodview Trace, Ste. 300
Indianapolis, IN 46268
phone: (800) 637-8030
fax: (512) 334-5514
email: info@ogr.org
website: www.ogr.org
The IndependentÂ® | Spring 2021 | Volume 26 | Issue 2
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://j1QCT8YxjZQo-Vn4LbZxno7PviRxGen5TIN1mbEko8IÍD}Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷À×‰EÚÙThe IndependentÂ®
| Spring 2021 | Volume 26 | Issue 2
Table of
Contents
4 |
Presidentâ€™s Message
5 | Membership Year Change
6 |
8 |
12 |
15 |
17 |
18 |
22 |
24 |
28
8
Between Good and Great
Conquering the Conversation
COVID-19 Lesson: Be Prepared!
YP Spotlight: Hannah Rathman
Tell Your Funeral Homeâ€™s Story
28 | Member Spotlight: Nelson Bros.
32 |
33 | Member News
36 |
39 |
40 |
43 |
44 |
Supplier News
Foundation Scholarship Recipients
Above & Beyond
In Memoriam
Staff Directory
45 | Milestone Anniversaries
46 |
48 |
The Dayâ€™s Not Over Yet
OGR Event Calendar
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
3
Referral Marketing: 10-minute Talks
Golden Circle Celebration
Shining a Light on Last Responders
Become the Go-to for Veterans
×`k×<Dœh÷Á×`k×<Dœh÷ÀÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://fIFfxlSxIvcU7-P31s-tmHlYCXaIgzKfVWNhN8xbESkÎ ‡JÍ` ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ddvkdFIsEdvzO2PYTVn_JZweEWrI2dDwn4ekvNRfkpEÎ 7¼Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0DkLv1drPfn6_mYKOJlG1VwyZOKuDURTFGOFw5rz_KYÍRhÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://WwuHHBXj_4VOllCDEgCpnTfxjamjCKAYImUzcmwpOuoÎ j Í Í
ºÍð×`kÚ<Dœh÷’× ×`kÚ<Dœh÷& Í=ÍHh9×H³mailto:info@ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kÚ<Dœh÷% Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ÷Looking to the Future, Learning from the Past
Presidentâ€™s Message
Presidentâ€™s Message
OGR is built on a strong
foundation of over 93
years serving the Independent
Funeral Home.
With a dedicated board,
outstanding
staff
and
members who are there to
support one another, we
are ready to write the next
chapter of OGRâ€™s story. We
have begun to implement
a three-year strategic plan
that was developed by the board, our staff and the leadership
at our management company Raybourn Group
International.
Designed to adapt and grow with the ever-changing
times, the plan addresses three key focus areas:
programming excellence, membership growth and
brand identity. With this in mind, our staff is evaluating
all the current products, services and educational
programs to ensure that they continue to meet
our current needs. They also are working together to
develop new ideas that will be created into valuable
member benefits to enhance each area of our strategic
plan. After reading more about our plan below, I invite
you to get involved in making OGR an even better
association.
Programming Excellence
In order to reach our goal of providing the industry
standard for innovation, our programming will offer
educational programs and events that are not only relevant
to independent funeral home professionals and
small business owners, but will push them to be the
best they can be as they grow over different phases of
their careers. As an international association, we will
also harness technology so our programs and events are
accessible to all for the betterment of the entire profession.
If you would like to have a voice in this, reach out
to Emilie Perkins, our talented education and events
director, at EPerkins@OGR.org about serving on our
Professional Development Committee.
4 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Membership Growth
OGRâ€™s membership team, consisting of Nancy Weil,
Alyssa Castille and Krystal Flores, have been tasked
with continuing to engage our current members all
while recruiting new funeral homes to join OGR. The
strategic plan recognizes that our association needs
to reflect the face of funeral service today, so we will
strive to reach out to a diverse group, based not only
in personal demographics, but also size and geographic
location of the funeral home. The more new voices we
bring in, the more we all benefit from their new ways of
doing things.
While strong programming may help us keep existing
members, people often donâ€™t join an association like ours
for its benefits - people join people. A prospective member
who hears from a trusted colleague about the value of
their membership is more likely to join than a prospect
who gets a marketing piece in their inbox or mailbox, no
matter how slick it is. I hope you will keep this in mind
when you are speaking with colleagues and share with
them the positive experience youâ€™ve had with OGR. Then
let Nancy know to mail them information about joining
by sending her an email at NWeil@OGR.org.
Brand Identity
Both programming excellence and membership growth
& retention - and the entirety of our strategic plan, for
that matter - come down to one question: Who will
OGR be in its second century of existence? Weâ€™ll hit that
grand milestone later this decade, but we shouldnâ€™t wait
for it to arrive to assess where we are and who we want
to be. Our aim is to be considered an industry mark of
excellence both within our professional community, as
well as by the consumer. The OGR Ethical Standards
certificate that I place into every folder that leaves with
each family I serve reflects this commitment to the high
level of service that is the underpinning of the Golden
Rule. Reach out
to OGRâ€™s communications director
Evan Hoffmeyer at EHoffmeyer@OGR.org if you need
a copy of the certificate or any other OGR branding
resources.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0DkLv1drPfn6_mYKOJlG1VwyZOKuDURTFGOFw5rz_KYÍRhÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Â×‰EÚPresidentâ€™s Message
Presidentâ€™s Message
Excellence Amid the Unexpected
While the strategic plan has been a major focus of my
presidency, I have also been called upon to guide our
association through a global pandemic that would
change some of the most fundamental aspects of our
society both in terms of how we live and how we honor
those who die.
Luckily, as death care professionals we are no strangers
to handling the unexpected. It is something we face on
a regular basis, and our members have met the challenge
for our families with the highest levels of service
we all strive for every day. Four of NFDAâ€™s seven â€œBest
of the Bestâ€ funeral homes came from among our
ranks; American Funeral Directorâ€™s Funeral Director of
the Year was Geri Oliverie, who joined OGR the same
year she opened her first funeral home; and more than
1,000 funeral directors, embalmers and other employees
of Golden Rule Funeral Homes have worked tens of
thousands of hours to help the grieving amid their loss
- and I think every OGR member would agree that a
sincere â€œthank youâ€ from a family you have served well
in one of the most trying times of their lives is worth
more than any accolade.
We do still love taking time to honor the amazing work
you do, whether it was stepping up to provide outstanding
service or volunteering your time and reaching out
to your communities while navigating your companies
through a year we will never forget. Please set aside
an hour of your time and join me on April 29 for the
Golden Circle Celebration, this yearâ€™s virtual awards
ceremony. This event will also serve as our annual
meeting and the formal change of leadership to next
yearâ€™s board of directors, including Evan J. Strong as
your new president. Just flip the page in this magazine
to learn more.
I am privileged to have been your president this past
year and honored to have counted myself among this
esteemed associationâ€™s number for more than 20 years.
I look forward to the day we all meet again in person to
share stories and a warm embrace after so long apart.
Yours in service,
Mary Flynn Steele
OGR CHANGING ITS DUES SCHEDULE
OGR leadership has decided to change the association's
membership year to match the calendar year. We have
long operated on a July 1 - June 30 calendar, but starting
in 2022, that will become Jan. 1 - Dec. 31.
To make this transition happen, OGR has issued new
invoices
to cover
the six-month gap between our
current member year and the new calendar-year system
taking effect. In all, your OGR invoice history will look
like this:
â€¢ July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021: already paid
â€¢ July 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2021: new invoice issued in
November 2020, due no later than July 1, 2021
â€¢ Jan. 1, 2022 - Dec. 31, 2022: will be invoiced in
October 2021, due Jan. 1, 2022
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
5
MEMBERSHIP DUES LEVELS
ARE NOT CHANGING.
If you pay in installments, nothing will change; you will
continue paying the same amount on the same schedule
as you have been. Members whose dues are paid
annually will pay a one-time prorated invoice to match
the shorter time frame.
We know transitions like this aren't always easy, so
OGR's staff is standing by to help with any questions or
concerns you may have. Contact us at info@ogr.org or
(800) 637-8030 and we will be happy to help in any way
we can.
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ºÍð×`kÛ<Dœh÷'‘× ×`kÛ<Dœh÷) Ì»ÍÍûM9×H¸http://OGR.org/Celebrate××Ðˆ×‰EÚ’Golden
Circle
Celebration
An evening
to honor
the excellent
work done by
Golden Rule
Funeral Homes
This one-hour virtual event will include awards presentations, our annual
Service of Remembrance, a celebration of milestone anniversaries, the
OGR Foundationâ€™s scholarship awards, board of directors and officer
installations, and the annual business meeting.
OGR.org/Celebrate
April 29 at 8 p.m. EDT
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://rO_URpDMoOUbK9sh3hfmaJnGflduw2OQwZJmCfEwSEAÍKÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ä×‰EÚÞ2021 Award Finalists
LIGHT AWARD
Honoring Professional Excellence
CHARLES CASTIGLIA
Lakeside Memorial
Funeral Home
Hamburg, New York
GERI OLIVERIE
Oliverie Funeral Home
Manchester Township,
New Jersey
Golden Ruleule
Community Service Award
Brunswick Funeral Home
East Brunswick, New Jersey
Veterans Funeral Care
Clearwater, Florida
FAMILY CONTACT
Exemplary
ServiceAWARDS
Anderson Funeral & Cremation
Belvidere, Illinois
Askew-Houser Funeral Home
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
Brunswick Memorial Home
East Brunswick, New Jersey
Chambers & Grubbs
Independence, Kentucky
Freitag Funeral Home
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Harrod Brothers Funeral Home
Frankfort, Kentucky
Heafey-Hoffman-Dworak-Cutler
Omaha, Nebraska
Jakubs-Waite Funeral Home
Eastlake, Ohio
Kolssak Funeral Home, Ltd.
Wheeling, Illinois
Montgomery & Steward Funeral
Directors, Inc.
Pueblo, California
Owens Livingston Mortuary
Show Low, Arizona
Plummer Funeral Services
Litchfield, Illinois
Russell Colonial Funeral Home
Saint Clair, Missouri
R.W. Walker Funeral Home
Plattsburgh, New York
Schoppenhorst, Underwood &
Brooks Funeral Home, Inc.
Shepherdsville, Kentucky
Shaughnessey-Banks Funeral
Home, LLC
Fairfield, Connecticut
Singleton Funeral & Cremation
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Stewart Family Funeral Home
Tyler, Texas
Strunk Funeral Homes
Vero Beach, Florida
Thomas Funeral Home, PA
Cambridge, Maryland
Wenner Funeral Home
Cold Spring, Minnesota
Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home
Decatur, Indiana
MARY STRUNK
KOPCHAK
Strunk Funeral Homes
Vero Beach, Florida
×`k×<Dœh÷Å×`k×<Dœh÷ÄÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://m50TpqbJNw18hu89LqKleLLKiUqkATvcsqjoS_a0IfkÎ å²Í` ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hzlS0pxWMBIgvjLOEQcFEpgOZzEo5NcLBk_8Fj273VcÍá2Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://k0oghK52_O6MQEBJ1NF9qJt5kGlH5zyKB8yzq9nOMbgÍAuÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://FmD1YR4xU645Bgg1msWJZJ0zk_m6S0_kx86jWjIqLaAÍÅœÍ‚Í Í
ºÍð×`kÛ<Dœh÷*‘× ×`kÛ<Dœh÷/ Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚþMember Spotlight
Doctors, nurses, and other frontline health care workers
are deservedly hailed as heroes for their dedication
and courage in treating patients with COVID-19.
But behind the scenes, another set of professionals
is addressing the toll of the pandemic in an equally
important
but
dignity.
A new collaborative project led by the Prevention
Research Center (PRC) based in the University of Iowa
College of Public Health aims to shine a light on the
important contributions and extraordinary challenges
of these professionals.
â€œFatalities management workersâ€” funeral home practitioners,
medical examiners, pathologists, crematory
operators, morgue attendants, autopsy assistants,
and others in these fieldsâ€” have really become the
invisible face of COVID-19. Their stories, struggles,
dedication, work, and care have largely been ignored,â€
explains Rima Afifi, director of the PRC and professor
of community and behavioral health. â€œWeâ€™re partnering
8 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
unacknowledged way.
These
â€œlast
respondersâ€ are the workers who ensure that people
who die from the novel coronavirus are laid to rest with
with fatalities management workers to understand their
stressors, coping mechanisms, and their well-being in
relation to COVID-19.â€
The PRC is working with professional organizations
and associations to conduct a national survey of last
responders to better understand the consequences of
the pandemic on their mental and physical health. â€œTo
our knowledge, this is the first national survey of its
kind,â€ Afifi says. â€œWe think itâ€™s critically important to be
able to develop effective responses that support them in
their amazing work.â€
The research team is planning to follow up the survey
with in-depth interviews. â€œThis will enable us to
truly understand the lived experiences of fatalities
OGR members participated in the research this
article is based on, and Member Resources Director
Nancy Weil serves on their advisory board. Follow
their latest findings on our blog at OGR.org.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://k0oghK52_O6MQEBJ1NF9qJt5kGlH5zyKB8yzq9nOMbgÍAuÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Æ×‰EÚ›Shining a Light
on Last Responders
by Debra Venzke, University of Iowa
management workers during COVID-19 and to provide
space for them to share their storiesâ€”what happened,
what the challenges were, what made them despair or
gave them hope,â€ Afifi says.
Caretakers and Crises
The idea for the project originated with Peter Teahen,
a funeral director and funeral home owner in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. He reached out to the college with the
concern that the role and welfare of fatalities management
workers in the pandemic were being overlooked.
Teahenâ€™s training and background includes 31 years in
disaster services and mental health crisis management.
In 1989, he served as one of the coordinators of mortuary
affairs at the United Airlines Flight 232 crash site
in Sioux City. Since then, he has served in leadership
roles in more than 70 major disasters around the world,
including the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11 in New
York, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2010 earthquake in
Haiti. He has served as a national spokesperson for the
American Red Cross since 1999.
Although Teahen sees many similarities between the
pandemic and other crises, he notes that there are
a number of unique challenges and stressors with
COVID-19.
â€œOne of the more serious parts of this is the unknown,â€
Teahen says, referring to the still evolving understanding
of the virus. â€œCOVID doesnâ€™t die with the
patient. All the staff dealing with the deceased are just
as susceptible to getting COVID as if they were in the
hospital environment.â€
Just like first responders and frontline health care
workers, last responders are willing to take risks to care
for others in their professional role, Teahen says. â€œWe
also have to live with the nightmare that weâ€™re going to
bring COVID home to our families. Thereâ€™s never been
something of this global magnitude threatening and
killing the caregivers.â€
In fact, Teahen tested positive for COVID-19 in the
spring of 2020. â€œI believe it was because of one of
the cases I dealt with. Iâ€™ve handled multiple COVID
deaths,â€ he says. â€œI nagged my staff and my family about
all the safety precautions. And regardless of how safe
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
9
×`k×<Dœh÷Ç×`k×<Dœh÷ÆÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://DUA_uccg1fLHo1g0hlhIYveGdjDsUPZu9-He1s-eEK4Î 56Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ahddr0SKMMmFSk6ISoY3oX8ib_HCZirIP_F8XvGv-vYÍóÂÍ`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://FL5O6igwedj1bAZUNJ6Mg7rkCexzVuCyQBFBBNEy7ZYÍK™Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://3v2fC6hLR3f-vGbylbO82lT7-nRD7SWXHMu1eMBMU5MÎ m1Í;úÍ Í
ºÍð×`kÜ<Dœh÷0”× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷6 Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷5 Í-ÍÓÍl9×HÚ "http://www.CremationConsulting.com××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷4 ÍJÍ²ÍF9×HÚ "mailto:jim@cremationconsulting.com××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷3 Í-Í‘Íl9×HÚ $mailto:andrew@heartlandcremation.com××Ðˆ×‰EÚÇCOVID-19
we were and what we did to be safe, I still became a
COVID victim. And thatâ€™s what is frightening.â€
Managing Grief and Mental Health
Another stressor is how dramatically the pandemic has
altered the grieving process. â€œWeâ€™re not able to do the
things we normally do. In my role as funeral director,
weâ€™re used to having families gather together to celebrate
the personâ€™s life. Weâ€™ve had to tell people they canâ€™t
have a funeral. Weâ€™re trying to give comfort and care to
a family that is being torn apart from all their cultural
and traditional values of caring for the dead, and thatâ€™s
impactful.â€
The sheer number of deaths in some areas of the
country has overwhelmed funeral homes and related
services, causing workers exhaustion and distress.
This level of intense stress has both short- and long-term
impacts on mental health. â€œWe know from experience
of other disasters that dealing with increased anxiety,
separation from families, and all
the unknowns,
it
creates an increase in domestic abuse, substance abuse,
and divorce rates,â€ Teahen says. â€œA lot of times people
donâ€™t know how
to
Your Real Source.
Anywhere. Anytime.
cope
that stress.â€
The mental
health impact
of
a
disaster
doesnâ€™t go away
within weeks
or months.
â€œWhen we look
at
the psychological
impact
of disasters on
responders, we
typically see
that the height
of the impact is
usually seven
years
after
the
event,â€ Teahen
says. â€œI think
that catches
people off guard.
10 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Debra Venzke is a communications specialist with the
University of Iowa College of Public Health. She writes
about the wide range of public health research, education,
and service conducted by the college.
with
When you ask, â€œWhen is the peak of suicide following
a catastrophic event?,â€ a lot of people say six weeks, six
months, maybe the one-year anniversary, where the
number is truly closer to seven years.â€
Part of the reason for that lag is because at the beginning
of a crisis, emotional support for responders is
readily offered by friends, families, and organizations.
But as time goes on, those supports and programs fade,
leaving people to cope on their own. They may turn to
alcohol or drugs to deal with the emotional impact of
what theyâ€™ve experienced, Teahen says.
â€œAnd it becomes a vicious cycle. As that goes on over
timeâ€”as people get more isolated and services are
reducedâ€”they become more and more desperate,â€ he
says.
Offering Support
A number of barriers prevent last responders from
reaching out for help, including the stigma around
mental health. An even bigger barrier may be the very
nature of their jobs.
â€œNobody wants to talk to a funeral director, nobody
wants to talk about death and dying or the work of a
coroner or medical examiner,â€ Teahen says. â€œItâ€™s such a
taboo subject, death and dying and the dead.â€
Teahen hopes that the survey and stories
shared
through the interviews will give these workers a voice,
recognition, and support.
â€œI hope that we can find some common threads through
these different professional groups, find out what their
stressors were and what got them through their darkest
days,â€ he says. He envisions creating support programs
â€œthat last more than just six months and that are there
when they need them in seven or ten years.â€
This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of the
University of Iowaâ€™s InSight magazine. Republished with
permission of the author.
Find exactly
what youâ€™re
looking for!
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://FL5O6igwedj1bAZUNJ6Mg7rkCexzVuCyQBFBBNEy7ZYÍK™Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷È×‰EÚ öThe funeral home
of the future, may not be
a funeral home at all.
if you would like to be
a part of the future...
CONTACT
andrew@heartlandcremation.com
or jim@cremationconsulting.com
www.CremationConsulting.com
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
11
×`k×<Dœh÷É×`k×<Dœh÷ÈÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hZOAw0ajNY3wZDtIhShfJM-5j47AsAYHdPeEfoK842EÎ “ÚÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://XOhezjHKZAbTCDsVhi6IJb4Gqp0Mm_BKFOGUJlyn0HMÎ }Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://vH8T6a6iBsekWZnoHBjvDRLhKxrzGamqWkcizpFjFRwÍUJÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://UW89L-B76xDT4kGLhNKN2VGYiWgAn0ZWt-PgNnUlQGMÎ 3,Í"Í Í
ºÍð×`kÜ<Dœh÷7•× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷> Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷= ÍÄÍÌ9×H´mailto:NWeil@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷< ÍöÍáÌ¦9×H¹http://OGR.org/Education.××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷; ÍŠÍ Ìß9×H¹http://OGR.org/Foundation××Ðˆ× ×`kÜ<Dœh÷: Í®ÍaÌ‡9×H´mailto:NWeil@OGR.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ<Veterans
Education
How to Become the Go-to Funeral
Home for Veterans
By Nancy Weil, OGR Member Resources Director
SESSION 1: Serving Veterans and Their Families
SESSION 2: Engaging the Veteran Market
Do you know how to establish your funeral home as
the definitive choice for veterans in your area? Participate
in either or both workshops put on by Veterans
Funeral Care and OGR to learn how to connect with
the veteran community and become the go-to funeral
home for their families.
Noted veteranâ€™s funeral expert and OGR member Jim
Rudolph of Veterans Funeral Care will explain how
understanding ranking, military culture and other
demographics will equip you and your staff to serve
veterans better than your competitors.
June 8
June 9
3PM - 5PM EDT
3PM - 5PM EDT
I attended a â€˜How to Serve Veteransâ€™ workshop
with Jim Rudolph. The funeral home I work at
specializes in helping veterans, but I never knew
how much I didnâ€™t know!
~Melissa Dawson,
Indiana Funeral Care
â€œGraduates of these workshops will learn how to
become the funeral home that all their local veterans
use,â€ Rudolph said. â€œBy the end of the series, you will
learn how to â€˜speak veteranâ€™.â€ He further noted that,
â€œIf all it took was to put up an American flag every
12 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Marine Corps League meeting at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, Fla.
(VFC Photo / Jim Rudolph)
morning, the job would be done. That flag is the starting
point; we are going to go way, way beyond that
during these presentations.â€
The first session, Serving Veterans and Their Families,
covers the knowledge you and your staff need to facilitate
a veteranâ€™s funeral. From pre-planning steps to take,
to the paperwork that needs to be filed after the funeral
is held, this workshop covers it all. Youâ€™ll receive a military
ranks cheat sheet so you can speak â€œmilitary lingoâ€
and learn how to read and decode DD-214 paperwork
like an expert. If you think you know how to do these
things, think again. Jim has a unique viewpoint and
process that will allow you to raise the bar when it
comes to serving veterans.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://vH8T6a6iBsekWZnoHBjvDRLhKxrzGamqWkcizpFjFRwÍUJÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ê×‰EÚ
Education
Veterans
In the second session, Engaging the Veteran Market,
Rudolph explores how tribal marketing is essential to
reaching veterans. Establishing trust and building a
relationship with both the organizations that work with
veterans (VA, American Legion, VFC, etc.) and the
veterans themselves is the key to success. However, this
must be done with an authentic desire to serve veterans
or you will lose their business quickly. This workshop
covers specific examples of the types of programs that
work with veterans. You will also learn strategies to
making your funeral home and website more â€œveteranâ€
than the standard template. By the end of this training,
youâ€™ll walk away with highly effective tools to honor
and connect with veterans.
As a graduate of these workshops, you will learn the
secret of how to make sure your funeral home staff can
state that, â€œNo one in our area can be more VETERAN
than WE are.â€
â€¢ OGR Members: $125 for one session, $199 for
both ($51 savings)
â€¢ OGR Members that are also VFC Licensed Funeral
Homes: FREE as long as you register by July 5
(recordings are available for free for one month
after live event)
Members who attend both workshops may be eligible
to join the Veterans Funeral Care Provider Network.
For a fee, these licensed providers can use the Veterans
Funeral Care logo, receive marketing materials, attend
a yearly providers Think Tank and take part in VFCâ€™s
proprietary programs â€œRetire Your Flag with Honorâ€
and â€œOperation Toy Soldier.â€ OGR members receive a
15% discount off the annual licensing fee.
Serving as OGRâ€™s member resources director,
Grief Support program facilitator
and supply partner liaison, Nancy
brings her years of experience working
in the funeral industry to our members.
A national speaker and trainer with certifications
as a Grief Services Provider,
Funeral Celebrant, Soul Injury Ambassador
and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified
to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs
of the families you serve. You can reach Nancy at (512)
334-5504, ext. 304 or NWeil@OGR.org
Support the next generation of funeral directors by
donating to the OGR Foundation!
OGR.org/Foundation
Jim Rudolph of Veterans Funeral Care was invited to speak at the centennial
birthday celebration of Lt. Col. William â€œBillâ€ Poulos, USAF (Ret.) on Sept.
9, 2017. (OGR Photo / Nancy Weil)
Registration will open soon at OGR.org/Education. For
more information, call Nancy Weil at (512) 334-5504,
ext. 304, or email her at NWeil@OGR.org.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
13
×`k×<Dœh÷Ë×`k×<Dœh÷ÊÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Uwo5WR9XpzaiPGUlYPoZDgY4xlViqboWlyApLgxx3fYÎ òÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://xt3_7A95W5p-1M_pPqna3-9ypAz6_IPioDE1rF_CvxgÍ×êÍ`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://mxYkAEX8fG6Mn29rWwL2gzPnYUzj606_VylAPTd6PS0ÍD4Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://6JXRXEgyRxzDZtifGXTe4y6NNd8ONIvVRE3pV3H4PXwÎ ´eÍ+<Í Í
ºÍð×`kÝ<Dœh÷?‘× ×`kÝ<Dœh÷E Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚœQuality Matters.
Every fully-cast ThumbiesÂ®,
Buddies Pet KeepsakeÂ®, and
Phoenix CollectionÂ® keepsake
starts out as the finest available
raw materials, not imported
mass-produced blank
metal slugs.
Since 1998, our US-based
artisans have merged creativity
and science to turn those
materials into keepsakes
so rich in detail, simply
touching one fills the wearer
with feelings of comfort and
connection.
Help your families celebrate the lives of their loved ones
with keepsakes theyâ€™ll cherish forever.
Heartwarming new memorial keepsakes
ThumbuddiesÂ®
To become a ThumbiesÂ®
Partner,
contact sales@thumbies.com.
14 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
thumbies.com
EXCLUSIVE
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://mxYkAEX8fG6Mn29rWwL2gzPnYUzj606_VylAPTd6PS0ÍD4Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ì×‰EÚ$GREAT
AND
GOOD
BETWEEN
by Mark Janik,
Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home
By now, everyone has been put to the test with the
ever-changing rules, regulations and restrictions that
the COVID pandemic has imposed, not only on the
funeral profession as a whole but on each individual
who serves families who have lost a loved one. We have
had to adapt and pivot to ensure that families receive
the level of excellence in service our OGR firms are
known by.
Additionally, we have had staff overworked and yet
must still struggle to meet our expenses in a climate of
reduced services and restrictions.
However, if ever there was an opportunity to show the
finest example of exemplary service to families and the
philosophy of the Golden Rule, it has been now.
Good to Great
Funeral directors and our businesses are often judged
by only the time that families see us in public. They
see high-quality vehicles, suitable business attire and a
calm, professional demeanor. But that is something any
good funeral home and directors should possess. What
makes a great funeral service is not any of those things.
It is merely the tip of the iceberg.
What they do not see is the focus on making sure there
is a plan for each service and for the staff. A proactive
mindset through constantly learning and adjusting.
By going the extra mile regardless of how simple or
complex the requirements are for each individual
familyâ€™s needs. That we have done our homework in
complying with the shifting quicksand of changing
restrictions.
So, what is the difference between good and great?
â€˜Howâ€™ vs. â€˜Whyâ€™
Many have attempted to explain that great service is
a set of rules. axioms or some magical method when
it comes to delivering that service. They use words
like reliable, appropriate, personalized, memorable,
remarkable and so on to describe their process.
The problem is that they all focus on the way good
service is delivered. But that is only the â€œhowâ€ of it. It
misses the point of great service excellence (and the
true point of service in general).
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
15
×`k×<Dœh÷Í×`k×<Dœh÷ÌÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://8aTZw3kQ_gblswoG3XMzgo5OHX_6Wbkya7aXxCSLE0wÎ ÷©Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://tp9fLAra8zU5gPSYzWdGwDOIDwNNj_UzE5k3JBDPm8YÎ $óÍ`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://lFcKFyjo9eM3SxojdTldPRWXAxz6682SbeWioKJP_hEÍSŽÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://_PcMsH_PbIPfCfLUhnS3uGuWQS9lX2xeSf5_eOPxQAkÎ Øù4Í Í
ºÍð×`kÝ<Dœh÷F’× ×`kÝ<Dœh÷L Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kÝ<Dœh÷K ÍÈÍkÌŒ9×H´mailto:NWeil@OGR.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚCustomer Service
Good service only meets the customerâ€™s needs and
expectations. Great service is when these experiences
are exceeded and the customer feels that they have
received that unexpected special extra. Sometimes that
unexpected extra can come in different shapes and
ways such as a smile, a positive remark, random acts
of kindness and compassion or something done by
the additional effort of a service professional going the
extra mile. That is the â€œwhyâ€ of it!
A Little Something Extra
It is the extra spark or element that touches a chord and
reverberates with the families we serve. It is not formulaic
but rather unique to each family. Knowing how to
spot it is the difference between good and great. It is
truly the Golden Rule in action. By asking the question
constantly to ourselves of â€œthe why,â€ we will be able to
discover what that something extra is. That is accomplished
by listening to learn.
â€œPeople come to us initially for our
experience; they come back because of
theirs.â€
As professionals, it is our role to actively listen so that
we can identify a trigger that will facilitate a positive
feeling experience, a treasured memory or a warmand-fuzzy
thought of a familyâ€™s time with the person
they lost. We have to listen and have to pay attention to
families to what their stories are and how they describe
their loved one because thatâ€™s how they want to remember
them. They do not know that is what theyâ€™re saying;
we have to bring that out for them by asking compassionate
questions and building strong relationships, not
merely superficial rapport. In other words, it is more
than just taking their order for a funeral service.
â€˜Whatever You Do, Do it Wellâ€™
By asking ourselves, â€œHow do we make things better
for those we serve?â€ and acting on those answers, the
results lead to creating real connections. By making the
whole experience feel more human and giving families
what they need to create superior customer experiences
we render great service.
16 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Walt Disney once said, â€œWhatever you do, do it well.
Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will
want to come back and see you do it again, and they
will want to bring others and show them how well you
do what you do.â€
People come to us initially for our experience; they
come back because of theirs. Give customers a special
experience through great service, that something extra,
then they will be loyal advocates and share their experience
with friends.
Stand Out from the Crowd
If it were easy then everyone else would be doing it, too,
which would make it more difficult for us to give great
service - service that stands out, service that people
would go out of their way to find. Because that level of
service will dissuade all the people who are not as dedicated
as you or I are. It is, after all, what sets our firms
and directors apart.
Our cornerstone philosophy is â€œService measured not
by gold, but by the Golden Ruleâ€ (to do unto others
as you would have them do unto you). Be dedicated
to that exceptional philosophy by delivering the extra
human touch. That is what makes us different; that is
what makes good become great!
Best wishes for a safe and successful year!
Mark Janik is a Life Story Guardian
and Licensed Funeral Director at
OGR member firm Lakeside Memorial
Funeral Home in West Seneca,
N.Y. He is a Certified Funeral Service
Professional, NFDA Certified
Pre-Planning Consultant and a Certified
Funeral Celebrant. His commitment
and mission are to compassionately
and carefully discover the life story of those who are
in our care. You can email him at mark@lakesidefuneralhome.com,
or call (716) 627-2919.
Mark Janik is an OGR member. Any
member may submit content for publication
consideration, free of charge. Reach out to Evan
Hoffmeyer at EHoffmeyer@OGR.org for details.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://lFcKFyjo9eM3SxojdTldPRWXAxz6682SbeWioKJP_hEÍSŽÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Î×‰EÚÖOGR News
OGR News
OGR is â€˜Zoomingâ€™ in to Train Your Staff:
Conquering the Conversation
By Nancy Weil, OGR Member Resources Director
This training began as part of OGRâ€™s
price shopping program but has since
grown beyond the phone call.
Designed for your entire
staff
to
attend, this 2-hour interactive course
covers possible conversations that
may take place on the phone, with
visitors to your funeral home or in
the grocery store!
Make sure your staff:
â€¢ can confidently handle any
conversation about your funeral
home;
â€¢ understands your unique value
and how to properly represent
what makes your funeral home
stand out from your competition;
â€¢ never says any of the outrageous
things weâ€™ve heard during a
price shopping call (but weâ€™ll share them with you
during the training!);
â€¢ converts the price shopper into a client.
Using actual transcripts from price shopping calls, your
staff will learn what the consumer may be hearing when
speaking with other funeral homes. We cover the good,
the bad and the truly shocking.
â€œNancy inspired each member of our staff to confidently
handle not only price shopping calls, but to
represent the best of funeral service in their everyday
lives,â€ Tyler Pray of Pray Funeral Home in Charlotte,
Mich., said about the training.
Cathie Tattrie and fellow staff members participate in OGR â€˜Conquering the Conversationâ€™
staff training at Smith Funeral & Memorial Services in Warren, Rhode Island, on Oct. 23, 2019.
(OGR Photo / Nancy Weil)
Book your staff training today with a special introductory
price of only $500. Each training is tailored to
meet the needs of your funeral home.
â€¢ knows your key talking points when sharing information;
and
Contact Nancy Weil at NWeil@OGR.org or 512-3345504
ext. 304 to select a date or to learn more about this
program.
OGR offers price shopping services at
four tiers ranging from a single call
and email to a full analysis paired
with training for your employees.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
17
×`k×<Dœh÷Ï×`k×<Dœh÷ÎÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://qr4gl1p2Hzh6nUjRWM0PJ004XrK_O_kIzLuSkWvZ6nQÎ Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://VFzextgbCz3_aM0zGB6IWtd2aX5RzAsNYYtuYRnJ0XwÎ ;vÍ`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://H-AXHboEVxUes3PUCnepDDtk3lnBdal7yL3esah5ApAÍV\Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://6rL56xP8F4JQ00dUnV5k_lF4ceFRclO7rHznojtcbOMÎ ·pÍ Í
ºÍð×`kÞ<Dœh÷M‘× ×`kÞ<Dœh÷P Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ
<The COVID-19
Lesson For
Funeral Directors:
BE PREPARED!
by Timothy Collison, CFSP
The Dodge Company
W
hen the world began tipping upside down
in February 2020, funeral service suppliers
such as Dodge had previously experienced
situations which bore a resemblance to what was
eventually coming our way.
During the period of 2002-2004, many of you will
remember the SARS outbreak, primarily in Asia with
North American cases largely being in Canada. The
impact of SARS in the U.S. was seen primarily in a
shortage of N95 masks and latex gloves. With a total
of 27 deaths in the U.S. being attributed to SARS, the
clamor for these PPEs quickly quieted down.
In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola was reported by the World
Health Organization (WHO), and four confirmed cases
were found in the U.S. A total of 11 cases in the U.S.
were reported by the end of the outbreak. Again, suppliers
experienced a rapid increase of orders for PPE and
a shortage of body pouches as people prepared for the
worst. In both the SARS and Ebola situations, suppliers
were left with large inventories which eventually
were either purchased or disposed of, due to shelf-life
expiration.
Supply Chain
After it became clear last spring that COVID-19 was
18 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
becoming a pandemic, the buying frenzy began, and
shortages began to appear. The demand for disinfectants
grew exponentially as the general public responded to
the high infection rate present with COVID-19, resulting
in many of the major manufacturers not being able
to keep up with demand. Anything with a label containing
the term â€œanti-bacterialâ€ swiftly left the shelves, and
funeral service was no exception. Demand for disinfectant
registered with the Environmental Protection
Agency sky-rocketed, and Dodge was left to make the
decision whether to attempt to supply more of our
customers with products by limiting orders, or fulfill
some of the massive orders we were receiving by large
customers. Even when we did decide to place limitations
on quantities, our inventory was quickly depleted
of disinfectants we purchased from outside vendors.
Fortunately, we were able to reformulate one of our
Dodge-manufactured products to meet the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) threshold for
disinfection, and ramped-up our production.
Personal Protective Equipment, however, was another
problem. N95 health care respirators are manufactured
to a high specification standard and were the
only health care respirator endorsed by the CDC. As
the inventory for N95 was depleted worldwide, other
masks were marketed as being â€œjust as good,â€ including
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://H-AXHboEVxUes3PUCnepDDtk3lnBdal7yL3esah5ApAÍV\Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ð×‰EÚ	àthe KN95 mask. What soon became apparent was that
the counterfeiting of KN95 masks was widespread, and
it was difficult to near-impossible for companies such
as Dodge to do the due diligence required to determine
if the masks would be effective. Because of this, many
suppliers in both the medical and mortuary supply
field chose not to handle them. We soon found out that
many KN95 masks that had been sold were counterfeit
and not as effective.
Stuck on the Water
Other issues with PPE arose as many of the major PPE
manufacturers are located in Asia. First, production
slowed dramatically as these countries battled their
own COVID-19 crises and held back product from
being exported to ensure supplies were available for
themselves. After their outbreaks began to decrease,
production of PPE began at full speed again, however
the backlog of orders was immense.
At this point, I would like to explain how ordering
from a manufacturer works for a company such as
Dodge that distributes these products. Especially with
products that are manufactured overseas, the ordering
process is complicated since transportation of the
product is almost exclusively by ship. The time from the
order being placed on a container ship and it arriving in
the U.S. is termed â€œtime on the water.â€ As most companies
do, Dodge uses forecasting to determine when
to order a product, and how much. â€œHow muchâ€ is
determined by the history of the product sales; â€œwhenâ€
is determined by how long it takes for the product to
arrive at our warehouses. Many of the orders Dodge
makes to overseas manufacturers are done six months
in advance. To say that the pandemic disrupted our
forecasting would be putting it mildly. To compound
the issue, as soon as companies determined the severity
of the pandemic and the demand it was creating, shipping
from manufacturers became even more delayed
as the manufacturers dealt with the need for increased
productivity. The result of all these factors was that
our normal lead time to estimate delivery of products
lengthened significantly from the normal 8 weeks, to 12
weeks on the water.
The Takeaway
The good news is that supply chains have cleared up
quite a bit since late spring and the summer. Demand
for pandemic-related products has dropped, and we
have been able to clear almost all back-ordered products.
Some manufacturers are still running at full
capacity and continue to limit shipments to distributors
such as Dodge. Fortunately for Dodge, we control
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
19
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ºÍð×`kß<Dœh÷Q‘× ×`kß<Dœh÷U ÍÍÌ¼9×H·http://shop.dodgeco.com××Ðˆ×‰EÚ
–COVID-19
our manufacturing, and never had a shortage of any
embalming chemicals. We increased production of
our primary disinfectant spray, and between increased
production and some limits on quantities being ordered
at one time, have been able to keep our customers
supplied.
So, what is the takeaway from this pandemic for funeral
service? In a nutshell, I would say the Boy Scout motto
is accurate: â€œBe prepared.â€ When you determine what
your inventory should be for your preparation room
supplies, hope for the best but anticipate the worst. I
am sure many of us now keep a little more toilet paper,
waterless disinfectant and antibacterial soap at our
houses. I know I do. I would recommend you look back
at 2020 and see what your supply needs were. Determine
how much PPE, disinfectant and embalming
chemicals you would use in 6 months, and make sure
you keep that amount always on-hand.
There is no practical way to expedite deliveries from
overseas where most PPE are manufactured. The ships
can only sail so fast, and companies such as Dodge can
only store a certain amount of inventory due to the size
of our warehouses. To avoid shortages in the future,
having supplies that will carry you through several
months would be the best failsafe measure you can
take. What we do not want to do is ignore the recent
history of SARS,
Ebola and COVID-19, and make
ourselves vulnerable to another situation such as this
when it occurs. Dodge is currently determining how
we can react more nimbly to whatever our next major
world event is. We are doing what we need to do to â€œbe
prepared.â€
Tim Collison, CFSP, is a licensed
funeral
director
and embalmer
in Michigan. He graduated from
Wayne State Universityâ€™s Department
of Mortuary Science. Tim is
now chief operating officer and vice
president of sales and marketing for
The Dodge Company. He is also a
member of the companyâ€™s research
and development program. Tim
has been a regular presenter at The Dodge Institute Seminars
and clinics, and a contributing editor to The Dodge
Magazine on the topics of mortuary cosmetology and
restorative arts. Tim has been a presenter and lecturer to
groups of funeral service professionals for over 30 years.
The Dodge Company is proud to be an
OGR Endorsed Supplier, and supports the
membership with contributions toward
OGRâ€™s continuing education programs.
Members are also able to get a 25% freight
discount on eligible product purchases
over $250, and a 50% freight discount on
elibible product purchases of $500.
OGRâ€™s ne
rofe
OGR.org/Learning-Library
on-demand to fit your schedule
to f
e el
your
NOW OPEN
20 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
ewo ine
LEARNING LIBRAR
Professional deelopment webina
webi
rs
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://gl0EtK_yc87sP-AhOa_6KgM4XtodmpjPWY5qqZIVqGIÍPÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ò×‰EÚ øA Dodge Difference
While â€˜doing businessâ€™ in todayâ€™s world increasingly
involves e-commerce, social media and electronic
communication, your Dodge representative
still comes to you.
Real solutions, real people, real friends.
shop.dodgeco.com
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YP Spotlight
Young Professional Spotlight:
Hannah Rathman
Hannah Rathman is a licensed funeral director and
embalmer at Heartland Cremation & Burial Society in
Raytown, Missouri.
How many years have you worked in funeral
service?
I have worked in funeral service for almost three
years. I was a practicum student at Heartland while in
mortuary school and then was employed at Heartland
full time.
What are your professional goals?
I want to continue to learn how to serve people well,
and I would love to own or manage a funeral home. I
hope to continue to gain wisdom and connections.
What are you proud of that you have achieved
so far during your career in funeral service?
I feel like I have found my calling....I get
to make a difference in someoneâ€™s life
every single day.
Why did you begin working in funeral
service?
I knew no matter what I did with my life, I wanted to
serve and care for others. During college, I evaluated
what I enjoyed doing and it boiled down to science,
business and caring for people. Being in the funeral
service industry is just that: You are able to care for
people well in one of the worst seasons of their life.
What is the most rewarding part of your
occupation?
Being able to ease a burden of the living and pay tribute
to those who have passed. It is an honor to walk with
people during this difficult time and it reminds me how
precious life is.
Hannah Rathman (provided photo)
22 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
I am proud of my work ethic and that I feel like I have
found my calling. I have learned so much in these three
years. I came from knowing nothing about this profession
to serving hundreds of families.
I love that I get to make a difference
in someoneâ€™s life every single day.
What are some important/
notable trends that you have
noticed in funeral service?
The ability to memorialize the dead
in many different ways. Throughout
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YP Spotlight
the pandemic, many families were not able to have a
service around the date of passing but were pushed to
memorialize their loved one in new ways or postpone
services. I think this trend will continue from now on.
A lot of families I serve decide not to have a traditional
service but decide to memorialize their loved one by
doing an activity they enjoyed, meeting at their favorite
restaurant, reminiscing or even having a BBQ at a park.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Is there anything in particular that you enjoy
doing?
I enjoy reading, going on walks, baking and hanging out
with friends. I am active in my church and love serving
in the childrenâ€™s ministry. When the weather is nice, I
really enjoy walking trails and being out in nature.
What are three of your personal goals?
I want to get married, have a family and possibly adopt,
and serve in local missions.
Who or what inspires you?
My faith inspires me. It pushes me to care for people
well, work hard and be able to recharge.
What is your favorite phone app?
My favorite phone app right now would probably be
TikTok. It is a fun app to unwind, learn and have fun.
What is one thing your peers would be
surprised to know about you?
I think my peers view me as more of a timid person and
would be surprised by my ability to take on important
responsibilities and leadership.
What is one thing that you think is just
â€œgolden,â€ wonderful or exciting?
It is â€œgoldenâ€ when I get to spend time at a coffee shop
and when there is a chain of people paying for otherâ€™s
drinks/food.
What do you value most about OGR?
I love that OGR stands for respecting families and
loved ones who have passed. OGR respects families
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
23
Hannah Rathman (provided photo)
by holding ourselves to a high standard, being truthful
and helpful to anyone in need. OGR also respects loved
ones who have passed by having dignity when caring
for the human body and by memorializing them by
their wishes.
The organization as a whole tries to â€˜follow
the Golden Rule.â€™ What other words do you try
to live by?
The mantra I live by is that â€œI get toâ€ not â€œI have to.â€ This
helps me live in a state of gratitude and humbly serve
those around me.
×`k×<Dœh÷Õ×`k×<Dœh÷ÔÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://9dv20Tpw1INbYGIcx-bl7j0tGcqPnaPxmgQXLt5xssUÎ ÄëÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://T4A0vHKPRkMwTVN3T3EdV7xkDrXnF3073jhgSg6WnUcÎ $Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://es8ZjvzJkhvZLZSvnMXNnyM9zGrxi2sgIEIKCyEsAmMÍTÊÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://PxxwYVGvBw9aTzvNlY8YMjt0z-6rnOSphMEZZsaX_VoÎ 5Ì¾Í Í
ºÍð×`kà<Dœh÷Z‘× ×`kà<Dœh÷] Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ®Tell Your
Funeral
Homeâ€™s Story
By Jack Helm,
Skyways Media
Whether your funeral home is a family operation
passed down through the generations, or you are a new
owner writing the first chapter of your own funeral
homeâ€™s story, or something in between, there is a story
behind every independent funeral home.
Families who came through your doors arenâ€™t just
shopping for a product or service, theyâ€™re looking for
someone who will understand and honor their loved
oneâ€™s story. Incorporating a piece of your own story
alongside the nitty gritty of estate settlement tips and
floral arrangements is another way of demonstrating
that you take their loved oneâ€™s final wishes as seriously
as they do.
All-in-One Resource
Planning guides personalized to your funeral home
are a great way to pull these pieces together all in one
easy takeaway resource, whether youâ€™re working with
a pre-planning senior, at-need family or attendees
at a public event, such as a senior fair or community
lunch and learn. Just hand it to them as you wrap up
your conversation and let them walk away with all the
points you want them to remember as they make their
decisions.
24 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
You can even give copies to area businesses you have
relationships with, for them to hand out to the customers
they serve. If theyâ€™re in it, they are going to want to
share it, and your message gets out to a wider audience
than you could ever reach alone.
Many OGR members have already taken advantage
of this powerful marketing tool by having a planning
guide created for their funeral home. Walk in their
door and you will likely see a stack sitting on a table by
the entrance or in the arrangement room.
Too Important to Say â€˜Noâ€™
If you donâ€™t have a planning guide yet, what is your
reason?
â€¢ I donâ€™t have the time to put one together. By
working with a company that offers planning
guides, such as OGR Endorsed Supplier Skyways
Media, you have access to a templated guide that
already contains all the essential articles. All you
have to do is add in your funeral homeâ€™s personal
details and they do the rest.
â€¢ I donâ€™t want some generic looking piece. A planning
guide can be as customized as you want. Have
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://es8ZjvzJkhvZLZSvnMXNnyM9zGrxi2sgIEIKCyEsAmMÍTÊÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ö×‰EÚôMemorialization
Memorialization
a special program that your funeral home runs or
a unique feature in your building? Add it to your
guide. Want photos of your actual funeral home
and staff? Put them in. Want to share what you do
for the veterans you serve? Just submit it with your
order. Have a comfort dog on staff? Feature your
furry four-legged â€œtherapist.â€
â€¢ I donâ€™t have time to sell ads to offset the cost
of the guide. You donâ€™t have to! As a benefit of
membership, Skyways offers all OGR members
a completely personalized planning guide â€“
completely free of charge. They
do this by selling the ads for
you. They can even set up sales
appointments at your funeral
home so an area business you
want to improve your relationship
with wonâ€™t just agree to buy
an ad, but will actually come to
your location, tour the facility,
meet your staff and leave with an
understanding of how you operate
your funeral home and what
you offer to those you serve.
Of course, if you already have
relationships with business
owners in your area, make a list
of them from florists and caterers
to attorneys, CPAs, wealth
managers and realtors. Think of companies or
professionals that work with the seniors in your
area. Skyways will then create the vendorsâ€™ ads,
if needed, and add them to your planning guide
without you ever needing to lift a finger.
â€¢ I donâ€™t know what to do with it once I have it.
Every family your staff meets with should leave
their appointment with a planning guide in hand.
At least one page should be marked for them to
reference so that it becomes a welcome resource
whether for pre-need planning or at-need arrangements.
Place them around your funeral home,
have some in your car to hand out, think of these
planning guides as a â€œgiant business card.â€ Wherever
you would have your card, have these available
as well.
A look at the inside of a real planning guide Skyways Media created for OGR member firm Martinâ€™s
Funeral Homes in Michigan. (photo provided)
â€¢ I have enough paper in my office already. I donâ€™t
need more. Then go electronic and create your
guide in a mobile friendly app that can be accessed
virtually. Bookmark it on your laptops, tablets and
phones so that you can show off your funeral home
no matter where you are or who you are meeting
with. Your families can also share the link with
other family members who live out of the area.
Marketing that Evolves with You
Iâ€™d urge any funeral home to utilize this
great product as it will indeed set your
funeral home apart from the competition.
~Adam M. Martin,
Martinâ€™s Funeral Homes
OGR past president
A planning guide can become one of your most used
resources. One of the best advantages is that itâ€™s not just a
â€œonce and doneâ€ static piece. Each year, your funeral home
can get a new batch of guides to pass out in whatever way
works best for you. Before you get your new printing run,
take a moment to review its content and determine if it is
still timely and telling the story you want to share.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
25
×`k×<Dœh÷××`k×<Dœh÷ÖÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hBgEbUeLa2eT0Y-FlN_falPvnOV9Q2t73-DCnQLyScUÎ …Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://gSITIO5PheyncL1g8PIqPy4lVse3xGvuywsrfC_mnHUÎ ]Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://yJuLHwy10lSL9Zb_K-eUePhJoNOtrt6Q1BFJdYnUtLsÍZ±Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://QfT7gSmyMHEg--eT3u8MX864ZZLEcm9jYrXhj3k4tuIÎ 7¹ÍžÍ Í
ºÍð×`kà<Dœh÷^‘× ×`kà<Dœh÷d ÍpÍÞÌù9×H¼http://www.skyways-media.com××Ðˆ×‰EÚÏMemorialization
Memorialization
By working with a well-established company that
focuses on the funeral profession, you are guaranteed
to be guided through each step of your new planning
guideâ€™s creation. Your time commitment does not need
to be burdensome, in fact by turning over the project to
a specialist you can provide the details they need and
let them do the rest.
Skyways Media is a family-owned business with offices in
the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and United States.
Skyways is an OGR Endorsed Supplier for advertising and
marketing, supplying printed guides, apps, e-books and
websites within the funeral, assisted living and hospice
sectors. Contact Harry Hobson at harry@skyways-media.com
or (646) 810-5748 with any questions.
Skyways Media is an OGR Endorsed
Supplier. They offer planning guides
individualized for your funeral home
operation â€“ for free â€“ to all OGR members.
Learn more at OGR.org/Skyways-Media.
FOUNDATION
Thank you to our generous donors from the past quarter
GOLD LEVEL
($1,000 or more)
Anita M. Greene
given in memory of Cliff Greene
Livingston-Butler-Volland
Funeral & Cremation Center
Hastings, Nebraska
Pollock-Randall Funeral Home
Port Huron, Michigan
Chris Miller
Thomas Miller Mortuary
Corona, California
given in honor of â€œmy essential staff for 2020â€
Bill & Linda Brock
Vander Plaat Funeral Home
Wyckoff, New Jersey
given in memory of Clarice Dansen
26 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
BRONZE LEVEL
(up to $499)
Jay & Mary Steele
Arnett & Steele
Funeral Home
Pineville, Kentucky
Don Byles
Byles-MacDougall
Funeral Service
New London,
Connecticut
Sara J. Cross
given in memory of
Leland B. Cross, Jr.
Kim Hunter
Humphrey Funeral
Home
Toronto, Ontario
Ben Underwood
Schoppenhorst
Underwood & Brooks
Funeral Home
Shepherdsville,
Kentucky
Chris Stewart
Stewart Family
Funeral Home
Tyler, Texas
given in memory of
Johnnie M. Stewart
Jamie Wieting
Wieting Family
Funeral Home
Chilton, Wisconsin
Make your tax-deductible donation at OGR.org/Foundation
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://yJuLHwy10lSL9Zb_K-eUePhJoNOtrt6Q1BFJdYnUtLsÍZ±Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ø×‰EÚöWOULD YOUR
FUNERAL HOME
BENEFIT FROM
1000 HIGH QUALITY
INFORMATION
GUIDES - EVERY
YEAR - AT NO COST!?
CUSTOM DESIGN
& TAILORED
CONTENT INC.
PRE-PLANNING
We work very closely with you to
ensure we individually design guides
that perfectly represent every
funeral home we work with, your
values and your individual needs.
INCLUDE YOUR OWN UNIQUE
SERVICES, STAFF BIOS, FORMS,
IMAGES, MAPS & MORE
Our guides are uniquely designed for your funeral home, incorporating
your logo, branding, images, location maps, key personnel photos and
staff profiles/bios within each guide.
USED & APPROVED
BY OGR MEMBERS -
AT ZERO COST!
Skyways Media have successfully produced
planning guides for many OGR members. These
high quality, rich, full color glossy printed guides
were supplied at zero cost and they have been
extremely satisfied with them!
PROVIDE YOUR LOCAL FAMILIES WITH THE LATEST COVID-19 INFORMATION & PROCESSES
LETâ€™S TALK!
USA West: 1-702-329-6677
USA East: 1-646-810-5748
www.skyways-media.com
SKYWAYS
M E D I A
×`k×<Dœh÷Ù×`k×<Dœh÷ØÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://yXTViB_We71BAnQiRDkcXEM51MAre7flLh0L6VLEZ4sÎ ‡GÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://QV_00SaRS_Q53N_nhBHO9QFrjbOfFFajxQlgRwwoXuMÎ 2Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://s9SaHJxFkJCe-u5XbVBXzad2bKSZTwzjpHvXUxRyGeoÍWÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://nBvvAkBd73pkDMnm4D1mlIydEo9LdWZn2z7e2rlsMMUÎ µïÍ Í
ºÍð×`ká<Dœh÷e‘× ×`ká<Dœh÷h Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ<Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight
Spotlight on Nelson Bros. Funeral
Services â€“ Port Melbourne, Australia
Adrian Nelson is the CEO of Nelson Bros. Funeral Services
in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He shared his
experiences with running a successful funeral home that
has been around since the 1850s.
How was your funeral home founded, and
how does it operate today?
Our family business started in the 1850s in a small
mining town during the Victorian gold rush by my
great-great grandfather. He ran a general store and was
a cabinet maker, and thus also a coffin maker. Over 160
years later, we have grown to a thriving business with
five funeral homes across the city of Melbourne, which
has a population of over 5 million.
families. The gratitude and thanks we receive from
them is a wonderful reward.
What makes your funeral home unique?
An obvious distinction of our funeral home is our fleet
of black Rolls Royce hearses and coaches. We have the
only Rolls Royce funeral fleet in Australia. Over time,
whilst other funeral companies have moved away from
tradition, we have embraced it, whilst at the same time
celebrating and creating new traditions with families.
Traditions and ceremony are integral to everything we
do, and it is a joy to adapt them to be relevant to the
families we serve.
Nelson Bros. Funeral Servicesâ€™ original location in Linton, Victoria, Australia
(photo provided)
Why do you believe funeral service is
important?
It helps people at their most difficult time. We continue
to see the positive impact and importance of rituals and
ceremony in helping families with their grief.
What is the most rewarding part of working in
funeral service?
Witnessing first-hand the difference we make to
28 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Nelson Bros. Funeral Services has a fleet of Rolls Royce hearses and coaches.
(photo provided)
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://s9SaHJxFkJCe-u5XbVBXzad2bKSZTwzjpHvXUxRyGeoÍWÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ú×‰EÚMember Spotlight
Member Spotlight
What does your funeral home do in order to
create a strong community presence? Do you
believe that this is important?
Staying connected with our communities is important
to us and has been for generations. It is increasingly
difficult in a large city with changing demographics to
keep those connections. We support a range of sporting
and community groups, and I am a past president and
board member of our Rotary Club District.
In what ways do you use technology to
further the services you offer?
We embrace technology where it is beneficial and
enhances our services, not just for the sake of using
technology. While we have filmed all funerals at our
funeral homes for decades, this past year we pivoted and
all funerals are live-streamed for families who want it, at
any location, including churches and cemeteries. Since
COVID, we have seen traffic to our website increase
tenfold, predominantly to our Tribute Walls for each
funeral to post comments, photos or watch the webcast.
With multiple locations and a centralized operations
center, we have Wi-Fi across all sites, use SRS as our
comprehensive operational software, Microsoft Teams
to connect with staff in the office or on the road, and a
thorough company intranet using Sharepoint.
What growing trends have you noticed in the
funeral service profession? How do you keep
up with these changes?
As a 160-year-old business, we have learned to adapt to
many changes and trends over many decades, such as
the transition from horse-drawn hearses to motorised
vehicles, and the introduction of telephones. The growing
changes are cultural ones. Over generations, the
many traditions of our migrant nation are diluted and
different cultures inter-marry and become entwined.
At the same time, people have steadily moved away
from organized religion, ceremony and rituals. Where
previously funeral directors and families would simply
follow the guidelines of priests, today each funeral is
personalized and adapted to best reflect the life of the
person who has died. Focusing on personalization
makes funerals relevant, whether simply by music or
an audio-visual presentation, or by use of color, funeral
location, food or physical mementos. A recent funeral
we conducted in an aircraft hanger in front of a restored
WWII plane is a vivid example of how the funeral was
strongly relevant for the family.
Nelsonâ€™s staff works closely with families to ensure services reflect the life
of the person who has died, like this biker funeral at their Williamstown
location. (photo provided)
What do you value most about OGR? Why did
you become a member?
The Nelson family have been members of OGR for over
30 years. I remember hosting a symposium of OGR
members here in Melbourne, Australia in the early
1990s. We joined because it gave us insight and inspiration
to better operate our family business. Sharing ideas
and stories with like-minded friends from around the
world helps improve everything we do. Over the past
decade, we have been actively involved in establishing
OGRâ€™s inaugural Intercontinental Study Group. This
group could now best be described as a group of friends
who happen to work in the same profession in different
corners of the world. We motivate, energize and stir
each other, learning constantly how we can adapt ideas
to our own unique environments.
How has COVID-19 hit your nation, and how has
your funeral home responded to meet the need?
Comparatively, Australia has had low numbers of
COVID-19 cases. However here in Melbourne, we faced
(at the time) some of the worldâ€™s strictest restrictions
and shutdowns, including strict home confinement
for 112 days. In total, there have been 909 COVID-19
deaths in all of Australia since the pandemic began.
Many other cities in the world have experienced this
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
29
×`k×<Dœh÷Û×`k×<Dœh÷ÚÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://70U2T0OZGyJj_pRzsj7f8H4tt1mrWxrM0c9aoiGLSMMÎ SfÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://e5fbNrwDsHbBY9xNLZikk2FVv2n_ARrHZjgACKGpSQ4ÍúÍ`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dgf6M5T3Dqxq8-KxzquDjB7wrV0Gr4ibwz99X7-OPRkÍKûÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://e1xNJ-kD6RQTHFoXqpluHx-XGXVpiC_Xj0yqHaDBnFMÎ HHÍñ<Í Í
ºÍð×`kâ<Dœh÷i”× ×`kâ<Dœh÷n \ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kâ<Dœh÷m ÍÍ¹Ì«9×H·mailto:info@inexinc.com××Ðˆ× ×`kâ<Dœh÷l Í¿ÍãÌ•9×H¹http://ClosingAffairs.com××Ðˆ× ×`kâ<Dœh÷k ÍqÍDÌ9×H¸http://nelsonbros.com.au××Ðˆ×‰EÚ	ÏMember Spotlight
Member Spotlight
many in a single day. Our issues were never about being
overwhelmed by the numbers (although we prepared
for this), but more in dealing with grieving families
under such strict lockdown conditions. It has been
about managing mental health of families and our own
team in such a restricted environment.
What are three future goals that you have in
mind for your funeral home?
Long-term goals have been put on the backburner
these last 12 months, as our changing world makes it
hard to identify what will happen tomorrow, let alone
next week, next year or next decade.
For funeral businesses with physical funeral homes and
premises, increasingly the competition is low-service
and low-cost. Their cost structures and lack of capital
expenditure is a completely different business model.
Moving forward, we must continue to demonstrate
value to the families we serve, and to ensure that the
funerals are relevant. Otherwise the industry as we
know it will disappear.
Our future goals include:
1. ensuring we have locations that are attractive and
can provide that services that will impress families;
2. continuing to train and retain the best possible
funeral team to deliver the high level of service
required; and
3. future-proofing our business so we can provide the
level of service expected in-person via technology
and remotely.
Adrian is chief executive officer of Nelson
Bros. Funeral Services. Prior to
joining the family business over 20 years
ago, he was a lawyer and international
management consultant. He is married
to Louise and has two teenage sons,
Harry and Charles. Adrian is a passionate
Western Bulldogs supporter in the Australian Football
League. Visit nelsonbros.com.au for more.
Bridge To The Next Generation In Your Families
Every death leaves an estate to be settled. The executor is your connection
to the next generation of the family, and Closing Affairs is the bridge to
make that connection. Closing Affairs has been a leading executor tool
kit for over twenty years, and it is now available in a printed U.S. edition.
â€¢ Agendas/Schedules
â€¢ Step-by-step guide
â€¢ Form letters for Government/Business entities
â€¢ Access to more resources on ClosingAffairs.com
So Many Opportunities To Build Relationships
You can use many of the features of Closing Affairs to maintain contact
with the executor and provide assistance.
For more information and introductory pricing, call 1-888-829-8362
or email info@inexinc.com
30 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dgf6M5T3Dqxq8-KxzquDjB7wrV0Gr4ibwz99X7-OPRkÍKûÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Ü×ˆE×`k×<Dœh÷Ý×`k×<Dœh÷ÜÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://v_E2g8YFCuwF_KpLP7JLBOgnYsDLlzxpDbpGsNgZaFYÎ êýÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://mMNCR64XxkSGsa65ghdcr_lVpLoEcGmb2kFpp0m_swMÎ 0Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://y3BLfoVuMkVr89BpaqBC4iy8dMfnvdzTgKPkxN-XrGwÍNóÍ`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://BzowgsAgs4o5VHvzxeMjxWWK3sKMXxKUVow-XdN60uwÎ ükÍ|Í Í
ºÍð×`kâ<Dœh÷o‘× ×`kâ<Dœh÷t Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚjMarketing
Marketing
10-minute Talks: A New Way to Connect
with a Valuable Referral Source
By Nancy Weil, OGR Member Resources Director
Included with your OGR membership
Now more than ever, healthcare professionals, first
responders and caregivers need some support from the
daily stress that the pandemic has created in both their
workplace and their personal lives. Show them how
much you care by sharing these six â€œ10-minute Talks:
Coping During COVID-19â€ in order to give them a
much-needed break.
Each of these programs is designed to stand alone so
they can pick and choose which they want to watch.
â€¢ Step Away From Stress
â€¢ A Moment for Mindfulness
â€¢ 3 Emotional â€œCousinsâ€: Worry, Stress and Fear
â€¢ Unsupported Grief and Loss
â€¢ Faith as a Spiritual Journey
â€¢ Pivot Toward the Positive
This is an easy caregiver
marketing program for
your funeral home to
offer - for free!
â€¢ Sign-up at OGR.
org/Marketing to
get started.
â€¢ OGR will send you a link to a private YouTube
playlist that holds all six programs.
â€¢ OPTIONAL: Make it personal by adding your
funeral homeâ€™s branding at the beginning and
end of each video. Do it yourself, or OGR can
take care of this for a small fee.
â€¢ E-mail the link along with an introductory note
(template provided) to the caregivers you know.
â€¢ Get ready for the thanks to roll in.
These videos are funny and spontaneous, not
â€˜clinical.â€™ Hospice people (or caregivers in
general) expect a commercial about the funeral
home. This is just a cool conversation
between colleagues.
~Jim Rudolph, Veterans Funeral Care
/ Cremation Consulting
32 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
Serving as OGRâ€™s member resources director,
Grief Support program facilitator
and supply partner liaison, Nancy
brings her years of experience working
in the funeral industry to our members.
A national speaker and trainer with certifications
as a Grief Services Provider,
Funeral Celebrant, Soul Injury Ambassador
and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified
to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs
of the families you serve. You can reach Nancy at (512)
334-5504, ext. 304 or NWeil@OGR.org
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://y3BLfoVuMkVr89BpaqBC4iy8dMfnvdzTgKPkxN-XrGwÍNóÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷Þ×‰EÚàMember News
Member News
News from Golden Rule Funeral Homes
OGR welcomes 3 new
members
Menke Funeral & Cremation Center in suburban
Phoenix, Arizona, joined on February 19. Menke is
owned by Jake Johnson, who members may know from
OGR supply partner Johnson Consulting Group, and
managed by Kelly Browder.
Willow Ridge Funeral and Cremation Services
merged with existing OGR member firm Cotrell
Funeral Services. Cotrell remains a member, joined
by new partner operations Willow Ridge and Fowler
Sullivan Funeral Home. All three are in Poplar Bluff,
Missouri.
Lynn Elliott of Worsham College of Mortuary Science
joined as a student member.
Join us in welcoming all three of our newest members
to the OGR family!
Oliverie named â€˜Funeral
Director of the Yearâ€™
Geri Oliverie, manager and owner of Oliverie Funeral
Home in Manchester Township, New Jersey, was
selected as â€œAmerican Funeral Directorâ€ magazineâ€™s
2020 Funeral Director of the Year.
Oliverie became a funeral director in 1986. She opened
her first funeral home in Lakehurst, New Jersey, in
1987, and joined OGR the same year. She moved her
operation from Lakehurst to its current location in
Manchester in the year 2000, and plans to open a
19,000 square foot second location with a banquet hall
in Jackson this May.
â€œI love helping families plan their passing and
funerals,â€ Oliverie said. â€œI never regretted the field
I chose and hope to continue helping families in
Geri Oliverie of OGR member firm Oliverie Funeral Home in Manchester
Township, N.J., on the cover of American Funeral Directorâ€™s December 2020
issue. (image courtesy Kates-Boylston Publications)
their time of need for many years to come in new
and different ways here in Manchester and in the
new location in Jackson, which will have the grief
counseling center and the banquet center, â€˜The
Wisteria.â€™ My dream is to help families in all phases of
grief, before, during and beyond in many new ways
that the future holds for us.â€
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
33
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ºÍð×`kâ<Dœh÷u’× ×`kâ<Dœh÷z Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kâ<Dœh÷y ÍJÍŽÌé9×H¹http://matthewsaurora.com××Ðˆ×‰EÚÙMember News
News from Golden Rule Funeral Homes
Member News
Rowland awarded MBE
Congratulations to Tony Rowland, director of OGR
member Rowland Brothers, Ltd., based in Whitehorse
Road, West Croydon, for being awarded an MBE
(Member of the Order of the British Empire), â€œfor
services to undertaking and the community in Surrey.â€
Hemmerle celebrates 30
years of marriage, new
grandchild
OGR past president Tom Hemmerle had two incredible
reasons to celebrate this past quarter. First, he and
his wife Natalie celebrated 30 years of marriage. â€œWeâ€™ve
grown together, built a great family together and now
we get to enjoy our grandkids,â€ Tom said. â€œShe has
put up with a lot over the years because of my chosen
career. Natalie is the best wife, mom and Nonnie. These
past 30 years have been great.â€
And on March 11, he welcomed his new grandson
Luke Joseph Hemmerle to the world. Luke was born
weighing 8lbs, 3oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Mother and
baby are doing well (and grandfather is elated!).
Rowland received his MBE from the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, the
future King of England. (photo provided)
Rowlandâ€™s driving ambition throughout his adult life
has been â€œto help create a society in which all are treated
equally, as men, women and young people who â€“ whatever
their circumstances â€“ deserve to receive compassionate
treatment in times of personal difficulty.â€ Four
decades ago when professional bereavement counseling
was not generally available, Rowland established
a continuing bereavement aftercare program for all
individuals and families using his firmâ€™s services - at no
extra cost to them.
He also established a worldwide network and support
structure to improve the efficient and compassionate
repatriation of deceased British nationals who died
abroad. To date, his program has been responsible for
more than 40,000 such repatriations, including those
killed in the South Asia tsunami as well as the 9/11 and
7/7 terrorist attacks.
34 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://6nLfTNU5O1-GHyYkSbguOoiI_1uIHd9I5qPMh2mAOq4ÍEòÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷à×‰EÚýto Better Serve Families
Technology Solutions Built
Matthews Auroraâ„¢
Funeral Solutions is
focused on helping families move from
grieving to remembrance and helping
deathcare professionals simplify and enhance
the way they do business. Our portfolio of
technology solutions consistently identifies
new ways to help you serve families and
adapt to customer expectations.
For more information contact
your Matthews Auroraâ„¢
Service Consultant or visit
matthewsaurora.com
MAFS-7826-2020 Â© 2020 Matthews International Corporation, all
rights reserved. MATTHEWSÂ® and MATTHEWS INTERNATIONALÂ® are
registered trademarks of Matthews International Corporation.
Matthews Technology Solutions include:
Arranger
An interactive presentation system that helps funeral
professionals simplify the arrangement process and
sell better funerals.
Family Connections
Provide families with a private planning website to
review and select services, merchandise and record
biographical information prior to the in-person
arrangement.
Funeral
Advisor
A comprehensive case management and forms
automation system that integrates the interactive
arrangement presentation and family planning website
into a business operating system for large or small
funeral homes.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
35
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ºÍð×`kã<Dœh÷|—× ×`kâ<Dœh÷w ÍÍ.Í	%9×‰HÚ Amailto:EHoffmeyer%40OGR.org?subject=OGR%20Supply%20Partner%20newsG××ÒÔÔÔrÒïïïÌ× ×`kã<Dœh÷Š ÍÍ^Ì²9×H¼http://JohnsonConsulting.com××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷‰ ÍÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷ˆ Í,Ío9×H®http://OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷‡ ÍÍ5Í	9×H¹mailto:EHoffmeyer@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷† ÍPÍèÌ°9×Hºmailto:admin@APASIplan.com××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷… ÍOÍsJ9×H®http://OGR.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ˜Supplier News
OGR Welcomes 3 New Supply Partners
Express Funeral Funding
Express Funeral Funding contacts the insurance company
on behalf of your family, completes all of the necessary
documentation for the assignment of their loved oneâ€™s life
insurance policy and ensures payment to the funeral home,
typically within 24 hours of verification.
â€¢ 3.5% rate
John Goebel
Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator
John@ExpFF.com
812.204.7810
ExpressFuneralFunding.com
SAVE THE DATE
September 19-21
Hotel Carmichael
Carmel, Indiana
The Hartway Systemâ„¢
Hartway is modern marketing with heart. Through advanced
automation and personalization, Hartway integrates quality
digital marketing tools into your existing digital marketing
system. Designed to lift your reputation, the system delivers
growth through new preneeds leads and increased cremation
cases. A supportive and compassionate experience begins with
their first website visit, and Hartway delivers marketing that
matches those values & the quality you provide. No website
redesign is needed to make The Hartway Systemâ„¢ work for you.
â€¢ free setup of the Hartway System â„¢ ($1,500 value)
David Mills, Chief Growth Officer
888.652.0119
DMills@Story-Collaborative.com
Hartway.com
Symmetry Elevating Solutions
Symmetry is a beautifully crafted, expertly engineered
accessibility-related product line proudly made in the U.S.A.
at the Bella Elevator LLC manufacturing plant. Promoted
and sold by our exclusive nationwide network of carefully
selected Symmetry partners and associates, Symmetry offers
residential elevators, vertical platform lifts, LULA elevators
and vertical reciprocating conveyors, including the casket lift.
Strictly following national code guidelines and adhering to local
jurisdiction requirements and variances, Symmetry products
are ADA and ASME compliant. Symmetry representatives
possess a wealth of knowledge and experience and are
committed to excellence for the life of the productâ€”before,
during and after project completion.
â€¢ 6 month extended parts warranty ($500 value)
Scott Strum, Product Specifier
877.375.1428
CustomerService@SymmetryElevator.com
SymmetryElevators.com
36 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0NUOyOA1y_TkZ63ilZ--RC9xYWxNhkM_ZnqkOy5EoIMÍLìÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷ã×‰EÚ	.Supplier News
News from OGRâ€™s Supplier Network
OpusXenta webinar with OGR Member
Resources Director Nancy Weil available for free
- Has the past year been stressful for you? Feeling stretched
too thin? It doesnâ€™t have to be that way. Imagine a meaningful
and lasting solution for dealing with stress. Nancy delivered
a webinar for OGR supply partner OpusXenta, and the
recording is now available for free. Find a link on the blog
at OGR.org. | APASI hosting weekly refreshers
via Zoom - Refresh yourself on how to use APASIâ€™s Agent
Portal or, in a separate session, learn about APASIâ€™s plan and
best practices when offering it to the families you serve. All
sessions are held Mondays and Thursdays. Send any questions
to admin@APASIplan.com | Express Funeral Funding
integrates with Halcyon Software - Halcyonâ€™s
management software is now configured to automatically
pass information directly to Express Funeral Fundingâ€™s online
claim submission platform, the Express Hub, making the
experience even faster and easier.
| The Foresight
Want to see your
companyâ€™s news
featured here?
OGR Supply Partners are invited
to send your press releases
and other company updates to
Communications Director
Evan Hoffmeyer at
EHoffmeyer@OGR.org
for inclusion here and
on our blog at OGR.org.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
37
Companies announces Chris Cruger as new
CEO - Cruger assumed his new responsibilities in addition
to being a managing partner effective with the new year. His
colleague and close friend Dan Isard, former managing partner,
stayed on as the founder of the company. â€œThere is no
one in this profession with the experience, drive and ethics
that Chris has,â€ Isard said. â€œChris continues to successfully
improve our operational and transactional services. Since
joining Foresight, he has demonstrated his passion and ability
to help our clients and implemented some key initiatives to
further expand the company.â€ | Funeral home operations
for sale - OGR supply partner Johnson Consulting
Group maintains a database of individuals interested in buying
funeral home and cemetery businesses, like current availabilities
in Florida, Illinois and Texas. For more information on
these, or to add your name to their list to be contacted about
opportunities in your region, contact Bob Ekins at BEkins@
JohnsonConsulting.com.
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ºÍð×`kã<Dœh÷’× ×`kã<Dœh÷‘ Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kã<Dœh÷ Í~Í‡ÌÇ9×Hºhttp://OGR.org/Foundation.××Ðˆ×‰EÚALeaders.
Influencers.
Trailblazers.
Industry Experts.
Trusted Advisors.
We are The Foresight Companies.
At The Foresight Companies, we are passionate about the funeral and cemetery profession. Our
business and financial consulting firm has a singular focus, our clientâ€™s success. We provide
solution-based services that guide you through the process of strategic change. No one knows
the funeral service and cemetery businesses better than we do. We have been trusted
consultants to the funeral and cemetery profession for more than 40 years. Call us to join those
who have trusted in us and to start receiving insight from the best in the business!
800-426-0165 | theforesightcompanies.com
SUCCESSION PLANNING | MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS | ACCOUNTING
STRATEGIC BUSINESS ANALYSIS | VALUATIONS | FINANCING
HUMAN RESOURCES & COMPLIANCE
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0QolkqnGTmtRP4FSy-IeWsEjvSvu20aHysa4P8NiSs0ÍIíÍ`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷å×‰EÚ£OGR Foundation
OGR Foundation
OGR Foundation Grants â€˜Awards of
Excellenceâ€™ Scholarships
This year, two students were awarded scholarships
through OGRâ€™s charitable foundation. Both demonstrated
solid academic performance, community
involvement and a dedication to the independent
funeral service model OGR stands for.
Mariah Banks of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary
Science won the Gold level scholarship for $3,500. She
has a 3.59 GPA and will graduate in September. Banks
is already working as a Funeral Directorâ€™s Assistant at a
funeral home in Pittsburgh.
Mariah Banks (photo provided)
â€œI would like to pass on
the trust and compassion
shown to families
in my community,
previously by Ms.
Pauline H. Gordon,â€
Banks said in her
scholarship essay. â€œMs.
Gordonâ€™s business was
the only minority-run
funeral home in my
area during her time. It still has the reputation of being
the best, long after her passing and closing in 2003.
Money was not a concern. She instead cared about
those who lost. I want to be that kind of person and own
a business that cares about the pain of others. I aspire
to one day operate my own business in an elegant and
impressive manner. As an individual and professional
in my community, I aspire to incorporate excellence,
trust, care, originality and growth into my daily life. I
want to advance your average funeral service to a level
far beyond your standard amenity. I believe that everyone
deserves personal service of the highest quality.â€
Kenneth Wortman of Fayetteville Technical Community
College won the Silver level scholarship for $2,000.
Wortman is a full-time student with a 3.97 GPA who
expects to graduate in December. He currently works
as a Funeral Service Apprentice at a chapel in Charlotte,
FOUNDATION
North Carolina, but wants to open his own funeral
home one day that would specialize in traditional
burial, cremation, green burial, alkaline hydrolysis and
restorative reconstruction.
â€œI hope to make a difference in the funeral industry,
and restore the trust that has been lost,â€ he said.
â€œFunerals have been overpriced for years, which has
led to the rise of cremation. I want to make funerals
affordable again, offer old and new methods of disposition,
and offer restorative reconstruction. I want to
truly pour my heart and work into the community, and
provide options that arenâ€™t typically available. I have
always stood behind my reputation and work ethic,
and I believe that I can change the view on the funeral
industry over my career, not just locally but nationally.
I hope to leave a legacy of trust, hard work ethic and
a morally sound business for my children, that the
community can rally behind.â€
The OGR Foundation is a registered
charitable organization under IRS Tax
Code 501(c)(3), making all donations fully
tax deductible as a chartitable donation.
Support the future of funeral service by
making a donation today at
OGR.org/Foundation.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
39
×`k×<Dœh÷æ×`k×<Dœh÷åÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://-TCDlcBbgCn7mTT9j-X8NeyXgW-oyxM3JdpTAH7U6FYÎ ôYÍ` ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://4VIa0XmV6fJW2dyFi7JBbVm4StewswOFZlgFIrjE_AAÎ 7'Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://mDlrcQZOmNLK-ggWIiarPznZlCWfT91LifS5402ANysÍM3Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://fs5EJmKmw0Evldkfzjp2aX8tPsX_NaWWrgWix4JD4kwÍÏËÍ
lÍ Í
ºÍð×`kä<Dœh÷“”× ×`kä<Dœh÷™ ÍKÍ1ÌÑ9×H¼mailto:FamilyContact@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷˜ ÍÍÍ9×Hµhttp://OGR.org/family××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷— Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷– ÍºÍhÌ£9×H¶mailto:KFlores@OGR.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚAbove & Beyond
Above & Beyond
These select Above & Beyond comments are about members who have received
outstanding comments on Family Contact surveys for providing exemplary
service and going above & beyond expected service levels. These members are
now eligible for the Exemplary Service Award.
Strunk Funeral Homes
Vero Beach, Florida
The entire staff was there for us. Their patience and
understanding were assuring to us in a time of need.
They never rushed us or were impatient with us.
They were understanding and compassionate. Everything
was done with love and in a quick manner.
They worked hand in hand with our church, in
coping with grief, gave us space to think and discuss
personal matters and went out of their way to be
sure we got everything we needed. Please note this
was hard to do so quickly after our lose, but Strunk
Funeral Home went far above expectations so I can
brag on there. THEY ARE THE BEST!
Davenport Family Funeral Home and
Crematory
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Everyone we encountered was compassionate and
professional. When we requested anything, they
responded immediately or made it clear when it
would be ready. We are very pleased we had the same
funeral director who had helped with my father three
years before. She remembered our family clearly and
even remembered having spoken with the deceased
(my husband). She involved the same assistant who
had been involved in my fatherâ€™s funeral. I cannot
over emphasize how grateful we were to work
with someone we had met and who knew us. She
presented all options clearly and gave us all the time
we needed to make decisions at a time when all decisions
were difficult. She provided an email address
where we could reach her and responded to all questions
quickly and clearly. We could not have received
better service anywhere. There was nothing I would
do differently. This was exactly the service I wanted.
40 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
FAMILY CONTACT
THE GOLDEN RULE
Above
& Beyond
Schoppenhorst, Underwood & Brooks
Funeral Home, Inc.
Shepherdsville, Kentucky
Every staff we encountered was professional, compassionate,
friendly, and always ready to respond with
immediacy to our needs. Every aspect of the facility
and staff was impeccable. Connerâ€™s tone of voice and
rate of speech was comforting. He was an excellent
listener and followed our rambling dialogs without
interrupting, and he provided us with information
and direction with our decisions. He was professional,
compassionate, friendly, and supportive. He
never pressured us with any decisions and was patient
throughout our first appointment and each interaction
thereafter. Words cannot describe how excellent
this was. Family and friends allowed to visit, but at
the same time they professionally handled following
all CDC rules and keeping everyone safe and
comfortable. The ceremony was beautiful, but also
safe. We feel like we were family to this funeral home.
So much kindness and understanding. Every aspect
was beautiful! This funeral home fulfilled beyond our
expectations. We will always be thankful to you for
this, and to Conner and Don for their tender care of
us and our family and guests.
Anderson Funeral & Cremation Service
Belvidere, Illinois
We worked directly with Montana Patterson at
Anderson. She was completely professional and overall
amazing to work with. Every detail was covered,
she answered every question promptly, and was so
compassionate towards the family. Working with
Montana during the planning process made everything
so much easier. She was completely compassionate
in working with us and took her time to
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://mDlrcQZOmNLK-ggWIiarPznZlCWfT91LifS5402ANysÍM3Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷ç×‰EÚ5Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond
explain everything thoroughly. We were amazed at
how smooth the entire process was. It was a difficult
day for us all, but everything was taken care of by the
staff. We are still getting compliments on how beautiful
the service was. They did a great job with my dadâ€™s
appearance, he looked remarkably better than how
he looked at the hospital.
Kroeger Funeral Home, Inc.
Logansport, Indiana
The staff at Kroeger are kind and compassionate, thorough,
knowledgeable, took their time, and made sure
everything was done according to the familyâ€™s wishes.
The funeral director was detailed and shared all information
we needed in a transparent fashion. They also
managed the COVID restrictions very well & still met
our familyâ€™s needs. The staff was very hospitable and
open to our wishes. They also provided transportation
to the church. We would not do anything different. We
feel our service honored our fatherâ€™s life and provided
exactly what we needed to get through this difficult
time.
Wetzel Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc.
Hanover, Pennsylvania
The team was professional and unobtrusive during the
service. The IT professional went out of his way to make
sure we had a thumb drive with the photo slideshow
and the streamed service to share with other family. He
also did a great job organizing a pile of photos into a
As funeral directors are forced to change the
way they do business amid the pandemic,
feedback from the families you serve is more
important than ever - and you can get it even
faster if you encourage families to fill out the
online form instead of using the paper form.
Not using online forms yet? Contact Krystal
Flores at KFlores@OGR.org to get your
funeral homeâ€™s custom link.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
41
meaningful keepsake. Mr. Miller arranged a viewing
before cremation to accommodate schedules of family.
Warren Miller did a phenomenal job with his team
developing good options for outside visitation (at Trinityâ€™s
Portico) and a church service at the funeral home
for family. He listened carefully to what we wanted for
our wife/mother and offered good suggestions, even
during a time with limited options due to COVID. He
was available at all hours, even answering his cell phone
one evening â€œthank you for calling, how can I help?â€
This is true customer service! He also delivered flowers
from the service to our home to allow the family to eat
together without having to worry about taking care of
this task. The live streaming was great and watched by
numerous family and friends later, and the tv with the
running â€œslideshowâ€ was fantastic. The urn ark was also
a great suggestion. Under the restrictions created by
COVID, our service was the best we could have hoped
for. We are grateful that we were able to have 150+
people at the outside visitation and a beautiful church
service at the funeral home for family.
The Family Contact Program is a FREE member
benefit that is simple to use and offers valuable
information on your funeral homeâ€™s operations, services
and staff through surveying families youâ€™ve served.
Join OGRâ€™s Family Contact Program today and you
could be one of next yearâ€™s Exemplary Service Award
winners. For more information or to sign up, visit
OGR.org/family-contact-program or contact us by
email at FamilyContact@OGR.org or (800) 637-8030.
FAMILY CONTACT
×`k×<Dœh÷è×`k×<Dœh÷çÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://miyNdSFI7GFHbZO-x_mtUAbUvk0MOrJwMlPlHbGzFx0Î —HÍ`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://AuhWCLlxzuHi5Bovlq1-DPFrF4IQAcN0GVFLghzlSwEÍ²	Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://vQqC9Ky8jiX_nzuxT0eMDTA_JOi1kuXclUZV3mNzCWMÍ<«Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hpMvCK_E4PEfUp6l_006UlWVkAxNaZt5gsykqAk5SugÎ 	”Ì´Í Í
ºÍð×`kä<Dœh÷š‘× ×`kä<Dœh÷¥ ÍÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚbDonâ€™t have your families wait weeks or months to receive the remainder
of their loved oneâ€™s policy. Ask your families at the time of arrangement if
theyâ€™d like to advance additional proceeds from their loved oneâ€™s policy.
Get your families paid immediately with Family Pay.
42 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
www.expressfuneralfunding.com 812.949.9011
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://vQqC9Ky8jiX_nzuxT0eMDTA_JOi1kuXclUZV3mNzCWMÍ<«Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷é×‰EÚ×YP Spotlight
YP Spotlight
In Memoriam
Remembering Family and Friends
Elden E. Bjurling
July 27, 1950 â€“ January 2, 2021
president & owner of OGR member firm
Smith Funeral Home
Gardner, MA
James E. Heald
January 21, 1931 â€“ January 16, 2021
partner at OGR Member firm
Smith & Heald Funeral Home
Milford, NH
Francis Ridgely Huntt
November 6, 1933 â€“ February 20, 2021
Founder & CEO of OGR member firm
Huntt Funeral Home
Waldorf, MD
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
Â®
43
×`k×<Dœh÷ê×`k×<Dœh÷éÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://aOdgAHdo3RMnaEoUX2QUdnsRapABmW1jta9aCNOVuIcÎ V6Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://6ZJaGPfPRmpc7WIregCYeHL2YaWV1hCkx77b_MK1LGsÍ¾™Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0QPu7zzDK5cfOC7WizCXc4Gu--W2loQru5jj8aYUfI4Í?<Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://sRJgORdu1CZJyz1qc0f1cmuYJbuBAGDjMyZMbupgzQ0Î ÂùÍRÍ Í
ºÍð×`kä<Dœh÷¦˜× ×`kä<Dœh÷¯ \ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷® ÍÍøÌ‹9×H¶mailto:KFlores@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷­ ÍÍØÌ9×H¶mailto:ABorder@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷¬ ÍÍ¸Ì“9×H¸mailto:ACastille@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷« ÍÌ¯Ì©9×H¹mailto:EHoffmeyer@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷ª <ÍÌ‘9×H·mailto:EPerkins@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷© <ÍöÌ‚9×H´mailto:NWeil@OGR.org××Ðˆ× ×`kä<Dœh÷¨ <Ì¯Ì‡9×H´mailto:WKing@OGR.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ,MEET YOUR OGR STAFF
WENDY KING
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO
WKing@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 140
â€¢ strategic execution / management
â€¢ sponsorships
â€¢ Board of Directors liaison
â€¢ OGR Foundation
â€¢ industry liaison
As executive director/CEO, Wendy brings with her a 30+ year
passion for helping associations, non-profits and government
entities succeed, from the American Heart Association to the
Indianapolis Police Department.
NANCY WEIL
MEMBER RESOURCES DIRECTOR
NWeil@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 304
â€¢ member recruitment & retention
â€¢ supply partner relations
â€¢ member benefits & programs
Nancy brings her years of experience working
in the funeral industry to our members with certifications
as a Grief Services Provider, Funeral Celebrant, Soul Injury
Ambassador and Laughter Leader.
EMILIE PERKINS, CAE, CMP, CMM, PMP, CED
EDUCATION & EVENTS DIRECTOR
EPerkins@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 161
â€¢ professional development
â€¢ conferences & events
â€¢ Young Professionals Council
â€¢ Professional Development Committee
liaison
Emilie passionately believes in continual
professional development. She received her Certified Meeting
Professional designation (CMP) in 2009 and Certified Association
Executive (CAE) designation in 2014, Certificate in Meetings
Management (CMM) in 2016, her Project Management
Professional (PMP) designation in 2020 and her Certified Event
Designer (CED) designation in 2021.
EVAN HOFFMEYER
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
EHoffmeyer@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 143
â€¢ communication & marketing strategy
â€¢ The Independent magazine editor
â€¢ supply partner support
A local journalist for 12 years, Evan is excited
to bring his expertise in media and government relations,
public policy and content marketing to this new arena.
ALYSSA CASTILLE
MEMBERSHIP & MEETINGS COORD.
ACastille@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 131
â€¢ membership processing
â€¢ continuing education
â€¢ supply partner orders
â€¢ invoicing
Before joining OGR in 2020, Alyssa worked as Assistant Director
of Special Events at Indiana Landmarks and continues to enjoy
volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and Gleaners Food Bank.
ADELINE BORDER
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
ABorder@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 189
â€¢ newsletter & email communication
â€¢ social media management
â€¢ advertising coordination
Before joining OGR in July 2020, Adeline
worked with the Association for Information Systems and
interned for WFYI-FM, Downtown Indy, Inc. and the Muncie
(Indiana) Visitors Bureau.
KRYSTAL FLORES
MEMBER SERVICES COORDINATOR
KFlores@OGR.org
800.637.8030, ext. 146
â€¢ Family Contact Program manager
â€¢ event registration
Before joining OGR in 2021, Krystal was
a project executive at Ashfield Meetings &
Events. Her expertise lies in customer service, communication
and organization, as well as fluency in both English and Spanish.
44 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://0QPu7zzDK5cfOC7WizCXc4Gu--W2loQru5jj8aYUfI4Í?<Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷ò×‰EÚ^Celebrating Milestone Anniversaries
â€” April, May & June â€”
60 years | June 1961
Healy Chapel
Aurora, IL
45 years | June 1976
Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral
Service, Inc.
Wabash, IN
35 years | May 1986
Nelson Bros. Funeral
Services
Port Melbourne, Australia
20 years | May 2001
Smith Funeral & Memorial
Services
Warren, RI
15 years | April 2006
Hahn-Groeber Funeral &
Cremation Services, Inc.
Lafayette, IN
15 years | June 2006
Pitman Funeral Homes, Inc.
Wentzville, MO
55 years | April 1966
Pray Funeral Home, Inc.
Charlotte, MI
40 years | June 1981
Smith, Bizzell & Warner
Funeral Home
Gary, IN
30 years | May 1991
Saamis Memorial Chapel
Medicine Hat, Alberta
20 years | June 2001
Davenport Family Funeral
Homes & Crematory
Barrington, IL
15 years | June 2006
Charles Rader Funeral Home
Henderson, TX
10 years | May 2011
Stewart Family Funeral Home
Tyler, TX
Â®
×`k×<Dœh÷ó×`k×<Dœh÷òÍøÍ(×‘C‘×˜š   ÍøÍ(u×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://cv604WeornhKrcxuwApwgO9xWhZm-tJCJjIZvLSIeKkÎ ¥Í`ÍiÍq×‰	Ú 7cassandra://fR-9Sg_HtpyjmpeV9mDbw4rUL6gkkJWFrTnAn7GlMAoÍê‰Í`ÍæÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ImxlfC4j8veAz3L_EKaA5yN4O0XabQopHFoalhFE5DAÍG­Í`ÍŒÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://PofINPGYNH1DIvQ40WWC1olA2VvsrDiEO3iZr7KaHzIÎ 
çIÍJŠÍ Í
ºÍð×`kå<Dœh÷±‘× ×`kå<Dœh÷· Í‘ÍÝg9×H²http://www.ogr.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ3Funeral Service
Funeral Service
The Dayâ€™s Not Over Yet
By Evan J. Strong, Evan J. Strong Funeral Services
Many of us at some point in our lives have heard the
phrase, â€œThe dayâ€™s not over yet!â€ My great-uncle introduced
me to it. I asked him one day why he always
said it and he told me that when he landed with the
Third Canadian Division at Juno Beach on D-Day,
they achieved their objective and were regrouping and
congratulating themselves when their commanding
officer came by and said, â€œThe dayâ€™s not over lads. There
is still work to be done!â€ It was something that stuck
with my great-uncle, and he often said it for the rest of
his life.
I have always taken the phrase to mean that we can
never be complacent and that some challenge is always
lurking around the corner to test us. That the end of
our â€œdayâ€ is never certain, and we should expect the
unexpected.
As funeral professionals, I believe we embody the
meaning of â€œthe day is not over yet.â€ The nature of our
calling is one of facing the unexpected each day and
never being complacent. We are, as a profession (I have
never understood why some refer to us as an Industry,
it makes me cringe!), dedicated to helping those who
are forced to deal with the most unexpected circumstance
we as humans face: the death of a loved one. We
are there in the darkest times, ready at all hours of the
day to help those we serve. We are accustomed to the
changing wishes of families. We adapt without breaking
stride to those crises, like a sound system that does
not work or a video that will not play, with quick action
and a solution. The families and communities we serve
do not see us sweat; in fact, they have an expectation we
will overcome any challenges, and we do.
We as a profession have been challenged and tested
even more with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
We have adapted and created ways to best help those
families affected by this tragedy, to help them grieve
and mourn, to celebrate and reflect, and to do so within
the rules and regulations of our respective jurisdictions.
As we continue to confront this pandemic, our profession
has shown that the day is not over yet, and we
continue to support our communities during these
difficult times.
As OGR members, we have not taken a rest, we have
not lowered our standards even with restrictions and,
most importantly, we have remained true to our calling:
to serve with dignity and respect.
I encourage all of us to stay strong, stay focused and
support our fellow professionals during these difficult
times. We serve our families and communities best
when we know the dayâ€™s not over yet.
It never is for those of us who dedicate our lives to the
service of others.
Evan J. Strong is a Licensed Funeral
and Cremation Professional and
president of Evan J. Strong Funeral
Services in Calgary, Alberta. He
also serves as OGRâ€™s President-elect
for the 2020-21 membership year.
Evan J. Strong is an OGR member. Any
member may submit content for publication
consideration, free of charge. Reach out to Evan
Hoffmeyer at EHoffmeyer@OGR.org for details.
46 www.ogr.org | Spring 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ImxlfC4j8veAz3L_EKaA5yN4O0XabQopHFoalhFE5DAÍG­Í`ÍŒÍ ×`k×<Dœh÷ô×‰EÚc r a fte d by s ta r ma r k
î€Œî€‹î€Šî€‰î€ˆî€‹î€‡
Corrugated Fiberboard Cremation Containers
reflect the beauty of a life lived.
4 Quantity
$159 Each*
8 Quantity
$145 Each*
* Delivered price, minimum order of 4 units,
can mix & match, call for bulk ordering.
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View More Units at:
Copyright Â© 2021 Starmark Cremation Products. All rights reserved.
Specific portions of Starmark products may be covered by one or more of the following US
Patents D874,784, D859,777 10,500,118 10,500,117 10,434,025 10,398,616 10,098,801
9,872,809 9,649,241 9,649,240 9,597,248 9,539,161 9,427,369 9,248,069 9,089,467
9,050,234 8,959,732 8,607,423 8,595,908 8,418,329 8,375,535 8,104,151 7,213,311
7,204,003 7,249,402 7,249,403 7,234,211 7,263,751. Additional Patents Pending.
www.ogr.org | The IndependentÂ®
47
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Mark Your Calendars
APRIL 29 - The Golden Circle Celebration:
An Evening of Excellence
(Virtual Event)
MAY 25 - Human Resources Round-Up: How to Have Tough
Conversations - From How to Dress Professionally to Employee
Safety (Webinar)
JUNE 8 - How to Become the Go-to Funeral Home for Veterans Part 1:
Serving Veterans and Their Families (Webinar)
JUNE 9 - How to Become the Go-to Funeral Home for Veterans Part 2:
Engaging the Veteran Market (Webinar)
JUNE 29 - Human Resources Round-Up: A Fresh Take - Guide to
Navigating the generation gap (Webinar)
JULY 27 - Human Resources Round-Up: Finding, developing and
keeping top talent - 3 angles to a common challenge (Webinar)
AUGUST 24 - New & Now in Funeral Service - Top 10 Trends You Canâ€™t
Ignore (Webinar)
SEPTEMBER 19-21 - OGR Leadership Summit (In-person, Hotel
Carmichael - Carmel, Indiana)
Be sure to check your email
for any additional events!
Latest opportunities at
OGR.org/Education
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