June 2019

Page A8 JUNE 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Time may be only a moment so keep a memory Necklace Urn Pendants for an Everlasting Keepsake. Urns hold a portion of the cremains. Sterling Silver and Gold pieces in stock. orders or catalog : www.cremationkeepsakes.com cremationkeepsakes@comcast.net 877-303-3144 CREMATION KEEPSAKES SAVE BIG! EMITTE LIQUID CANDLE FUEL PLUS,with every order... ■ Free shipping& free returns! ■ And,anadditional 5%discount! [when you enter promotional code “Fuel”] Buydirect at ChurchCatalog.com and receive all the same services as youdowhenpurchasingour products through Amazon... Plusmore! MADE INUSA By Kristan Dean Let’s Chat In 2000 Kristan Dean began working with her family to bring Merry Christmas From Heaven ® to all who need the gifts’ mes- sage of Comfort, Love, and Faith. Today she is the Vice President of Marketing and one of the primary members of her family’s Bereavement Ministry.   Thanks, in great part, to the thousands of funeral directors and retailers nationwide who make Merry Christmas From Heaven ® a part of their communities, countless numbers of families reach out to their family every year. Their bereavement ministry helps families realize that those in Heaven live forever in our hearts. Their love is with us always.    Prior to Mooney TunCo, Inc. Kristan worked with companies na- tionwide helping them build revenues by creating greater sales op- portunities through the use of sales intelligence and marketing align- ment. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs What is a funeral celebrant?They are the person that con- ducts the funeral service, right? Up until I attended In- sight Certified Celebrant training in April that was the ex- tent of my answer. However, I realized while I may know what a celebrant is, I have almost no idea what they actu- ally do. I also wondered why a family would want or need to work with a celebrant. How does a celebrant care for the family? How do they create a ceremony? Why would a fu- neral home want to work with a celebrant? Then I realized that while I want answers to all of those questions and more, the one I really want to ask myself is: why do I want to be a celebrant? While I am not sure what a celebrant actually does or how they do it, I can remember our family’s funerals. One thing that stands out is that the funeral homes, cemeteries, and funeral directors supported us so that we were able to have the services that let us cel- ebrate the people we love the way we wanted to. I remember my dad singing at my late husband’s funeral and how he helped me sing my husband’s favorite song. I remember how the funeral home helped everyone in the procession take a detour, through a few towns so that we could have a moment, outside in sleeting rain, with our Old Gram, around her casket in one of her favorite plac- es, Hull Gut. Then there was my dad’s visitation, where his voice filled the funeral home and my sister Jennifer’s voice belted out the chorus of Sweet Caroline as she sung with our dad. In that one moment everyone smiled cried, laughed, and my dad was there. These are a few of the moments that bring tears to my eyes, a small tightening to my heart, sadness, and a burst of love all at the same time. They are a glimpse into a funer- al service, procession, and visiting hours when our family got to come together, celebrate our love, say goodbye, cry, laugh, share memories, and create new ones all at the same time. What strikes me about each of these moments is that none of them happened in a church. Does this mean that they can’t? Of course not. I remember sitting in church at my Grandpa Jack’s fu- neral mass, looking at his closed casket in front of the al- tar, realizing what dead means, and missing him in a way that let me know howmuch I love him. I remember sing- ing On Angel’s Wings with my sisters at our Papa Bill’s funeral mass and how that was a moment of awe for me. I remember hearing our mom give our dad’s eulogy at his mass, seeing how much she loves him, and how strong she is for all of us. Each memory is a connection to faith, spirit, and everlasting love. Walking into Celebrant training in April the one ques- tion I could answer was why I want to be a celebrant. I want to be a celebrant so that I may help families come together, in their own way, to celebrate the one they love, say goodbye, cry, laugh, share memories, and create new ones all at the same time. I want to help families have funerals that mean something to them so that they can celebrate, mourn, and grow the relationships that mean something to them. What is a funeral celebrant? For me it is so much more than a person who conducts a funeral service. What do you think? I would love your thoughts. Please give me a ring at 781-980-1728 or, if you prefer, email me at kristan@mooneytunco.com . Batchelor Brothers Expands West Philly Presence P H I L AD E L P H I A , PA— Batchelor Brothers Funer- al Services, one of the ar- ea’s largest African American owned providers, has just opened its third location at 3215 Garrett Road in Drex- el Hill to serve residents in surrounding townships in- cluding Darby, Upper Dar- by, Lansdowne, Sharon Hill, and Yeadon. Given the increasing need for high quality, high integri- ty funeral services and a con- venient location with ame- nities that would otherwise seem cost prohibitive, Batch- elor Brothers luxurious new facility offers cost-effective elegance. With the ability to seat 300 people in its chapel and ample onsite parking, Batchelor Brothers is able to provide a ministry of care to families, distinguished indi- viduals and first responders that require special atten- tion to detail. According to founding partner, Vaughn Greene, “We are blessed to have the opportunity to ex- pand our reach to West Phil- adelphia and serve the neigh- boring community before, during and after the loss of a loved one.” In 2010, recognizing that there was a need to compas- sionately deliver high quality, uniquely distinct funeral ser- vices to families in times of loss, Batchelor Brothers, Inc Funeral Services purchased the prior Levine Family Funeral Home, located in the West Oak Lane section of North Philadelphia. The 17,000 square foot facility was renovated to incorpo- rate a 300 seat chapel to ac- commodate the community, as well as multiple viewing rooms, a large conference room, and a comprehensive selection room. In January, 2016, the firm extended their care and ser- vices into Trenton, NJ. They purchased the prior Saul Fu- neral Home on Greenwood Avenue in Hamilton Square, just outside of Trenton. Greene, president, licensed funeral director, and pastor earned his degree in mortu- ary science and has an Hon- orary Doctorate of Humane Letters. He also holds profes- sional memberships with the Funeral Director and Morti- cians Association of Pennsyl- vania, as well as the National Funeral Directors Association. Since the company’s incep- tion, Vaughn’s leadership has shaped its ministry to reflect the highest standards in the funeral industry, and has po- sitioned Batchelor Brothers, as the standard of excellence in the minority markets it serves and beyond. For more information, visit www.batchelorbrothers.com or call 610-713-5560. Blind North Carolina Funeral Director Completes Autobiography SYLVA,NC— Funeral director, building contractor and au- thor David Gates has just re- leased his autobiography, The Way I See It. A native of Sylva, David was born with juvenile glaucoma and gradually lost his vision, becoming totally blind at age 22. David originally opened a store in nearby Dillsboro, sell- ing rocking chairs, handmade brooms, hammocks, and also wove chairs and other items before owning an old time David Gates general store in Dillsboro. He is the first totally blind person to obtain his commercial building contractor’s license. David builds new houses and remodels older homes. When David opened Appalachian Funeral Services and Crematorium in September 2009, he and his wife, Carrie, began school at Fayetteville Technical College to obtain their license in funeral directing. David obtained his license in October, 2015. David, along with friends, tells the story of growing up in a small, rural mountain community; his struggles with public school, trying to find and keep a job; and the chal- lenges of opening and operating a store while adjusting to the struggles of a sighted world. The Way I See It is available at City Lights Bookstore, 3 East Jackson Street, Sylva, NC 28779, or by calling 828-586- 9499. Gates speaks frequently to groups interested in the challenges and struggles of operating businesses while being blind. He can be reached by email at chgates@frontier.com.