October 2020

Page A4 OCTOBER 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A KIRKWOOD, MO—Bopp Chapel recently took delivery of two new Superior Cadillac XTS Sovereign funeral coaches. Bopp Chapel is the oldest business in Kirkwood. Established as a livery service in 1902 by Louis H. Bopp, the firm grew as an undertaking establishment serving families of Kirkwood and west St. Louis County. Pictured with Joe Molina (left) president and Tony Molina (far right) vice president of Royal Coachworks, Inc. are 4th generation Bopp family funeral directors, Chris Roth, Scott Humes, and Chip Obert. Call Joe or Tony Molina 1-800-506-1983 (314) 781-1500 - St. Louis, MO View our Inventory at www.royalcoachworks.com Since 1982 By Nancy Weil We made it to October. In years past we would be looking forward to pumpkin spice lattes, the beauty of the autumn leaves and, for those of us in the south, the end of hurricane season. 2020 has certainly changed the rhythm that we have settled into for so many years. Now we see the fall as what may begin a new rise in coronavirus cases due to the colder temperatures driv- ing us inside. We wonder if the pandemic has the pow- er to “cancel” Halloween trick or treating. If the safety restrictions in our area will relax or become even more restrictive. All of this makes me want to blow my ref- eree whistle and call for a do-over. Go back to January 1 and consider what plans you had made for 2020. Did you make a bud- get for your funeral home or cemetery? Were there remodels and upgrades in your future? What about vaca- tions away from work? So much of what we thought we knew about the year was wrong. COVID-19 changed the trajectory of where we thought we would be come October, but what does this really mean? Is there any good that has come from what this year has brought? Did you find more time to spend with your family and close friends? Have you rediscovered the joy in a simple walk in a local park or eating outside on your patio? Have the innovations Random Musings you were forced to make in your business improved the way you communicate with staff and the families you serve? Does the way you now run services have elements you want to keep? It is easy to focus on what we can no longer do, to worry about what the future holds and to lament what might have been. The focus, however, needs to be on what is happening in our lives right now. Pema Chodron wrote in her book When Things Fall Apart , “Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think the point is to pass the test or to over- come the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and they fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” Have you made room for unpacking all of the emotions that this year has brought? Do you have the capacity to hold space for the disappointments, the anxiety, the gratitude and the fun? I do not know when I will be able to write an article that does not contain the word “pandemic” or “COVID”, but I will celebrate when that feeling of normalcy returns. However, it will be with the knowledge that life can shift in an instant and what plans that were made can be taken away without our approval. The new normal will feel strangely uncomfortable when we hug a friend, shake a hand or attend a crowded event. While I wish we could start 2020 over and avoid where we are now, I also know that the changes within me are ones that have allowed me to grow in ways I could not have imagined. Do-over? Not this time. Make-do? That is more the theme for 2020. Stay safe and well, my friend. Can we have a Do-over? Serving as Member Resources Director at the International Order of the Golden Rule, Nancy Weil brings her years of experience work- ing in the funeral industry to funeral directors across the globe. Her professional experience includes serving as Director of Grief Support and Community Outreach at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, FL and at eleven cemeteries in Western New York. Nancy travels throughout the country offering presentations on how to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and offer support for those who are grieving through her company, The Laugh Academy. With certifications as a Grief Services Provider and Grief Manage- ment Specialist, Funeral Celebrant, Soul Injury Ambassador and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified to bring new perspec- tives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. For more information on how Nancy can help you and your company grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or e-mail Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at Coronavirus Creates Changes to Funerals and Memorial Services in Northampton County, PA MARTINS CREEK, PA— One of the worst outcomes of the Covid-19 Corona- virus Pandemic is not be- ing able to offer a deceased family member or friend a proper funeral or memori- al service. With limitations on gatherings due to social distancing and indoor ca- pacities, the James J Palm- eri Funeral Home wanted to give families a safer al- ternative to honor loved James Palmeri and Curtis Parsons ones by offering outdoor on-site funerals at their site in Martins Creek, PA. This is an idea that has been in the works for a while, as many desire a more ‘natu- ral’ memorial. With the current limita- tions, the funeral home director and own- er Jim Palmeri thought the time is now. “I remembered when a family came in and told of how their Uncle Paul loved to fish near the stream and wouldn’t it be nice to have the funeral near his favorite fishing hole.” That fishing hole just happened to be behind the funeral home. “Unfortu- nately, at that time, none of us thought about personalization of a funeral in that way, but now,” continued Palmeri, “it is a whole new generation and we thought the time was right to create personalization and safety all in one package.” Working together with colleagues at the James B. Gaffney and Gaffney-Parsons Funeral Homes in Bangor, Pen Argyl and Johnsonville, Palmeri, and fellow funer- al director Curtis Parsons and their staffs, created the unique setting and outdoor cer- emony behind the Martins Creek funeral home. “We really came together as one fu- neral home to give families from the Slate Belt, together with Forks and Palmer town- ships and Easton, the opportunity to have more people attend a funeral in a beautiful setting. Weddings are commonly held out- side, so why not funerals? It seems appro- priate given that the transition to death is a natural experience,” stated Parsons. With the funeral tradition transitioning it- self to more common acceptance of crema- tion instead of traditional burial, there is more flexibility where services are held now more, than ever. Palmeri and Parsons and their team have transitioned the beautiful acreage of the property, under the shade of mature trees and near the aforementioned Martins Creek to offer outdoor services with the same high- end experience as their indoor funerals with ample seating and beautiful floral displays Continued on Page A8 S E N D U S Y O U R N E W S ! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com