November 2018

Page A24 NOVEMBER 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A What happened to the days when the funeral direc- tor went to a family’s home and sat and shared a cup of coffee and stories about the deceased? They provid- ed a shoulder to lean on and a hug! Good old-fash- ioned care and quality support go significantly further in building relationships with families and will bring them back to your funeral home to allow you the hon- or and privilege to care for and bury their dead. All af- tercare is not created equal. Is what you are doing for your families building relationships with your families? Aftercare is more than mere words. It’s not about say- ing “thanks for your business.” Rather, when packaged and presented in a timely and compassionate fashion, Aftercare speaks to the funeral home’s client families. It allows a funeral home to say to its clients, “You mat- ter and we care.” It’s about providing a grieving parent, child, spouse or family member a glimmer of hope and an answer to “how to” navigate grief. A gesture that says “We are with you still.” Yes, Aftercare is being ea- ger to comfort a funeral director’s clients, to serve and to assist a family in mourning after close family and friends have moved on. So why is it that I embrace Aftercare so profoundly? It began with my own journey of loss. My baptism into grief ’s world of sorrow and tears; compassion followed by acceptance occurred when my firstborn daughter, Aubrie, was born and then died on September 1, 1989. “Suffering and joy teach us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. In those transparent moments, we know other people’s joys and sorrows, and we care about their concerns as if they were our own.” –Fritz Williams Next time… “Real Aftercare” as provided by those who learned it the hard way. By Linda Findlay Aftercare 101 Linda Findlay is the founder of Mourning Discoveries, Grief Support Services. She is a 28 year career “Aftercare Coordinator,” a published author, an advocate for bereaved families and the found- er and co-creator of Journeys of Hope Grief Support Outreach Programs, coordinating and hosting seminars and events, includ- ing the first and only Bereavement Cruise that provides extensive programming exclusively for grieving families. Linda has developed comprehensive aftercare programs that are used in over 300 funer- al homes in 25 states. Linda has supported and worked with thou- sands of grieving families across this country. She has visited and provided support for grieving families in their homes and through Funeral Homes, Hospices and faith-based organizations. She has created, facilitated, participated in and coordinated hundreds of workshops, services of remembrances, and support groups. Linda is a lay counselor for a Christian Care Ministry in Greenville SC. Her highest honor is to enter people’s lives and help make a differ- ence. Linda can be reached at 315-725-6132 or you can visit her websites at www.mouringdiscoveries.com and www.j3hhh.com , or email Lf6643@yahoo.com . www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs Little did I realize how those harrowing and dark days would someday morph from my being a fulltime partici- pant in a world laced with grief, to one where I serve as an unabashed and enthusiastic supporter of the industry I love…the world of Aftercare. For me, my life’s work in the world of Aftercare became my daughter Aubrie’s legacy. Not a day goes by when giv- en the opportunity that I will not help and support some- body who is walking on a path of loss and grief. This is who I have become…and from which I derive my great- est satisfaction. While each family responds differently when grieving, there is one common thread among the 28 years’ worth of comments made by families that I have served as an Aftercare Coordinator, on behalf of over 300 funeral homes across the country. And that thread is gratitude! In my next article, I will provide you with valuable in- formation about people and organizations across our country that can and will assist you in delivering qual- ity “Aftercare” to grieving families and communities. All of the organizations that I will be sharing with you have been founded by people who have experienced the loss of a loved one to death. I will share, with you, a variety of quality aftercare solutions that have no cost and others that have different price ranges-there are many good op- tions. I have always lived by the strong philosophy that the needs of the bereaved are vast and great. I am not the only person who provides quality aftercare products and services. I will always share what others are doing as to what I feel is in the best interest of the families that I serve. The following quote applies to all of my dear friends and colleagues who work tirelessly to support families on their grief journey: SEE IT IN ACTION: watch the video at IDEAL FOR HOME REMOVALS WHEELS MAKE IT EASIER ON YOUR BACK! Custom Statues Life Size Bronze or Marble Blessed Solanus Casey Contact: Gregory Cave caveco33@aol.com 1-800-989-2283 www.caveco.us 7ft Clay Model St. Francis with leper to be cast in bronze Delivery in 120 Days life size, bronze only $17,500 Other starting at $8,300 The word family carries a spe- cial meaning at Richardson Fu- neral Home. To those who are part of the business, family is a way of life and permeates their everyday business operations as they strive to provide courteous, efficient, professional and rea- sonable priced service. The lega- cy of this third-generation fami- ly-owned business began in 1927, when the late Lovell L. Richard- son, Sr and his wife, Artie W. Richardson opened their first fu- neral home, as partners with Alan Stokes, The Stokes and Rich- ardson Funeral Home. Lovell, a licensed funeral direc- tor and embalmer, founded the Hall of Fame Awards By E lleanor S tarks B easley , CFSP Founder and Executive Director, 100 B lack W omen of F uneral S ervice , I nc . The 100 Black Women of Funeral Service, Inc. was founded in Kissimmee, FL in 1993 after a two year period of consultations and research on the role they would play in the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association–The Nation's Oldest African American Funeral Service Organization. The four goals of the 100BWFS organization are: 1. Women's leadership and award recognition. 2. Mentoring and scholarship assistance for mortuary students, matching them with experienced licensed professionals to assist their development and licensure. 3. Community service projects. 4. Building a stronger network for females entering a male dominated profession. 25 years later the 100BWFS has been involved in numerous awards and projects including: • Living Legends of Funeral Service, recognition for 50 or more dedicated years in the profession. H all of F ame A wards A frican A merican F uneral S ervice H istory M useum 8 - 7 - 18 • 2PM Kissimmee, Florida • Mortuary Science Educator of the Year. • African American Funeral Service History Museum and Hall of Fame induction, which we will be showcasing for the next 11 months. • Breast Cancer Awareness Project, showcased in October along with the NFDA Convention. We are proud of all of our VIP Life Members, staff, exhibitors and the many members and suppliers who support us through the Memorial Scholarship Program and The Gift of Funeral Education, especially Nomis Publications, Inc. and Batesville Casket Co., who have supported us since we organized in 1993. We thank each of you who read our articles in the Funeral Home and Cemetery News each month. We are always looking for phenomenal women to join our ranks and help us work toward 25 more years of excellence for a new generation funeral caregivers. Email Hundredbwfs@aol.com . Mortuary Science , who preceded both in death in 1963 at the age of 38. His son, Dwight Lovell Jackson joined the firm as a li- censed funeral director and em- balmer. Jackson became the owner of the firm after his grand- mother retired in 1987 and con- tinues to operate Richardson Fu- neral Home to this day. Jackson’s talent, known in the industry as a restorative artist, has garnered him respect among his funeral colleagues around the nation and the Caribbean as the “Best of the Best”. He received his dual license in 1980 and trained at Miami Dade where he graduat- ed in 1979. As he dons the family Dwight Lovell Jackson Richardson Funeral Home, Miami, Florida African American Funeral Home Hall of Fame Richardson Funeral Home in 1933 alongside his wife, which was originally located at 334 North West 10 th Street. During the urban renewal of the 1960’s, it relo- cated to 4500 North West 17 th Ave, where it remains. The pioneering legacy of the Richardson family was seen not only in service to the community but also in their social involvement, which included the Florida Morti- cians Association. The Richardson’s were blessed with their only son, Lovell, Jr, a 1952 graduate of the Atlanta College of mantle, Jackson remains ever mindful that one’s com- mitment to serving God and mankind ought to be evi- dent by one’s civic involvement, which includes being a member of the Florida Morticians Association, Nation- al Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, Inc and now a member of the 2018 100 Black Women of Funeral Service African American Funeral Home Hall of Fame. Congratulations to a new generation legacy funeral home owner and his dedicated and professional excel- lence to the funeral industry.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzg4MQ==