November 2020

Page A2 NOVEMBER 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Published Monthly by: Nomis Publications, Inc. PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 FAX 1-800-321-9040 www.nomispublications.com info@nomispublications.com Subscription: United States $25.00 - Canada/Mexico $50.00 Circulation 21,000 per issue. Overseas rates available. Deadline for Press Releases: 5th of the Previous month. Advertising: Display Ad rates sent upon request. Classified and Shipping Directory rates published in each issue. All advertising must be received by the 5th of the previous month. Due to the vast amount of sources, the publisher is not responsible for the content of any news articles or advertisements. Nor is the publisher responsible for any loss of revenue by failure to insert an advertisement. The contents of any advertisement submitted for publication are only the publisher’s responsibility if the error is made by the publisher’s typesetting department, and then only to the ex- tent of the typesetting charges. Advertisers are responsible for adhering to individual state regulations regarding advertising. The contents of any news article submitted for publication is subject to editing and is published at the sole discretion of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any news article or advertisement. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or part, without the exclusive consent of Nomis Publications, Inc. Editor: Margaret (Peggy) Rouzzo Owner: Lucy A. McGuire © 2020 by Nomis Publications, Inc. ISSN 1944-1126 Funeral Home & Cemetery News Online at www.nomispublications.com MONTHLY FEATURES Classified Ads............................................................................................... . B13 Shipping Directory.......................................................................................... . B9 Calendar of Events......................................................................................... . B2 Association News......................................................................................... .A33 Deaths.......................................................................................................... .A38 Educational News........................................................................................ .A36 Suppliers News.............................................................................................. . B1 COLUMNS: Aftercare by Linda Findlay............................................................................. .A8 Embalming 101 by Wally Hooker................................................................. .A16 Facebook Made Easy by Jason Troyer PhD................................................ .A10 The Foundations of Success for Funeral Directors by Mark Bowser........... .A18 HearseHub by Mike Jamar............................................................................. .B6 Memoires des choix des Jacque by Kate Frediani-Gorman........................ .A32 Museum Corner........................................................................................... .A34 Observations by Steven Palmer................................................................... .A12 There’s More to It...Advance Funeral Planning by Chris Kuhnen.................. .A6 Random Musings by Nancy Weil................................................................... .A4 Rest In Peace Mr President by Todd Van Beck............................................ .A22 Working With Widowers by Fred Colby and Herb Knoll .............................. .A20 NOTICE The FUNERAL HOME AND CEMETERY NEWS is now sent in two parts. Section A, which includes pages A1-A40 and Section B, which contains the Classified Advertising and consists of pages B1-B20. If you do not receive both sections please call 1-800-321-7479 or email info@nomispublications.com. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Online Directories US & International Funeral Homes • Supply Companies Cemeteries • Pet Memorialization Companies Trade Associations • Plus Much More... www.nomispublications.com Like Us On Submit your photograph or line drawing and include: • your firm’s name, address, phone number(s) • name of contact person • a short description of your facility Send to FRONT COVER c/o Nomis Publications, Inc PO Box 5159 • Youngstown, Ohio 44514 For more information, call Kim 800-321-7479 kim@nomispublications.com www.nomispublications.com FEATURING HERE Back row are Yolanda Thayer, Eric and Layla Thayer, and Governor Eric Holcomb. Front: Kendall and Kramer Thayer Governor Holcomb (left) made special mention of the hand sanitizing stations and masks of- fered to the community upon entry to the fu- neral home. Boultinghouse Funeral Home Continued from Front Page wife, Sara Campbell, opened a funeral home in Tennyson, Indiana in 1895 un- der the original name, John A. Billups Undertaker. Over the years the firm op- erated under the ownership of many dif- ferent families. Families that offered sev- eral innovative “firsts” to the community, such as the introduction of the area’s first motorized hearse back in 1917. Plans were underway for the Thayer family to celebrate both the firm’s 125 year anniversary, as well as, their 15 year anniversary of service to the commu- nity when Covid struck. “The last six months has been especially challenging, especially for funeral service. Working through all of the mandates was a bal- ancing act,” said Evan. With the celebration events cancelled, Evan, his staff and family, were honored that Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb made a special visit to the funeral home to congratulate them for their continued ser- vice. As a Navy veteran and a student of history, the Governor paid special atten- tion to the facility and old photographs of the funeral home. This rich history is more than evident in the photographs be- ginning with a building with no electricity and a horse-drawn hearse and ending in today’s modern fleet of automobiles and facilities offering the latest technologies. The funeral home sign, which reads “Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1895,” is a constant reminder to Evan, his family, and the entire funeral home staff of their heritage and commitment to the community they serve. One Step Closer: Senate Committee Includes BRAVE Act in Veterans Benefits Package BROOKFIELD,WI— The Senate Vet- erans’ Affairs Committee announced the Burial Rights for America’s Veteran Ef- forts (BRAVE) Act (H.R. 497/S. 597) has been included in the Veterans Ben- efits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020 (S. 4511/H.R. 7952). Passage of this benefits package by the Commit- tee clears the bill for a vote by the full Senate. This is a significant move for- ward for the BRAVE Act. NFDA will continue to work with the Senate Vet- erans’ Affairs Committee and leader- ship to pass the bill before the end of the year. NFDA will also continue to work with the bill’s champions and leadership in the House to ensure it is considered on the floor. “On behalf of the more than 20,000 members of the National Funeral Direc- tors Association, I would like to thank Sens. Gary Peters and Marco Rubio for introducing the BRAVE Act and Sens. Jerry Moran and Jon Tester – and the en- tire Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee – for including it in the Veteran Bene- fits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020,” said NFDA CEO Christine Pep- per, CAE. “We applaud their commit- ment to our nation’s veterans and ensur- ing they receive equitable treatment and respect when they die. “As a funeral director who serves the families of veterans, I cannot express how delighted I am to see the BRAVE Act in- cluded as part of a larger benefits pack- age for our nation’s heroes,” said NFDA president R. Bryant Hightower Jr. “This crucial step means that families will be able to lay their veteran to rest with the dignity befitting their sacrifice. I urge the full Senate to pass this bill and for the House to do the same. The veterans who gave of themselves deserve nothing less than our full support.” The Veterans Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act will improve benefits for burial, education, pensions, compen- sation and other vital services veterans have earned; cut down on the increasing backlog of disability compensation and pension exams; and expand wartime ben- efits for certain Vietnam veterans. Specifically, with regard to burial ben- efits, the bill will ensure all non-service- connected deaths are treated equally, re- gardless of where an eligible veteran dies, and ensures benefits for non-service-con- nected deaths are indexed for inflation, alleviating the need for further adjust- ments from Congress. In 2018, during testimony before the Senate Veterans Committee, bill sponsor Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) stressed that veterans’ burial benefits have not kept up with inflation and the cost of funerals and burials: “Our brave men and women in uniform have sacrificed so much in de- fense of our nation. We owe it to them to ensure they receive the benefits that they have earned through their service, in- cluding a dignified burial … I believe we should honor our nation’s heroes by mak- ing commonsense updates to VA buri- al benefits – ensuring every veteran has a proper funeral and burial, no matter the circumstances at the end of their lives.” The BRAVE Act received endorsements from the Department of Veterans Af- fairs and numerous veterans’ service or- ganizations, including The American Le- gion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Officers Association of America, Viet- nam Veterans of America, Association of the United States Navy and the Disable American Veterans. NFDA is headquartered in Brook- field, WI and has an office in Washing- ton, DC. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.