February 2021

Page A12 FEBRUARY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A www. vischerfuneralsupplies.com about racing much, which is fine. And it was awe- some,” Dale Jr remembered. On Sunday, February 18, 2001, Dale Sr was hoping for a third-place finish behind teammates Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. He was protecting their posi- tions in the final lap when the accident happened. The first reasons for this death were blamed on the restraint system in the car. Dr. Barry Myers, a Duke University expert in crash injuries, stated that Earnhardt died when his body hit at 155 miles an hour, causing his head to whip for- ward. Myers also stated that his head and neck were not held firmly in place by his restraints. Earnhardt’s chin struck the steering wheel so hard it was bent. Dr. Steve Bohannon, a Daytona International Speedway physician, who treated Earnhardt at the scene, thought a faulty seat belt caused his head to strike the steering wheel. His conclusion was that the blow caused a crack in the base of his skull. This force caused damage to major blood vessels as well as the brain stem. This would have ceased necessary func- tions and death would be quick, if not instantaneous. Dale was remembered at a funeral at Calvary Church in Charlotte, a facility that can seat 5,200. White lilies were placed on the end of every pew. A more public memorial service was held at Field- crest Cannon Stadium. His burial was in Center- grove Lutheran Church Cemetery . A grave marker has a number 8 race car and the name Earnhardt. That belongs to Ralph. Dale’s grave, number 3, will also be remembered. A simple end for a simple man who rose to such suc- cess, but wanted to return to his hometown as that simple man. “When he was young, I told Dale Jr that hunting, and racing are a lot alike. Holding that steering wheel and holding that rifle both mean you better be responsible.” –Dale Earnhardt, Sr Observations “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.” –Dale Earnhardt, Sr The driver of the black number 3 Chevrolet was not one to disappoint a crowd. His aggressive manner had him bumping cars for position. On February 18, 2001, twenty years ago, at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, he was treating this race like any other. In Turn 4, his car gently struck Sterling Martin’s, pushing his car into Ken Schrader’s, and into the re- taining wall at 155 miles per hour. Both cars were dragged from the wall to the infield grass. Schrader, despite his injuries, jumped from his car and ran up to the Chevrolet and pulled down its window. He looked at the driver and later admitted, “I knew he was dead.” Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr was born April 29, 1951 in Kannapolis, North Carolina to Ralph Lee Earnhardt and Martha Coleman. His father was already a racing legend. The elder Earnhardt was known for keeping his cars in excellent shape. From dirt tacks to the bigger raceways, Ralph won the NASCAR (National Associa- tion of Stock Car Auto Racing) and came in second at his first Grand National Race, both in 1956. He was known as “Mr. Consistency,” and was a trailblazer in race car building, where he installed crash bars in the driver’s door. He was innovative in understanding tire stagger, using different width tires on the car to give him better control on certain tracks. In his 23-year ca- reer, he won over 350 races. He died on September 26, 1973, struck by a heart attack at the age of 45, while on the garage floor, working on one of his cars. His son Dale found his father. Reportedly Ralph did not want his son to have a ca- reer in racing, but Dale dropped out of school to pur- sue racing. He won the “Rookie of the Year” at the Winston Cup, now known as the NASCAR Cup, so many times that only Jimmy Johnson and Richard Pet- ty have won more. He became the first driver to win over $30 million. In 1992, his standing dropped to 12th place. Dale was, as always, on a comeback. He went on to win more Winston Cup victories. He had his eye on the Daytona 500 which had evaded him so far. 1997 saw some life-threatening crashes for Earn- hardt. At the Daytona 500 in February, his car was in a tight race with Jeff Gordon, Gordon made a move to By Steven Palmer pass and Earnhardt tapped the wall. He tried to recover but was probably struck by Dale Jarret. At 200 miles per hour, the car went sideways and flipped upside down and then was hit by Ernie Irvan, which knocked the car back on its wheels again and skidded into the infield. He es- caped serious injury. He was back racing a week later. (In 1998, he went on to win Daytona for the first and only time.) In September 1997 at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Earnhardt’s car brushed the Turn 1 wall and then struck the wall in Turn 2 on the first lap. He was told to pull over. He went around again before finally pulling into the pit road. Earnhardt was carried from the car, taken to the infield care center, then to the hospital. A blood vessel at the base of his head was not providing blood to his brain stem, causing confusion. He said, “I’m sorry, I saw two racetracks.” He was examined, treated, and later cleared to race again. He created Dale Earnhardt Inc, designing and building racecars, and built a race team that included Dale Earn- hardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin, John Andretti, Kenny Wallace, and Darrell Waltrip. It operated from 1998 to 2009, when his widow, Teresa, merged the corporation with Chip Ganassi Rac- ing. The Ganassi shop took the equipment and tools to their shop, and the Earnhardt shop closed down. Dale’s personal life was as volatile as his aggression on the track. In 1968, he married Latane Brown, giving them a son, Kerry. They divorced in 1970. In 1971, Dale married Brenda Gee. Their children were Kelly King in 1972 and Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr in 1974. Dale Sr, and Brenda were divorced soon after Dale Jr’s birth. In 1982, Dale married Teresa Houston and they had a daughter Nicole, born in 1988. His relationship with his son, Dale Jr was difficult. Dale Sr was hard on him. Dale Jr. said in an interview about his early days, ac- cording to altdriver.com, “He looked at me as if, you know, ‘I don’t know what he’s going to amount to. I don’t know what this kid’s gonna do. I don’t know what skills he has or whether he’s ever going to get his act together.’” When Dale, Jr proved himself on the track, their rela- tionship improved. “We were doing photoshoots together. I saw him all the time, and we talked about all kinds of [things]. We talk- ed about life, girls, everything but racing. We did not talk The Intimidator Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. Hehasbeen licensedonbothcoasts, heownedtheWestcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains ac- tive in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral serviceissues.HemaybereachedbymailatPOBox352,Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e- mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.com or through his website at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at this question. CANA has tracked cre- mation rates since the first mechanized cremation in 1867. It took nearly 100 years for the national cremation rate to hit 5%; it grew steadily and predictably at about 1-2% annually for the next 45 years, eventually exceeding 50% in 2016. A few years ago, CANA worked with its consultant to better understand this growth pattern. A key insight from this research was that while some states’ rates grow faster than others, the na- tional annual growth rate has remained Snapshot: Cremation Statistics from the U.S. Pandemic WHEELING,IL— How fast is cremation growing? Report- ers and practitioners alike fre- quently contact CANA with Figure 1 steady and predictable through good times and bad. Recessions have impact- ed single states or regions over time, but never the entire country. (Figure 1) Then came 2020. Everything has changed, including cremation growth. Anecdotally, members are reporting that they have seen increased cremations in their businesses. Not only that death rates have increased, but more families are requesting cremation than before. What have you experienced over the past six months? Does it seem as though Continued on Page A22