December 2021

Page A20 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A With more than 40 years of experience, Inman ShippingWorldwide is the nation’s largest, oldest and most reliable shipping provider. We offer: • International & domestic ship-in services • Unsurpassed attention to detail • State-of-the-art tracking software • 24/7 call center staffed by Inman employees FIRST-CLASS SHIPPING SERVICE. Unma E tch x e p d ertise. Contact us to learn about our superior shipping services. (800) 321-0566 ShipInman.com ©adfinity ® I hope this provides family and friends with fodder for consideration. Feel free to share this with them, and please provide feedback if you think I missed anything or could have said something differently. • Don’t be sad, just be happy • Everything happens for a reason – it will all be okay in the end • Grieving lasts just a while, you will be stronger for it If you cannot think of something positive or sup- portive to say, just don’t say anything at all. We don’t need anyone else’s self-righteousness, or personal life philosophy. In these times of heightened anxiety and stress too many people are ready to go negative and feed our self-doubts and guilt. Keep that to yourself and leave us alone if that is your approach. Also, don’t just thoughtlessly ask, “How are you do- ing?” Widowers know that in most cases you really don’t want to know and are praying that we don’t an- swer that question honestly. We often want to say something like, “I feel like crap! Do you really want to know how I feel?” What I Tell New Widowers When I first meet a new widower, I will usually try to provide support by telling them: • You are NOT going crazy • What you are going through is normal • Expect there to be both physical and emotional pain for months if not a year or more • You will often feel like you are losing control, this too is normal • You may feel like half of your self has been ripped away from you • You may not know who you are anymore, and may have to reinvent yourself in order to heal Share this with Friends & Family of a Widower I recently was asked during a radio interview to sum- marize my advice to the friends and family of a wid- ower on what to say or not say to them. The following are some highlights of our conversation. What To Say To A New Widower I often recommend you start off by asking the wid- ower to tell their story (both their wife’s story and their own) – ask questions that prompt them to tell their story, such as: • How did you meet? • What made her special? • How and when did she pass? Widowers need to tell their story. It honors their wife every time they do. They heal just a little bit ev- ery time they tell their story. I must have told mine a couple hundred times the first year after losing The- resa, my wife of 45 years. If you (a friend or family member) have a story about their wife to share with them, go ahead and share it. We widowers love to hear funny stories about our wives that remind us of her special traits that made her a unique and special human. We also love to hear moving stories about something special she did for others, it lets us know that others loved her too. What NOT To Say To New Widower Many comments can be insensitive. Don’t be one of those people that says: • You or your wife somehow deserved this • You did not pray enough By Fred Colby Working With Widowers Fred Colby has served as a director, board member and consul- tant for nonprofit organizations in California and Colorado. After his wife, Theresa, died in 2015 Fred shifted his focus to writing and leadership roles to help his fellow widowers heal and re-engage with life. He co-founded the Pathways Hospice Men’s Grief Group and an online grief group. He resides in Ft. Collins, Colorado. For more information go to: www.fredcolby.com. Fred Colby’s new 2nd edition blends his own story with research, observa- tions, and experiences during the first year of grieving the loss of his wife, plus what he learned after his first edition was printed. The book is in part a result of his frustration with the lack of other in-depth or quality materials available to help fellow widowers. His search for an - W idower to W idower Surviving the End of Your Most Important Relationship N ew S econd E dition To see what others are saying about W idower to W idower go to https://www.fredcolby.com/media Special Offer — 5 Books for $49.99 https://www.fredcolby.com/buy-books/order- 5-pack-for-groups w w w . F r e d C o l b y . c o m swers took him to group meetings, individual counseling sessions, writings by fellow widowers, and discussions resulting from hap - penstance meetings with fellow travelers on the grief journey. StoneMor Inc Announces Partnership with Sympathy Brands to Provide Unified Support for Families BENSALEM,PA— StoneMor Inc (NYSE: STON) announced a stra- tegic partnership with Sympathy Brands Company (S2 Brands, Inc), the unifying resource and support platform that guides families through all end-of-life matters. StoneMor in- tegrates with Sympathy Brands to provide each family with a holistic experience that connects their fu- neral homes, families and comforters when planning, mourning and me- morializing loved ones. The topic of mortality and planning for end of life remains taboo, nuanced and emotionally difficult. Conversa- tions surrounding the subject require guidance and a strong support net- work to help navigate sensitive deci- sions and numerous logistical items. StoneMor brings people togeth- er by blending personal services with appropriate technology, streamlin- ing the planning and decision-mak- ing process, while supporting fami- lies. Through its strategic alliance with Sympathy Brands, StoneMor now provides the most comprehensive, pre- planning, at-need, and continued af- tercare for families and their extended support networks at each step. Sympathy Brands’ proprietary plat- form allows StoneMor to work from a centralized connection point enabling a personalized and unique interaction between their funeral homes, cemeter- ies and families while removing logis- tical challenges. Bridging technology and family care, the distinctive suite of services includes Viewneral®, an inter- active solution to extend and broaden support for families with customizable gatherings to virtually eulogize, memo- rialize and celebrate the deceased, and Aftercare, continued communication dedicated to helping families beyond the funeral service. Sympathy Brands seamlessly integrates with StoneMor’s existing technology to streamline pro- cesses and improve data management. Founded on the simple belief that help- ing families through one of life’s most challenging moments requires a strong support network, Sympathy Brands’ consumer-focused suite of technology creates a unified experience for every family and their extended network at their time of need. “Partnering with Sympathy Brands provides new technology and services to our platforms that allow us to con- tinue to care for our families in the most seamless way possible. This is an- other step towards our vision of pro- viding an industry leading approach of being a family first company,” said Joe Redling, Stonemor’s CEO. “What makes this alliance so unique and powerful is that StoneMor’s team is genuinely dedicated to easing the burden and helping people,” says Mi- chael Schimmel , CEO of Sympathy Brands. “We have a shared vision for how technology benefits everyone. Our collaboration and shared core val- ue that the family comes first, contin- ues to build trust and confidence.” StoneMor and Sympathy Brands strategic alliance is structured to en- sure families receive the most per- sonalized, compassionate, and com- prehensive experience, modernizing end-of-life matters. StoneMor Inc., headquartered in Trevose, PA is an owner and operator of cemeteries and funeral homes in the United States, with 300 cemeter- ies and 69 funeral homes in 24 states and Puerto Rico. StoneMor’s cemetery products and services, which are sold on both a pre- need (before death) and at-need (at death) basis, include: burial lots, lawn and mausoleum crypts, burial vaults, caskets, memorials, and all services which provide for the installation of this merchandise. For additional in- formation about StoneMor Inc, visit StoneMor’s website, and the investors section, at http://www.stonemor.com. The Sympathy Brands’ family of brands, including Sympathy Brands, eCondolence.com, shiva.com, Cemetery.com and others, supports families and industry experts through all stages of end-of-life matters™ with its trusted marketplace, leading tech- nology and highly curated network of strategic partners. To learn more, visit www.SympathyBrands.com for more information. “I Love My Cemeterian” Perfect Gi f ts! Order Your Favori te Today! visit www.nomispubl ications.com or cal l 1-800-321-7479 “I Love My Funeral Director”