December 2021

Page A22 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com Chemical Company in Cincinnati. From Wednesday to Saturday, Harrison’s remains were reposed in his bedroom. On Saturday, from noon to 10:00 PM, Harri- son’s body was reposed in the rotunda of the Indiana State Capitol. After the public viewing, the body was returned home. The funeral was scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. President Harrison’s casket was called “The State Casket.” It was made of solid cedar with a solid copper inner liner, which made the burial receptacle airtight. The copper liner was upholstered with white silk, upon which Harri- son’s body would rest. The exterior of the casket was dec- orated on the corners with hand-carved ornaments and heavily carved molding around the entire circumference. The exterior of the casket was plain and covered with heavy black cloth. The casket’s most impressive features were six massive silver handles. The casket weighed 300 pounds and was the finest casket that Kregelo offered. President William McKinley sent his condolenc- es to Mrs. Harrison. Little did McKinley know when he penned his condolence note, in little more than six months, he would be killed by an assassin’s bullet. On Thursday, it was announced that President McKinley would attend the funeral. This would be the first time that a standing president would attend the funeral of a former president. The funeral attendance would be by family invitation only. On Friday evening, the Kre- gelo Undertakers brought Har- rison’s casketed body down- stairs and placed it in the front parlor. The casket was opened and positioned near the mantel on the south side of the room. The undertakers from Kre- gelo then made preparations to transfer Harrison’s remains to the State Capitol building By Todd Van Beck Benjamin Harrison died on Wednesday, March 13, 1901 at 4:45 PM at his home in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was 67 years old and was the 23 rd US President. Harrison’s grandfather had been William Henry Har- rison, who served as the ninth president. Harrison was an excellent extemporaneous speaker in front of large crowds, but one-on-one he was aloof and conceited. His nickname was “The Human Iceberg.” In early March of 1901, Harrison caught influenza. After being confined to his bed for two days, Harri- son developed a pain in the left side of his chest with an alarmingly increased pulse rate and labored breath- ing. Harrison was diagnosed with pneumonia, which in 1901 was tantamount to being given a death sentence. Eventually, Harrison was unable to recognize his own family. Shortly before his death, Harrison opened his eyes and cried out, “Are the doctors here? Doctor, my lungs!” These were his last words. The undertaking firm of C.E. Kregelo & Son took charge of the body. Mr. James Bailey , who was in the employ of Charles E. Kregelo , embalmed Har- rison’s body in the bedroom where he had died. The embalming was completed by using the right com- mon carotid point of injection, and the preservation chemicals came from Professor Clarke’s Embalming B enjamin H arrison the twenty-third President of the United States of America Rest in Peace, Mr. President. That was the hope...that our presidents would rest in peace, but that has not always happened. For example, between 1865 and 1901 Lincoln’s remains were moved 18 times. Funerals are a reflection of how people live their lives, and this remains true for the funerals of our U.S. presi- dents. This series offers a glimpse into the deaths and fu- nerals of our presidents, while offering overdue recogni- tion to the scores of funeral professionals who labored ceaselessly to carry out the wishes of the presidents, their families, and in some cases, the wishes of the United States government. Each account tells an interesting story. —TVB Rest In Peace, Mr. President on Saturday morning. Kregelo had al- ready prepared a canopied catafalque and mourning decorations at the Cap- itol, and now they began moving wag- ons loaded with flowers from the home to the rotunda. By 2:30 AM on Satur- day, fourteen wagon loads of flowers had been moved and set up. It was estimated that over 600 floral arrangements were displayed at the Harrison funeral. On Saturday morning, the Kre- gelos’ hearse was in front of the Harri- son home. The hearse was pulled by four black horses. The funeral car was heavily draped in black with the unique feature of displaying a large American flag on the roof of the hearse. By all accounts, Harrison looked natural and well- preserved. His head rested on a white silk pillow, and his snow-white beard was trimmed perfectly. He wore a Prince Albert coat, striped gray suit pants, a black silk vest, and a winged collar shirt with a black silk bow tie. President Harrison’s funeral began at 2:00 PM and followed the funeral rituals of the Presbyterian Church. The funeral lasted thirty minutes. Harrison was buried next to his first wife, Caroline, at Crown Hill Cem- etery . The entire grave was lined with evergreen and a group of workers from Crown Hill stood ready to lower the casket into the vault. Finally, a heavy gran- ite slab weighing 1,200 pounds was positioned on top of the vault and was cemented into place. Crown Hill charged $6.00 for opening and closing the grave and $15.00 for the evergreen covering. Todd W. Van Beck is associated with John A. Gupton College in Nashville, and has been an author, teacher, practitioner, and speaker for over 40 years. On May 30, 2018 Van Beck celebrated 50 years in funeral service. You can reach Todd at 615-327-3927. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at C harles E. K regelo B enjamin H arrison Spring Grove Funeral Homes, Cemetery & Arboretum announces Newly Opened Event Center Service Corporation International Announces Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results CINCINNATI,OH— Spring Grove Funeral Homes, Cem- etery & Arboretum recent- ly announced the opening of their 10,000-square-foot Event Center. The state-of-the-art facility Spring Grove Funeral Homes offers unparalleled conve- nience to Cincinnati families by offering funerals, crema- tion, memorialization, burials, and receptions all in one location. This takes additional stress off grieving families, so they don’t have to coordinate the logistics of moving from different parts of town within the same day. The use of the Event Center is now available to fami- lies who choose Spring Grove Funeral Homes for their services and can also be added into any preplanning ar- rangements made with Spring Grove Funeral Homes. gives families the option to host receptions before or after any service at Spring Grove Funeral Homes. Spring Grove can connect families with a catering service to choose the options that best honor their needs and budget. Wheth- er families want to gather for a formal sit-down meal or light hors d’oeuvres, the choices are limitless. The Event Center’s décor is elegant yet inviting, featur- ing beautiful chandeliers, windows offering ample nat- ural light, and a large fireplace. Located within Spring Grove’s main funeral home, the facility features multiple remodeled rooms that can host visitations, funeral or me- morial services, and family gatherings for up to 300. The facility’s large parking lot can accommodate all guests. The location is also used for specific community events, such as hospice events and grief support groups. HOUSTON,TX— Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) has reported results for the third quarter of 2021. Tom Ryan , the Company’s Chairman and CEO, commented on third quarter results: “We are reporting another strong quarter with earnings per share of $1.23 and net cash provided by operating activi- ties of $241 million for the third quarter. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.16 grew 47% over the prior year quarter. The $0.37 growth in adjusted earnings per share is primarily driven by significant increases in the revenues and gross profits of both our funeral and cemetery operating segments. “Based on our continued outperfor- mance, we are raising the midpoint of our full year 2021 adjusted earnings per share guidance by 95 cents to $4.30 and the midpoint of our adjusted operating cash flow guidance by $150 million to $888 million. This is the result of the increased funeral services performed and continued strong performance of preneed cemetery property sales that we expect to continue for the remainder of 2021. “Our associates’ dedication and focus during these difficult times continues to impress me as the results we are reporting today could not be achieved without their efforts. I would like to thank each and ev- ery one of you for continuing to do what you do best, which is helping our client families gain closure and healing through the process of grieving, remembrance, and celebration.” At September 30, 2021, SCI owned and operated 1,453 funeral service locations and 485 cemeteries (of which 298 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Co- lumbia, and Puerto Rico. For more infor- mation about Service Corporation Inter- national, please visit www.sci- corp.com . Scan QR for our website 1-888-792-9315 • mymortuarycooler.com Mortuary Coolers starting at $4,499