Quality vs. Quantity: How to Make Sure Your Customers are Satisfied

2/18/2026

There are many different types of customers in the market. If you've been in the game for a while now, you might have encountered a customer who wants to build a long-term partnership with you or a customer who can never be satisfied with your products and services. It can be challenging to encounter customers like that. It can damage you and your team's confidence in being able to satisfy your customers. It can also force you to reevaluate how you think your company should be operating even though the reality might very well be that you're just not serving the right customer based on your products and services. Fortunately, there are things that you can do avoid being in this situation.

In order to build long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with your customers, you first need to find the right customer for you. This involves research that might be overwhelming at first glance, but you've come to the right place if you're looking for some help. We've done the research for you, and this article serves as a summary of what you can do to serve quality products and services to the right customer. Of course, if you want to know the details, then you might want to check out our course.

But for now, here are five things you can do to find the right customer and give quality service every single time:

Understand the needs of your market.

First and foremost, your products and services can only fulfill the needs of a customer from the right target market. As such, you need to understand what they're looking for and what you can do to match those needs.

Spend some time in forums or wherever your potential customers hang out to get insight into the common features they're looking for in the products or services you plan to offer.

You may also want to engage them in conversation to get a more in-depth perspective on what you can do to effectively infiltrate the market as well as the quality they're looking for.

Check your capabilities.

Another thing you can do to ensure that you're always serving quality to the right customer is to check your capabilities. While taking more orders might be tempting as it means more profit and revenue, you have a reputation to build and protect.

Take the time to check your inventory, financials, and team status.

Can you fulfill the orders on time?
Can you do it in such a way that you won't be sacrificing quality for quantity?
Can you handle potential customer questions on your product and services?

These are some of the questions you might want to keep in mind to prevent aggravating your customers and turning what could have been the "right customer" into a "customer from hell."

Always prioritize customer satisfaction.

If you've done your research and you're confident in your ability to deliver, then chances are that all your current customers are satisfied. However, you need to remember that someone will always come along who might demand a little more from you.

These customers may be encountering your company for the first time and thus may have a few more questions than normal. Answering questions promptly and engaging them respectfully and politely helps build customer satisfaction, which you can use to make sure to not only build your reputation but also integrate giving quality service within your company culture.

Build long-term customer relationships.

A satisfied customer is one who will more than likely return to subscribe to your products or services. As such, prioritizing quality over quantity gets you a one-way ticket to long-term customer relationships that drives regular profit. These are the customers you want to serve, but keep in mind that requires the effort that's detailed above. While you can never make sure that everyone is satisfied, doing your best means that if you still encounter someone who might be disgruntled with what you've given them, then chances are that they aren't the right customer for you. Focus on the ones you can serve and trigger business growth.

Monitor your growth.

Speaking of growth, another thing you can do to keep up the quality of your products and services is to keep an eye on your company performance. If you think you're in a position to offer more and to grow your repertoire, then by all means, do so. Do your research on who else might benefit from what you offer and adjust accordingly.

Always keep in mind that growing your business means that you need to reach the customers who can support your company all the while ensuring that the quality of your products and services aren't compromised.

By the end of this article, you should have a more comprehensive idea of what you should look for and what you can do in balancing quality and customer satisfaction. It's a hard balance to achieve but it’s not impossible. Check out CANA’s Deathcare Business Administrator course if you want to make sure that you're achieving that balance every single time.

As you plan for the year ahead, it’s the perfect time to invest in your team’s growth! Enrollment is now open for the Deathcare Business Administration Certification - a 10-week learning and networking program designed for current and emerging leaders who want practical tools, peer collaboration, and measurable results.

Don’t wait, the program kicks off on Wednesday, April 1, and runs through June 10!

Explore The Deathcare Business Administration Certification

What You’ll Gain:

Leadership Alignment: Unite your team with a shared vision and clear goals.
People Management Mastery: Hire smarter, coach better, and foster accountability.
Secure Families: Create an operations process to serve your good clients.
Financial Confidence: Demystify financial statements and ratios to make smarter decisions every day.

Jeremy Wall is lead facilitator for the CANA Deathcare Business Administration Program. He has a passion for simplifying the complex. As you will see in both the self-paced learning, he will help support your learning journey to bring these learning concepts from theory to practical implementation within your business. Jeremy has founded, grown, and exited businesses before and will work with you and your team as you look to create a lasting impact on building a better culture, healthier balance sheets, and a stronger bottom line.

From Tradition to Transformation: Women, Death Doulas, and the New Shape of Cremation & Death Care

2/4/2026

American death care is in the midst of a generational reset. Families are questioning long-standing rituals, women are reclaiming historic caregiving roles in funerals, and a growing corps of death doulas is helping people navigate dying with more presence and less panic. Woven together, these shifts are accelerating the rise of simple, affordable cremation and reshaping what support looks like before, during, and after a death.

Why families are stepping away from “the way it’s always been”

The default funeral—chapel service, casket, procession—no longer feels inevitable for many Americans. Several currents are driving the change:

Belief and meaning. With fewer people anchored to organized religion, some find conventional services mismatched to their values. Others prefer to mourn privately, stage intimate “celebrations of life,” or honor a loved one with a hike, a backyard gathering, or a scattering at a meaningful spot—on their own timeline.
Logistics and distance. Dispersed families and complex schedules make convening within days of a death difficult. Livestreamed services helped during the pandemic, but many discovered that a later, simpler remembrance (or none at all) felt more authentic.
Cost and practicality. Traditional funerals can be expensive, while cremation often costs less. When a death occurs without life insurance or savings, families often turn to a DIY-service as a more economical option.
Environmental intent. Skipping embalming and ornate merchandise can lower the footprint of final arrangements. For some, a streamlined cremation coupled with a personal tribute aligns with their stewardship values.

Beneath these practicalities is a deeper cultural pivot: grief is becoming more individualized. Families want options that fit their relationships, not rituals that constrain them.

Women step forward—by stepping back to our roots

For centuries, American women were the primary caregivers in death—washing, dressing, and vigil-keeping at home. Industrialization and the medicalization of dying shifted that role to embalmers and undertakers (largely men) across the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the arc is bending again.

Women now comprise a large majority of mortuary school cohorts and are increasingly visible as funeral directors, embalmers, and firm owners. Their presence coincides with an industry pivot from product to service—from selling identical packages to facilitating personal, culturally sensitive farewells. Many families describe female professionals as especially adept at communication, planning, and sustained support, though of course empathy and skill are not gender-bound. What’s notable is that the profession is re-embracing qualities—listening, guiding, ritual-craft—that women historically exercised openly in end-of-life care.

Death doulas: the bridge between medical care and meaning

In parallel, death doulas (or end-of-life doulas) have emerged as non-medical companions who support the dying and their circles. Their work mirrors birth doulas: steady presence, practical help, and emotional/spiritual scaffolding.

Common elements of doula support include:

Companionship and vigil planning for the final hours
Life review and legacy projects, from letters to audio stories
Education and advocacy so families know what to expect and how to honor wishes
Caregiver respite and bereavement follow-up

While doulas do not replace hospice or clinical teams, they complete the circle—filling gaps that busy staff, thinly stretched clergy, or distant relatives can’t always fill. Training programs (such as INELDA, University of Vermont’s certificate, Lifespan Doula Association, ILDM, and DoulaGivers®) have helped standardize core competencies, ethics, and reflective practice even as licensure remains rare. Membership growth in national associations suggests a steadily expanding field, with many practitioners collaborating closely with hospice programs and faith leaders.

Crucially, doula care aligns with how more Americans want to die: at home when possible, surrounded by familiar people and objects, with rituals that fit their life story—not a template.

Cremation as a canvas for personalization

Cremation’s national share has climbed to roughly 62%, with CANA’s forecasts topping 80% by the 2030s. But the truly disruptive force isn’t cremation itself—it’s the decoupling of body disposition from ceremony. Many families now choose direct cremation and then design a remembrance later (or opt out of one entirely).

This approach dovetails naturally with female-led firms and doula-supported care:

Control & simplicity. Families can focus on bedside goodbyes and immediate paperwork, then take breath and plan a gathering that feels right—weeks or months later, if desired.
Creativity. Memorials can be potlucks, park meetups, art builds, ash scatterings, or faith-based services. The format serves the relationship, not the other way around.
Access. Lower costs widen access to dignified care and free resources for what matters most to the family—travel, legacy projects, or charitable gifts in the decedent’s name.

For providers, the opportunity is to become experience designers and educators, not just service packagers. The value isn’t only in a chapel and staff on the day; it’s in guidance before, during, and long after.

What this shift asks of providers and associations

Meet families earlier. Encourage advance conversations—values, preferences, documents, and budgets. Many boomers say, “Just cremate me.” Help them unpack what that means for the living: who’s notified, where the ashes go, which stories get saved.
Welcome doulas onto the team. Whether via referral lists or formal partnerships, integrate doulas as adjuncts to hospice and funeral care. They extend your touch at the bedside and in the weeks after.
Center education over upsells. Transparent pricing and clear explanations of options (from minimal to elaborate) build trust. Share worksheets for vigil planning, scattering etiquette, and memorial design.
Design for diaspora. Offer turnkey tools for far-flung families: asynchronous tribute platforms, recording kits for eulogies, and guidance for delayed ceremonies.
Honor diverse grief. Some families need a full ritual container; others need quiet and time. Curate templates for both ends of that spectrum—and everything between.
Cultivate women’s leadership. Mentor, hire, and promote across roles. Lift up women and non-binary professionals whose skills in communication and ritual facilitation are increasingly central to the work.

A culture learning to die—together

Taken together, these trends point to something bigger than market preference. They reflect a cultural desire to re-humanize dying: fewer performative trappings, more presence; fewer obligations, more consent; less fear, more conversation. When women step into visible leadership and death doulas hold space at the bedside, families gain permission to shape farewells that are intimate, honest, and sustainable.

Cremation may be the most visible indicator of change, but the deeper transformation is in how we accompany one another. We’re remembering that dying is not only a medical episode—it’s a relational, communal, and spiritual passage. If the last century professionalized death, this one is personalizing it.

For CANA members, the invitation is clear: keep building a field where families can choose simplicity without stigma, ceremony without sales pressure, and help that begins well before a death and lingers long after. In that future, women, doulas, and forward-looking providers aren’t outliers; they’re the new stewards of a more compassionate end-of-life experience.

Sara Marsden-Ille is the editor-in-chief at DFS Memorials and a contributing writer for US Funerals Online and Canadian Funerals Online. As a death care writer and industry analyst, she explores trends shaping cremation, funeral service, and end-of-life innovation. Her work highlights shifting consumer expectations, demographic change, and new professional roles while advancing CANA’s mission of education, innovation, and forward-thinking practices in cremation and memorialization.

How We Stay Vital and Profitable

1/21/2026

In the 1970s, my childhood was spent in an apartment above my parents’ funeral home. Because my parents drove the ambulance and operated the funeral home, we were the go-to in any emergency. This was a pretty typical experience for many funeral directors during this time. I fell in love with being needed and being the source of comfort for our small town. The ability to be there for those in need is what attracted me and countless others to the funeral profession.

Another staple of my childhood was the ability of our small, locally owned funeral home to have the financial working capital we needed to successfully operate our business. I believe that these two situations go hand in hand: being relevant in our communities and being financially stable. I grew up, became a CPA and a licensed funeral director and embalmer. I was our CFO, an active funeral director, and owner of our funeral home.

Since 1991, I have also been providing accounting services to funeral homes and cemeteries across the United States. In the last 10 years, I have witnessed several clients who are beginning to have serious financial struggles. Why would a profession that is vital to their communities be struggling? The answer is very complex, and I look forward to digging into each of our points of service as well as our pricing for those services at CANA’s 2026 Symposium this February. Here’s a preview of what we’ll discuss.

The First Call

Many times, having the appropriate information when attending the first call is invaluable in establishing a connection with the survivors. This is the time when the family will be most uncertain and in shock. You want to establish your role and your relevance to them. Do you have your best people on the first call in which they encounter family members? I believe adequate training and availability of vital information at the time of the first call are two items that are essential to serving the family in the best way possible.

Ask yourself these questions:

What procedures and phrases do our staff or removal service use with a family?
Do we have a checklist of vital steps for every first call?
Do we have information available on prearrangements on file or recent interactions with a family to use during the first call?
Do we provide adequate information on the next steps? Do we adequately fill the gap between the first call and the first meeting with our funeral home?

The Arrangement Conference

The arrangement conference is your opportunity to be of most help to the family. Training your staff is the best way to make successful arrangements. Employing checklists and communicating different ways you can provide lasting healing over the coming days, weeks, or months is essential. This critical time can make or break the relevance of your services.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do we adequately train and periodically review arrangement staff for the best ways to conduct an arrangement conference?
Do we focus on personalized services and non-traditional gatherings if these would be most helpful to the family in beginning their healing process?
Are we flexible to the varied needs of families, and are we proficient in having fresh ideas regarding different ways survivors can express their grief?

Aftercare

I believe that providing guidance once the service is over and the family has returned to their lives is the most important chance we as a profession have to generate goodwill, significance, and relevance. I also believe that in our own funeral home and in many funeral homes across this nation, we fail to provide much in the way of services for “aftercare.”

The lack of working capital and adequate staffing is directly related to the reasons we don’t do a better job of providing care for the family after the service is completed. I believe we are missing a big opportunity to help the family. I also believe that we are the best source for providing aftercare services. Our staff has a relationship with the survivors and is in a wonderful position to continue our care after the funeral or memorial. We need to design and implement aftercare services just like we do cemetery, crematory, transportation, or other services we coordinate. We need to find a way to create training and grief services and find a way to fund these extra services.

Pricing of our Services

We need to get creative. Every day, I see funeral home financials from across the country, and I am reminded of two critical challenges:

Funeral home pricing has not kept up with inflation. Because we don’t adequately raise revenues, our costs are pushing our net income into the negative.
Once the Federal Trade Commission funeral rule came into effect in 1983, we decided as an industry that the cost of providing funerals was much higher than the cost of providing cremation.

Let’s examine each of these in detail:

Inflation. Funeral home pricing has not kept up with inflation. My paternal grandfather died in 1966. Reviewing our funeral home Red Book for 1966, I noticed the median funeral revenue per case was $1,250. When I apply that average to the average inflation rate according to the U.S. historical Inflation rates for each year since, we are losing against inflation by more than 10%. We should price our services in a way that allows us to serve our communities.

Pricing cremation services. According to the NFDA, the median price for cremation services is less than the median for traditional burial revenue in the United States. From the funeral home revenues I see, many funeral homes are experiencing a much larger gap between the average revenue from burial and cremation.

Most funeral homes have very large, fixed costs. Therefore, every case you handle should be assigned a portion of that fixed cost. You should do the same with all expenses: electricity, advertising, insurance, employees, employee benefits, property taxes, building maintenance, and auto expenses. These expenses are the same whether you have a burial or cremation.

We have some work to do on our pricing, for sure. As a profession, we need to be sure that we understand the costs of each type of service we provide. Appropriate pricing is the key to having the financial working capital to meet the needs of our communities.

What to Do Next?

The funeral profession needs a reset. How do we reset in a way that is most beneficial for our employees, investors, and customers?

I will offer a practical roadmap to restore profitability and sustainability through strategies to improve cash flow, build wealth, and adapt to future demographic and economic shifts this February at CANA’s 2026 Cremation Symposium. I hope you join me to learn actionable methods to manage inflation, leverage financing options, strengthen preneed programs, and move beyond burnout toward long-term financial health and business resilience.

There are few professions that have as long a history of providing vital services to people in need.

We need to take stock of our vast resources and employ our talents to continue providing these vital services long into the future.

We would do anything for the families and the communities we serve. So, what do we do to make sure we’ll be there for them in the future? Drawing on decades of personal and professional expertise, Kara Ludlum heads to CANA’s 2026 Cremation Symposium to explore how many funeral homes and cemeteries— once financially strong—are now struggling amid changing industry dynamics and persistent self-sacrificing culture. Get your action plan in Las Vegas this February 25-27, 2026: register now!

This article excerpted with permission from Kara Ludlum and Osiris Software.

She is also the co-founder of Osiris Software, a leading management software solution serving funeral homes and cemeteries in both the United States and Canada. In 2023, Osiris Software expanded its family of companies to include Insight Books and Certified Celebrants, where Kara continues to play a key role in supporting professionals who serve grieving families.

Kara Ludlum has dedicated her career to the funeral profession. A second-generation funeral director and former funeral home owner, she brings both personal experience and professional expertise to the industry. Kara is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and senior partner at Ludlum & Mannen CPAs, a firm that works exclusively with funeral homes and cemeteries across the United States.

With her unique combination of hands-on funeral service experience, financial expertise, and software innovation, Kara is recognized as a trusted leader and advocate for funeral professionals across North America.

Looking Ahead: The Next 150 Years of Cremation

1/7/2026

Every February, CANA invites the profession to gather in Las Vegas to talk about the future—new ideas, fresh approaches, the next big thing. Yet time and again, we go home and default to what’s comfortable, sticking with the tried-and-true until outside forces push us to adapt.

This isn’t new. Cremation is a textbook example. For a century, it was an outlier—slow to catch on. Then, almost overnight, it became the default. The truth is, if you looked closely, the clues were always there.

In only a few decades, cremation went from an alternative option to the main choice for most families. This shift didn’t happen because the profession was ahead of the curve—it happened because families changed what they wanted, practicalities shifted, and laws eventually followed. By the time the industry at large realized what was going on, the transformation was already complete.

If there’s one important lesson from the last 150 years we’ve learned; the future doesn’t arrive in a straight, predictable line. It builds quietly—then it takes off before anyone’s ready.

The Signals We’re Calling “Exceptions”

To get a sense of where cremation is headed, you don’t need dramatic predictions. You just have to pay attention to what we brush off as odd, rare, or “not what our families want.”

Those “exceptions” don’t stay exceptions for long.

Take a hard look at what’s already shifting--

Families who want instant, transparent information where they used to accept mystery
A growing discomfort with “the end”—and a longing for something that lasts
Treating identity and memory as living assets, not just keepsakes
Expectations for proof, records, and accountability that are now emotional, not just legal
Memorialization that’s drifting away from specific places, but remains deeply personal

None of this gets labeled “the future of cremation.” That’s exactly why it matters.

The biggest clues about what’s coming don’t show up as “trends.” They show up as points of friction—little moments where expectations and reality no longer line up.

Cremation: More Than a Process

We tend to talk about cremation as a technical decision, but it’s always been much more—a response to changing times: space, mobility, beliefs, finances, and trust. What’s shifting now isn’t how common cremation is but what families quietly hope it will provide.

Continuity, not just closure.

Access, not just distance.

Proof, not just assumption.

Half a century ago, cremation overtaking burial sounded unthinkable. Now, the real discomfort is coming from somewhere else: the idea that remembrance might no longer be tied to a place—or even to a lifespan.

That tension isn’t theoretical—it’s already shifting how people act and what they ask for.

Speed: The Real Game Changer

What’s coming in cremation isn’t about one breakthrough. It’s about all these pressures colliding—and doing so much faster than our policies, routines, or comfort zones would like.

When that tipping point comes, “adapting” won’t be considered innovative—it’ll just be expected.

History hasn’t been kind to those in our field who confused gradual change with slow change. The funeral homes most caught off guard by the rise of cremation weren’t the ones who resisted—they were the ones who underestimated just how quickly the landscape could shift.

The next big shift? It’ll feel eerily familiar.

Peeking Into the Future (No Spoilers)

In 2026, I’ll have the honor of keynoting CANA’s Symposium. I’ll talk about what the past teaches us, the signals we can already see, and why taking the long view on cremation is more necessary than ever.

Some of what we’ll cover will sound familiar. Some will feel too soon. And some will push back on beliefs we’ve long held as unshakeable.

That’s intentional.

Because the future of cremation won’t be shaped by those waiting for certainty or permission. It will be forged by those willing to notice the subtle changes already happening—and act before they become impossible to ignore.

The signals are right in front of us.

The window to act isn’t endless.

If we’ve learned anything from history, it’s this: Our profession will adapt—one way or another.

In a rapidly changing environment, taking one step back can give you the space you need to get a running leap forward. This February, join Larry Stuart, Jr. and explore what today’s trends reveal about tomorrow’s possibilities. Gather with colleagues to get inspired, gain practical strategies, and generate the energy you need for the year ahead at the CANA’s 2026 Cremation Symposium this February 25-27 in Las Vegas.

As the United States celebrates 150 years of cremation history, you’re invited to bring the future into focus with Larry Stuart, Jr. Register for CANA’s 2026 Cremation Symposium at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

Larry Stuart, Jr. is Founder and Principal at Raven Plume Consulting and is an internationally recognized expert in funeral service, cemetery operations, and cremation. Over the course of his career, Larry has been an author, speaker, trainer, consultant, and was the president of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Inc. – so when it comes to our profession, Larry brings both hands-on experience and a big-picture perspective.

He has trained and certified thousands of professionals, written for leading industry publications, contributed resources and expertise to textbooks, and developed continuing education programs for associations and regulators across the globe.

His personal mission is to raise professional standards and help change the way people think about funeral service – bringing clarity, care, and respect to every step of the process.

Of course, Larry also knows there’s more to life than his work. He’s a traveler, foodie, dog lover, and a firm believer that good coffee makes for better conversations.

2025 Celebrity Cremations

12/17/2025

Every year, we say goodbye to cultural giants whose work shaped music, film, sports, and art. In 2025, the world gathered to celebrate the lives of the beloved figures below, with each memorial service a reflection of their unique impact and the love they inspired. In this post, we revisit the most notable memorials of the year, honoring the legacies that continue to resonate long after the final curtain call.

Every event in this series of memorial services was as distinctive as the life it honored. Each gathering reflected the individuality of the person through music, storytelling, and moments designed to celebrate what truly mattered to them. Beyond the fame and accolades, a common thread emerged: at life’s end, so many of these icons cherished what we all do—more time with loved ones. These services didn’t just mark an ending; they offered inspiration for how we might live and love more fully. Join us as to reflect on a dozen unforgettable celebrity cremation farewells that remind us of the beauty of connection and legacy.

Celebrity entries appear in alphabetical order.

Giorgio Armani

July 11, 1934 – September 4, 2025

Giorgio Armani revolutionized fashion as a world-renowned fashion designer and founder of the Armani luxury fashion house. Known best for minimalist, deconstructed jackets and suits, Armani’s designs are considered timeless. Throughout his career, he created classic garments both glamorous and every-day living, for films, the red carpet, the Olympic field, the business office—and accessorized all of them to boot.

In June, Armani’s failing health caused him to miss several runway shows in the summer, a rarity during his 50-year-plus career. On September 6, more than 16,000 friends, relatives, colleagues, and admirers attended his public wake at Armani/Teatro in Milan, which hosted many of his runways shows and now held his coffin, lit by 300 candles on the floor and his photograph projected on the wall. On September 8, his loved ones held a private funeral and all Armani stores closed for an afternoon of mourning. According to Italian media, Armani’s cremated remains were laid to rest in a family chapel in Rivalta alongside his parents and brother. Armani had planned an exhibition to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary at the close of Fashion Week on September 28. The celebration became a memorial retrospective of his work, designed by Armani himself.

photo source: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni - AP World News: "Mourners bid farewell to fashion icon Giorgio Armani in Milan, in photos"

Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea

August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025

Terry Bollea first adopted what would become the household name Hulk Hogan in 1979, while wrestling for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later the WWE: World Wrestling Entertainment) and other organizations. A controversial figure in and out of the ring, Hogan was twice inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (including being removed then reinstated), won six WWE Championships, was named 2008’s Humanitarian of the Year by the Indian Gaming Association, appeared in movies, granted over 200 Make-A-Wish dreams, and is considered by the WWE as one of the top three most famous sports-entertainers of all time.

After facing ongoing challenges with his spine, heart, and leukemia, Hulk Hogan died just weeks before his 72nd birthday. During SmackDown on July 25, and again on Raw on July 28, the WWE remembered Hulk Hogan with a 10-bell salute with a packed stadium of fans chanting his name. On August 5, a funeral service was held for close family, friends, and colleagues before Hogan was reported to have been cremated. The private event was secured by police, leading Hogan’s friend and colleague Nic Flair to remark ”Even In Heaven, He Sold Out Again.”

Terry Bollea’s restaurant, Hogan’s Hangout on Clearwater Beach, closed for a private celebration of life following the service. On August 11, Hogan’s birthday, the restaurant hosted a public, all-day celebration of life for the public encouraging attendees to wear red and yellow and “bring your best Hogan energy”, centered around a karaoke event which Hogan himself was known to host on many a Monday night.

photo source @Papator12

Anne Burrell

September 21, 1969 – June 17, 2025

Anne W. Burrell was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and later studied at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. She worked at top New York restaurants and became a beloved Food Network personality, known for shows like Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Iron Chef America, and especially Worst Cooks in America, where she mentored countless aspiring cooks. She also taught at the Institute of Culinary Education and authored two bestselling cookbooks.

Anne Burrell’s infectious vivacity was reflected during her memorial service on June 20. Burrell’s husband provided each mourner with the lyrics to Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young” (which had been quoted below her photo in her senior yearbook)before leading the more than 200 family, friends, and colleagues in a singalong in her honor. Red Sharpies, her signature teaching tool on Worst Cooks in America, were provided for mourners to take home . After her memorial, it is reported that “Anne was cremated, and her ashes were spread around to various places she loved the day after the funeral.”

Anne was remembered by fans and colleagues at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen on June 19 with an emotional speech by fellow Chef Andrew Zimmern, asking everyone to “care for our community like we never have before.” Her television career was honored on Food Network with a marathon of her shows on June 25. A memorial card was added to the premiere of the newest season of her show advising, “If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or chat at 988lifeline.org.”

photo source @mrbrendanjay

Charles Burrell

October 4, 1920 – June 17, 2025

Charles “Charlie” Burrell performed as a classical and jazz bass player for more than 75 years, sharing stages with legends like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others.. He is also widely regarded as “the Jackie Robinson of Classical Music” for becoming the first African American musician to sign a full-time contract with a major American symphony orchestra, opening the door for generations of musicians to follow. Burrell remained a fixture in Denver’s Five Points jazz scene, known as the “Harlem of the West.” He was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017 and received numerous honors, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. His life story is chronicled in the PBS documentary The Longest Walk, which highlights the night he first stepped on stage with the Denver Symphony.

After his death at the age of 104, Charlie Burrell was remembered in a homegoing service on June 28, filled with music from family, friends, and colleagues, including his cousin’s band Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors. Dazzle jazz club, which hosted several of his birthday parties in life, held a sold-out tribute show with stories and music. This included a special performance by students from the Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts Campus, named in Burrell’s honor in 2022.

photo source: Shorter Community AME Church - Charles "Charlie" Burrell Homegoing Service (screenshot)

Roberta Flack

February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was a classically trained singer, songwriter, and pianist who transcended genres, blending R&B, jazz, folk, and pop in a career spanning more than 55 years. Her performance of "Killing Me Softly with His Song" earned her two additional Grammy Awards, close on the heels of her first wins the prior year for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Where Is the Love." Flack was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and recognized as one of the first inductees into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame the following year.

She was remembered, too, for her quote “Remember: always walk in the light. If you feel like you’re not walking in it, go find it. Love the Light.” Following a long life of light and love, she died just two weeks after reaching the age of 88. Her memorial celebration of life on March 10 was attended by family, friends, and colleagues from throughout her career. As people stood to sing and share memories, her smooth, white urn appeared beside them, surrounded by flowers and music from Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and many others. It is reported that her remains were returned to her home state of Virginia to be buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in D.C. In October 2026, she will be posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

photo source: AP Photo/Richard Drew - AP Entertainment: "Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder delight at Roberta Flack’s ‘Celebration of Life’ memorial"

Jane Goodall

April 3, 1934 – October 1, 2025

Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall, Ph.D., was a pioneer in primate studies, best known for more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. She showed the world that chimpanzees, like humans, use tools, form lasting social bonds, and much more. For her trailblazing work, she received countless honors and awards, including being appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and serving as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. She also earned the French Legion of Honour, the Kyoto Prize, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, and the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. In January 2025, she was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

At 91 years old, Dr. Jane Goodall was still active in her environmental and humanitarian efforts when she died peacefully in her sleep in October. Grief over her death was felt throughout the world, and the Jane Goodall Institute expressed that Dr. Goodall’s wishes were that people honor her locally, without needing to travel abroad. Some suggested strategies included taking a walk in nature, watching one of many films about her life and work, gathering community members for a book club on one of her works, planting a garden or tree, or raising funds for conservation initiatives or in support of the work of her Institute. In North America, Washington National Cathedral held a livestreamed funeral service on November 12 and the official Canadian memorial, “Celebration of a Life of Hope,” offered an interactive livestream on November 22 from the University of Toronto, each featuring family, friends, and colleagues honoring her memory and the lasting mark she has left on humanity and our understanding of the world.

photo source: Washington National Cathedral - In Celebration of and in Thanksgiving for the Life of Dr. Jane Goodall | 11.12.25 (screenshot)

Gilbert Hortman

2021 - June 14, 2025

Gilbert was a golden retriever dog being fostered by Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Gilbert was originally destined to become a service dog, but when he was deemed “too friendly” he “changed careers” to become the family pet instead. When the Hortman home was targeted as part of a murderous criminal attack, Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed and Gilbert was mortally wounded.

In an unprecedented tribute, Gilbert lay in state in Minnesota Capitol rotunda, a rare honor even among humans. Between the caskets for Representative Hortman and her husband, atop a pedestal, Gilbert’s cremated remains rested in an urn marked with a pawprint design and photo of the beloved pet. Among the assortment of memorial items placed outside the capitol for the Hortmans, Milk-Bone treats and toys were left “For the best boy, Gilbert.” Gilbert received a Dog Honor guard featuring a retinue of 12 golden retriever service dogs, who took turns throughout the day to make sure Gilbert had two dogs standing guard. Other service dogs were on hand to offer comfort to mourners visiting the rotunda, some of whom brought their own dogs with them. The veterinary clinic that treated Gilbert after the attack has established a fundraiser in his memory to care for police dogs.

photo source: Stephen Maturen, Getty Images - USA Today Nation: "Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, husband and dog mourned at Capitol in St. Paul"

David Lynch

January 20, 1946 – January 15, 2025

David Keith Lynch was a filmmaker renowned for his storytelling and mystery-weaving narratives. He is best known for iconic films such as Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, and the groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks. His family announced his death in a Facebook post, writing, “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'”

The next day, Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California – a long favorite of Lynch – became an impromptu memorial site as fans placed coffees, milkshakes, donuts, logs, blue roses, letters and more in his honor. The memorial stood until January 20, what would have been Lynch’s 79th birthday. In honor of his birthday, his passion for Transcendental Meditation®, and dedication to the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, Lynch’s children invited everyone to “meditate, reflect, and send positivity into the universe” for 10 minutes at noon Pacific Time on January 20.

On February 24, roughly 200 people gathered in Snoqualmie, Washington, where the series was filmed, for Twin Peaks Day on the 35th anniversary of the premiere of the series. The crowd held a memorial, quoting the show’s famous Log Lady: “In a dark time, hold the light within you.” Lynch’s cremated remains have been interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, below an epitaph reading “Night Blooming Jasmine,” a reference to Lynch’s reflection on Los Angeles and its enduring mystique.

photo source: @wow_bob_wow

Michael Madsen

September 25, 1957 – July 3, 2025

Michael Søren Madsen was an actor whose career spanned more than 40 years. While perhaps best known for his work with Quentin Tarantino in films like Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Madsen also appeared in classics such as WarGames, The Natural, Thelma & Louise, Free Willy, and many more. Madsen also published several books of poetry and photography, balancing his frequent portrayals of hardened tough guys with his softer, introspective side as he explored themes of honesty, loneliness, and beauty.

After years struggling with both his physical and mental health, Michael Madsen died at just 67 years old. On August 1, Quentin Tarantino hosted a private memorial for Madsen, putting his name in lights on the marquee of the theater. A collection of photos, books, and film memorabilia from his artistic career was placed outside the theater. After the memorial, Michael’s ashes were kept privately by his family, honoring him in the way he valued most—through art and connection.

photo source: TMZ.com - Michael Madsen L.A. Memorial

Steve McMichael

October 17, 1957 – April 23, 2025

Stephen “Mongo” Douglas McMichael was drafted by the National Football League’s New England Patriots in 1980 but found his true home with the Chicago Bears. Known as one of the toughest players Mike Ditka ever coached, McMichael played defensive tackle for 15 NFL seasons—13 with the Bears and one with the Green Bay Packers. He earned two Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro honors, helped Chicago win six division titles, and was a cornerstone of the legendary 1985 defense that captured Super Bowl XX. McMichael finished his career with 95 sacks, ranking second in Bears history, and played a franchise-record 191 consecutive games. After retiring from playing football, he wrestled in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in The Four Horsemen stable, becoming a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion. McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

In 2021, Steve McMichael was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and died after four years, demonstrating the tough fighting spirit he showed throughout his life. After his death, the Football Hall of Fame flew a flag at half-mast in his honor. This flag was later presented to his widow and daughter, on May 15, during his private celebration of life service. Family, friends, and teammates gathered to remember him for both who he was and also his courageous battle against ALS. McMichael's casket was accompanied by his Hall of Fame bust, a replica of the Super Bowl XX trophy, his Hall of Fame gold jacket, and flags representing the Bears and his alma mater. Former teammates acted as pall bearers, carrying his casket to the hearse while bagpipes performed "Bear Down, Chicago Bears.” McMichael was later cremated.

photo source: Nunupics Zomot - Steve McMichael Service Speeches May 15 2025 Oakbrook Terr (screenshot)

Ryne Sandberg

September 18, 1959 – July 28, 2025

Ryne “Ryno” Dee Sandberg was a professional baseball player briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies before joining the Chicago Cubs. In 1984, in what became known as the “Sandberg Game,” he hit two game-tying home runs off Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter, cementing his place in baseball history and helping earn him the National League MVP that season. Over his 16-year career, Sandberg hit a total of 282 home runs. He was a 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner, and seven-time Silver Slugger recipient. In 2005, Sandberg was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and his number 23 was retired by the Chicago Cubs.

When he was just 65 years old, cancer ended Ryne Sandberg’s life. On August 2, the Star Spangled Banner waved over “the land of 23” rather than the “free” at Wrigley Field and each member of the Cubs faced the Baltimore Orioles in an unnamed jersey marked with Sandberg’s number 23. Those same jerseys were later auctioned to benefit cancer research through the annual Cubs for a Cure initiative. For the rest of the season, the team’s jerseys honored Sandburg’s memory with a ceremonial patch. On August 22, his family, friends, and teammates attended a private funeral featuring their fond remembrances and clergy draped in stoles with #23. The Cubs created a public memorial space with the livestreamed service via a jumbo screen for fans at Gallagher Way, outside Wrigley Field, who had gathered around Sandberg’s commemorative statue. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations of nonperishable food items for local food pantries.

photo source: NBC Chicago - Remembering Ryno: FULL Tribute & Funeral for Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (screenshot)

Catch up on previous memorial posts: 2019 ● 2021 ● 2022 ● 2023 ● 2024

Finding Energy and Purpose Amidst the Demands of Funeral Service

12/3/2025

Working in funeral and death-care service isn’t for the faint of heart.

Every day you show up, roll up your sleeves, and step into the most intimate and emotionally charged moments of people’s lives. The hours can be long, the demands unending, and the emotional toll heavy. From the quiet of the visitation room in the early morning to the somber notes of a final service at dusk, we carry a responsibility that few outside our profession fully grasp.

In writing my book Wake-Up Calls: A Journey of Learning to Lead and Succeed in the Funeral and Deathcare Profession, I drew on more than four decades of firsthand experience in funeral service, from working as a funeral director to owning and leading a business, and now as a coach, mentor and advocate for women in the field.

My aim?

To share not only leadership lessons, but also real strategies that every professional, whether you’re just entering the field, stepping into management, or leading a company, can use to support both your work and your well-being.

Here are some reflections and actionable tips drawn from Wake-Up Calls, especially relevant to professionals who are navigating high stress, long hours and the need to remain connected to meaning and community.

1. Recognizing the “wake-up calls” we are given

In the book, I identify pivotal moments I didn’t always want, but that forced me to grow. For example, as a young professional, the moment I received the early morning call informing me my father had died. Suddenly, I was leading a company. That call became a wake-up call, a moment when I had to ask: What kind of leader do I want to be?

For you in the funeral profession, you will face your own wake-up calls. Maybe it’s the moment you realize you’re burned out and not showing up for your family. Maybe it’s when a staffing shortage pushes you into overdrive. Maybe it’s when a family expects you to be perfect and yet you’re running on fumes.

Strategy: Carve out a quiet 10-minute window each week to ask yourself: What was my wake-up call this week? Write one sentence about it. Then ask: What do I need to do differently next week because of it?

Holding space to reflect can turn a moment of stress into a springboard for action.

2. Guarding against burnout, achieving work-life balance in a 24/7 job

The funeral service is unique: it doesn’t stop at 5 p.m. You’re on-call, you’re needed when families are at their most vulnerable, and you’re often dealing with your own human needs on the side. As I share in the book, balancing home life and leadership was one of my greatest challenges.

Strategy: Build what I call a “boundary ritual.” Each day, pick a signal (closing your office door, switching off notifications, taking a walk) that says: My work day ends here.

Even if the call comes in, you return to that ritual afterward. It won’t erase the demands of the job, but it gives your nervous system a reset point. You reclaim a piece of yourself.

Another practical approach: rotate on-call duties thoughtfully. If you’re in a leadership role, make sure you’re not the only one absorbing all the irregular hours. Train your team, distribute the responsibility, and build in recovery days after intense service windows.

3. Leading with your head, heart and grit

One of the big themes in Wake-Up Calls is what I call the “three core muscles” of leadership: head (business acumen), heart (empathy for people), and grit (resilience when things change). In funeral service, you need all three. You’re managing logistics, finances, operations, AND you’re caring deeply for grieving families, supporting your team, and navigating staffing and competitive pressures.

Strategy for team leaders:

Head: Schedule a monthly “business check-in” with your department or team. Review one metric (staffing, revenue, service mix) and ask: What’s going well? What needs improvement?
Heart: At the end of one service each week, ask your team member: How are you doing? What do you need? Pause. Listen. Don’t rush to problem-solve every time. Sometimes people just need to be seen.
Grit: Reflect on one difficult moment you faced in the past month. What lesson did you take from it? Share that lesson with your team in a short “town hall” message. Your transparency builds resilience in others.

4. Moving from survival to thriving

I repeatedly encourage professionals to move from just “getting through the day” to building a career and life they can sustain and love.

Women in funeral and deathcare are increasingly represented. There is a 75% graduation rate among women in 2024 from mortuary schools, yet many leave the profession early. This isn’t because they lack passion, it’s often because they lack support, leadership opportunities, and sustainable career pathways needed to thrive. This is why I founded Funeral Women Lead, to change that reality. The organization was created to advance women’s leadership, wellness, and professional growth through mentorship, education, and community. By expanding access to support networks and leadership development, we help women not only enter the profession but stay, succeed, and lead within it.

Beyond the organization, I continue this mission through my coaching work and podcast, 4 Women and a Funeral, where I join other industry leaders in honest conversations about leadership, balance, and the unique experiences of women in funeral service. These platforms allow me to reach and support more professionals, helping them navigate challenges, embrace growth, and build careers rooted in purpose and resilience.

Strategy: Identify one “stretch goal” for your career this year. It might be earning your first management role, speaking at your state association, designing a wellness program in your firm, or building a support network of peers. Write it down. Then pick one small action this week toward it and one person who can hold you accountable.

5. Remembering why this work matters

It’s easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day. But the reality is: you do the sacred work. Families rely on you. Communities rely on you. And so does the future of the profession. This is not just a job. It’s a mission of service.

When you remember the “why,” everything else shifts. You begin to work not just in funeral service, but on funeral service, which means your own growth, your team’s growth, and the profession’s growth.

One of the Most Powerful Professions

You have a demanding role. You have long hours. You have an emotional load. But you also have one of the most powerful, meaningful professions there is. And you can build a career that sustains you, supports your team, and advances the profession.

Use the strategies above. Listen for your own wake-up calls. Choose to lead with your head, your heart and your grit. And remember: you are not alone.

More from Lisa: If these words spoke to you, I invite you to continue the journey with me in Wake-Up Calls—available now at lisabaue.com/the-book. All proceeds from Wake-Up Calls benefit charitable organizations that support women.

“Wake-Up Calls is a vital read for today’s deathcare professionals. Lisa Baue draws on decades of leadership to offer a candid, forward-thinking look at the challenges we face, from staffing shortages to shifting consumer expectations. Her insights are especially timely as more women enter and shape the future of our profession. This book is an essential guide for those committed to leading with authenticity, adaptability, and purpose.” — Barbara Kemmis, CANA Executive Director

Lisa Baue is a pioneering leader in funeral service and a passionate advocate for advancing women in deathcare. As the third-generation CEO of one of the Midwest’s leading funeral, cremation, and cemetery companies, she transformed a single funeral home into a multi-location enterprise serving thousands of families annually. A licensed funeral director, educator, and national speaker, Lisa founded Your Funeral Coach in 2021 and launched Funeral Women Lead in 2024 and published her first book, Wake Up Calls, in 2025. Lisa's mission is to unleash the power of women leaders, while supporting their wellness, and influence in the profession. A past Funeral Service Foundation chair and industry influencer, she continues to mentor and inspire women shaping funeral service’s future.

Hospice Engagement: A Resource Guide for Funeral Professionals

11/19/2025

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time to recognize the profound impact hospice organizations have on patients, families, and communities facing life's most sacred transition. This year, I'm celebrating by sharing with CANA members an exclusive resource; a comprehensive guide to hospice volunteering for funeral professionals.

After ten years as a hospice volunteer with Hosparus Health in Louisville, Kentucky, I can honestly say it has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my professional life. When I started, I wasn't sure how hospice volunteering would fit into an already demanding schedule. What I discovered is that hospice organizations are incredibly flexible and welcoming to funeral professionals who want to serve.

Crafting Your Why

Here's what I want you to know: if you can only give two to five hours a month, hospice organizations will deeply appreciate that contribution. Whatever time you can offer—whether it's one patient visit a month or helping with a quarterly event—makes a genuine difference.

You already navigate what most people avoid. Death doesn't make you uncomfortable to be around. It’s where you bring your best skills. That familiarity with grief, combined with your ability to stay steady when emotions run high, positions you perfectly for hospice volunteer work. You know how to hold space for families in crisis because you do it every day.

The nice aspect of hospice volunteering is its adaptability to your life. Direct patient visits are just one option. You might contribute by supporting administrative needs, creating memory books, helping families preserve legacies, organizing community memorial events, or staffing educational programs. Whatever fits your schedule and your strengths, there's a place for you.

The guide I've created for CANA members walks you through the essentials: identifying your personal motivation for serving, maintaining appropriate boundaries between your volunteer and professional roles, navigating patient interactions with compassion, handling challenging situations, and sustaining your service without burning out.

My volunteer experience has been wonderfully varied from sitting with hospice patients during their final journey to working behind the scenes organizing medical supplies or dressing up as an elf for the Kourageous Kids Holiday Party. Some of the most meaningful connections I've made have been with hospice care team members whose tireless work has expanded my understanding of compassionate care and enriched my professional practice in ways I never anticipated.

Building a Partnership

This synergy between funeral service and hospice care is exactly why I'm excited to present at the CANA Symposium in February. My session will focus on how funeral and cremation providers can partner more effectively with hospice organizations not just through volunteering, but through building collaborative relationships that benefit the families you serve.

Building on Greg Grabowski's insightful hospice presentation from February 2025, I'll share more practical strategies for deepening these partnerships and explore how volunteering can open doors to meaningful professional relationships with hospice care teams.

These partnerships create continuity of care that spans life's final chapter. In your funeral home, you meet families in the aftermath. As a hospice volunteer, you may walk alongside them through the journey itself or assist care team members in a meaningful way. Each role enhances the other, creating a fuller understanding of how to serve families with both competence and heart.

This November, as we honor National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, I invite you to explore hospice volunteering for yourself. Download the CANA member-only guide, reach out to your local hospice organization, and discover how even a small commitment of time can create profound ripples of compassion in your community.

At CANA's 2026 Symposium, Lacy Robinson moves beyond basic hospice collaboration to equip funeral and cremation providers with four actionable strategies that transform casual hospice relationships into strategic partnerships, to generate measurable results.

Register now so you don't miss the actionable strategies, visual examples, and practical frameworks to position your funeral home as the preferred provider among hospice teams while serving families with dignity and excellence!

CANA Members! You can download Lacy's helpful Hospice Engagement guide from the CANA Connect CommUnity Forum.

Lacy Robinson brings over 20 years of expertise in developing and facilitating customer service training programs tailored for funeral home clients. As an instructor at Worsham College of Mortuary Science, she teaches Fundamentals of Customer Service and conducts training programs for Johnson Consulting Group clients. Lacy co-authored the book Engaging the Heart of Hospice - Making Funeral and Memorial Services an Extension of Hospice Care with Greg Grabowski, founder of Hospice Advisors.

A licensed funeral director/embalmer and certified funeral celebrant, Lacy has served as a board member for the Selected Independent Funeral Homes Educational Trust and the APFSP Board of Trustees. She holds degrees from Georgetown College and Mid-America College of Funeral Service and an MBA in Bourbon Tourism and Event Planning from Midway University.

Cremation Sesquicentennial: The Cremation of Baron de Palm

11/5/2025

It was a cold and wet day when the cremation movement made its grand entrance in the US in December 1876. In continuing the story of America’s first cremation, we move to the small hamlet of Washington, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, where an eccentric physician named F. Julius LeMoyne had constructed the only crematory in the country. The determined New York attorney-turned-spiritual leader Henry Steel Olcott had convinced Dr. LeMoyne to use the facility for the cremation of Baron de Palm.

On December 5, 1876, the body of de Palm arrived in Washington and was transported to the crematory in the area known as Gallows Hill on the south end of town where Dr. LeMoyne had constructed his crematory. The building was built on a simple plan – on the left, a larger room was available for conducting services. A door led to the adjacent room which is where the cremator itself was located.

The furnace had been fired to heat the retort beginning the night before, and the following morning when the cremator was heated to just above 2300 degrees Fahrenheit, it was declared ready for use. By that time, more than two hundred local and national health officials, reporters, and onlookers, had descended on and around the crematorium grounds for the event.

Just after 8:00 am, the body was wrapped in an alum-soaked sheet (to prevent immediate combustion while entering the super-heated chamber), and Olcott sprinkled flowers, herbs, and evergreens on the body. Then, after removing their hats, Olcott, LeMoyne, and two associates bore his body to the crematory and, placing it head-first into the cremation chamber, de Palm made his mark on history.

Within seconds, the door to the cremation chamber was sealed and through a peephole those present watched the crumbling remains within.

A correspondent from the New York Sun claimed that no fire touched the body, though no fire touched the body, though some flame could be seen when clothing or the wrapping linen were ignited by the heat. A “glorious roseate” glow engulfed the body, and at one point, contractions caused a slight upward point by the left hand, “as if the spirit of the dead was yearning for above.” Just before noon, the cremation was pronounced complete by multiple officials in attendance.

From the beginning, LeMoyne and Olcott strived to portray the event as a scientific experiment. To demonstrate this, visitors were allowed into the crematory two at a time so they could see the process through the opening. Additionally, following the cremation, a public meeting was held in the town hall where Olcott, LeMoyne, and other ministers and health officials could discuss the merits of cremation.

The following day de Palm’s remains were removed from the crematory and placed in an ornate “Hindu” style lidded vase engraved with “various Hindu motifs and devices” reportedly made of unbaked clay. The urn remained in the care of the Theosophical Society until the remains were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean at an undetermined time.

Many of the health officials in attendance received a small apothecary jar with a portion of de Palm’s remains – an early form of keepsake urn – primarily to show the innocuousness of human remains after cremation.

Though a modest beginning to what is now the most commonly chosen form of disposition, this event marked a significant start to the conversation of cremation on the continent. It would be nearly a decade for another crematory to be built in America, but Dr. LeMoyne’s crematory was not quite ready to forfeit its work.

Into the next century

Two years later, the LeMoyne Crematory would be back in national news again – this time for in its role in the cremation of Jane Pitman, wife of noted Cincinnati stenographer Benn Pitman, the first woman to be cremated in America. While hers was the second in the LeMoyne Crematory, it was the third cremation in America, as the second was that of Dr. Henry Winslow, a physician in Salt Lake City whose friends built a cremator there for his cremation only.

The end would come for Dr. LeMoyne the following year as he would succumb to “a lingering and painful illness” at the ripe old age of 71 and at the reported corpulent weight of 225 pounds. After brief services at his home, his body was borne up Gallows Hill for the last time on October 16, 1879, and the “Apostle of Cremation” was cremated in the crematory he had constructed. Following the cremation, his remains were placed in a one-gallon apothecary jar, sealed with cork and wax, and buried just outside the front doors of the crematory. A monument to his memory reads:

F. Julius LeMoyne, M.D.
Born
September 4, 1798
Died
October 14, 1879
A fearless advocate of the right.

After its first use and the role it played in the beginning of the cremation movement in America, the LeMoyne Crematory would only be used a mere 40 more times before being permanently closed by the LeMoyne family in 1901. Interestingly, only a handful of the cremations that took place there were residents of anywhere closer than Pittsburgh, highlighting its original purpose of cremating Dr. LeMoyne himself.

In the present, the LeMoyne Crematory is under the care of the Washington County Historical Society, which is based in the LeMoyne House in Washington. It still stands, not only as a curiosity, but as a monument to Dr. LeMoyne and the legacy of his achievements.

We have barely scratched the surface in the history of modern cremation and how our practice has modernized and transformed funeral and memorial practice over 150 years of history.

Join us in 2026 to mark the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America. Reflect on your business’s history, your own practice, and make your predictions for the next 150 years to come!

Jason Ryan Engler is a licensed funeral director and is considered a thought leader in cremation products and merchandising. Known to many as the Cremation Historian, he is the historian for the Cremation Association of North America and is the cremation historian for the National Museum of Funeral History. He is the regional sales manager for the Wilbert Group in Kansas / Northwest Missouri and lives in Kansas City with his miniature dachshund, Otto.

Cremation Sesquicentennial: 150 Years of Cremation History

10/22/2025

In 2026, we will mark the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America. Over the next year, it’s time to learn and reflect on 150 years of history and to plan for the next 150 years to come!

To get ready for 2026, we’ll first use this post go back a bit further to set the stage for the changes ahead.

1873

With the increase in illness and concerns of cemetery overcrowding, many European physicians were seeking alternative ways to dispose of their dead. Prior to this time, if cremation was conducted, it was only by way of the open air funeral pyre – which had its own disagreeable experiences.

One example was Italian professor Ludovico Brunetti. In 1873 at the medical exhibition at the Vienna World's Fair, he displayed an exhibit demonstrating his experimentation with cremation. In the diorama model, an illustration of which is seen here, he displayed cremated remains in a glass chest.

"Vermibus erepti, puro consumimur igni!"
was displayed with the remains
"Saved from the worm, purified by the consuming flame!"

1874

The cremation movement in America, like many of the movements in this country before it, began in Europe. In 1874, Sir Henry Thompson, member of Queen Victoria’s Royal College of Surgeons, learned of a modern method of cremation at the Vienna Medical Exposition in late 1873.

Upon his return from the exposition, Dr. Thompson put his medical knowledge to use and began a project that would put him to the forefront of what would become modern cremation. In January 1874, a lengthy dissertation detailing his support of the cremation of the dead, soon after spearheading the start of the Cremation Society of England.

This fantastic illustration was published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Magazine in April 1874 and shows an artist’s interpretation of Dr. Thompson (left) witnessing a cremation in the apparatus of Dr. Ludovico Brunetti, the inventor of the apparatus with which Dr. Thompson began his interest in cremation.

1875

Following the publication of Henry Thompson’s “The Treatment of the Body After Death” in 1874, newspapers and civic groups took up the conversation and cremation societies were formed in several major cities – with the New York Cremation Society (NYCS) leading the charge and conversation.

Due to its encouragement as a health measure, many physicians and health professionals of the time adopted the mantel of cremation and many took a vocal stance, becoming akin to religious leaders in their zeal. One American physician who quickly became interested in cremation was Dr. Francis Julius LeMoyne, an eccentric character in Washington, Pennsylvania, a small town that is now essentially a suburb of Pittsburgh. Like many other physicians, LeMoyne saw the cremation of the dead as a sanitary necessity and promoted it on those grounds.

Also recognizing cremation’s place as a function of the care of the dead, he approached the local cemetery with an offer to build the crematory on their grounds, which they declined. Instead, he built a small unadorned brick structure on his own property and had a local engineer build a cremator. Originally, the building contained only two rooms, a receiving room, where a small service could be held, and the retort room. Due to the cemetery’s rejection of the idea, LeMoyne planned its use exclusively for his own cremation and for any of his local friends and fellow health advocates.

While Dr. LeMoyne was working on building his cremation facility, several hundred miles away in New York, an attorney named Henry Steel Olcott was facing a cremation dilemma of his own. As a co-founder of the Theosophical Society with noted mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the tenets of the society aligned perfectly with the cremation of the dead.

One of the followers of Theosophy was a man named Joseph Henry Louis de Palm – a purported member of the Bavarian nobility in Germany who had immigrated to America. Baron de Palm, as he would become known, was a character himself. He and Olcott became fast friends, especially with his estate being promised to the Theosophical Society upon his death. In exchange, he had one request of Olcott: de Palm wanted to be the first person cremated in the New York Cremation Society’s crematory.

1876

In New York, the NYCS was one of the strongest societies of its type in the US and its members and directors were, albeit slowly, working toward the establishment of a crematory in the metropolis. The 1876 death of de Palm and his request for cremation once again brought the cremation question strongly into the press as the cremation society had come to an agreement with its legal counsel (Olcott) and was prepared to honor de Palm’s request. However, as more light was being shed on the unconventional beliefs of the Theosophical Society, there was a bit of discomfort from the board about the association of the cremation society with the unusual religion and beliefs of de Palm.

De Palm’s elaborate funeral service at the Masonic Temple was covered by journalists in newspapers nationwide. Unfortunately, the spectacle that the funeral became associated the cremation process with “the occult,” and the more prominent board members of the New York Cremation Society began to waver and back out of their support for the movement. The cremation society did not waver from its agreement alone as Olcott became increasingly frustrated at the lack of energy on the part of NYCS, even going so far as to label them dilettante – all voice and no action. He did not seem to be too far off the mark as the cremation society had not constructed a crematory, nor was the building of such a facility even on the horizon.

Olcott, in his impetuousness, began seeking an alternative. The answer came in the form of that small crematory in Washington, Pennsylvania. After finally coming to an agreement with Dr. LeMoyne, Olcott prepared more earnestly for the cremation to take place as soon as the facility was complete. The press again started to cover cremation-related stories and discussion of its merits was revived.

The success of a social reform depends upon a perfect storm of activity, and all the elements of the cremation movement were coming together to create just such a storm.

What happens next? Will cremation become an option? Will Baron de Palm be the first modern cremation in North America?

Come back next time for the final installment of our Cremation Sesquicentennial and find out!

(Spoiler alert: yes.)

The Key to Staff Retention – Embrace Cremation (Part 2)

10/8/2025

In our last post, we reviewed some consumer data on what they’re looking for in their cremation arrangements. Now, it’s time to talk about making sure that your team is ready when those consumers choose you.

Individual employees bring their own perspective – positive and negative experiences with cremation included. What training do they receive to navigate the disconnect and overcome biases? How are they recognized and rewarded for their success?

CANA asked the best how they accomplish it.

Trend 3 – Cremation Competencies

CANA brought together high performing funeral directors from all types of cremation providers for a focus group to identify what makes them so successful in winning calls as well as revenue per call. They showed us the skills needed to achieve their success.

CANA discovered the success that these funeral directors had with cremation families isn’t any different than they would have to any other family – the skills are the same. Plus, the steps they take with cremation families are generally the same with any other family from initial notification to aftercare. The gap between the professional and meeting the family where they are is cremation-specific and cremation-positive training to overcome biases.

Seven Areas of Success

CANA research with members and their star staff revealed seven key domains of care for families from initial notification all the way through aftercare. Then, we further identified knowledge skills and actions required to master each domain – the work that takes to be great at that step with families. From there, we could define what proficiency looks like – what makes someone good in an area and how to identify where to improve. Add to that, the cremation positive attitude that takes employees to the next level.

Then, professional development can move beyond meeting basic CE requirements. Continuing education becomes a targeted investment in professional development to gain knowledge, skills and actions. CANA offers courses, but so do others. Once you identify the needs of your employees, invest in them and target their development with relevant continuing education. A simple low-cost way to start is to incorporate debriefs into your staff meetings. Ask your staff to share an experience they had since the last staff meeting and how they handled it. This can build trust within your team and share alternative responses that promote peer learning.

For our part, CANA combined the cremation positive perspective with training that targeted the domains. One results of this work was the CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist credential. Professionals who go through this program complete 11 hours of online courses focused on skill development within the seven domains plus two hours of interactive education focused on developing softer skills like empathy. Graduates reported feeling more engaged and connected to their work. They reported “AHA” moments that connected the classes to why they were interested in funeral service initially.

Why is it so hard to find good people?

What we’ve been hearing from our members and conversations on the Convention floor is more than conflict about cremation assumptions, but also generational conflict, expectations not matching up between employers and employees, and work ethic. This is more important than ever for the future of this profession to bridge these disconnects through better communications around expectations.

Knowing the specific skills and actions that go into each domain makes it easier to write job descriptions, to set expectations for staff to succeed, to create staff evaluation forms, to target weakness with training. When you understand what proficiency looks like, it is easier to adjust and discuss expectations. This framework gives managers and employees a common language to identify areas of growth.

When hiring, the position description can communicate your expectations clearly, beyond “holds a license and has a pulse.” A well-written job description not only describes work they’ll do and managers’ expectations for success, but also the company’s goals and values to find people that they resonate with.

Align Expectations

Families have expectations for their provider, so employers have expectations for staff. The key is to make sure that they’re communicated clearly, reinforced in from annual evaluations and quarterly reviews all the way to weekly check-ins. Staff should know from the beginning what their goals are and the values of the company and, if they don’t, who to ask for clarity. Plus, employees crave feedback and reinforcement of why they are doing the work they are doing. Put together, clear expectations, reinforcement of the path to meeting goals, and aligned values helps ensure individual staff are good fit and keep making the right choices in family interactions.

Employee Expectations

Don’t forget that employees have expectations for their work, their work environment, and their success, too.

Employers want many of the things their employees want, of course, but managing people is hard work. The administrative workload of being the boss and the power differential creates a distance that is hard to bridge. Bosses want their employees to do their work, the work they are passionate about and trained to do. But bosses also forget, amongst the paperwork and deadlines, to remind their staff why this is so important.

This image from the Good Jobs Institute mimics Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs but translated for the workplace. Starting from the top, working in death care is inherently meaningful, serving the community during some of their most difficult moments. Supporting opportunities for personal growth by identifying and targeting areas for greater success is why there are CE requirements and why CANA works so hard to provide valuable (yet affordable!) professional development programs.

How you measure and recognize achievement is important when communicating expectations and having them met. Beyond building rapport and trust among your team, helping them each find their place in the larger profession forges that sense of belonging as they connect with people who have similar experiences at live trainings, in-person conferences, peer support meetings, or the like.

Employers seek loyalty in employees but often experience quick departures. If that is your situation, then ask how well you are meeting employees’ higher needs. These capture the “why” of work and – in a service profession like cremation and funeral service – should be easy to articulate if harder to practice. Try not to let the urgent tasks crowd out the important connections.

But don’t neglect the Basic Needs of a good job, either. When the basic needs aren’t met, an employee will quit.

PAY & BENEFITS: In recent years, the shortage of licensees has forced pay increases across the country. When thinking about pay and benefits, here are a few useful tools.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Funeral Director
- 2023 Median Pay $60,580 per year; $29.13 per hour
www.livingwage.mit.edu – this calculator helps you determine the living wage for your community. Rather than paying what you can afford or think is fair, use this tool to ensure you are competitive and offer pay that covers your employees’ basic needs.

SCHEDULES: The key here is predictable scheduling with as few last-minute changes as possible. That might mean cross-training for flexibility or setting clear standard operating procedures to make work as predictable as possible.

CAREER PATHS: Here’s that expectation setting again – how will someone know when they’ve achieved the goals of their role and will advance in responsibilities or pay? What are the opportunities for advancement, and how are they communicated?

SAFETY & SECURITY: More than just basic compliance with local, state/provincial, federal regulations, this is about giving people the time for paperwork and PPE, for empowering employees to speak up when they have a question or concern, and responding to needs as they arise.

Good Job Retention Strategies

There is no one strategy to solve our workforce development crisis. There are many strategies to try and here are a few to consider:

Fairness in scheduling may look different depending on the employee. I heard the owner of a trade removal and embalming service share that she schedules all twelve of her employees for every holiday, including herself. Everybody works Christmas or Labor Day, etc. but in two-hour increments. If the employee gets the call on their short shift, they do the work. If not, they get the rest of the holiday off. It is fair, if not equal. She has other benefits in place, including overtime pay, to promote equality among her employees.

Answer questions – The question – Why? – may be annoying, however it isn’t necessarily challenging. Your employees are less likely to have grown up in funeral service and genuinely don’t know why things are done the way they are. Answer them and ask them why they think things should be as they are. Generational interaction need not be adversarial.

Consider pairing up employees from across generations. Parents and children experience more conflict than grandparents and grandchildren, and this age gap could have benefits in the workplace. Consider matching your youngest and oldest employees for mentoring if not supervision. Or employees of the same age, but different tenure, so your 30-year Gen X veteran is mentoring your Gen X career-changing apprentice. This may help reduce generational conflicts.

Support continuing education and outside interests. Encourage employees to share their experiences at staff meetings and share information about the communities they serve.

In summary, bridging disconnects in cremation assumptions can lead to more engaged employees.

It may seem like quite the leap to think about cremation trends impacting staff retention, but keep in mind: clear is kind. If we can meet families expectations and align their needs with our goals, then communicate them with staff, we unite everyone in the meaningful work of funeral service – including cremation services.

This is part two of a two-part blog post on cremation trends and staff retention. Read part one here.

This two-part blog post inspired by the Wilbert EDU webinar on October 31, 2024, titled Cremation Trends & Staff Retention: A CANA-Inspired Approach with Barbara Kemmis & Brie Bingham. To watch the recording, contact your local Wilbert representative to learn more!

Barbara Kemmis is Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America where she promotes all things cremation through member programs, education and strategic partnerships. After more than 25 years of experience in association leadership, Barbara knows that bringing people together to advance common goals is not only fun, but the most effective strategy to get things done.

Brie Bingham joined the CANA staff in 2015 as Membership Coordinator with little experience in associations of funeral service. Now, she is a proud Certified Funeral Celebrant, CANA Certified Crematory Operator, and continues to grow her knowledge of the profession and her role in CANA. Brie coordinates CANA's blog, The Cremation Logs, manages member benefits, and that things keep working behind the scenes so CANA Members can stay focused on their business and their communities.

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