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AFE Early Bird Registration Deadline Looming

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Hong KongIn its third year, the Asia Funeral Expo (AFE) 2010 is an event that the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) jointly organize with Vertical Expo in Hong Kong. AFE features funeral industry products and services, from caskets, burial vaults, urns to memorial products, embalming equipment, incineration equipment, cold storage equipment, software for virtual funeral services, garments, cosmetics, memorial products, hearse, funeral products for pets, cemetery services, and education and training services for professional funeral practices.

Almost 2,000 buyers from 43 countries attended the 2009 show that featured 150 exhibitors, including 6 from the U.S. About 50 percent of the exhibitors at the 2009 show concluded sales on site. For the 2010 show, funeral industry professionals from Mongolia, Malaysia, West Indies, South Africa, Singapore, Philippines, China, the U.S. and many European countries have already confirmed their attendance.

Hong Kong’s demographics and shortage of land suggests an increasing demand for funeral services. Cultural preferences notwithstanding, adaptive U.S. service providers will be able to help meet this demand. Hong Kong’s population is aging fast: 12 percent of the population is aged 65 and above at 871,600 in 2008. This number is expected to exceed one million by 2015 and two million by 2025.

A series of seminars on the funeral industry will run concurrently with the trade show.

There are 2 types of registration in AFE 2010:

1. Expo & Conference

  • Full Access of 3 Show Days
  • Conferences
  • International Reception and other networking activities
  • Site Visit (venue and facility to be confirmed)
  • Free Show Catalogue
  • Free Business Matching Services
  • Free Market Intelligence
  • Registration Fee: USD 450 / person

Register on or before 26 Feb 2010, you can enjoy an Early Bird Special Rate USD 349 / person! If your group consists of 10 people or above, please contact ASE directly for special arrangement.

2. Expo only

  • Full Access of 3 Show Days
  • Free Business Matching Services
  • Free Market Intelligence
  • Registration Fee: USD 50 / person
  • If you cannot complete the registration online, please kindly fill in the Visitor Pre-Registration Form and send it by email (afe@verticalexpo.com) or fax (+852-2528-0072).

Contact us for more details:
Email: afe@verticalexpo.com

Tel: (852) 2528 0079 Mr. Eric Chow (Hong Kong)
(852) 2528 0275 Ms. Lainie Man (Hong Kong)

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Virginia Morris, Eldercare Expert, to Speak in Virginia

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

EldercareVirginia Morris, a nationally recognized authority on eldercare and author of How to Care for Aging Parents, will lead a discussion entitled “Our Parents, Our Selves: The Later Years” on March 19 at 2:00 in Culbreth Theater at the University of Virginia.

Ms. Morris will discuss how families can effectively engage in the difficult but necessary conversations about legal, financial and medical plans for aging parents and spouses. Her main message is “Plan ahead. If we could simply get people to think about all this sooner, to plan for it even a little bit, we could ease the strains enormously.”

Almost forty-four million Americans attend to the health care needs of a relative or another person.

Morris will set an optimistic yet realistic tone as she guides the audience through the morass of emotions and practical information which should be addressed among family members.

She emphasizes the importance of helping one’s parents retain independence and self respect while taking care of oneself.

Lois Shepherd, author of If That Ever Happens to Me: Making Life and Death Decisions After Terry Schiavo, will moderate this session. Ms. Shepherd is an associate professor in the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities, UVA Health System.

The Institute on Aging organized the session, which will be presented at the Virginia Festival of the Book. The program is sponsored by Genworth Financial and co-hosted by the Senior Center.

This free presentation and discussion takes place from 2:00 – 4:00 at the Culbreth Theater at the University of Virginia. There is no admission fee, but please RSVP at either “uvaging @ virginia.edu” (remove spaces and quotes) or (434) 243-5695 to reserve your space. The theater address is 109 Culbreth Road.

The University of Virginia Institute on Aging: The primary mission of the Institute on Aging is to understand and enhance the aging process throughout the human lifespan. The Institute acts as a catalyst and coordinator for interdisciplinary research, education, and service programs. For further information, please visit the Institute’s website at http://www.virginia.edu/aginginstitute/. A podcast of this event will be available on Institute website soon after her presentation.

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A Viking Funeral? Doubtful.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
The ship burial of the Viking ruler Igor the Old in Kievan Rus by Heinrich Semiradzki (1845-1902).

The ship burial of the Viking ruler Igor the Old in Kievan Rus by Heinrich Semiradzki (1845-1902).

Jeff Conaway wants a Viking funeral, but — if you read the story linked here closely — you may learn that Conaway has some personal issues and he may not be touching reality on a regular basis. Funeral directors and the Environmental Protection Agency tremble at the thought of a Viking funeral, and the possibility that a funeral with a flaming boat is possible is highly unlikely. Why? Simply because of logistics and the law.

Most people, when they envision a Viking funeral, think of a hero lying in a boat, pushed out to sea, and the boat set aflame by a well-marked arrow. Within minutes, the boat and the body are burned to ash, symbolizing the Phoenix, where the hero’s spirit rises above the flames to live eternally.

First, this vision is scientifically impossible, as it would take more than a few minutes and a flame hotter than that caused by a quickly burning boat to disintegrate a body. Even in a normal crematory process, temperatures of 760° to 1150°C (1400° to 2100°F) are required for one to two hours to cremate a ‘normal’ body. Larger bodies take longer. the most damage that a few minutes on a burning boat could do is burn the flesh away, revealing bones and muscle tissue.

Further, it has become more difficult and expensive to conduct an ocean funeral — even one that does not include a flaming boat. Most requirements for a full-body burial at sea (not scattering ashes) include a shroud or biodegradable coffin, no embalming — which means the body must be buried at sea as soon as possible — and a toe tag in case the body accidentally washes up on shore one day in the near future. If a biodegradable coffin is used, it usually must be drilled with holes to allow water in and must be weighted with about four-hundredweight of iron chain or concrete to try to keep the coffin from floating in to shore somewhere.

Additionally, some religions do not favor a burial at sea, including the Catholic Church. Burial at sea in a casket or in an urn is approved for cases where the deceased expired in the sea, however, and the committal prayer number 406§4 is used in this case:

Lord God,
by the power of your Word
you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas,
you made the raging waters of the Flood subside,
and calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.
As we commit the body (earthly remains)

of our brother (sister) N. to the deep,
grant him/her peace and tranquility
until that day when he/she

and all who believe in you
will be raised to the glory of new life
promised in the waters of baptism.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

Other religions might feel somewhat lenient about burials at sea, with consultation before the fact. The Anglican Communion, however, has detailed procedures for burial at sea, because many Anglican and other religious chaplains of the Royal Navy buried cremated remains of ex-Naval personnel at sea. The ship has to be stopped, and the body has to be sewn in sailcloth, together with two cannon balls for weight. Many Lutheran naval veterans and seamen also prefer to be buried at sea. In those cases either the casket or urn is set to sea, or ashes scattered. The procedure is similar as that with Anglican. Some parishes have specific consecrated sea areas, where ashes can be sprinkled.

California, with its long coastline, is the only U.S. State that does not permit full body burials at sea. The Environmental Protection Agency does carry regulations for full body burials at sea in the United States. Some of those requirements include a distance of at least three nautical miles from land and in water at least 600 feet deep. Certain areas, including east central Florida, the Dry Tortugas, Florida and west of Pensacola, Florida to the Mississippi River Delta, require water at least 1800 feet deep. Refer to the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 229.1 (PDF) for further details. Additionally, “all necessary measures shall be taken to ensure that the remains sink to the bottom rapidly and permanently.”

If you plan to dispose of a body illegally, read the information at Wikipedia about illegal disposal of bodies in water. According to that article, disposal in large lakes or oceans is more likely to hide the body, but a decomposing body can develop a strong positive buoyancy due to the decomposing gases being trapped underneath the skin. This may bring the body up to the surface, or at least increase the movement across the ocean floor due to wave actions. Many bodies have washed up at the shore (think about the caskets washed up on the Mississippi shore from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina). Bodies have also been discovered in the nets or lines of fishermen, and occasionally, bodies are also discovered by divers.

Additionally, very cold water with little oxygen may preserve bodies, considering Margaret Hogg, the Wasdale Lady in the Lake in Wast Water lake in the Wasdale area. She was found after 8 years, with her body preserved like wax.

Viking funeral? Maybe symbolically, but the reality of sending a full body out to sea and setting it on fire to dispose of the body is somewhat mythical and impractical, most likely illegal and a tad bit egoistic.

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2010 NFDA Resource Catalog Available

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

CasketThe National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has released its 2010 Resource Catalog. Packed with essential tools to help funeral directors strengthen their business operations, educate staff and enhance service to families, this year’s catalog features product sets on a variety of topics, including business operations and aftercare, which offer savings of up to $50.

In addition to consumer brochures, a wide variety of informational and educational materials and specialty NFDA items, the catalog features NFDA Home Study courses that enable funeral directors to earn continuing education (CE) hours without leaving their home or office. Presented by trusted experts and approved for CE hours by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice and most state licensing boards, Home Study courses are available in book, CD (audio), CD-ROM (audio and visual) and DVD formats. NFDA members can purchase many Home Study courses for less than $100, which includes the product (e.g., book, CD) and CE question set.

This year’s catalog features nine new Home Study books that are accredited for up to 10 CE hours:

  • Building Customer Loyalty From the Inside Out (10 CE hours). Practical tips and compelling examples that provide powerful guidelines for creating customer loyalty. Author: Debra J. Schmidt.
  • Capitalizing on Kindness: Why 21st Century Professionals Need to Be Nice (10 CE hours). Five powerful tools, based on kindness, that can help ensure individual and business success. Author: Kristin Tillquist.
  • The Eight Building Blocks for Creating a Sustainable, Closely-Held Company (10 CE hours). Challenges family-business owners to move outside their comfort zone to create and sustain business success. Author: D. Wayne Rivers.
  • Family Business (10 CE hours). Learn about the knowledge and skills needed for the successful management of family businesses; illustrates ways to achieve sustained growth and continuity through generations. Author: Ernesto J. Poza.
  • 100 Ways to Motivate Others (10 CE hours). In an entertaining style, this book presents proven ways to motivate staff members, thereby ensuring business success. Author: Steve Chandler.
  • Boom! 7 choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business-as-Usual (10 CE hours). Presents seven key life choices to help professionals put enthusiasm and passion back into their work and their workplace. Author: Kevin and Jackie Freiberg.
  • Think Like a Marketer (10 CE hours). Presents a new approach to marketing to help business owners ensure marketing gets done and gets results. Author: Lauron Sonnier.
  • Understanding Your Suicide Grief (10 CE hours). Helps those left behind understand their normal and necessary, yet unique, grief journey. Author: Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
  • Cry Until You Laugh: Comforting Guidance for Coping with Grief (10 CE hours). Blends gentle humor with practical advice for the bereaved and the professionals who support them; confronts myths about grief. Author: Richard J. Obershaw.

In addition, funeral professionals will find several 2009 NFDA Teleconferences, Web Seminars and convention workshops presented as Home Study courses:

  • “Ethical Thinking in Today’s World” (4 CE hours). Explores ethical responsibility and the benefits of ethical behavior; provides guidelines to help funeral directors make the ethical choice. Presenter: Chris Kuhnen.
  • “Does Formaldehyde Cause Cancer? How NFDA’s Formaldehyde Best Management Practices can Protect You” (4 CE hours). Reviews recent findings on formaldehyde health risks; reviews NFDA’s Formaldehyde Best Management Practices; includes information about new, toxin-free embalming products. Presenters: Carol Green and Edward Ranier.
  • “FTC Funeral Rule Staff Training” (4 CE hours). Provides an overview of the FTC Funeral Rule compliance requirements, with special attention given to phone inquiries, third-party merchandise and avoiding violations during “undercover shops.” Presenters: T. Scott Gilligan and Craig Tregillus.
  • “GPL Funeral Packages – Doing Them Right” (4 CE hours). Explores the ways funeral packages can be presented to consumers in a manner that is compliant with the FTC Funeral Rule. Presenter: T. Scott Gilligan.
  • “With the Push to Cremate: 5 Reasons to Encourage a Viewing and Ritual” (4 CE hours). Reviews ways funeral directors can communicate the value of viewing and ritual to families that choose direct cremation. Presenters: Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert C. DeVries.
  • “Prepare for the New Employment Regulations” (4 CE hours). Reviews major employment regulations with which funeral homes must comply; special attention given to common violations. Presenter: Stephanie Peters.

The 2010 NFDA Resources Catalog was mailed with the February issue of The Director, but funeral professionals can also download a PDF from www.nfda.org/resources or call NFDA at 800-228-6332 for a free copy. All NFDA resources, including the new Home Study offerings, can be accessed and ordered by visiting www.nfda.org/resources or calling NFDA at 800-228-6332.

NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,000 individual members who represent more than 10,200 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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Does the Name “Sleepy Hollow” Ring Any Bells?

Sunday, February 7th, 2010
The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by John Quidor.

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by John Quidor.

Historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is well known for its famous and infamous residents. Residing there are a notorious counterfeiter, wealthy merchants, powerful industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller, and Washington Irving, author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, that “Sleepy” place which serves as the backdrop to Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, is largely just that — a quiet and sleepy resting place where little seems to ever change.

Following the Pocantico River as it meanders through the pristine terrain of the cemetery, you may begin to feel as though you are in a place lost in a time long gone. You might easily imagine Ichabod Crane following this very path in the legendary story.

But on April 3, 2010, this “Sleepy” place will come alive as the entire community gathers to celebrate its 160th Anniversary, as well as the birthday of namesake, Washington Irving. Join with residents, dignitaries, and esteemed guests to recognize the great contribution Sleepy Hollow Cemetery has made to Americana.

The celebration begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Washington Irving Chapel, with the presentation of a Proclamation to the Cemetery Board. The Proclamation will recognize Sleepy Hollow Cemetery’s many contributions, as well as its inclusion in the New York State Register of Historic Places. Then the party gets going with birthday cake in honor of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Washington Irving. After all, it’s a birthday!!!

There will be refreshments, free tours to visit famous sites throughout the cemetery, “Legend” readings at the grave of Washington Irving, and much more.

For updated information about this event, the Community Mausoleum or Natural Burial, please visit the website at: http://www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery 160th Anniversary Celebration
Cost: FREE
Date: April 3, 2010
Time: 11AM
Location: Enter Main Cemetery Gate on Route 9. 540 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. 10591

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Funeral Coach Production Consolidated

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Funeral Coaches

Funeral Coaches

With top funeral service vehicle brands Federal Coach and Eagle Coach gaining a combined double-digit market share increase in 2009, company leadership is now poised to continue that growth with the move of its Federal funeral coach production from Fort Smith, Arkansas to its manufacturing facility in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The transition of Federal funeral coaches to Cincinnati will occur in March 2010. The facility will manufacture the Renaissance, Heritage and Stratford models under the Federal name, and the Echelon, Ultimate, Kingsley and Coupe de Fleur models under the Eagle name. Each brand will maintain its own unique identity and will be sold and serviced by the current Federal and Eagle dealer networks. Federal and Eagle funeral limousines will be produced in the Fort Smith facility through 2010, then will migrate to Cincinnati.  The funeral service vans, for each brand, will continue to be built in Ohio.

The Cincinnati plant is well known in the funeral service industry for manufacturing some of the industry’s best coaches and specialty vehicles under the Eagle brand. The move enables the Specialty Vehicle Group (SVG) to become even more market driven, providing its nationwide dealer network and funeral directors with unrivaled products and services.

“With the top names in funeral cars coming together under one roof, we can leverage our resources in design, development and manufacturing to provide outstanding dealer support, greater product innovation and the absolute highest quality funeral vehicles available on the market,” says Fred Wolfinger, Eagle’s brand manager. “We pride ourselves not only on the cars we build, but also on the relationships we’ve built by being proactive and responsive to the market.”

“The move is a positive one for our organization, our dealer networks and most importantly, funeral directors and livery professionals,” says Randy Garner, brand manager of Federal Coach. “The consolidation will strengthen each brand – a positive sign for both Federal and Eagle customers.”

SVG leadership says it expects to add numerous new jobs in the Cincinnati facility in the coming year. The move is part of an overall corporate restructuring that will position the company for even greater success in the future.

The Specialty Vehicle Group (SVG) is comprised of the Eagle Coach and Federal Coach brands, and is a business unit of J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc., of Houston, TX (www.jbpoindexter.com).   J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. is a diversified manufacturing company with 4,000 team members in over 35 facilities from Oregon to Florida and Saskatchewan to Mexico.  Revenues in three-quarter of a billion dollar range are generated through four divisions operating in the transportation and industrial product sectors.

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National Funeral Directors Association: Update on Haiti Assistance Efforts

Sunday, January 31st, 2010
A Haitian boy receives treatment at a MINUSTAH logistics base.

A Haitian boy receives treatment at a MINUSTAH logistics base.

The members of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFD&MA), the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), the Casket and Funeral Supply Association of America (CFSA) and the Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) express their heartfelt sympathies to those affected by the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12. The associations’ members also wish to express their deepest concerns over the treatment of those who died in the earthquake.

The Haitian government has taken control of the mortuary response in Haiti and has neither asked for nor authorized assistance from any government or private organization. The heart-breaking images of those who died being placed in mass graves are shocking, and the members of NFDA, NFD&MA, CANA, CFSA and MBNA believe the people of Haiti deserve better. They have lost so much and are experiencing a variety of emotions as they struggle to survive; seeing people who may be family or friends being put in mass graves only compounds their grief.

The associations are also worried about the fate of American citizens and individuals with dual Haitian and American citizenship who died in the earthquake. As of January 23, the Department of State reports that the identities of 45 American citizens who died in the earthquake have been confirmed. However, thousands remain missing. There are concerns that the remains of these missing individuals may be placed in one of the mass graves or may forever be lost in the rubble. The news story “Relatives of Americans Missing in Haiti Angry,” from The Washington Post (http://bit.ly/6snn87), sheds light on the pain and anguish these families are experiencing.

Said NFDA member Michael Gunderud, of Krowicki-McCracken Funeral Home in Linden, N.J., “The events in Haiti have left many funeral directors eager to assist families ship identified remains to the United States. We have been called upon to fulfill a duty, yet remain helpless in our efforts. Such a situation should be addressed with aggressive action, and it [is] disheartening that [I am] unable to perform the duty that I was called upon to do.”

There is a tremendous willingness within the funeral service, memorialization and mass-casualty response communities in America — both government resources, such as Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams, and private resources, such as the hundreds of funeral directors who have volunteered to travel to Haiti  — to assist the Haitian government with the respectful treatment of the dead. The members of the funeral service, memorialization and mass-casualty communities are willing to help the Haitian government with all those who died in the earthquake — regardless of citizenship — so that, where possible, they can be returned to their families for a dignified funeral, burial and memorialization.

Funeral and deathcare professionals have stepped forward in a number of natural disasters — from Hurricane Katrina to the earthquake and tsunami that impacted Southeast Asia — and have reunited thousands of families with the remains of their loved ones, affording them the opportunity to have funerals or memorial services. The funeral service and memorialization community believes it can do this for Haiti, and all nations that saw their citizens die in the earthquake.

Funeral directors are entrusted to care for the living through the respectful and dignified treatment of those who died. The outpouring of humanitarian relief from the United States to the people of Haiti is to be applauded and admired, for it is desperately needed; however, in not taking swift action to care for those who died, this country fails to offer a fully compassionate response.

The members of NFDA, NFD&MA, CANA, CFSA and MBNA call on those in the federal government who are leading this country’s response in Haiti to take swift action by urging the Haitian government to allow the funeral service, memorialization and mass-casualty response communities in the United States and around the world to assist with the respectful and dignified treatment of those who died in the earthquake.

Please visit www.nfda.org/haiti for the latest news and information on the mortuary response in Haiti. This Web page will be updated daily or as new information becomes available.

Funeral service professionals interested in volunteering in Haiti may call the National Funeral Directors Association at 800-228-6332. NFDA staff is collecting contact information in order to keep interested parties abreast of ways they might be able to assist the federal government and funeral service professionals in Haiti, should their service prove necessary. NFD&MA members may call 800-434-0958 to place their name on their association’s volunteer list. MBNA members may call 800-233-4472 to place their name on their association’s volunteer list.

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Georgia Funeral Home Goes Green

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

White Columns Web site

Soenso Energy president, Roger K. Cone, announced late last year that work is complete on the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of White Columns Funeral Chapel in Mableton, Georgia. This is believed to be the first installation of clean, renewable solar power on a funeral home in the state of Georgia. The 5.8kW system is designed to offset approximately 40 percent of the annual electricity energy needs of this facility in south Cobb County.

White Columns Funeral Chapel’s new solar PV array consists of twenty-eight 210W Schuco-USA solar PV modules mounted on a south-facing portion of the funeral home’s roof. The PV modules generate DC power that is fed into a 5000W SMA-America inverter. The inverter converts the DC power to AC power. The AC power is fed into the electrical panel of the building where it is dispersed wherever needed throughout the facility. The building uses this solar-generated electricity first and, if needed, seamlessly and automatically pulls from the utility grid to keep the facility fully powered.

Currently there are generous Federal and Georgia financial incentives in place for commercial installations of renewable energy. For commercial solar PV installations the Federal incentive is a 30 percent income tax credit or grant, and the Georgia incentive is a 35 percent income tax credit or rebate. There are published maximum limits on Georgia renewable energy incentives.

Owned and operated by the Gene Davis family which has been serving Mableton, Austell, Powder Springs, and Lithia Springs, Georgia, since 1964. On the Web: http://www.whitecolumnsfuneralchapel.com, Phone: 770-948-0113, Location: 1115 Clay Road, Mableton, GA 30126.

Senseo Energy is located in Marietta, Georgia, near Atlanta. they are a leading supplier and installer of commercial and residential renewable energy products – solar thermal hot water systems, solar photovoltaic (PV) for generating electricity and small wind turbines for generating electricity. These renewable energy technologies qualify for Federal and Georgia clean energy income tax credits. On the Web: http://www.soenso.com.

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New England Burials at Sea LLC Expands Fleet & Territory

Monday, January 18th, 2010

lighthouse

New England Burials At Sea (NEBAS), now the northeast’s largest burial at sea provider, is expanding its charter fleet by now offering larger vessels that can accommodate up to 400 people with affordable, individualized and personal memorial ash scattering and full body sea burials from Boothbay Maine to the Mid Atlantic area (the Carolinas) and to the west coast of the USA through approved affiliates. They are recommended and fully insured.

NBAS now offers attended or unattended year round memorial cruises for traditional ash scatterings or complete full body casket free eco friendly sea burials, both per strict U.S. Coast Guard and EPA regulations, presided over by a USCG licensed vessel captain (and a licensed funeral director for full body committals). Serving all faiths with personalized services.

NEBAS recently introduced the industry’s first patent pending Atlantic Sea Burial Shroud® for full body sea burials. The soft-sided shroud is hand stitched in New England and designed as an ocean friendly burial alternative that is more cost effective than the price of a full wood or metal casket. It is suitable for pre voyage funeral home viewings and comes in a variety of earth tone colors with custom monogramming available. The shroud is made from natural materials and is designed to degrade in a few short months offering a true “eco-friendly” sea burial.

Captain Brad White recently announced, “Our business has grown quickly as we are now recommended by many funeral homes and crematories for cost efficient sea burial services in a professional and dignified manner within 48 hours of families request.”

Available options are ocean friendly flowers arrangements including hand woven sea wreaths & urns. Digital and video photography of the service is available for online photo shows and full documentation of the event. White recently announced that live event simulcasting can also be broadcast worldwide to friends and family members that may not be able to attend but who can easily log online to witness in real time. (Available in 2010). Special requests are also welcome.

For ash scatterings, the vessel voyages three nautical miles to sea and scatters ashes with a customized family sea tribute service. At the close of the service, loved ones receive a commemorative distinguished parchment burial certificate indicating the date, time, depth and exact latitude and longitude of the ceremony so that area can be visited at a later date. Also included is an aerial ocean photo view of the location and a Sea Bottle™ filled with the specific area’s water, sand and indigenous sea shells that are wax capped sealed and hanked with sailor’s marlin wrap as a keepsake of the event.

Typical vessels range in size from 30′ to 65′ feet for up to 50 passengers and up to 100′-125′ for up to 400 passengers. Departure Port locations vary from Maine to South Carolina. All vessels are equipped with state-of-the-art electronics and all required safety gear.

Burial at Sea Services offered

  • Private ash scattering cruises with family
  • Unattended ash scattering –Captain’s service
  • Full Body Ocean Burials –With family
  • Ceremonies for Pets’ Ashes
  • Memorial Cruises to the same coordinates on future anniversaries also available

Sea tribute services may be attended or unattended and can also be viewed from the shore. Prices vary by market but typically start at $495 (unattended) to $895.00 (attended by party of six) to up to $2,500 for larger families up to 35. Voyages for 35- 400 are very reasonable. Ash scattering services are also available for beloved pets for $95 (unattended) to $395 (attended).

The company is building a network of approved and qualified sea burial certified captains ™ on the east coast of the USA with affiliates recently established on the West Coast.

Sea Burials are affordable dignified alternatives to traditional burials. NEBAS ensures a loved one a final resting place at sea, while relieving family of significant financial burdens in their time of distress. Requests can usually be accommodated within 24-48 hours of the first call, depending upon location, weather conditions and season.

Learn more about New England Burials at Sea from their Web site.

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NFDA, CANA & NFD&MA Reach Historic Agreement to Lobby Congress Together in 2010

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Advocacy Summit, Washington DC

Advocacy Summit, Washington DC

On November 18, 2009, representatives of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) and the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association (NFD&MA) met in the nation’s capital to establish a unified position on key federal issues that will serve as the focus of joint congressional visits during NFDA’s annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., this year.

Skip Mikell, chair of the NFD&MA Legislative Committee, facilitated the daylong meeting, during which the group identified more than 15 issues facing funeral service at the federal and/or state levels. After unanimous agreement on the top-five critical federal issues facing the funeral service profession, the three associations prioritized those according to importance and relevance to current congressional activities: Codification of the Supplemental Security Income/Medicaid funeral/burial exclusion; the Bereaved Consumer Bill of Rights Act of 2009; reform of the federal estate tax; affordable healthcare; and a tax deduction for indigent funeral/burial costs.

NFDA, CANA and NFD&MA representatives also agreed that focusing on a maximum of three issues would prove most effective during the upcoming joint congressional visits. Recognizing that the current session of Congress might also complete some of these issues, the group will therefore determine which three top issues their collective members will discuss with their elected officials closer to the Advocacy Summit in March 2010.

In advance of NFDA’s Advocacy Summit, March 8-10, the three associations will coordinate and set up state-based delegations across their respective memberships and schedule meetings with members of Congress. Thus, for the first time, members of three national funeral service associations will lobby members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate together and provide a powerful, unified voice on the key issues impacting funeral service.

CANA President Bill McQueen, CFSP, said: “The Cremation Association of North America is pleased to participate in the NFDA Advocacy Summit and to work with NFDA and NFD&MA to develop a united voice on issues before the funeral service industry. Coordinating our positions on legislative and regulatory issues serves the industry and the public.”

Skip Mikell, chair of the NFD&MA Legislative Committee, said: “The NFDA Advocacy Summit provides an opportunity to see, firsthand, how our national government works and have a chance to participate in the process. This year, the attendees will represent the united voice of funeral service in America.”

Attendees at the November 18 meeting included: (from NFDA) President William Wappner, President-elect Patrick Lynch, Advocacy Committee Chair Pat Lanigan, CEO Christine Pepper, Senior Vice-President – Advocacy John Fitch and Director of Political Affairs Lesley Witter; (from CANA) Executive Director John Ross; and (from NFD&MA) President Ernest Adams; Legislative Chair Skip Mikell and Billie Watson Hughes.

For more information about NFDA’s 2010 Advocacy Summit or to register, please visit www.nfda.org/advocacysummit or call 800-228-6332.

NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,000 individual members who represent more than 10,200 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy Division office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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