The regular monthly Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Sunday, April 28, 2019 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. via Tumblr April 28: Albuquerque Death Cafe
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West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company Senior Vice President of Planning and Development Kim Medici Shelquist announced today that Jill Muenich is joining Homesteaders’ Planning and Development team as Vice President of Business Development. Muenich will assume her new role on April 1. “Over the past several years, we’ve actively sought and nurtured future-oriented initiatives to help our customers more easily connect with consumers,” Shelquist explained. “As we’ve grown our ability to innovate, we’ve identified a need for a dedicated leader to steer these efforts. Jill is clearly the right person for this role, and we are fortunate she is available at the right time.” “I’ve known Jill for a number of years and continue to be impressed by her passion for funeral service and the pre-need profession,” affirmed Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders CEO. “Her enthusiasm, coupled with a proven track record of supporting sales, will be a tremendous asset to our company and our customers.” As a member of the Planning and Development team, Muenich will work with Homesteaders’ leadership to spearhead innovation efforts and implement corporate initiatives, with the ultimate goal of helping funeral professionals connect with and meet the needs of the families they serve. “I am honored to be joining such a strong brand and innovative leader within the end-of-life planning space,” Muenich affirmed. “In the past seven years, my affinity for growing the funeral profession has expanded greatly, and I look forward to continuing that journey.” Muenich has nearly three decades of experience in sales and financial services. While her most recent work has focused on the funeral space, her experience extends to Fortune 100 companies including MassMutual, Verizon and Pepsi. She has a deep knowledge of and appreciation for the funeral profession and has spent the last seven years as vice president of marketing services for another pre-need funding company. Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and services to promote and support the funding of advance funeral planning and end-of-life expenses. The post Jill Muenich Joins Homesteaders as Vice President of Business Development appeared first on Connecting Directors. Jill Muenich Joins Homesteaders as Vice President of Business Development published first on YouTube via Tumblr Jill Muenich Joins Homesteaders as Vice President of Business Development CLARKSVILLE, IN – Express Funeral Funding, the nation’s FASTEST, EASIEST® and largest privately-owned insurance assignment funding company is excited to welcome Kevin Smith as a national account manager. Smith will develop and maintain relationships with funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide to promote Express Funeral Funding’s fast and easy insurance assignment funding. “We are excited to have Kevin join the Express family. He brings expert industry knowledge along with several long-standing relationships with funeral homes and cemeteries,” said Steve Calloway, president of Express Funeral Funding. Smith comes to Express Funeral Funding, having over 20 years in the funeral profession, of which he spent in insurance assignment funding, providing invaluable experience. “I am very excited to join forces with Express Funeral Funding. They are the fastest, easiest, friendliest funding company on the planet. I want all my past clients and future customers to try us out on your next assignment,” said Smith. Express Funeral Funding has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide the ultimate funding experience since 2002. Express Funeral Funding eliminated the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment and advancing complete policy funds. For more information on Express Funeral Funding, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com or call 812.949.9011. The post Kevin Smith Joins Express Funeral Funding as a National Account Manager appeared first on Connecting Directors. Kevin Smith Joins Express Funeral Funding as a National Account Manager published first on YouTube via Tumblr Kevin Smith Joins Express Funeral Funding as a National Account Manager Like many of our readers, Dr. Pia Interlandi’s fascination with death care was sparked at an early age. For Interlandi, it started when she and her aunt were tasked with dressing her grandfather for his funeral. As a mourning granddaughter, the experience was cathartic and helped Interlandi deal with her grief. But as an aspiring fashion designer, the process of dressing her grandfather made her realize that traditional clothing simply wasn’t designed for the dead. “He was difficult to dress,” Interlandi said in a 2013 interview. “Garments almost had to go on backwards, we had to roll him from side to side to pull his shirt and jacket down. They didn’t fit any more owing to the weight he had lost.” Shifting gearsHer frustration–and the nugget of an idea–grew after Interlandi dressed her great aunt and her grandmother for their services. “I started to realize that there was something that could be addressed in the designing of garments for the grave,” Interlandi said. Although her education and lifelong interests were clearly leading her into a career in fashion design, Interlandi decided to incorporate her experiences with funerary clothing into her doctoral research at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her dissertation “[A]Dressing Death: Garments for the Grave” included three major projects: dissolvable garments, body moulds, and “The Pig Project,” during which Interlandi studied the effects of decomposition of bodies and garments using pigs as her subjects. As a textile technology instructor at the university, Interlandi was particularly interested in creating garments that would disintegrate along with the body on which it was buried, or in the case of cremation, release little to no pollution. Interlandi explains that natural fibers such as cotton, linen, wool, and silk easily break down, but man-made fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic remain intact and release a bit of contamination when burned. Garments for the graveThis dedication to environmentally-friendly death practices is certainly part of a larger movement which in reality brings us full-circle to pre-Civil War funerary practices. Before embalming and professional funeral services, the dead were first wrapped in a shroud and buried in the ground or entombed, and later were dressed by the family, displayed in the home, and buried in a bio-friendly wooden box. Interlandi’s dissolvable garments are created from biodegradable fibers in neutral colors, but families are given the option for colors with natural dyes. Although many of her works are commissioned and therefore unique, most are very simply shaped to make dressing much easier. Interlandi includes symbolic details that can be integrated into the preparation process, such as cords that can each be knotted by a different family member as a ritual of tying up the life lived, or a detachable pocket into which families can insert mementos to be buried with their loved one. Interlandi includes a “final veil” with each garment as a way to “soften” the final viewing of the body; she prefers this floating, gauzy, translucent process to the hard closing of a coffin lid. To complement her assistance with the dressing ritual, Interlandi completed training to become a funeral celebrant, allowing her to assist and advise families with more than one portion of the process. Although her website hasn’t been updated since 2013, a recent blog post indicated that Interlandi has recently assisted in more than 100 funerals at Clandon Wood Natural Burial Reserve in the UK, and set up the Natural Death Advocacy Network to help establish a natural burial ground in Australia. The post Fashion Designer Creates Dissolvable “Garments for the Grave” appeared first on Connecting Directors. Fashion Designer Creates Dissolvable “Garments for the Grave” published first on YouTube via Tumblr Fashion Designer Creates Dissolvable “Garments for the Grave” The 2018 Before I Die New Mexico Festival is being recognized with a prestigious national funeral industry award. A Good Goodbye from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has won First Place in the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s 2018 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards. The KIP Award recognizes the best in personalization in the cemetery, funeral service and cremation profession. via Tumblr New Mexico Before I Die Festival Wins National Funeral Industry Award We know that there are at least 23 things families can do with their loved one’s ashes, including spreading them, sending them to the moon, or turning them into a vinyl record, tattoo, or fireworks. But for traditionalists, keeping the ashes of a deceased family member in an appropriate urn or container in their home is the preferred choice. Innovation from inconvenienceUnfortunately, this option presented a problem for Italians Jacopo Vitali and Gianluca Tomasi when their cousin passed away. With their cousin’s ashes ensconced in the home of his parents, Vitali and Tomasi were faced with a difficult question: “When we want to visit our cousin, where will we go?” They were concerned that paying homage to their cousin in person would disturb his parents. So young Vitali and Tomasi did what any enterprising millennial would do: they created an app for that. Dubbing their new endeavor “RipCemetery,” the pair created a virtual social network where anyone can create a profile for their deceased loved one (including pets) that can be visited from any smartphone, anytime. Launched in 2014 with the help of crowdfunding through Indiegogo (they raised $580 of their $23,000 “stretch” goal), the app has been downloaded more than 5000 times in the Google Play store. The success of RipCemetery led the duo to create their most recent product called iRip, a “digital cinerary urn” that does double duty as a vessel for cremains and a portal through which the keepers of the urn can view tributes to the deceased. To get started, families simply add the ashes to iRip’s internal airtight container, insert and power up the tablet, then pair the tablet with the RipCemetery app. The tablet’s display can be customized with various backdrops, including photos or videos. When someone sends a virtual flower, heart, or gift, or posts a message on the profile of the deceased, iRip sends a “sound signal” to alert the family. A discordant desireVitali and Tomasi explain the need for iRip on their website in this way:
While some of the language may be lost in translation (as is the American slang meaning for the words “I rip”), the Italian creators’ sentiments are clear. With the number of cremations outweighing burials, they want everyone to have the opportunity to let the designated urn-keepers know homage is being paid to their deceased family member or friend. It’s a nice thought, but the iRip website doesn’t mention what will happen when the tablet technology becomes outdated or the app ceases to exist. Nevertheless, the iRip could be an interesting conversation piece, and may be especially popular with age groups who grew up expressing any and all emotions virtually and at their convenience rather than in person. The iRip is available for purchase individually or in bulk for resale, and comes in a variety of colors, including a shiny gold model and a wood-grain texture. Prices start at €950, or about $1077 for a basic white or pink iRip with a complimentary one-year warranty. The post Digital Urns: The Latest Innovation From The Guys Who Brought You The Virtual Cemetery appeared first on Connecting Directors. Digital Urns: The Latest Innovation From The Guys Who Brought You The Virtual Cemetery published first on YouTube via Tumblr Digital Urns: The Latest Innovation From The Guys Who Brought You The Virtual Cemetery FrontRunner Professional is proud to announce their latest addition to FuneralPay, the industry’s leading payment solution for funeral homes. This new partnership with Tribute Insurance Assignments has further strengthened the FuneralPay platform with both funeral homes and families reaping the rewards. This move comes as FrontRunner’s response to the growing expectation families have of funeral homes to offer a range of options to pay for a funeral. Additionally, the ability for families to receive funds in 24-48 hours ensures that funeral homes are not left waiting months to receive payment for the service. “This latest integration will make paying for funeral expenses easier for both families and funeral homes. Our customers can now complete insurance assignment requests directly in our software, with much of the data auto populating. Once a policy is verified, the insurance assignment representatives can have money advanced to the funeral home to cover funeral expenses in as little as 24 hours. All of this is done directly in our software, without the need to use a third-party portal,” says Jason Truesdell, President of FrontRunner Professional. In addition to receiving funds quickly, this service is offered at no expense to the funeral home and no out of pocket expense to the family. After completing an insurance assignment request, the Tribute Insurance Assignments team will act as a liaison between the insurance company and the family, handling all requests on the family’s behalf. “If a family has never had to file an insurance claim, the process can be confusing and lengthy. Our new integration with Tribute Insurance Assignments aims to alleviate these headaches and remove a burden during a difficult time. Families no longer have to worry about sending in the necessary documents and funeral homes don’t have to wait to get paid for their work,” concludes Truesdell. The new tool is immediately available to all FrontRunner clients and can be accessed through their website or funeral management software. Because FuneralPay has been designed to be user-friendly, the onboarding process is both quick and easy, and can be completed in minutes from within the FrontRunner software. In addition to this new integration, FuneralPay will continue to allow funeral homes to help family members experience fewer limitations when selecting funeral merchandise by enabling them to make individual contributions to an overall service for the deceased. FrontRunner is the leading full-service Technology and Marketing company offering the only truly integrated solution on the market. To learn more about what FrontRunner can do for your firm, contact us at 1-866-748-3625 or visit insuranceassignments.frontrunnerpro.com The post FrontRunner Professional Announces New Addition to FuneralPay appeared first on Connecting Directors. FrontRunner Professional Announces New Addition to FuneralPay published first on YouTube via Tumblr FrontRunner Professional Announces New Addition to FuneralPay DEERFIELD, Ill. — March 25, 2019 — Selected Independent Funeral Homes has announced the election of new Officers to lead the world’s oldest association of independently-owned funeral homes. Selected’s Board of Directors elected the new Officers who will be officially installed during the Annual Meeting September 23-26 at J.W. Marriott in Nashville, TN. Arthur I. Erickson of Beecher & Bennett Funeral Service in Hamden, CT will serve as the Board President. Erickson is a third-generation funeral director licensed for 32 years and is proud to have two sons licensed and working at his firm, which has been a Selected member since 1921. He attends Annual Meetings, is a member of the Selected Study Groups Program and served on Selected’s Preferred Partner Selection Workgroup. He has been President of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association and served on the NFDA Policy Board. He is currently a member and Past President of the New Haven Kiwanis Club, and serves on the Boards of the CT/MA Ronald McDonald House, the Evergreen Cemetery Association, and the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Erickson family has a long history with Selected. “My father was an officer with Selected back in 1979,” said Erickson. “I am pleased to carry on the tradition. Many of my parents’ closest friends were NSM (which is now Selected) members from around the country.” Jake Johnson of Menke Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Sun City, AZ will serve as the Secretary-Treasurer. Menke Funeral Home has been a Selected member since 2008. While he is the Owner/General Manager of Menke Funeral Home, he has been involved in all aspects of funeral service including management of large cemetery operations, technology, funeral arrangement/planning, accounting, finance, loan underwriting and more. He also is President and CEO of Johnson Consulting Group and FDMS Funeral Case Software. “It’s a fortunate time to be a Board Officer,” said Johnson. “There is so much going on. The association has a strong Strategic Plan with a focus on growth, member engagement and helping address the challenges of the independent funeral home. All these initiatives will take the association to the next level.” The entire Board of Directors includes President Kim Farris-Luke, Abingdon, Va., Group 3; President-Elect Arthur Erickson, Hamden, Connecticut, Group 1; Secretary-Treasurer Joe Jackson Jr., Laredo, Texas, Group 5; Secretary-Treasurer-Elect Jake Johnson, Sun City, Arizona, Group 6 ; Eric R. Trimble, Moline, Illinois, Group 4; Paul St. Pierre, Greenwood, Indiana, Group 2; and Ex Officio Charles “Chip” Billow, Akron, Oh., Group 2. For more information on Selected, becoming or locating a member, visit Selected’s website at selectedfuneralhomes.org or call 800-323-4219. About Selected Independent Funeral Homes: Selected Independent Funeral Homes (selectedfuneralhomes.org) delivers innovative and pertinent resources, solutions and ongoing support necessary for enduring excellence to its international network of independently owned death-care providers who aspire to be the very best in their profession. Members of Selected operate according to specific standards and best practices in order to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information. 2017 marked the organization’s 100th anniversary and a legacy of dedication and support to the death-care profession. Images included: Headshot of Arthur I. Erickson of Beecher & Bennett Funeral Service and Jake Johnson of Menke Funeral Home & Cremation Center. The post Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2019 appeared first on Connecting Directors. Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2019 published first on YouTube via Tumblr Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2019 “ For a decade, it has become our hallmark to combine opposites: beautiful, naked body of man with the perfect matter of exclusive coffins. Eros with Tanatos.” ~ Introduction to Lindner Calendar Edition 2019 In 2010, when Polish coffin maker Lindner published its first calendar featuring scantily-clad female models posing alongside, on top of, and inside the company’s newest product line, some in the press wrote off the promotion as an effort to compete with a similar calendar series being released by an Italian coffin manufacturer. Ten years later, Lindner has solidified its stance that sex can indeed sell coffins by publishing its raciest edition yet. Sex and deathOwner Zbigniew Lindner doesn’t apologize for pairing “the beauty of Polish girls and the beauty of our coffins.” Lindner once told the Daily Mail, “So much work goes into our coffins that are only seen for a few moments at the funeral. We wanted to show that a coffin shouldn’t be a sacred object. It isn’t a religious symbol.” The Catholic church disagrees. In a 2014 statement, a spokesperson labelled the campaign “inappropriate,” saying, “human death should be treated with solemnity and not mixed up with sex.” But why not? Lindner’s success in sales of both coffins and its annual calendars indicates that the juxtaposition of sex and death is appealing on some level, even in Poland, which is 96 percent Catholic. In fact, “Death and the Maiden” (D & M) is a genre that shows up in European artwork as early as the 1500s, according to a paper published in the Journal of Gender Studies. Author Christina Welch writes:
An “old trope”In another paper called “Coffin Calendar Girls: A New Take on an Old Trope,” Welch thoroughly explores Lindner’s 2010 through 2013 calendars as well as the 2003 through 2013 calendars issued by the Italian coffinmaker Confani Funebri. Over the years, according to Welch, the Funebri calendars’ portrayal of the “maiden” becomes “increasingly erotic and as such echoes the proto-early-Reformation images,” with the coffins the “contemporary symbol of mortality.” The Lindner calendars, says Welch, go a step further by reversing the roles and portraying the maiden not as succumbing to Death, but having power over it. The original intent of either Lindner or Confani Funebri most likely wasn’t to revive the Death & the Maiden genre, or even to invite academic scrutiny. It was to make people aware of the brands and sell more coffins. Lindner describes its calendar as an “exclusive product released in a limited edition…A true gem for collectors and lovers of beauty: twelve unique coffins and beautiful models.” Lindner continues to push the envelope with each new edition. Less and less clothing, the addition of naked male models, and progressively more provocative themes and poses ensures the continued popularity of its annual calendars–as well as more controversy. The post See Lindner’s Racy Coffin Calendars that Use Sex to Sell Death appeared first on Connecting Directors. See Lindner’s Racy Coffin Calendars that Use Sex to Sell Death published first on YouTube via Tumblr See Lindner’s Racy Coffin Calendars that Use Sex to Sell Death Ahh, spring is upon us. Technically, March 20th was the official beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring is the perfect time of year to tune into the blooming happening all around us. And the blooming is happening at your funeral home, too. After all the hectic-ness of the holiday season, it’s time to […] The post 4 Important Ways To Embrace Spring Time At Your Funeral Home appeared first on funeralOne Blog. 4 Important Ways To Embrace Spring Time At Your Funeral Home published first on YouTube via Tumblr 4 Important Ways To Embrace Spring Time At Your Funeral Home |
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