Professional Car Society - The Southern Funeral Director Magazine

December 2011 • January 2012
www.southernfuneraldirectormagazine.com
Professional
Car Society
2011 International Meet
Ambulance & Coach/Accubuilt Awards and Photos
Bill Black Chevrolet/Cadillac Profile
Shields Southeast Sales
Federal & Eagle Coach
Communicating With the New Customer by Bob Gordon
Making Your Business Better by Fred Lappin
Unique Places - Final Destinations - La Recoleta Cemetery
by Ed Horn
Future Leaders of the Profession by Jennifer Frew
Reel Thoughts - Confessions of a Movie Buff by Bob Fells
Non-Terrestrial Memorialization by Oscar Rios
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 1

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The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Casket & Shipping Issue novEMBER 2011
Alliance/The Southern Funeral Director
The National Funeral Service Journal with a
Southern Accent Since 1919
Celebrating 92 Years of Service to the
Industry
Vol. 167 No.9
POSTMASTER:
Please Notify us of address changes
by form 3579 to:
The Southern Funeral Director Magazine
P.O. Box 768152
Roswell, GA 30076
404-513-9405 | www.sfdmagazine.net
Features
4 Notes from the Editor –Associate Publisher, Ed Horn
6 Professional Car Society 2011 International Meet
14 Ambulance & Coach
23 Bill Black Chevrolet/Cadillac Profile
25 Learning How to Communicate with the New Customer
28 Making Your Business Better
30 Unique Places – La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires
34 Final Destinations
36 Unique and Future Leaders of the Profession
38 Reel Thoughts from Bob Fells
40 A Brief History of Early Non-Terrestrial
Memorialization: Chapter Three – Eternity Burst
News Releases
17 Accubuilt Announces Circle of Excellence Winners
18 Accubuilt Awards Top Dealers at National Sales Meeting
20 Accubuilt Unveils New MKT Hearse
24 Piedmont Precast, LLC Acquires Gilmer Vault Company
42 Live Oak Bank Expands its Focus into Death Care
Management – Welcomes Doug Gober, Senior Loan
Officer and Jerald Pullins, Board of Directors
44 Vantage Products - Meeting the Demands of the
Funeral Industry
Departments
45 Classifieds
45 Ad Index
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Extreme Designs, LLC.
P.O. Box 768152
Roswell, GA 30076
Contact us by email:
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The appearance, reference or advertisement
of any product or service in the publications
shall not be deemed an approval or
endorsement of these products or services
by the Southern Funeral Director Magazine,
or the owners therof. This publication cannot
be responsible for the return of unsolicited
material.
John Yopp
Editor/Publisher
Subscriptions/Classifieds
Accounts
johnyopp3@aol.com
Ed Horn
Associate Publisher
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404-513-9405
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Please check out our new website at
www.southernfuneraldirectormagazine.com
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 3

I have been the Associate Publisher for a short time but I have
become more dedicated to the Southern Funeral Directors Magazine
with each new issue. Though the magazine has a long and illustrious
history the time for reinventing it had arrived. John Yopp and I plan
on making SFD a vibrant and exciting magazine that while continuing
its traditions will step beyond the box.
Oscar Rios imaginative writing about our profession and the problems
mankind will encounter when planting the flag in space evokes thought
and consideration of how evolution demands inventive solutions.
While Oscar is examining the universe for us Bob Fells, Executive
Director of the ICCFA takes us back to our favorite pastime, movies
of the past. Bob’s love of the films that continue to reward us with their
artistry and qualities allows us to comprehend that we owe respect
for those who came before us.
Our authors cover an ever increasing spectrum that addresses the
interests of our profession but just as importantly the lives of the families
we are all dedicated to serve. Regardless of the years experience or
the freshness of our newest and best young professionals the voices
that will direct the future are open within the pages of the SFD.
I hope you join us by reading our editions and providing your thoughts,
commentary, suggestions and yes, your objections or complaints.
SFD will reflect our reader’s diversity opening the door to discussions
that can only enhance the conversation while uniting us to always
doing better for those we have dedicated ourselves to.
I wish each of you a Happy New Year and my wish to hear from you
during the coming year!
Ed Horn
Associate Publisher
Southern Funeral Director
4
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

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Professional Car Society
by: Gregg Merksamer
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
on the Lake Erie waterfront.
The oldest ambulance at the Professional
Car Society’s 2011 International
Meet was this extremely rare surviving
horse-drawn, completed around 1860 by
an unknown builder and originally used in
Columbus, Ohio. Its owner, Dover, Ohio
funeral director Robert L. Smith, added
“I get an Amish guy to drive it parades,
hitched to his black Percheron horses.”
The Professional Car Society’s 2011 International
Meet officially commenced Tuesday,
July 12th with a morning procession
down Ohio 8 and Interstate 77 to the Military
Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS)
Museum at the Akron-Canton Regional
Airport. First-in-line up this exit ramp is
Daniel Herrick’s 1978 Miller-Meteor Cadillac
hearse/ambulance “combination” from
Chatham, N.Y., followed by Peter Menedis’
1948 Barnette Chevrolet from Fayetteville,
PA; Patrick J. Martin’s 1985 Bayliff Packard
from Palatine, Illinois; and PCS President
Rick Duffy’s 1964 Miller-Meteor Cadillac
from Pittsburgh, PA.
Several polls have declared Swenson’s
Drive-In has the tastiest burgers in Northeast
Ohio, compelling the PCS to lunch
at its Massillon location after touring the
MAPS Air Museum. Hearses awaiting the
car hop include Darren Bedford’s 1960 S&S
Cadillac and John McCulloch 1939 S&S La-
Salle from Ontario, while the red-and-white
1972 Miller-Meteor ambulance belongs
to William Ives of Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
No Eating in the Car, Folks! Luckily, six
doors meant six trays when Lee Ann Boston’s
1994 S&S Cadillac “commercial glass”
limousine headed to Swenson’s Drive-In for
Cheesburgs and Galley Boys after Tuesday
evening’s pilgrimage to the May 4th, 1970
Memorial at Kent State University.
This 2002 Federal Cadillac raised-roof
six-door was one of several livery vehicles
furnished by Robert Mazzarella’s American
Coach Sales to take 2011 PCS International
Meet attendees on a downtown Cleveland
tour that featured the I.M. Pei-designed
With their folding attendants’ seats and
removable beacons, funeral coach/ambulance
“combinations” like Ron Devies’
1966 Superior Pontiac proved popular with
small town directors in the days before
community-operated rescue squads were
common. With its “limousine” styling accentuated
by wrap around corner windows,
this Kentucky-sourced Bonneville looked
suitably-sleek beside the Grumman F-11
Tiger admired by many 2011 PCS International
Meet attendees at the Military
Aircraft Preservation Society Museum.
Combination coaches mixing hearse and
ambulance features in one body were
rarities by the time this “limousine style”
Superior Sovereign was completed on a
1982 Cadillac Commercial Chassis. Accordingly,
it turned a lot of heads when
6
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Jerome S. Jacobson of University Heights,
Ohio brought it to the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum for Wednesday’s tour
of downtown Cleveland.
erected 1912-15 by Goodyear Tire Founder
F.A. Seiberling and his wife Gertrude.
right at home beside a Douglas C-47 Skytrain
dubbed the “Ruptured Duck.” Along
with the Jeep, the bazooka and the A-
bomb, General Eisenhower hailed this
stout, all-metal transport as one of the four
weapons that proved most crucial to the Allies
winning World War II.
Thursday evening found the pro-cars at a
double feature at the Midway Drive-In Movie
Theater in Ravenna, where the PCS Ohio
Chapter hosting the 2011 International Meet
has held several successful events. Last in
line is Jeremy Ledford’s 1973 Miller-Meteor
Cadillac from Lebanon, Tennessee, preceded
by Scott Avnaim’s 1969 M-M combination
from Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Shortly before this 1967 Miller-Meteor
Cadillac was photographed in front of the
greenhouse at Stan Hywet Hall, its owners
- Anthony Militello & Nina Taylor of Columbus,
Ohio - were married in the gardens
with 14 hours of advance planning. Impressively,
this limo-style hearse had served
a Flagstaff, Arizona funeral home through
April, 2004, and Anthony had “not one
problem” driving it 2,800 miles home after
purchasing a one-way plane ticket.
Thunderbird landau bars and a bumpermounted
“Continental” spare tire were
two of the spiffy custom touches on this
1956 Cadillac Fleetwood Series Seventy-Five
Eight-Passenger Sedan shown
with full chauffeur’s garb by Christopher
G. Axelrod of Bratenahl, Ohio.
Thursday evening found the pro-cars
heading to a double feature at the Midway
Drive-In Theater in Ravenna, where Jeremy
Ledford’s 1973 Miller-Meteor Cadillac from
Lebanon, Tennessee was photographed beside
the box office. The PCS Ohio Chapter
hosting the 2011 International Meet has held
several successful events here.
A Stylemaster Sedan Delivery with a
wheelbase stretch and two additional side
doors was the foundation for this 1948
Chevrolet ambulance built by Guy Barnette
& Co. of Memphis, Tennessee, which
had 3,500 original miles “and a pack of
Lucky Strikes in one of the compartments”
when Peter Menedis purchased it from a
Pennsylvania colliery in 1994. Following
a full mechanical rebuild, its odometer has
reached the 8,400-mile mark.
Following an overnight rain that made PCS
show field temperatures almost twenty degrees
cooler from Tuesday to Wednesday,
Shawn Blyler is at the half-wet, half-dry
stage of wiping down his 1968 Cadillac
Fleetwood Seventy-Five Series Nine-
Passenger Sedan, which once belonged
to the owner of the Philadelphia Phillies
baseball club.
Following their trips from Michigan, Dennis
Lloyd’s 1979 AHA Lincoln hearse and Brady
Smith’s 1977 Miller-Meteor Cadillac hightop
ambulance were welcomed to Akron
by a Goodyear blimp cutout in the gardens
at Stan Hywet Hall, a Tudor-style manor
Once the Professional Car Society arrived
at the Military Aircraft Preservation Society
(MAPS) Museum, Peter Menedis’ 1948
Barnette Chevrolet Ambulance seemed
This raised-roof 1972 Chevrolet Carryall
Suburban ambulance - recalling the last
year this platform had two doors on the
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 7

ight side and one door on the driver’s side
- was originally built for De Witt, Nebraska’s
rescue squad by the Safety Equipment
Co. of El Dorado, Kansas. Its owner, William
Wright, will host the 2012 PCS International
Meet in Daytona Beach, Florida
from June 18th-22nd.
The recently-refreshed, deep green paint
on this 1960 Cadillac seemed well-suited
to the conservative coachwork of the Eureka
Company, which was situated in Rock
Falls, Illinois from 1871 through 1964. Tom
Hoczyk, a former PCS President from Ft.
Wayne, Indiana, found this fine hearse in
Las Cruces, New Mexico 16 years ago.
F-Series panel truck converted by Alberter
Coach. The Dover, Ohio funeral director detailed
the ‘59 came from a Utah mine where
it apparently “never went further than the
front gate,” as it had just 18,000 miles.
As William Wright will be hosting the 2012
PCS International Meet in Daytona Beach,
Florida next June, it was fitting that his
1972 Chevrolet Suburban high-top - built
by the Safety Equipment Co. of El Dorado,
Kansas - was the first vehicle to arrive at
the 2011 edition in Hudson, Ohio. The giant
trophy Bill is leaning on was presented
to the “Top 100” of 1,140 entrants in an Arthritis
Foundation car show held in Columbus,
Ohio the previous weekend.
Though the Flxible Co. is best known for
building busses, it also bodied professional
Buicks from 1925 through 1964. This stately
1964 Premier long-wheelbase combination
was brought from the firm’s home town of
Loudonville, Ohio by Walter Lindsey of the
Byerly-Lindsey Funeral Home.
Steel disc wheels, triple bar bumpers and
a six-window “landau back” roof were defining
details on this 1927 Henney Combination
Coach that won Marietta, Ohio
mortician William Peoples a Class First at
the 2011 PCS International Meet. In 2009,
this car appeared prominently in Aaron
Schneider’s feature film GET LOW, which
starred Robert Duvall as a Tennessee hermit
who hires Bill Murray to stage his funeral
party while he’s still alive.
Mansfield, Ohio funeral director Thomas
Wappner drew a large crowd of admirers
the moment he trailered in this 1938 Eureka
Cadillac Chieftain DeLuxe hearse,
which truly epitomized Art Deco elegance
with its V-shaped grille, streamlined “beaver
tail” and satin-finished, seasoned poplar
drapery panels.
Thomas A. McPherson, whose 1973 book
AMERICAN FUNERAL CARS & AMBU-
LANCES was the first of several he’s authored
on professional vehicle history, muchadmired
this 1964 Flxible Buick Premier
Combination brought from the firm’s home
town of Loudonville, Ohio by Walter Lindsey
of the Byerly-Lindsey Funeral Home.
Blackwell tires proved a period perfect
compliment to the two-tone grey paintwork
on this Packard-based 1954 Henney Junior,
which originally belonged to the Nebraska
National Guard before it was sold in
1979 to a Kansas City racetrack that kept it
in service until 1998. As the owner, Bruce
Taylor, was working in Abu Dhabi, it was
brought to the 2011 PCS International by
Bud Heffley of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
In addition to addressing meet attendees on
the history of ambulance service, Robert L.
Smith displayed a half-dozen rigs including
this 1956 Ford rescue wagon and 1959 Ford
After being judged the highest-scoring Cadillac
at the 2011 PCS International Meet,
8
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Ed and Kandis Renstrom’s 1986 Hess &
Eisenhardt front-drive six-door limousine
won the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Award
as well as the Best-in-Show. The couple’s
1,338-mile drive from Hot Springs,
South Dakota - 900 of which were done
without air conditioning - also earned them
the Distance Award.
Williams reported his 1955 A.J. Miller Cadillac
low-top ambulance was “identical to
one we had when I was a child. I have a
photo of me in it when I was 12 years old.”
The hardtop-style window frames give the
roofline an attractively-airy feel.
Tinted glass roof panels were an Oldsmobile
factory fitment on the 1964 Vista
Cruiser used to build this Automotive Conversion
Corporation Amblewagon, which
earned Jim Vowell of Romeo, Michigan
First Place in the standard-wheelbase
Conversion Vehicle Class. After initial attachment
to the General Motors Pavilion at
the New York World’s Fair, this car served
with the Fairmount Fire Company in Lansdale,
Pennsylvania until 1989.
William Peoples - who has a funeral service
museum in Marietta, Ohio - earned
First Place in the Pre-War Hearse class at
the 2011 PCS International for this one-off,
A.J. Miller-bodied 1938 Packard featuring
carved side panels and an open “town car”
driver’s seat. Remarkably, this magnificent
coach wound up hauling chickens in
Mexico before returning to the U.S. for restoration
in the 1980s
Hardtop-style window frames afforded
an attractively-airy feel to this A.J. Millerbodied
1955 Cadillac ambulance owned
by Gainesville, Florida funeral director
Gene Williams. The red-and-white 1956
Superior Cadillac in the next space was
brought to Ohio by Tony Corriher of Landis,
North Carolina.
Having clocked 1,200 miles’ worth of driving
as he ferried five display cars from his
Marrietta, Ohio funeral service museum,
William Peoples justly earned the 2011
John R. Keel Memorial Award for Youthful
Enthusiasm. Class Firsts were also
given to his 1927 Henney “landau back”
combination (left) and his 1938 A.J. Miller
Packard town car hearse (center), while
his 1947 Packard Clipper limousine (right)
scored third place in the livery category.
Gainesville, Florida funeral director Gene
Williams said his A.J. Miller-bodied 1955
Cadillac ambulance was “identical to one
we had when I was a child. I have a photo
of me in it when I was 12 years old.” Aside
from hardtop-style window frames, this rig
employs an extremely-rare Federal C6BR
siren fitting a rear-facing red light.
Joined at PCS Ohio by his wife Vonda,
Gainesville, Florida funeral director Gene
Green accent striping and an illuminated
hood ornament were unusual touches on
this “radio-dispatched” 1953 National Pontiac
“Mall City Unit 2” ambulance owned by
Anthony Robert La Penna of Kalamazoo,
Michigan. After National’s Knightstown,
Indiana plant applied a 30-inch wheelbase
stretch and patient compartment windows
to a Pontiac sedan delivery, this unit was
originally stationed at a U.S. Naval Station
somewhere in the Midwest.
In addition to four judging class trophies,
William Peoples justly-earned the 2011
John R. Keel Memorial Award for Youthful
Enthusiasm for the 1,200 miles he
clocked ferrying five display cars from
his Marietta, Ohio funeral museum. His
fleet included (front-to-rear) a 1948 Packard
“Clergy Car” fitted with a padded top
by Hess & Eisenhardt; a one-off 1938
Packard town car hearse by A.J. Miller;
a 1947 Packard Clipper limousine; a 1940
Henney Packard combination coach; and
a 1927 Henney “landau back” that saw extensive
screen time with Bill Murray, Robert
Duvall and Sissy Spacek in the 2009
film GET LOW.
10
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Olympian, even if the latter had been re-purposed
as a parade wagon by a Muscatine,
Iowa Shriners Temple in the 1940s.
While its restoration was still at an early
stage, knowledgeable International Meet
attendees like PCS Vice-President Paul
Steinberg (left) were much entranced by
this 1964 Chevrolet “first call” car, which
was stretched from a Biscayne station
wagon for a Brooklyn funeral home by
Pinner Coach of Mississippi. Its owner,
Dwayne Brooks of Bucyrus, Ohio (right),
bought it sight-unseen out of central New
York state in September, 2010.
With its Buick “straight eight” engine hidden
behind a special radiator grille from Sayers
& Scovill of Cincinnati, Mark Rodgers’ 1934
S&S Olympian recalled the end of an era
when hearse makers built their own chassis.
The bright red paint, big brass bell
and calliope-like roof pipes were added by
the Muscatine, Iowa Shriners Temple for
parade use in the 1940s.
John & Patti McCulloch’s 1939 S&S LaSalle
carved panel hearse from Durham, Ontario,
which earned Best-in-Show and the
Cadillac-LaSalle Club Award at last year’s
PCS International in Albany, N.Y., received
the Senior Award at the 2011 edition in Hudson,
Ohio, as well as its third consecutive
Funeral Directors Choice award.
This extended-wheelbase 1964 Chevrolet
“first call” car, currently being restored
by Dwayne Brooks of Bucyrus, Ohio, was
the first of three that Mississippi’s Pinner
Coach constructed from Biscayne station
wagons for the Fred Herbst & Sons Funeral
Home of Brooklyn, N.Y., with the other two
based on 1965 and 1966 models.
Willoughby, Ohio resident Mark Rodgers
debated returning his Buick-engined 1934
S&S Olympian carved panel hearse to
stock condition, as the bright red paint and
big brass bell added by the Muscatine, Iowa
Shriners Temple for parade use in the 1940s
still attracted much attention. Rodgers also
owned the adjacent, A.J. Miller-bodied 1948
Cadillac Landau, which originally served a
Jacksonville, Florida funeral home.
Sayers & Scovill hood badging and “date
marks” were a no-cost substitute for Cadillac’s
crest on this 1948 Victoria hearse
owned by Bob Marcy of Conneaut, Ohio,
which was joined beneath the PCS welcome
sign by his matching 1947 Series
Seventy-Five Limousine.
Horse-drawn hearses at PCS Ohio 2011 included
this elaborately-carved 1882 Sayers
& Scovill shown by Ernie Morgan of Niagara
Falls, Ontario. It was originally purchased
new by the grandfather of New Oxford,
Pennsylvania PCS member Fred Feiser for
$800, which Morgan noted “was the price
of TWO 50-acre farms at that time.”
The fine detailing of pre-war Sayers & Scovill
carved panel hearses was plain to see
in this drape-to-drape display of John Mc-
Culloch’s 1939 LaSalle V-8 with Mark Rodgers’
“straight eight” Buick-powered 1934
The diversity of hearses built on Cadillac’s
1960 Commercial Chassis was demonstrated
at PCS Ohio by placing Darren Bedford’s
S&S Victoria from Toronto, Canada
(left) nose-to-nose with Tom Hoczyk’s deep
green Eureka Landau from Ft. Wayne, Indiana
(right). The bodyside and window
molding treatments from each coachbuilder
are entirely unique, and Eureka’s landau
bows are distinctively barbed at each tip.
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 11

Despite a trip from Toronto, Darren Bedford’s
1960 S&S Cadillac Victoria had
just 30,000 miles clocked on its odometer.
Having found this 3-way loader in
Nebraska through the PCS website www.
professionalcarsociety.org in December,
2010, Darren named it “Grizelda” after the
“Ghastly Gourmet” witch on the HILARI-
OUS HOUSE OF FRIGHTENSTEIN, which
aired on CHCH TV-11 out of Hamilton, Ontario
during the 1970s.
Final generation rear-wheel-drive Cadillac
Fleetwood limousines were represented
in Ohio by these commercial glass S&S
“Presidential roof” triplets finished in three
different colors. Lee Ann Boston’s Sovereign
Gold 1994 hails from Hendersonville,
Tennessee, while the black and deep red
metallic 1996 models were respectively
brought from Indiana by Larry Wilson and
Brian Vaughan. Underhood, all three sixdoors
tout a Corvette-derived “LT1” V-8
making 260 horsepower.
“Great Expectations” could have been
the theme for this 1959 Superior Coupe de
Fleur that Point Marion, Pennsylvania funeral
director Philip S. Rishel drove about the
PCS show field without its dashboard, bumpers,
window glass and stainless steel flower
deck, which was fitted to only 23 of the
955 Cadillac Commercial Chassis bodied at
Superior’s Lima, Ohio plant that model year.
While most “combination” coaches had
ambulance-grade linoleum floors and rear
quarter windows that might get covered with
screw-on landau panels for funeral usage,
Robert L. Smith’s 1970 S&S Cadillac Victoria
from Dover, Ohio was unusually finished
with a permanent landau top, silver brocade
upholstery and a carpeted casket floor.
As Tony Corriher’s 1956 Superior and Gene
Williams’ 1955 Miller Cadillac ambulances
fired up their sirens and beacons for the
“sound-and-light show” that concluded the
2011 PCS International Meet, witnesses
were already looking forward to the 2012
edition that will take place in Daytona Beach,
Florida from June 18th-22nd.
“Great Expectations” could have been
the theme for this 1959 Superior Coupe
de Fleur that Point Marion, Pennsylvania
funeral director Philip S. Rishel showed
without its dashboard, bumpers, window
glass and stainless steel flower deck.
Dan Skivolocke’s adjacently-displayed
1959 Fleetwood Limousine previews what
Rishel’s car will look like once its restoration
is finished in another two years.
Incredibly, the coachbuilder serial on Peter
& Stephanie Bain’s Light Sapphire Blue
1986 S&S Victoria from Hendersonville,
N.C. - 86713 - is just five numbers away
from the 86708 on the metallic gray example
also shown at PCS Ohio 2011 by Virgle
& Karen Onnen of Sterling, Illinois. With
their 16-inch chassis stretches and standard
glass rooflines, both cars epitomized
the rear-wheel-drive Cadillacs reintroduced
by S&S/Superior after its first front-drive
hearses were derided as “Dachshunds” by
conservative funeral directors.
12
As the Ohio proceedings formally concluded
with a post-banquet “sound-andlight
show,” the owners of these ambulances
were already looking forward to the
Professional Car Society’s 36th Annual
International Meet, which will take place
in Daytona Beach, Florida from June 18th-
22nd, 2012.
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012
“Great Expectations” could have been
the theme for this 1959 Superior Coupe de
Fleur that Point Marion, Pennsylvania funeral
director Philip S. Rishel showed without
its dashboard, bumpers, window glass
and stainless steel flower deck, which was
fitted to only 23 of the 955 Cadillac Commercial
Chassis bodied at Superior’s Lima,
Ohio plant that model year. Incredibly, the
trailer ahead of it was being used by Mark
Rodgers to sell or trade a similarly-unfinished,
silver-colored 1960 version that was
even rarer with just ten produced.

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The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 13

Ambulance and Coach
Nashville, TN
This is the third fleet of 16
S&S Hearses and limos
delivered to the Greater
Louisville Funeral limo.
Association by Ellis Galyon
With Amb-Coach Sales of
Nashville, Tenn.
This fleet delivered
by Ellis Galyon with
Ambulance & Coach
Sales. The first fleet of
blue vehicles, a change
from white.
This fleet of S&S
Masterpieces delivered to the
Shackelford Funeral Homes
of Savanah, Tn Waynesboro,
Tn. Selma, Tn. Boliver, Tn.
and Henderson, Tn. by Ellis
Galyon of Amb-Coach Sales
of Nashville, Tenn.
James Spurlin and
Associates of Spurlin
Funeral Home Lancaster,
Ky Having just received
their new S&S Masterpiece
from Amb-Coach Sales,
Nashville, Tenn.
14
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Ambulance and Coach, Nashville, TN delivers new fleet of white hearses, limo's and van to
Ambulance
Benton-Glunt
and
Funeral
Coach,
Home,
Nashville,
Henderson,
Visit
TN delivers
KY (Photo
new
us
fleet
of James
of
at
white
Veccia,
hearses,
Owner
limo's
and
and
Wayne
van to
Benton-Glunt Funeral Home, Henderson, KY (Photo of James Veccia, Owner and Wayne
Justice, Ambulance & Coach). Also, Ellis Galyon, Georgia Ambulance FDA and Summer Coach, delivering Convention car keys for
Justice, Ambulance Coach). Also, Ellis Galyon, Ambulance and Coach, delivering car keys for
new fleet of S&S Limo's delivered to the Central Kentucky Livery Service as shown in front of the
new fleet of S&S Limo's delivered to the Central Kentucky Livery Service as shown in front of the
Accubuilt
Accubuilt
Building,
Building,
Lima,
Lima,
OH.
OH.
www.amb-coach.com
Michael Mims, Cherokee Casket President Receives
Compassionate Friends Professional Award
today or come see us in Nashville!
Oak Brook, IL— Recognized as a in the United States and around the world, more than
professional who has contributed greatly in the 10,000 a year.
area of supporting bereaved families after the death
“As a bereaved parent I truly feel The
of a child, Michael Mims, president and owner of
Compassionate Friends is an organization of
Cherokee Child Caskets in Griffin, Georgia has been
compassionate friends willing and able to offer
awarded the Professional Award by the nation’s
support to bereaved families,” says Michael Mims.
largest self-help bereavement organization, The
Compassionate Friends.
For more information about Cherokee
Casket Company, visit them on the web at www.
“Michael’s quiet support of bereaved
cherokeechildcaskets.com or call 800-535-8667.
families exemplifies the best in companies that
interact with those grieving the loss of a precious
child,” says Patricia Loder, executive director of The
Compassionate Friends. She presented the award
to Mr. Mims at the recent Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends has more than
630 chapters in the United States offering support to
bereaved families. Annually the organization sponsors
National Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting
the second Sunday in December in remembrance of all
as more than 1,000 bereaved parents, siblings and
children who have died at any age from any cause. Many
grandparents looked on in appreciation.
bereavement organizations and groups, including funeral
Cherokee Casket, founded in 1941,
specializes in and only supplies handcrafted
homes, sponsor services open to the public in conjunction
with the event.
infant, children’s, and youth caskets to the funeral
For more information about The
industry. To support bereaved families, Mr. Mims’
company sponsors and then purchases special
Compassionate Friends and its many programs for
bereaved families, call toll-free 877-969-0010 or visit them
reprintings of The Compassionate Friends brochure, on the web at www.compassionatefriends.org. Also on
Facebook at The Compassionate Friends/USA.
“Understanding Grief After a Child Dies.” A copy is
then included in every casket that the company ships
Custom
Custom
Casket
Casket
Company
Company
Funeral Pre Driven Coach Funeral Inventory Coach Inventory
2011 2011 S&S Cadillac Medalist Masterpiece Cadillac - Black - White w/Gray -NEW! Leather Interior - Only 400 Miles!
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2011 (4) 2008 S&S Cadillac Medalist S&S Cadillac Medalist -- Blue Dark Blue - Oval w/Blue Window Leather - NEW! Interior - 30K Miles - Immaculate
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2006
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2006 S&S Medalist Cadillac - Black/White - 21K Miles
2004 Cadillac Hearse - Black on White w/Neutral Leather Interior - Call for Mileage
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2006 2003 Crown Cadillac Sovereign S&S Masterpiece - Black - Black - 49K w/Blue MilesLeather Interior - 41K - Very Nice
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2001 Cadillac Superior - Blue on Blue w/Neutral Leather Interior - Call now
2004 S&S Masterpiece Cadillac - Blue - w/Pull-out Table 75K Miles
1999 Cadillac Superior/Sovereign - Black w/Black Leather Interior - Best Value
1999 S&S Cadillac Masterpiece S&S Medalist Cadillac - Black - w/Black Black/Gray Leather - Interior w/Pull-out - 45K Table Miles - Excellent 51K Miles
1999 Cadillac S&S Masterpiece - Blue w/Neutral Leather Interior - 50K Miles Very Nice
1999 Cadillac Superior Crown Sovereign - Black w/Neutral Leather Interior - Must See!
2010 S&S
Limousine 1998 Cadillac Superior Inventory
- White on White w/Neutral leather Interior - 52K Miles - Nice Looking
Cadillac Medalist
1998 Lincoln Eureka Coach - White w/Neutral Leather Interior - Pull Out Table - 43K Miles
2005 S&S 47" Cadillac w/Executive Roof - Black - 38K Miles
2005 Pre S&S Driven Lincoln - Limousine 6DR - White - Leather Inventory - Reversible Center Seat -14K Miles
2005 (8) 2008 S&S Cadillac 6DR Cadillac S&S Limo - - Black/Silver Dark Blue w/Blue - 18K Leather MilesInterior - Executive Rook - 27k Miles
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2005 Lincoln Cadillac 46" S&S 6DR Limo -- White Silver w/Gray - 23K Leather Miles Interior - 23K - Very Nice -
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2004 Cadillac S&S Limo - Dark Blue w/Blue Leather Interior -Raised Roof - Call for Mileage
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(877) 57 – CASKET | info@customcasketcompany.com 2001 Cadillac S&S Presidential Limo - Black | w/Black www.customcasketcompany.com
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The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011 17
The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011 17
The Southern Funeral The Southern Director Funeral • Alliance Director December Alliance 2011 Cremation • January 2011 2012 2315

T O M O R R O W ’ S V E H I C L E
T O D A Y
Come see us at the NFDA Annual Convention at Booth 956.

INDUSTRY NEWS
Accubuilt Announces Circle of Excellence Winners
Lima, Ohio – Accubuilt, Inc. manufacturer of
specialty-built funeral coaches and limousines,
recently recognized a group of 15 dealers for their
outstanding sales performance during the past year
as a part of Accubuilt’s Circle of Excellence program.
Established more than a decade ago, the Circle of
Excellence program honors those dealers who sell 20
or more vehicles in a one-year period.
Nathan Hurst, Accubuilt’s Executive Vice-President
of Commercial Operations, expressed his feelings
about the accomplishments of the winning dealers.
“We are extremely pleased with the number of dealers
that received the Circle of Excellence award this year
and would like to personally thank each of them for
their hard work and dedication.”
Hurst and Bob Messing, VP of Sales and Marketing
for Accubuilt, recognized the Circle of Excellence
winners at their 2011 Dealer Sales Meeting at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago on October 24, 2011.
Many of the dealers were repeat and consecutive year
winners. A complete list of dealer winners follows:
1st Time Winners
David Stultz/Midwest Coach
David Priest/Heritage Coach
3rd Time Winner
Debbie Conaway/Conaway Enterprises
5th Time Winners
Anna Vaughan Lax/Vaughan Specialty Auto
Ric Conaway/Conaway Enterprises
7th Time Winners
Joe Vasta/Specialty Hearse and Ambulance
Chak Morcos/Douglas Distributors
8th Time Winners
Ellis Galyon/Ambulance & Coach Sales
Wayne Justice/Ambulance & Coach Sales
Dick Conaway/Conaway Enterprises
9th Time Winner
Michael Parks/Parks Superior Sales
10th Time Winner
Robert Durant/Heritage Coach
11th Time Winners
Scott O’Neill/Specialty Hearse and Ambulance
Jim O’Neill/Specialty Hearse and Ambulance
Jerry Small/Bill Black Cadillac
About Accubuilt, Inc.
Accubuilt is a diversified specialty vehicle manufacturer that
traces its roots back more than 134 years. Our professional
vehicles are S&S and Superior funeral coaches and limousines
traditionally used by the funeral service industry. Built
on Cadillac DTS and Lincoln MKT heavy-duty chassis,
they are used by independent and corporate funeral homes
as well as professional livery operators around the world.
Accubuilt’s manufacturing facility is located in Lima, Ohio and the
Company’s specialty vehicle offerings are certified and approved
by the Lincoln Quality Vehicle Modifier program. For more
information on Accubuilt, Inc. and its extensive vehicle offerings,
please visit www.accubuilt.com.
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 17

INDUSTRY NEWS
Accubuilt Awards Top Dealers at National Sales Meeting
Lima, Ohio – Accubuilt, Inc. manufacturer of
specialty-built funeral coaches and limousines,
presented their annual top dealer awards at their
Dealer Sales Meeting on October 24 at the Hyatt
Regency in Chicago.
The dealer awards are separated into three unique
categories:
• Dealer of the Year
• Top Volume Dealer
• Top Performer in Commercial Glass
The award for the 2011 Dealer of the Year was
presented to Vaughan Specialty Auto from Alvarado,
Texas. Criteria for this award include overall market
performance, sales performance and salesperson
hiring and retention.
The 2011 Top Volume award went to Specialty Hearse
and Ambulance Sales Corporation from Plainview,
New York for their sales volume achievements.
Accubuilt 2011 Dealer of the Year
Vaughan Specialty Auto
The 2011 Top Performer in Commercial Glass
category was won by Ambulance and Coach
Sales from Nashville, Tennessee, selling the most
commercial glass of all dealers with their one-of-akind
hearse application.
“We are very proud of the three dealers receiving
these awards and would like to personally thank them
for their hard work and dedication this past year,”
commented Nathan Hurst, Accubuilt’s Executive
Vice-President of Commercial Operations.
Accubuilt 2011 Volume Dealer
Specialty Hearse and Ambulance
About Accubuilt, Inc.
Accubuilt is a diversified specialty vehicle manufacturer that traces
its roots back more than 134 years. Our professional vehicles are
S&S and Superior funeral coaches and limousines traditionally
used by the funeral service industry. Built on Cadillac DTS and
Lincoln MKT heavy-duty chassis, they are used by independent
and corporate funeral homes as well as professional livery operators
around the world.
Accubuilt’s manufacturing facility is located in Lima, Ohio and the
Company’s specialty vehicle offerings are certified and approved
by the Lincoln Quality Vehicle Modifier program. For more
information on Accubuilt, Inc. and its extensive vehicle offerings,
please visit www.accubuilt.com.
Accubuilt 2011 Top Performer in Commercial Glass
Ambulance and Coach Sales
18
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

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The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 19

June - July 2011 SFD:- 9/20/11 1:06 PM Page 27
INDUSTRY NEWS
Accubuilt Unveils New MKT Hearse
Lima, Ohio – Accubuilt, Inc. unveiled an all new
MKT Hearse during the National Funeral Directors
Association’s (NFDA) International Convention &
Expo held in Chicago, IL on October 23-26. The 2011
NFDA Convention was co-hosted by the Cremation
Association of North America (CANA), a first for both
associations.
The new MKT is the replacement for the Lincoln Town
car platform. The MKT Hearse application, unveiled
by Accubuilt, met with extremely positive reaction
from show attendees. The MKT Hearse features a
modern design with advanced technology and comfort
features that are particularly appealing to owners and
operators. New features include a backup camera, rearsensing
system, an 88 degree side door opening angle,
a loading door height of 77” and a standard Urn device
and storage tray.
Nathan Hurst, Executive Vice-President of Commercial
Operations commented about the unveiling, “We are
very pleased with the amount of attention the MKT
received and the number of orders that were written at
the show. We believe that the positive reception to our
MKT Hearse is a strong signal for future growth in
this business sector.”
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North
America (CANA) is an International organization
of over 1,500 members, composed of cremationists,
funeral directors, funeral home operators and owners,
cemeterians, industry suppliers and consultants. For
more information, visit www.cremationassociation.org.
About Accubuilt, Inc.
Accubuilt is a diversified specialty vehicle
manufacturer that traces its roots back more than 134
years. Our professional vehicles are S&S and Superior
funeral coaches and limousines traditionally used by
the funeral service industry. Built on Cadillac DTS
and Lincoln MKT heavy-duty chassis, they are used
by independent and corporate funeral homes as well as
professional livery operators around the world.
Accubuilt’ s manufacturing facility is located in Lima,
Ohio and the Company’s specialty vehicle offerings
and is certified and approved by the Lincoln Quality
Vehicle Modifier program. For more information on
Accubuilt, Inc. and its extensive vehicle offerings,
please visit www.accubuilt.com.
The historic NFDA/CANA convention provided the
world’s largest annual offering of workshops, seminars,
networking opportunities and exhibits to help funeral
professionals develop strategies for success in an everchanging
marketplace. Nearly 6,000 funeral directors,
mortuary science students, exhibitors and other allied
professionals from more than 40 countries, regions and
territories attended NFDA’s convention.
About NFDA
NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association,
serving 18,500 individual members who represent
more than 9,900 funeral homes in the United States and
43 countries around the world. From its headquarters
in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy Division office
in Washington, D.C., NFDA is the worldwide source
of expertise and professional resources for all facets of
funeral service. Through education, information and
advocacy, NFDA is dedicated to supporting members in
their mission to provide families with meaningful endof-life
services at the highest levels of excellence and
integrity. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.
SELLING your
FUNERAL HOME
or CEMETERY?
We provide the service you expect!
TOTALLY DISCREET MARKETING
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Receiving over 23,000 hits monthly.
We maintain a large data base
of qualified buyers.
We also can simplify loan processing for:
• Purchase
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CONVENTIONAL or SBA LOANS
1-800-341-0100
“As a family owned
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DICK MATISE
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www.alliance’04 The 8-6-04 Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011 27
20
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

June - July 2011 SFD:- 9/20/11 1:02 PM Page 18
News Release
PIERCE M ORTUARY C OLLEGES
Genesis Casket Names High Profile Leader as Special Advisor
E XCELLENCE IN F UNERAL SERVICE E DUCATION
Robert G. Horn to Provide Guidance to Genesis Board of Directors
Casket manufacturer Genesis Casket Company today announced
that Robert G. (Bob) Horn has accepted an appointment
to the Genesis Casket Board of Directors as a special
“We are pleased and honored that Bob has accepted our invitation
to serve and that he will be involved with our company,”
stated Genesis President and Chief Executive Officer William
Anthony (Tony) Colson. “I am personally looking forward to
working with him and for Genesis Casket and all of funeral
service to benefit John Braboy, from the President wisdom and expertise he brings.
His dedication Mid-America to funeral service College and stellar reputation will help
Genesis 800-221-6158 address several . www.mid-america.edu
of the issues facing funeral professionals
today. ”
26 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
The
Right
Choice!
advisor. Horn began serving in this capacity at the Genesis
August 30th board meeting.
Patty Hutcheson, President
Gupton-Jones College
800-848-5352 . www.gupton-jones.edu
Give Us A Call 800-527-6419
Horn began his career in the funeral profession almost 50 years
ago at a small family-owned mortuary and retired as CEO and
Chairman of Keystone Group Holdings in 2007. Prior to cofounding
Keystone, a multi-state funeral acquisition and operating
firm, Bob was Chief Operating Officer and Partner of
IN ACCORDANCE WITH TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 ( P.L. 88-352) STUDENTS ACCEPTED WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE , COLOR , NATIONAL ORIGIN , SEX , RELIGION , AGE OR DISABILITY .
Robert G. Horn
18 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 21

22
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

When you’re searching for a used or new funeral
vehicle, or researching financing options, our friendly,
professional staff is ready to provide you with all the
help you need.
Our service and parts departments are standing by to
assist you with every aspect of vehicle assistance.
Just call us if you have any questions regarding our
site information. We’re here to make your shopping
experience hassle-free
Sales Department
Our sales department has one purpose: to exceed
your expectations from test drive to delivery. Our
professional sales team is committed to a no-pressure,
high integrity approach to your ownership experience.
Our goal is for you to feel that the vehicle you drive
away in is the perfect one for you. Our online
inventory of used vehicles is updated daily.
Service Department
Our service department offers the best in automotive
service to our customers. Our state-of-the-art facility
features the most current diagnostic and repair
equipment available and our highly skilled factorytrained
technicians will deliver efficient, quality
vehicle care.
Parts Department
Manufacturer recommended parts are an important
part of maintaining your vehicle’s optimum
performance. We offer the same high quality parts
your vehicle was built with and we keep a large
inventory of these certified parts in stock at all times.
Jerry Small
Circle of Excellence 11 Years in a Row
2011 Circle of Excellence Award
2010 Circle of Excellence Award
2009 Circle of Excellence Award
2008 Circle of Excellence Award
2007 Accubuilt Dealer of the Year
2007 Circle of Excellence Award
2006 Volume Increase Dealer of the Year
2003 Accubuilt Dealer of the Year
2002 Accubuilt Dealer of the Year
Finance Department
We have assembled a team of
professionals specializing in a variety
of financial solutions. We work with
many financial institutions to assist every
customer with their unique credit needs.
Bill Black-Cadillac, Inc.
601 E. Bessemer Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27405
800-451-8274
www.billblackauto.com
www.billblackfuneralcars.com
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 23

INDUSTRY NEWS
Piedmont Precast, LLC Acquires Gilmer Vault Company
On October 6, 2011, Piedmont Precast, LLC
purchased certain assets of Gilmer Vault Company, a
well respected concrete vault manufacturer in Perry,
Georgia.
The Gilmers started their vault business in 1985
when Tom Gilmer purchased Eagle Vault Company
from Mr. Jerry Ingram. Since that date, Gilmer Vault
Company has proudly served the funeral profession
with burial vaults throughout the southeast. Their
product lines include the Eagle Burial Vaults® and
Trigard® Burial Vaults.
Piedmont Precast, LLC is a wholly owned company
of Wilbert Burial Vault Company of Atlanta, Georgia.
Piedmont produces precast concrete products for
commercial projects, products for various state
departments of transportation and Wilbert® brand
name burial vaults for service by Wilbert Burial Vault
Company.
Piedmont’s expertise
in the burial vault
industry began in
October 1937 when
Frank Bowen and
Fred Patterson
started producing
concrete vaults at a
location on Mecaslin
Street in mid-town
Atlanta. Since the
first vault produced
and serviced 74 years
ago, Wilbert Burial
Vault Company has
been recognized as a
premier provider of
quality products and
service throughout
the burial vault and
precast industry.
Piedmont Precast’s
production facilities
in Atlanta have
met the extensive
c e r t i f i c a t i o n
requirements of the
National Precast Concrete Association as an NPCA
certified plant.
(Left) Glen Bowen, President of Piedmont Precast, Atlanta, GA, finalizing the acquisition
of Gilmer Vault Company, Perry, GA, with Aaron Gilmer (right) at recent NFDA
Convention in Chicago, IL)
Glen Bowen, President of Piedmont Precast stated,
“Piedmont Precast is proud to begin its relationship
with Trigard® and Eagle Burial Vaults®. This
acquisition affords us an ability to meet the varied
demands of a broad customer base in the southeast
through our many alliances. We welcome the
opportunity of two new product lines, and we thank
the Gilmer family for their dedicated years of service
to this industry.”
Tom and Aaron Gilmer have been assisting Piedmont
Precast through the transition. Thereafter, the
Gilmers will continue to operate their warehousing
and logistical support businesses in central Georgia.
24
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

Learning How to Communicate
with the New Customer
By: Bob Gordon, CCFE, CCrE, CSE, Past President of the ICCFA
Has the United States unique phenomena with the
ever increasing trend toward direct disposal of
families love one’s affecting your firms financial
stability? If it hasn’t yet affected you, it will unless
we make changes in the way we communicate with
the client.
If the demographics for the next 15 years are
accurate, we will be handling more and more atneed
cases, and if the majority of the increase
business is direct disposal will we be able to support
our facilities?
There are many countries that have much higher
cremation rates than the United States, but they all
have services and a place to remember their loved
ones. Why is it that the trend in our country is
direct disposal?
I’ve had the honor of representing the ICCFA at the
State Regulators National Meeting for the past few
years. One of their primary concerns is the financial
viability of Cemeteries in the future if they don’t get
the opportunity to see the at-need family and have
to depend on prior pre-need sales for any additional
revenue. What if the Funeral Home is also bypassed
and families go directly to the Crematory for direct
disposal. (Can Crematories provide refrigeration,
alternative containers, urns and even obtain Doctors
signatures and file permits?)
Enough of the doom and gloom, in my 47 years
managing Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, Crematories,
Pre-need Sales Forces and observing the industry
and suppliers attempting to address this growing
trend of direct disposal with products and packaged
services, with no positive results.
When I started in 1964, a family would come into
make at-need arrangements, we TOLD them what
was going to happen and what they needed to buy.
In today’s world the consumer does not want to be
TOLD what to do or what to buy. The baby boomer
will not buy anything they don’t see value in, but
on the other hand if they see a benefit (value in the
product) money isn’t an issue. Therefore we need to
start at the beginning, understanding the emotional
state they are in, moving them from anger, distrust,
and wanting to get it over with quickly. We have
to become a friend, by first gaining their trust,
establishing you’re a knowledgeable professional
that will provide a meaningful personalized service
that they want.
How do you gain their trust? Get the family
and friends to tell you about what they have just
gone through, so you can better understand the
situation, this diffuses their anger. The adage,
“that customer must like you, before they trust you,
before they really listen and purchase from you”
has never been more true than it is today. To make
recommendations that fit the individual family’s
wants that they see benefits and value in you must
understand where the family is emotionally to move
them to a position to want to provide a meaningful
celebration of the life lived. Spend some time on
this first, then move into the memories and what
the individual, family and friend did together.
Get them telling stories about events that happen,
telling the family life story. All of this comes before
talking about your organization, the services you
can provide, setting times and places for the event
or even showing any products.
Therefore we must develop a written presentation
and be able to monitor it. The At-Need presentation
needs to be well scripted, covering all points in the
right order, just like a good play with all the acts
and sense always in the right place and the right
amount of repetition for understanding. If we are to
move the family to a better more satisfying results
for them. They must see the value in the services
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 25

we provide or direct disposal will continue to grow
and we become irrelevant.
By continually monitoring what the arrangers are
doing and saying, we can make positive changes
for improvement and growth, by sharing our
procedures with others, we learn what they do
and what practices
give better results.
By working together
we can improve and
even diminish the
phenomena of direct
disposal by learning
to communicate
effectively with the
customer.
Century College with an added program for
Celebrant Certification. Julie Burns, CCrE, CSE
Director of Cremation Services provides many
services, and training for members to improve
their operations along with providing Cremation
Education to Embalming College across the
Country.
ICCFA President, Ken
Varner, CCFE has just
created an Ad Hoc
Committee to develop
a written At-need
Arranger Presentation,
much like the Pre-need
Presentation, that the
Sales and Marketing
Committee developed
and has been used
successfully across
the nation for decades.
This will be, for most
organizations their
first written At-need
Arranger Presentation.
One of the best ways
to get started on
this journey is by
attending the ICCFA
University Colleges,
The Funeral College,
The Cremation College
with Certification
for Arrangers,
Administration and
Operators, The 21ST
26
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

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active with the ICCFA and serves as Chairman of the Certification
Committee and Chair of the AD HOC committee to develop an at-
In addition to his many accomplishments in the Cemetery
Industry, he held 3 terms as President of the Glendora Chamber of
Commerce (1980, 1994, & 1995). Bob has been the Chairman of
the Board of Directors for the East Valley Hospital (1990 - Present),
was on the Board of Directors as a representative for the Southern
California Health Care System (1995-2000), he was on the Board
INDIVIDUAL WANTING Robert “Bob” TO Gordon PURCHASE AND of Governance for
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(1995-2002)
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Bob is Any the owner orders and managing for the "Caring director of Eternal Organizer Hills Memorial C.D.s"
Licensed Funeral Director Bob started and Embalmer his career i nworking
two Southeastern in Gardens
family cemetery, Oakdale Memorial Park
placed and Funeral in June Home will (1986-Present) cost $6.95 per and C.D. the Klamath
states, wants to purchase and relocate to your town. Licensed Tribute
and Mortuary (1964-1994), and as his
Center (2011-Present).
He has also been President of
twenty plus years, not part of a corporation or group of
a saving of $3.00 each
Comprehensive Computer Management Services (CCMS 1986-
career evolved, he took positions with other
investors. I am an individual representing myself. Please send 1996)
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25
cemeteries, served on Board of Directors and
inquiries to: Advertiser #345, c/o Southern Funeral Director, Industry, Order the software today www.hearttoheartsite.com
which was an application specialized for
even served as Chairman of the Board.
P. O. Box 768152, Roswell, GA 30076 or send emails to; the IBM or AS400, call Dick and was Perl adopted @ 1-866-269- by more than 0861
50 mid to large
johnyopp3@aol.com Bob was appointed to the Washington State cemeteries. Bob was also President of Safety Administration
Cemetery Board by the Governor of Washington (1980-1983). Consultants (1991-2001). This consulting firm developed manuals
and trained employers and employees on OSHA compliance and
He Notice has held is hereby positions given in the to the ICCFA public including that on President June 30, (1988-
2011, the Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee entered its
had over 600 clients.
1989), Order Dean Granting of the the ICCFA-University Receiver’s Verified Graduate Petition College to Approve (1995-
the Sale of the Assets of Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial
Chancellor Park – East, of ICCFA-U LLC (“Forest (2003-2004), Hill”), was a funeral honored home with
and cemetery Bob splits his concern time between located his in homes Memphis, in La Costa, Tennessee, CA and and Klamath
ap-
2002), an proving Honorary bidding Doctorate procedures from the and ICCFA-U other matters (2008), incident was inducted
to such Falls, sale. All OR persons with his wife interested Darcy in and the their purchase dog Cotton. of the He assets enjoys
of
into Forest the Hill ICCFA should Hall contact of Fame Max (2009), Shelton, and has Receiver, been on the for ICCFA
additional spending information time concerning with his children bidding and grandchildren. procedures as soon as possible,
but
Executive Committee no later than
for August
six terms. 5, 2011.
After 47 years Bob is still
Contact information for Mr. Shelton is: (901) 525-1455; Fax (901) 526-4084; e-mail mshelton@harrisshelton.com
The Southern Funeral The Southern Director Funeral Alliance Director PreNeed Alliance & Personalization Cremation 2011 29 37
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 27

MAKING YOUR
BUSINESS BETTER
By Fred Lappin
If you’re like me we like to think of
ourselves as prudent business people.
Keeping that in mind whenever I am
making a major decision that is important
to my company one of the first questions
that I ask myself is “what business am I
in” and how does my decision fit into
that business. Our company owns
and operates cemeteries and as I have
pondered this question over the years I
have come to the interesting realization
that despite all of the individual things
that we do including digging graves,
caring for grounds, providing funeral
services and maintaining hundreds of
acres of land, that none
of these are the business
we are in. Rather I
believe that if we drill
down to the heart of it
we are, quite simply, in
the business of helping
people and everything we
do is focused on that end.
When I look at our profession in that light I find
that in addition to prudent business and operating
practices it is all the more important that I make
the right decisions for the families that we serve.
Having learned that I certainly don’t have all of
the answers, it leaves me with both the question
and responsibility of where do I go to find the
information I need and the answers that I want?
And that is why I am a member of the ICCFA
(International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral
Association). The ICCFA is unique in that it is the
only trade association that embraces and serves
all of the components of our profession. It cannot
be overstated that good decisions are critical to
operating a good business and that they cannot
be made in a vacuum. Not only does the ICCFA
provide exceptional education, informational
resources and legal and legislative representation
but embodied in its very name is the recognition
28
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

of the necessary synergy and understanding
that must exist between all of us to best help the
families that we serve.
This has never been more important than it is now
given the changes in our society, changes in our
profession and changes in how people are viewing
their end of life options. And it is why I go to
the ICCFA….to learn, to network and to better
understand our profession. And it’s not just about
being a dues-paying member of the association
it’s about getting involved and taking advantage
of all of the resources that the association has
to offer. The educational opportunities, annual
convention and conferences are where you will
meet people, develop relationships and gain new
perspectives that provide a broader understanding
of the business we are in and that, in turn, will
help in making better decisions.
Many business professionals feel that they can’t
justify the expense of joining a trade association
but I say that in these times in particular one can’t
afford not to belong. It is the only place to gain
the knowledge and information that is essential
to be successful in our profession in today’s
challenging times and changing attitudes.
I. FREDERICK LAPPIN, CCE is President and CEO of
Knollwood Cemetery Corp. which owns and operates Sharon
Memorial Park and Knollwood Memorial Park in Sharon and
Canton Massachusetts. Fred is the Vice President of External
Affairs for the International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral
Association (ICCFA). He has served as the Vice President of
Internal Affairs and on the Board of Directors of the ICCFA
and the ICCFA Service Bureau. He is a founding trustee of
the ICCFA Education Foundation and is a member of the
ICCFA Sales and Marketing Committee. Fred has been cochair
of the ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference and the
ICCFA Fall Management Conference. He is an active member
and supporter of both the Massachusetts and New England
Cemetery Associations and is a founding member of the New
England Sales Conference. Active in his local community
Fred has served as an officer and board member of the Newton
Communications Access Center, the Jewish National Fund,
Temple Ohabei Shalom and the Economic Development
Commission of the City of Newton, Massachusetts.
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The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 29

Unique Places
Remember the headstone that was
inscribed “Told you I was sick?” Well,
our profession offers many unique,
beautiful and perhaps strange places
and means of memorializtion.
Final Destinations appeared in
Traveler Magazine by National
Geographic. Valerie and I recently
visited La Recoleta, story on page 34.
We were awe struck by the magnitude
and architectural diversity of the
Cemetery. Thanks to our Guide the
story of this amazing place captivated
our visit making it a highlight of our
visit to Buenos Aires.
Many of us enjoy traveling the world.
Regardless of where we are our
interest in the unexpected ways others
practice our profession intrigues us.
SFD is interested in your experiences
and photos.
Join us on our worldwide exploration.
You are invited to send us your
remembrances and photos. As part
of the SFD family we want to share
your story with fellow readers of the
magazine.
–Ed Horn
30
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 31

Unique Places
Picture (Bottom
Left): Evita’s private
mausoleum.
Picture (Bottom
Right): The gentleman
with me is
Raul Rivas, English
speaking tour guide
and historian of the
cemetery.
32
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires
La Recoleta
Cemetery
~
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 33

Final Destinations
by: Margaret Loftus
From the October 2011 issue of National
Geographic Traveler magazine
Many of the world’s most storied graveyards
offer respite—and rewards—for the living too.
Headstones, crypts, and landscapes divulge clues
into the spirit of a place and its people. At these
famous cemeteries, dig past the spooky surface
to find a repository enlivened by the legends of
the characters buried below.
1 – Père-Lachaise
Paris, France
In the 20th arrondissement, this archetype for
rural cemeteries opened in 1804. Parisians
jog on winding paths, groupies crusade to Jim
Morrison’s grave, and admirers leave lipstick
kisses on Oscar Wilde’s tomb, which features an
Egyptian-style depiction of a man in flight.
2 – Merry Cemetery
Romania
Tucked behind Sapanta’s Church of the
Assumption, ornately carved oak crosses mark
each of the countryside plot’s 900-plus graves;
art and poetry tell quirky tales of the dead. In
an epitaph for a lifelong boozer, a posthumous
request: “Leave a little wine.”
3 – St. Louis No. 1
New Orleans, Louisiana
Near the French Quarter, a thousand
aboveground vaults jam onto one square block,
the 18th-century cemetery exploited in 1969’s
Easy Rider. Interred here: architect turned pirate
Barthelemy Lafon and—rumors say—voodoo
priestess Marie Laveau.
4 – Forest Lawn
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills, overlooking top Tinseltown
studios, serve as a resting place for its glitziest
stars, from Bette Davis to Liberace. Many
tombs are surprisingly staid (at nearby Glendale,
Michael Jackson’s is hidden), but a Venetian
glass mosaic ups the razzle-dazzle.
5 – La Recoleta Cemetery
Buenos Aires, Argentina
At this exclusive graveyard, visitors beeline
to Eva Perón’s tomb (under her maiden name,
Duarte). Among large stone angels and carved
mausoleums stands the heart-wrenching
sculpture of a bride who died in an avalanche on
her honeymoon.
6 – Xoxocotlan
Oaxaca, Mexico
Crowded around an ancient, crumbling chapel,
the rickety headstones in this old graveyard
outside of Oaxaca can be difficult to walk
between—especially during Day of the Dead
celebrations. Revelers begin with a vigil the night
of October 31, when the departed are feted with
altars, candles, and marigold petals. Six blocks
away, a carnival-like atmosphere pervades the
Panteon Nuevo, or new cemetery, with picnicking
families, strolling musicians, and vendors selling
pan de muerto (bread of the dead) from tents.
7 – Mount Auburn
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The roster of distinguished Americans interred
here—Mary Baker Eddy, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, and Winslow Homer, to name a
few—is impressive, but this tranquil swath of
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The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

olling hills, majestic maple and oak trees, and
formal gardens outside of Boston remains true to
its mission to be a place for the living. Founded
in 1831, it was the first landscaped expanse open
to the public, ultimately leading to the birth of
the U.S. park system.
8 – Old Jewish Cemetery
Prague, Czech Republic
Some 12,000 tombstones, ranging from Gothic
to rococo, are wedged into this city block–size
graveyard that dates from the 15th century.
Symbols adorn the graves, such as the lion
etched on the tomb of Judah Loew Ben Bezalel,
the chief rabbi of Prague in the 16th century
who, according to legend, made a golem out of
clay to protect the city’s Jewish community.
9 – Lone Fir Cemetery
Portland, Oregon
Roaming this natural landscape—one of the few
cemeteries that allows the planting of a tree or
garden to commemorate the dearly departed—is
like the turning the pages of a Portland history
book. You’ll find graves of pioneers; Block
14, a memorial in the works for the Chinese
immigrants who helped build the city; and crypts
of captains of industry, like the imposing Gothicstyle
MacLeay family mausoleum.
10 – Green-Wood Cemetery,
Brooklyn, New York
From Louis Comfort Tiffany to Jean-Michel
Basquiat, many of the names etched into the
tombstones, granite monuments, and brownstone
mausoleums here read like Page Six of the New
York Post. But the real attraction of this 478-
acre oasis in Greenwood Heights is the parklike
setting with glacial ponds, a Gothic Revival
entrance gate circa 1861, and the Manhattan
skyline peeking through the century-old trees.
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 35

Unique and Future Leaders
of the Profession
By: Jennifer Frew
Breaking News…. “Theatre Major turns to Death Care”,
yes you read that correctly. I graduated college in 1998,
taking a little longer than anticipated and immediately
started working what was supposed to be a two year
gig as the switchboard operator, which has now turned
into thirteen years. The job roles have changed a few
times but have maintained as the Community Events
Coordinator and Public Relations for the last eight years
just recently adding Human Resources to the resume.
A Strong independent woman in a man’s world, is it
possible? You really want my answer, it’s more than
possible, it’s realistic and I am living proof. My work
ethics began at an early age when I started cleaning
my father’s office building and from there I just kept
working wherever I found employment. I’ve always
been outgoing with natural skills to talk to others with
ease so I never doubted my ability to provide quality
customer service. However, if you would have asked
me thirteen years ago, would I be working in the Death
Care Industry, I most likely would have laughed and
responded with, you’re kidding right!
When I first started working at Green Hills Memorial
Park in 1998, I looked at it as just another job but it has
become a journey and the end is unforeseen. I have grown
and experienced more in this industry than a lifetime of
jobs could provide. Although I have always been active
in my community with organizations such as Pediatric
Therapy Network, Leadership Torrance, CERT,
Partners in Policing, Kiwanis Club of Torrance, and my
most recent endeavor as the Chair for a Veterans Career
and Resource Fair through the Torrance Area Chamber
of Commerce, my life truly took a turn for the better
when I became involved with the ICCFA (International
Cemetery Cremation Funeral Association). It started
with attending the Annual Conventions but in 2005 my
boss was elected to a one year term as the President of
the ICCFA so in addition to the convention, he felt it
was important for me to attend the ICCFA University
in Memphis Tennessee where you sign up for specified
college courses taught by some of the best in the
industry. This is a four year program treated just like
a typical University only with one week courses once a
year. During my time at the University, not only did I
have the opportunity for continued growth, knowledge,
experience, and networking, I also met some of my best
friends to this day. Who would have thought all of this
could come from a one week course in humid Memphis
during the month of July. I graduated from the ICCFA
University in 2008 not only with certificates from
each college program; I also graduated as a Certified
Celebrant. I may have “graduated” but my time has not
ended at the University as I have continued attending
and I am currently aiming at my goal of presenting or
even one day being one of the College Deans. You can
never reach too far as long as you believe you can touch
the stars.
In late 2008, I was approached by the President and a
highly respected Board of Director and College Dean
from the ICCFA asking if I would consider running for
a seat on the Board of Directors for a three year term. I
must admit that at first I was shocked but honored that
they would even consider me. I took a moment and
realized why not, why couldn’t I be just as respected
not only for what I do but for who I am. You see, what
I failed to mention earlier is that my boss is my father.
One that I am continuously compared to but I can say
with all due respect, that I am my own person and
the only shoes I walk in are the ones that fit my size
ten feet. I was once asked is it hard following in your
father’s footsteps. My response was simply, not really!
I indicated, I’m not trying to follow in his footsteps, we
just happen to share the same passion.
In March 2009, I was elected to the Board of Directors
for the International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral
Association. I was now one of approximately eight
females voted onto the Board. A year later I was
asked to organize the ICCFA Members and Veterans
Memorial Service at the 2010 Annual Convention. I
was complimented by many mentioning that it was
the best memorial service they had seen in all their
years of attending. What an accomplished feeling that
moment was but I guess organizing the largest and best
attended Memorial Day Observance in California and
quite possibly the Nation provided some good practice.
My involvement in the Memorial Service as well as
being the Community Events Coordinator for Green
Hills Memorial Park has allowed me opportunities
such as the Veterans Career and Resource Fair that I
36
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

am chairing on Thursday, November 10, 2011. This
event was an idea I had after listening to a presentation
given by Colonel David Sutherland, the Special
Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
with principle focus on Warrior and Family Programs
where he travels around the world reaching out with his
mission of matching the donor to the cause that provides
assistance, benefits, and opportunities to our returning
veterans. With the Career and Resource Fair, we
contacted businesses, organizations with resources, and
Veterans Associations to discuss benefits that will either
provide job opportunities or guidance as they transition
back into society. Serving those who have served.
It was also in 2010 that I served my first year as a
member of the Next Generation Committee, a recently
created organization that is focused more on the “Next
Generation” up and comers of the Death Care Industry.
We are erasing the stereotypical image of what a death
care representative should be, meaning that without
taking dignity and class away, we are proving that times
change and that the classic saying if it’s not broken
don’t fix it doesn’t necessarily stand for itself anymore.
Improvement is always necessary and thinking outside
the box can be beneficial in the long run. In 2011, I was
appointed as the Co-Chair for this organization where
we raise money for ICCFA University Scholarships
along with providing a networking group that exudes
our mission statement. “Next Generation acts as an
incubator for aspiring professionals in the Death Care
Industry, providing a foundation for continued education
as well as a forum for communication, acknowledgement,
experience, and achievement for success”.
I experienced my first dealing with death at the age
of six and now at the age of thirty eight, never giving
a thought to the Death Care Industry until I actually
stepped foot into, I am now responsible for the
organization of the largest and best attended Memorial
Day Observance in California, voted onto the Board of
Directors for the ICCFA, led one of the best Members
and Veterans Memorial Services, graduated the ICCFA
University and became a Certified Celebrant, appointed
Co-Chair of the Next Generation, and chairing an event
with purpose for our veterans. I am still considered
a young female; however, I am accomplishing more
in a short time in this industry than most might in a
lifetime. I am making a difference with all that I do
and all that I am. I am a young professional expressing
to other young professionals to always believe in
yourself, never let your goals or aspirations be deprived,
and continuously reach for the stars because they are
obtainable, and always walk in your own shoes because
they fit the best. I heard a quote in a movie once that
I felt was appropriate for so many situations whether it
be every day life, love, health, or our professions. “The
brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at
all. Go and be Brave.
Jennifer Frew is a lifelong resident
of Southern California and currently
resides in the City of San Pedro. She
graduated from Chapman University
with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
1998.
Immediately upon graduation,
Jennifer accepted employment
with Green Hills Memorial Park in
Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Green Hills Memorial Park is a not
for profit organization situated on
120 acres of dedicated cemetery property, has 82 employees and
conducts approximately 2000 interments each year. Jennifer has
held several positions in the Administrative Department and is now
the Director of Community Events, Public Relations, and Human
Resources. In this position she orchestrates and oversees one of
the largest Memorial Day Observance programs in the country.
Her Easter Sunrise services have attracted over 2000 participants
annually and, most recently, over 500 people attended a seminar
at Green Hills that Jennifer had put together for dealing with grief
during the holidays.
In addition to her duties at work, Jennifer represents her company
in the surrounding communities. She has served as a YMCA
Camp Counselor and she is the President Elect of Kiwanis Club
of Torrance. For that service club, she chairs committees serving
veterans and organizing Special Olympics as well as continuing
the Kiwanis goal of serving the children of the world. Ms.
Frew has further enhanced her role in the community and on the
Safety Committee at Green Hills Memorial Park by completing
a course in Partners in Policing with the City of Torrance Police
Department. She has also graduated from CERT (Community
Emergency Response Team) and is the designated contact for
the area around the cemetery. In 2004, Jennifer graduated
from Leadership Torrance, a program that is part of a national
educational program that develops leaders for the community and
for businesses. Jennifer is presently chairing a Task Force through
the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce organizing a Veterans
Career and Resource Fair to take place in November 2011.
In July of 2008, Jennifer graduated from ICCFA University,
having attended the University for 4 years and completing the
curriculum in the College of Sales and Marketing, the College of
Funeral Home Management, the College of Cremation Services
and the College of 21st Century Services. She has been awarded
the certification of Celebrant by the ICCFA U.
Jennifer Frew served on the Board of Directors of Pediatric
Therapy Network from 2004 to 2010, an organization providing
physical, learning and social skills for children with Downs
Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism.
Ms. Frew is a current Board of Director of the ICCFA and has been
a regular attendee at the ICCFA Annual Convention and events of
the Cemetery and Mortuary Alliance of California. Jennifer is the
daughter of ICCFA Past President, Ray Frew.
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 37

Reel Thoughts
Confessions of a Film Buff Part 2
By Bob Fells
Science-fiction fans divide into two categories: those
who voraciously consume anything and everything
sci-fi, and those who are very selective. Count me
in the latter category although I must confess (since
these are Confessions) that there are at least two
sci-fi films I would like to have with me on that
proverbial desert island. Before assaulting you with
my recommendations, a little background.
Sci-fi films are as old as motion pictures themselves.
A few months ago, the annual Cannes Film Festival
made international news for its re-premiere of A
TRIP TO THE MOON, a film made in 1902 and
expensively reconstructed to its original color glory.
This was one of the first “special effects” movies
by Frenchman Georges Melies, a magician who got
the movie bug in the late 1890s. A TRIP TO THE
MOON is only about ten minutes long and will be
touring theaters in the U.S. I understand that a dvd
release is also imminent.
Of course, films back then were all “silent,” an
odd term because like ballet, silent films always
had musical accompaniment. Another landmark
of early sci-fi films is the epic German film from
1926, METROPOLIS. This silent film also made
international news recently when a lost 20 minutes
of this movie was discovered in South America.
It has since been meticulously restored and is not
only available on dvd but also, believe it or not, on
blu-ray. This past summer I watched the restored
edition on my PC streamed from Netflix. Even the
creators of METROPOLIS couldn’t have imagined
that! As I write this, yet another edition of the film
is being issued on dvd and blu-ray with a pop score
by Georgio Moroder that he wrote in 1984.
So what are my two “desert isle” recommendations?
You’ll be relieved to know that both are talkies but
that’s about as close to contemporary as we’re going
to get here. My first recommendation came along
at the very end of the first horror film “cycle” in
the mid-1930s and got lost in the shuffle. The film
is THE INVISIBLE RAY and stars the dynamic
duo of horror, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. This
was their third teaming and this time they play
research scientists so you just know there’s going
to be trouble. The story deftly weaves in elements
of astronomy, radiation and lasers – in 1936! Boris
and Bela go on a safari in Africa (yes, you read that
correctly) to find the site where Boris maintains
a meteor fell eons ago. It contains a new element,
Radium X, that can cure diseases of all types when
its energy is harness as a ray of light (hence the
film’s title). Back in Paris, Karloff evens wins the
Nobel Prize for his discovery.
But research has its price – Boris finds that he’s been
38
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

contaminated by the new element and it makes him
a bit anti-social – anybody he touches drops dead.
Bela makes an antidote for him so he can continue
to socialize but his mind soon becomes deranged
and he decides to use his, uh, magic touch to
eliminate some colleagues. First, he fakes his own
death to avert suspicion but Bela, who knows from
their earlier films that Karloff can’t be killed off,
helps the police track him down.
This intriguing tale, decades ahead of its time, has
a marvelous finale that you’re just going to have to
see. THE INVISIBLE RAY benefits from all the
virtues of the studio system at its peak including a
wonderful music score by Franz Waxman. Karloff
is humanized for a change and has a wife, a dog, and
even a mother. All these characters play key roles in
the story too. And just when you think you’ve seen
everything, Lugosi plays a good guy!
My second sci-fi recommendation is, for me,
practically new. From 1951, THE THING FROM
ANOTHER WORLD, not to be confused with the
unfortunate remake by John Carpenter in the 1980s
or the newest remake just hitting theaters now. I
will go so far as calling the original THING a scifi
film for people who don’t like sci-fi films – yes,
it’s that good. This film was produced – and many
say directed – by top director Howard Hawks. So
why is this man who makes films with John Wayne,
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and even Marilyn
Monroe, fooling around in the sci-fi genre? Hawks
found a story – just one – that he had to make into
a film.
the remakes, the 1951 version is neither violent nor
gory but uses the element of suggestion to scare the
hell out of you. A final point: Hawks made sure
that we never get a good look at the alien (as in
Martian, not Mexican) thereby playing on our fear
of the unknown. Unfortunately, modern marketing
for the dvd edition plasters his puss right on the
box cover. Ignore it if you can – it’s like getting a
murder mystery with the killer announced right on
the cover.
[A note on availability: THE INVISIBLE RAY is
available for rent from Netflix and for sale in a dvd set
with four other classic horror films for about $11. THE
THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is available for
rent from Netflix and for sale for about $6.]
Robert M. “Bob” Fells is executive
director and general counsel of the
International Cemetery, Cremation
and Funeral Association where he has
worked for nearly 30 years. Bob has
published four books on film history
and criticism that are available at
Amazon.com.
Set in the Arctic – talk about spine-tingling – the
story concerns a small contingent of military joining
a small scientific community to check out a UFO
that seems to have crashed nearby. Our heroes find
the flying saucer embedded under the ice where it
crashed, but being from the government, in trying to
retrieve it they accidentally blow it up (some things
never change). But there was a passenger onboard
who doesn’t appreciate the destruction of his craft
so he stalks down the members of the rescue team.
Many reviewers say the story is a parable on the
Cold War.
At any rate, it’s the stuff that nightmares are made of
and told as only a master director can tell it. Unlike
28 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 39

A Brief History of
Early Non-Terrestrial
Memorialization
by: Oscar Rios
Chapter Three –
Eternity Burst
After the moon the first places mankind lived,
worked and died were artificial space stations
orbiting the Earth. Initially there were some two
dozen small stations, the largest able to support
approximately forty people. They were mostly
dedicated to scientific research, weather tracking
and technological development. However, that
changed dramatically on November 5th, 2096 when
the Rosenthal Consortium opened Pangaea Station,
a massive space station able to support twelve
hundred people. Pangaea Station was dedicated
towards ship building, research and support services
for space travel to and from Earth. The Station
was a major success for the Rosenthal Consortium
and over the next 25 years it was expanded to the
point where it supported more than six thousand
residents. Today Pangaea Station is one of nine
orbital communities above the surface of the Earth.
It is also an independent nation, after two years
of violent rebellion which ultimately lead to the
financial collapse of the Rosenthal Consortium in
2164.
Those living in space stations face a unique set of
challenges, such as prolonged exposure to micro
gravity. Bone and muscle loss pose major health risks,
which could only be partially mitigated by specialized
diets and rigorous exercise programs. Mankind was
simply not equipped to live for prolonged periods
in such environments, as it hadn’t evolved under
those conditions. So scientists on Pangaea Station
made the choice to give human evolution a helping
hand. Using genetic manipulation, gene therapies
and selective filtering of gametes by medical nanobots,
they inserted numerous artificial traits into
the genome of those choosing a life living in the
microgravity of space. Soon these humans were
perfectly suited to live in microgravity, immune to
the inherit health threats to their genetically altered
bodies. They now possessed certain physiological
advantages such as immunity to motion sickness.
However such specialization had drawbacks, as
those undergoing such therapies would suffer grave
health risks upon entering a gravity well. These
treatments would give someone an advantage in
space but also a severe handicap should they ever
return to a terrestrial body. The treatments were
also hereditary, with those undergoing them passing
them on to their descendants. While controversial
even to this day, many scientists consider such
people to be a new branch of humanity. Officially
called Cosmo Sapiens, those with these specialized
traits call themselves Spacers.
Within 50 years nearly everyone living on artificial
space stations had become Spacers, either by choice
or by birth. An entire culture developed among
them, with new sports (more suited to their own
physiological adaptations), art, fashions and slang
terms. Initially as these new people formed their
own identity they became the subject of persecution
40
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

y native Terrans. This resulted in strikes, protests,
economic embargos and ultimately armed rebellion
in 2162. Today Spacers are one of several genetic
offshoots of humanity, all specifically altered to
better cope with environments away from their
cradle of humanity, the Planet Earth.
Spacers, many of whom have never even experienced
full gravity, found little value in being buried in the
Earth as their form of final disposition. Lifecylcing
was similarly an unpopular option, as their native
ecosystem was one of recycled air, repurified water
and artificial light. “We are children of the Cosmos,
when other forms of humanity are learning to crawl;
our children are learning to fly. We are unbound and
unrestricted by the pull of other forces. We shine,
glowing in our freedom, among the stars. “explains
Deacon Duval Byte, of the first Spacer Church of
Pangaea, “When our time has ended, when our spirits
are free, then we shall die as falling stars, brilliant
and beautiful, bursting outwards into eternity.”
Spacers pride themselves on artistic expression,
and their preferred method of final disposition,
called Eternity Bust, reflects those sensibilities.
In this process the dead are placed in caskets and
surrounded by the artistic creations of their loved
ones, paintings, poems, books, musical compositions,
specially designed clothing, even baked goods or
brewed items. The caskets are then sealed and
jettisoned into space, in a specially calculated
descending orbit. Memorial caskets of Spacers,
called “Stars” are created with an alloy including
zinc and magnesium. The friends and family of the
departed spacer then gather in a Memorial Theater,
dominated by a large window usually overlooking
whatever terrestrial body they orbit.
burning up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. The
Zinc and Magnesium alloy within the container
glow brilliantly, exploding in a pyrotechnic display
of beautiful colors and patterns. No two Eternity
Bursts are the same, as each Star is uniquely
designed. Nothing remains of the deceased or their
casket, and especially large Eternity Bursts can even
been seen from the surface of the earth, appearing
like shooting stars.
After the Eternity Burst, mourners traditionally
attend a celebration which includes drinking, music
and dancing. The length of such parties reflects the
length of the deceased life, with especially longlived
Spacers having celebrations lasting a full day
or more. Deacon Byte explains, “We die as we live
and we are remembered accordingly. The dead are
never gone; they are out there floating free, waiting
for us to join them. This is not a sad moment, it is a
time to sing and dance, laugh and love, to remember
with joy those who have left this party for the next.
We are all shooting stars, slowly descending towards
eternity, waiting to be truly free.”
The Star, containing the remains of the departed
spacer, descends into the gravity well of the
terrestrial body. The calculations are very precise,
taking ten minutes for every year of the departed’s
life before reaching what Spacers call the “Point
of Eternity”, which is the moment the Star enters
the upper reaches of the atmosphere and burns
up. The location of the Point of Eternity is also
specially calculated, happening in full view of the
Memorial Theater window. While the mourners
watch the “Star” reaches the “Point of Eternity”,
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 41

So
INDUSTRY
What
NEWS
Is Bio Cremation?
by: Paul Rahill, Matthews Cremation Division
Live Oak Bank Expands its Focus into Death Care Management -
Welcomes Doug Gober, Senior Loan Officer
and Jerald Pullins, Board of Directors
There has been a long lead up to the final development
of technology and necessary legislative changes required
to allow forward progress on a new cremation process
called “Bio Cremation.” Bio Cremation utilizes a
high pressure and high temperature cremation chamber
with January a process 23, 2012 called – Wilmington, alkaline hydrolysis NC – Live to reduce Oak
human
Bank has
remains
expanded
to their
its
basic
concentration
elements.
beyond the
veterinary, dental and pharmacy industries to include
Cremation by definition is reducing the body to its basic
lending for death care management business owners/
elements of bone fragments through the use of heat.
CANA,
operators.
The
The
Cremation
bank will
Association
provide
of
financing
North America,
services
is
the including world’s largest acquisition, and most refinancing, respected authority real estate, on all
things ground-up cremation. construction CANA has and progressively remodel projects. defined In cremation
effort to as provide “the mechanical impeccable and/or service thermal and or expertise other dis-
to
an
solution small business process owners that reduces in this human industry, remains we staffed to bonea
fragments.” seasoned specialist Bio Cremation in death care technology management replaces along the
use with of having flame a with consultant the utilization hand. of water, blended with
an alkali solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH). The
human body is placed into a pressurized
stainless steel cremation
chamber where water and alkali
are automatically added and the
temperature is raised to 350°F.
Water, alkali, high-heat and highpressure
working in harmony
gently circulate over the body,
causing a reaction that begins and
completes the cremation process.
Let’s face it, there are not many
attractive images when we envision
the “transition” of a human
body to bones (B2B). Within the
complete death care process, the
B2B transition is inescapable.
This is a journey all of us will take
regardless Doug of whether Goberour end of
life choice Senior is Loan burial, Officer flame cremation
or water based Bio Cremation.
The end result will be the
same. On October The difference 1st, Doug between Gober
burial, was welcomed flame cremation to the team. or As Bio
Cremation a Senior Loan is the Officer, B2B transition Gober
time will act line as and the the industry “catalyst” expert we
choose. and will With help burial, launch the transition Live
may Oak take Bank 25 years into and unchartered the catalyst
to territory. reduce the Thirty-two body to bones years is soil
and ago, micro-organisms. Gober began his With funeral flame
cremation, service careers the transition as a takes sales approximately
representative
2-3
in
hours
the casket
and the
catalysts to reduce the body to
industry. He has also served as
10 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
42 The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012
bones are heat created by a chemical fuel (CH4 natural
gas or C3H8 propane gas) mixed with oxygen. With Bio
Cremation, the transition takes approximately 2-3
hours and the catalysts to reduce the body to bones are
water (95%) and a chemical, potassium hydroxide
(KOH). a consultant All of on these various choices international begin with a projects. body and From eventually
1995 until ends 2011, with bones. Gober With was offered the introduction a position of with Bio Cremation
The
Doody Group.
we
He
can
served as Executive Vice President
determine the
and flawlessly directed and oversaw their European
residual effects our
operations. From there, he accepted a position with
end of life decision
will
Carriage
have
Services,
on the
where he served as the Director of
planet. Development and Marketing.
It Joining is important Live Oak to Bank’s Board of Directors, is
address industry a few veteran, common
take an misnomers active role in a consultative capacity as Live
Jerald Pullins. Pullins will also
when describing

Oak Bank emerges into the death care management
vertical. After earning his MBA at the University
of Texas, Pullins launched his career in death care
management in 1969 by accepting the position of
Vice President of Corporate Development with
Service Corporation International (SCI), a company
that began by acquiring largely family-owned funeral
and cemetery businesses. From 1984 until 1991,
Pullins served as the President and Chief Executive
Officer for The Sentinel Group, Inc., which grew
from a startup to a $100 million business focusing on
funeral, cemetery, insurance and related businesses.
In 1991, Sentinel was acquired by SCI, which by
that time, was the leading consolidator and operator
of funeral home and cemetery-related businesses in
North America. Pullins transitioned back over to SCI
and was appointed to executive roles that would allow
him to implement his plan for increased profitability
and growth and would guide the organization into
becoming a leader in the industry.
In 2007, Live Oak Bank started to provide veterinary
business loans to small, independent businesspeople
looking to expand, remodel, refinance and/or acquire
an existing practice. From the beginning, we took a
personal approach and saw our clients not as numbers,
but as real people facing real-life opportunities and
challenges. We offer big bank expertise but provide
personal attention to all of our customers to ensure
their long-term success. It worked - for us as well
as our clients - and we expanded our veterinary
funding programs to serve the needs of independent
pharmacies, funeral homes, and dental offices across
the country.
For additional information about Live Oak Bank,
please visit www.liveoakbank.com.
Contact: Laura Petty
Marketing Communications Manager
910.796.1676 office
laura.petty@liveoakbank.com
Jerald Pullins
Board of Directors
“As we break into a new industry, I feel
confident knowing that we have experts
of this caliber to support this venture.
No two guys can bring more knowledge
and insight to the table than Gober and
Pullins,” commented Live Oak Bank’s
Chief Executive Officer, Chip Mahan.
24 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 43

INDUSTRY NEWS
Vantage Products - Meeting the Demands of the Funeral Industry
As deathcare professionals, we find ourselves
in the midst of a changing landscape. We try to
satisfy consumers’ desire to carry on tradition,
within the context of an increasingly changing
society. Appreciating how difficult it is to meet the
requirements and wishes of today’s consumer, we’ve
put considerable R&D into providing products that
surpass everyone’s expectations.
Vantage is now located and headquartered in a
new, state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot facility
in Covington, Georgia. The facility is home to two
new injection molding machines, robotic painting
systems, R & D, as well as ample storage and shipping
facilities. Please contact us at 800-481-3303 or visit
our website at www.vantageproducts.com
Even the most staunch skeptics
become converts when
they see all the advantages
of our newest polymerbased
technology. Vantage
engineered products are three
times stronger than steel by
weight and completely nondegradable.
Engineered to
withstand enormous earth
and equipment loads, they are
easier to handle and store, and
more consumer-friendly than
other products, yet cost no
more.
Vantage Products Corporation
was founded in 1978. The
plant was a research and
development facility of
Hercules, Inc. before being
purchased.
Initially, manufacturing was
small and included custom
furniture parts, door skins
and burial vaults, but the
company grew very rapidly,
and over time dropped other
products to focus on the
funeral products industry as
their expertise and market
share expanded. Vantage
owns huge injection molding
machines that can adapt to
unique applications, ideal for
the funeral products industry.
Find us in more places than just campus.
44
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012

FUNERAL DIRECTOR/ EMBALMER
Immediate
Opening
Accubuilt 16
Large, Ambulance beautiful, & Coach well established 15 family owned
funeral home and cemetery organization, East
Andover Marker 41
Coast FL., seeks a highly motivated licensed funeral
director/embalmer
Bill Black
or intern.
22
Columbian Financial 21
Successful Doric candidate must 5, be 19 able to work independently,
multi task, and demonstrate exceptional
Eagle Coach 2
integrity and customer service.
Federal Coach 48
Alternating weekends, easy on call schedule, no
night or weekend removals, and limited prep-room
work. Must be able to obtain a Florida Funeral
Directors License.
Please contact Pamela at 386-267-1100
fax your resume to: 386-267-1101
or email: daytonafd@lohmaninc.com
ADVERTISING
All classified advertising needs to be paid in
advance by check, credit card or have billing
arrangements made through The Southern Funeral
Director, prior to printing of the issue. Rates are
$1.00 per word, with a $25.00 minimum charge.
The Southern Funeral Director
Classifieds
Attn: John Yopp
404-513-9405 | 678-691-7431 Fax Only
johnyopp3@aol.com
1750 Peachtree Street | Atlanta, GA 30309
www.sfdmagazine.com
30 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
Cremation 2011 AD INDEX
Ambulance & Coach 17
Casket & Shipping 2011 Andover Ad Index Marker 28
Batesville Casket 13
Frigid Fluid Company Bill Black 13 Pierce Mortuary Colleges 3121
IBC
Columbian Financial 18
Hoyt Matise 20 PSI Funds 43
Custom Casket Company 23
John A. Gupron College Doric Vaults 45 Service Casket Company 5 42
Lemasters Consulting Federal 9Coach
Shields Southeast Sales 2 IFC 35
Frigid Fluid Company 15
Master Grave Service, Inc. 48 Sutton Slover Law 45
Holland Supply 7
Memory June Medallion - July 2011 SFD:- Hoyt Matise 29 9/20/11 Ties 1:07 for PM You Page 30 2739
Ogeechee Technical College John A. 44GuptonVantage Products Corporation 2713
Pierce Companies
Master
27
Grave Service 9
Ogeechee Tech 19
Pierce Chemicals 29
Pierce Mortuary Colleges 26
PSI Funds 24
FUNERAL DIRECTOR/ EMBALMER
SELLING your
Service Casket Company 10
4
Sutton Slover Law 30
Ties for You 28
Wilbert Funeral Service
32 BC
Super Nova Mfg. Immediate
FUNERAL HOME
Opening
or CEMETERY?
Large, beautiful, well established family owned
funeral home and cemetery organization, East
We provide the service you expect!
Coast FL., seeks a highly motivated licensed funeral
TOTALLY DISCREET
director/embalmer POSITION MARKETING
or intern. OFFERING
A –or multi Listing location on Our Web Southern Site– metropolitan full service
funeral over 23,000 provider hits monthly. with cremation emphasis
Receiving
Successful candidate must be able to work independently,
growth of qualified
We seeks maintain a President a large data who basewill facilitate continued
multi and reputation task,
buyers.
and as demonstrate a market leader. exceptional The primary
and role customer will be to service. drive customer satisfaction
integrity
“As a family owned
through excellent operational activities, build a
We also can simplify loan processing for:
and operated
Alternating strong team weekends, and execute easy growth on call strategies. schedule, Experience
no
• Purchase
business, you have
night • Expansion or weekend
in preneed
• Working removals,
contracting,
Capital and limited
marketing,
my guarantee prep-room
operations
and P&L responsibility is desired.
of
work. • Inventory Must be • Equipment
personal service.”
able to obtain a Florida Funeral
Directors CONVENTIONAL License.
SBA LOANS DICK MATISE
Funeral Director license and knowledge of Funeral
industry is a plus. Salary and bonus package
Please commensurate contact Pamela with at experience 386-267-1100 and results. Please
fax your forward resume your to: resume 386-267-1101 and salary history to Advertiser
#310,
www.matise.com
or email:
1-800-341-0100
daytonafd@lohmaninc.com
c/o Southern Funeral Director Magazine,
P.O. Box 768152, Roswell, GA 30076.
www.alliance’04 The 8-6-04 Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011 27
ADVERTISING
All classified advertising needs to be paid in
advance by check, credit card or have billing
arrangements made through The Southern Funeral
Director, prior to printing of the issue. Rates are
$1.00 per word, with a $25.00 minimum charge.
The Southern Funeral Director
Classifieds
Attn: John Yopp
404-513-9405 | 678-691-7431 Fax Only
johnyopp3@aol.com
1750 Peachtree Street | Atlanta, GA 30309
www.sfdmagazine.com
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 45
Ambula
Andove
Batesvil
Bill Bla
Columb
Custom
Doric V
Federal
Frigid F
Holland
Hoyt M
John A.
Master
Ogeech
Pierce C
Pierce M
PSI Fun
Service
Super N
Sutton S
Ties for
Wilbert
A multi
ice fun
seeks a
growth
mary ro
through
strong t
rience i
tions an
Funeral
neral in
commen
forward
tiser #3
zine, P.O

or email: daytonafd@lohmaninc.com
ADVERTISING
All classified advertising FOR SALE needs to be paid in
Horse
advance by
Drawn
check, credit Hearse,
card or have
by billing
James
arrangements Want To Own made Your through Own The Funeral Southern Home! Funeral
Cunningham & Son. Very ornate
Let
Director,
Extreme
prior
Marketing
to printing
Group
of the
help
issue.
you with
Rates
your
are
$1.00 carvings,
per word, original
with a $25.00 lamps,
minimum curtains.
charge.
financing on acquisition or expansion projects.
Fully The restored Southern ready Funeral for Director
funerals,
parades or display
Classifieds
to purchase firm from their in owners funeral to current
parlor.
Attn: John Yopp
owners Call 404-513-9405 wanting or email to acquire | for 678-691-7431 info,Grant other firms Fax in Gilbert Only their area.
All 256-729-1980
inquiries held johnyopp3@aol.com
in strictest confidence. Email
1750 Peachtree Street | Atlanta, GA 30309
requests or sales@webejeeping.com
to extrememktgrp@aol.com
This includes independent funeral directors wanting
www.sfdmagazine.com
Wilbert Funeral Service
32 BC
Classified Ads
POSITION OFFERING
A multi location Southern metropolitan full service
funeral provider with cremation emphasis
seeks a President who will facilitate continued
growth and reputation as a market leader. The primary
role will be to drive customer satisfaction
through excellent operational activities, build a
strong team and execute growth strategies. Experience
in preneed contracting, marketing, operations
money and P&L to invest. responsibility Individual is desired. can buy interest in business and present owner
Funeral Milton Fields
Home Owner in Georgia's
Looking ONLY
for Partner state regulated
or Outright endowment
care Funeral GREEN Director cemetery. is looking for We a partner are looking or will sell for operation
a career
Sale
Georgia outright. minded Preference individual would seeking be individual full with time a moderate employment amount of
as a
cemetery sales advisor. If you want to help families plan
can phase out over the next five years. Real Estate can be purchased
a simpler, more economical, natural alternative, we would
or leased. Any reasonable agreement. All inquiries held in strictest
like to talk with you.
Box www.miltonfieldsgeorgia.com 768152, Roswell, GA 30076 or email or to: 770-751-1445.
johnyopp3@aol.com
Funeral Director license and knowledge of Funeral
industry is a plus. Salary and bonus package
commensurate with experience and results. Please
forward your resume and salary history to Advertiser
#310, c/o Southern Funeral Director Magazine,
P.O. Box 768152, Roswell, GA 30076.
confidence. Reply to Advertiser #360, c/o Southern Funeral Director, P.O.
INDIVIDUAL WANTING TO PURCHASE AND
OPERATE FUNERAL BUSINESS
Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer i n two Southeastern
states, wants to purchase and relocate to your town. Licensed
twenty plus years, not part of a corporation or group of
investors. I am an individual representing myself. Please send
inquiries to: Advertiser #345, c/o Southern Funeral Director,
P. O. Box 768152, Roswell, GA 30076 or send emails to;
johnyopp3@aol.com
SPECIAL SUMMER OFFER!
Any orders for the "Caring Organizer C.D.s"
placed in June will cost $6.95 per C.D.
a saving of $3.00 each
PLUS FREE Shiping Mimium order of 25
Order today www.hearttoheartsite.com
or call Dick Perl @ 1-866-269- 0861
Lovein Funeral Home, Nashville, GA has employment
opportunity for a GA license FD/EMB. We are a third
generation family owned, Selected Independent Funeral
Home. We offer an excellent working environment with
very competitive benefits and salary requirements. Please
forward inquiries and/or resumes to Lovein Funeral
Home, Inc, P.O. Box 25, Nashville, GA 31639.
All received will be held in confidence
Notice is hereby given to the public that on June 30, 2011, the Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee entered its
Order Granting the Receiver’s Verified Petition to Approve the Sale of the Assets of Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial
Park – East, LLC (“Forest Hill”), a funeral home and cemetery 1998 concern Cad S&S located Masterpiece in Memphis, Coach, Tennessee, blu
and approving
bidding procedures and other matters incident to such sale. All persons interested in the purchase of the assets of
Forest 2007 Hill Chevy should Express contact Max Van Shelton, w/casket Receiver, tbl
for additional information concerning bidding procedures as soon as possible,
but (8 no built-in later than rollers) August & 5, entry 2011. ramp
1994 Cad Eureka 6 door limo, blk
Contact 2004 information Chevy Astro for Van Mr. w/casket Shelton tbl
1994 Cad Eureka Coach, blk, 36k mi
Richard Palandech
Exceptional Value
is: (901) 525-1455; Fax (901) 526-4084; e-mail mshelton@harrisshelton.com
(8 built-in rollers), blu
(312) 259-8434
30 The Southern Funeral Director Alliance Cremation 2011
Cemetery / Funeral
Home COO – Cemetery
/ Funeral Home Combo
located in a Gulf Coast
State is seeking an
experienced cemetarian /
funeral director to oversee operations. This combo
location has a great heritage in the community
and is family owned and operated. We’re seeking
a highly motivated leader with a demonstrated
record of strong organization, sales and supervisory
skills who can assist in the day-to-day operations
of this business and become a part of our family
structure. The compensation package will include
incentives for meeting sales performance goals and
operational profitability.
Responsibilities:
• Manage and lead Funeral Directors, Sales
Managers and location staff.
• Assure the operating practices comply with
appropriate regulations and company policies.
• Assure that staff understands location goals,
policies and procedures.
• Develop staff with the skills necessary to
serve family’s needs.
• Ensure all services exceed the expectations of
the families we serve.
• Increase marketing and overall community
involvement.
• Serve as a mentor and coach to all employees.
• Practice and promote teamwork among all of
the staff.
Requirements:
• Minimum 5 years experience as a funeral
director/cemetarian/funeral manager,
preferred.
• Minimum 3 years management or office
management experience, preferred.
• Familiarity with Alabama Laws.
• Knowledge of various funeral management
software programs, including HMIS,
preferred.
For confidential consideration Email
poul@LemastersConsulting.com or fax resume to:
1(888) 407-1147
Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V
46
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012
The Southern Funeral The Southern Director Funeral Alliance Director PreNeed Alliance & Personalization Cremation 2011 29 37

The Federal MKT Stratford...Intelligent by Design.
The commercial-size rear casket door features a
rear-view camera, a 130-degree hinge, and a rear load door
opening that measures 48-inches wide and 39.5-inches high.
Standard interior features on the
Federal MKT Stratford include the following:
• Heated and cooled front seats
• Intelligent Access with push button start
• 8-inch Touch Screen with audio and climate controls
• SYNC ® In-car Connectivity System, and much more…
The rear side doors are 49-inches long and provide
a large, spacious opening to the church truck,
spare tire and umbrella storage compartments.
The newest and most refreshing Federal funeral coach yet! The Lincoln MKT Stratford is built on the next-generation
Lincoln professional vehicle chassis that features all-wheel-drive, heated and cooled front seats, rear back-up camera,
and more. Combine these base chassis features with Federal’s intelligently-designed coach features,
and you get what’s soon to become the most popular Lincoln funeral coach ever!
PROUDLY FEATURES
VEHICLES
800/292-6210 • WWW.FEDERALCOACH.COM
The Southern Funeral Director • Alliance December 2011 • January 2012 47