August 22, 2008

Crematory Ordered to Pay Family $48K

PORTLAND, ORE. - Oregon Crematory must pay $48,000 to a family that was unable to view the remains of their loved one before cremation, a jury ruled Aug.13, the Oregonian reports.

Thomas Anderson, who represented the crematory, said that the family never had any intentions of wanting to see the body, which had been autopsied. “Families don’t want to see a body all cut up from autopsy,” he said. “And these people would have you believe absolutely, that’s what they wanted.” read more...

Funeral Director Pleads Guilty in Body Harvesting Case

PHILADELPHIA -A funeral director involved in a ring that illegally harvested body parts pleaded guilty Aug. 13 to 248 felonies, The Associated Press reported.

James McCafferty, 38, of Philadelphia, was one of those accused of letting a group of “cutters” harvest body parts from corpses without permission from families. Authorities accused him of taking $1,000 per corpse. The body parts—some of them diseased—were then sold to hospitals and tissue banks. read more...

Hillenbrand Reports Third Quarter Earnings

BATESVILLE, IND. - Hillenbrand, Inc. reported third-quarter 2008 revenue of $165 million, consistent with $165.6 million reported in the third quarter of 2007. In addition, the company reported growth in third-quarter earnings per share, operating profit and cash flow from operations over prior year results, the company announced in an Aug. 12 news release.

Revenue for the quarter remained essentially flat, even as the company faced some challenging headwinds from a decline in volume. This was largely due to the termination of the planned acquisition of an independent distributor last year, which resulted in the cancellation of a related supply agreement with that distributor. In addition, revenue was impacted by a general decline in burials and a lower average product mix. read more...

West Maryland Funeral Home Fights License Suspension

HARRISBURG, PA.- A funeral home in far western Maryland said it is fighting a license suspension ordered by the Maryland State Board of Morticians, according to a report by the Associated Press. read more...

Selected Independent Funeral Homes To Meet In Washington, D.C.

DEERFIELD, Ill.- Independent funeral home owners, managers and staff, whose firms are members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, will gather October 1-4, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., for the association’s 90th annual meeting.

A lineup of educational sessions and idea exchange opportunities will highlight the meeting. They include several informative panel discussion sessions: an analysis of preneed trends, challenges and opportunities; an evaluation of Chinese casket options; and innovative service and management ideas from the association’s enthusiastic younger members. read more...

Kates-Boylston Hires New Associate Editor

Meet Tanya Kenevich Kates-Boylston Publications is proud to announce that Tanya Kenevich has joined our staff as associate editor. Kenevich previously worked at a trade publication that serves the nutrition industry. Feel free to contact her or to welcome her to our staff. She may be reached by phone at 732-730-2540. tkenevich@katesboylston.com

Jeff Taylor Joins FSBP 2009's All-Star Lineup

We have great news: Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster.com and Eons.com, will be joining our all-star lineup of speakers at our third annual Funeral Service Business Plan conference from Nov. 20-21 in Charleston, S.C., in a special, lunchtime session. Taylor, who recently launched Tributes.com, a Web site that is revolutionizing how the world looks at obituaries, will share his thoughts on the changing nature of grief. For more information about the conference and a complete list of our speakers, >> click here.