The Family Plot Blog
Clothing for the Deceased
Clothing the dead - it takes some unique tailoring to make garments look good on someone who's lying down. Funeral directors and morticians also have the challenge of dressing someone who can't move his or her body! A.R.K. Garment Company has been in the business of manufacturing burial garments since 1928. The name comes from the last name initials of the three founders - Akerman, Rickman and Komer. Owner Tom Bearman's grandfather bought out...
News and Notes: Greening Final Arrangements, New Book, Etc.
Do you recycle and strive to save energy? If you consider yourself "green" in life, consider greening your final arrangements. This Thursday, I'm presenting an Albuquerque OASIS class on Greening Your Final Arrangements. Among the topics to be covered: green burial opportunities in New Mexico, the carbon footprint of cremation, how Jewish burial traditions are naturally green burial, donating your body to science, and what you need to know NOW...
Unique Urns at NFDA
Since the U.S. cremation rate is projected to surpass 50% nationally by 2016, there were plenty of creative cremation urns on display at the 2015 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) expo. I've done past blog posts about some of these companies, but their innovation never stops. LoveUrns How can you make a metal urn look cuddly? That was the challenge LoveUrns president Naseem Kahn and his team faced when making a teddy bear urn for...
Memento Memorials Artistic Urns
Memento Memorials debuted their artistic, unusual cremation urns at the 2015 NFDA convention to much interest by funeral directors in attendance. Chris Harvan and his wife started the company in 2003 to create urns, keepsakes and memorials for family and friends who have lost pets and infants. Since then, they've branched out into urn product lines that feature artful design and crafting of metal, wood, concrete and other materials. They...
Creative Caskets at NFDA
It was "Caskets-R-Us" at the National Funeral Directors Association convention and expo. You may have seen previous posts about Trey Ganem's personalized caskets, and the video visits with Andrea Fernandez of Clear View Caskets and Mark Elder with Vision Casket. Here are other creative caskets that were on display at the 2015 expo: C.J. Boots Casket Company was founded by Christopher J. Boots in 1999. He was a custom furniture and cabinet maker...
‘Hail and Farewell’ Provides Cremation Memorial Service Guidance
When someone says, “Just cremate me after I'm dead,” the family often has no clue what to do for a memorial service or final disposition of the remains. The new book, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, will help families with memorial service guidance and creative ideas. The book by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and Certified Funeral Celebrant, and Susan Fraser, respected memorial authority, covers everything...
Trey Ganem Personalized Caskets at NFDA
Personalizing caskets gives grieving families a different way to celebrate the life of someone who has died. For Trey Ganem, making these caskets is a dream come true. He uses his intuitive gift for sensing the spirit of the person and designing a casket that reflects each individual. From a humble start in 2014 as a one-person shop in Edina, Texas, he now has a team of people helping create fantastic caskets as well as creative urns. His...
StoryClip Preserves Condolences on Video
New technology for funeral homes gets introduced every year at the NFDA convention. At the 2015 expo, StoryClip launched its new service to provide video condolences and messages from the deceased (recorded before they die, of course). Dustin Vik, co-founder and president of StoryClip, explained how the process works. "StoryClip is a tablet-based kiosk that allows family and friends to leave video condolences at your funeral home," he said. At...
Body Donation Details with LifeLegacy Foundation
UPDATE: As of February 2017, Science Care has taken over the day-to-day operations of LifeLegacy Foundation and Legacy Placement Services. Call Science Care to make body donation arrangements at 1-800-417-3747.
Using Cremated Remains to Make Portraits
As far as Dusty Jonakin knows, he's the first artist to paint portraits of deceased people and pets using only their cremated remains and linseed oil. There's no paint involved. He came up with the idea in 2009, while discussing the topic of cremation with his buddy Donnie Roberts. A year and a half later, Donnie was tragically killed by a car while he was walking home from work. Jonakin was good friends with Donnie and his wife. They knew he...
Vision Casket: Economical Cremation and Burial Products
There's always something new to learn about the funeral business when covering funeral conventions. In a conversation at the NFDA expo with Mark Elder, VP of Sales for Vision Casket, I learned more about the relationships between casket manufacturers and the end user - the funeral home and the families they serve. Vision Casket manufactures economical burial and cremation caskets in lightweight corrugated fiberboard and plastic cremation urns -...
Green Burial Products from Passages International
Passages International is a company that specializes in biodegradable and eco-friendly funeral products. The company's president Darren Crouch was at the 2015 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and took a moment to share some thoughts about the industry. "We're getting a lot of interest," said Crouch. "I think that funeral directors are realizing they have to offer greener alternatives. Just like when you go to a Toyota...
![[Animation] The Meaning of Day of the Dead](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dia-de-los-Muertos.jpg?resize=242%2C250&ssl=1)
[Animation] The Meaning of Day of the Dead
Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a time to celebrate lives lived. There's a long history behind it, involving ancient Meso-American cultures in Central America and Mexico, Spanish Conquistadors, and the Catholic Church. Read more about the history of Dia de los Muertos. You'll see a lot of skeletons in Day of the Dead artwork. Why? It depicts the idea that after our bodies die, our spirits live on. When the flesh is gone, the...
It’s Create a Great Funeral Day!
Today, October 30, 2015, is the 16th annual Create a Great Funeral Day. Kudos to Stephanie West Allen for initiating this day on Chase's Calendar of Events back in 2000. It's a day to think about what you might want for your "good goodbye" and have a conversation with the people you love. I've interviewed Stephanie several times over the years about why she started Create a Great Funeral Day. Over time, her ideas have evolved. Here are past...
Synthetic Cadavers for Mortuary Science
People donate their bodies to medical schools for anatomy studies and other purposes, and in exchange, the family gets a free cremation along with the satisfaction of contributing to research. Mortuary schools also use cadavers for students to practice embalming and restorative arts. But that may be changing. At the NFDA convention and expo, SynDaver Labs displayed a synthetic human body designed for anatomy study. This eye-catching example was...
![[Video] Examining Embalming Fluids](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_1693-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] Examining Embalming Fluids
Colorful bottles of embalming fluids in a rainbow array are among the tools of the trade on display at every funeral director expo. In this video, Jeff Chancellor, Director of Education, Training & Research with Eckels and Company, explains some of the different conditions various embalming fluids are designed to address. Jeff Chancellor has provided embalming and restorative art training to more than 1,000 funeral homes, supply companies...
Nov. 1 Day of the Dead Talk and Reception
Dia de los Muertos Reception at the Tomé Art Gallery, Sunday, November 1, 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Come to Los Lunas for a post-Halloween celebration with pottery, art, jewelry, books and more! Dress up in costume for contest prizes. Spooky tasty snacks will be provided. Gail Rubin will present a talk about Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, at the Tomé Gallery, 2930 Highway 47 in Los Lunas, NM. Copies of her book A Good Goodbye: Funeral...
News & Notes: NFDA and TEDxABQ Adventures!
You won't believe some of the new developments observed last week at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention. Blog posts about see-through caskets, skin art preservation and fun photos are already on The Family Plot Blog - stay tuned for more tales to come! It was great to meet so many new friends and reconnect with those we already know and love. At last, the official videos from TEDxABQ are now online! And this Thursday...
Clear View Caskets Offer an Eyeful
One of the most-discussed expo introductions at the NFDA convention were the see-through acrylic caskets offered by Clear View Caskets.
Preserving Tattoos for Posterity
It's estimated that 80 million Americans have tattoos, and 40 million have more than one. Tattoos are so prevalent and have such personal meanings, people are actually seeking to save the tattooed skin of their loved ones. One of the buzz-generating exhibitors at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and expo was the National Association for the Preservation of Skin Art (NAPSA). The organization launched on September 14,...
Fun Photos from the NFDA Convention & Expo
The expo at the National Funeral Directors Association convention, the largest funeral expo in the world, is colorful, unpredictable and an amazing collection of all things funereal. Here are a few fun photos from the event - blog posts on specific items of interest to come! The convention started with an opening reception on Sunday evening at the Indiana Museum. Downtown Indianapolis was flooded with Colts fans attending the big game that...