By chuck on 4/15/2009 2:17 PM

As a company that focusing on the business of death (and how to pay for it), it is always interesting to see folks who humanize the experience and shed the light of thought on the process. 

That is exactly what Sue Bailey and Carmen Flowers have done with their new book: Grave Expectations.

Below you will find a link to an interview done on the Today Show.  We thought it might be interesting to review.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30009580#30009580

Enjoy the interview and if you wish to purchase the book...here's the cover and you can search it on Amazon.com to purchase your copy today.

By chuck on 4/15/2009 1:03 PM

The Parks and Wildlife Department in Texas plans to become the first government agency in the U.S. to let families lay cremated remains in protected forests for a fee to help the state buy more land for conservation.

Texas will cater to people concerned about environmental impacts of the “death-care industry,” Ted Hollingsworth, the agency’s director of land conservation, said in an interview.

Read More »

In The News - Information Provided By American Funeral Financial - The Funeral Funding Experts!

By chuck on 4/14/2009 6:51 AM

It’s the last opportunity that many have to pay respects to the newly and dearly departed.  Most expect that those in attendance care about the deceased, the family of the deceased or have a direct connection.  What people - reasonable people - don’t expect is that there will be a funeral crasher.  They especially don’t expect it in a sleeply little South Carolina town - the town of Gray Court.  But little did anyone know that as the funeral was taking place, the spirit would hit Nicole Marie-Loretta Leonard from North Carolina to - well crash the somber service.

According to a report from WYFF.com:

A woman who says she had no connection to a funeral danced in front of the service, waved a wand over the casket, open ... Read More »

In The News - Information Provided By American Funeral Financial - The Funeral Funding Experts!

By chuck on 4/13/2009 5:14 PM

According to the US Attorney's office in LA - two women - allegedly participated in a scheme to cash life insurance policies for fictitious individuals and stage  funerals to create the appearance that the individuals had died.

According to the indictment, Shilling, a phlebotomist, and Crump, an employee at a now-defunct Long Beach mortuary, defrauded multiple insurance companies over a three-year period by cashing life insurance policies for non-existent identities, whom they claimed had died. As part of the scheme, Shilling and Crump allegedly caused the preparation of bogus death certificates, purchased burial plots and staged phony funerals to lend credibility to the scheme. When staging the funerals, the women allegedly filled caskets with various materials to make it appear they contained actual corpses.

Shilling and Crump allegedly defrauded se ... Read More »

By chuck on 4/8/2009 3:01 PM

What is a green funeral?

A green funeral incorporates environmentally-friendly options to meet the needs of a family requesting a green service. A green funeral may include any or all of the following basic options: no embalming or embalming with formaldehyde-free products; the use of sustainable biodegradable clothing, shroud or casket; using recycled paper products, locally-grown organic flowers, organic food; carpooling; arranging a small memorial gathering in a natural setting; natural or green burial.

What is natural or green burial?

In a “purist” natural or green burial, the body is buried, without embalming, in a natural setting. Any shroud or casket that is used must be biodegradable, nontoxic, and of sustainable material. Traditional standing headstones are not permitted. Instead, flat rocks, plants or trees may serve as grave markers; some cemeteries use GPS to mark the lo ... Read More »