EFF ADDS STAGGERS TO SALES AND MARKETING TEAM

Express Funeral Funding (EFF) recently expanded its marketing team with the addition of Hannah Staggers as sales and marketing project specialist. In this role, she will support the sales and marketing team through content creation, design of print and digital materials, campaign development, and other creative projects that promote brand growth and customer retention.

Prior to joining EFF, Staggers served as a graphic designer at Strategic Marketing, where she implemented her expertise in graphic design, social media and marketing to drive consumer relationships and improve sales.

Said Staggers about this new opportunity: “I’m honored to join a vibrant and growing team that values creativity and empowers individuals to use their strengths in support of a meaningful mission.”
ExpressFuneralFunding.com

WOLFELT PROVIDES TRAINING SESSIONS AT DOVER AIR FORCE BASE

Alan Wolfelt, director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, provided four training sessions at Dover Air Force Base on May 4-5. The sessions were provided in collaboration with Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, which operates the nation’s sole port mortuary and receives every fallen service member from overseas.

The trainings were titled: “Companioning the Mourner: Special Features of Military Death”; “Companioning the Mourner in Early Grief: Principles & Practices”; “Exploring the Special Features of Suicide Grief”; and “Reframing PTSD as Traumatic Grief.”

Said Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations of the trainings: “Dr. Wolfelt shared meaningful insights on navigating loss, supporting grieving families and fostering compassionate care during life’s most difficult moments. His guidance reinforces our commitment to providing dignified, empathetic support to those we serve.” CenterForLoss.com

TERRYBEAR CEO LAU RETIRES, Appoints KURYSH to ROLE

Terrybear Urns & Memorials announced the planned retirement of CEO Lavina Lau, whose tenure was defined by thoughtful leadership, strategic growth, and meaningful contributions to the organization and industry. Lau will remain actively involved as a member of the company’s board of directors. As part of the company’s long-term succession plan, Justin Kurysh was appointed as incoming CEO and stepped into the role in June.

During her tenure, Lau played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s direction and success. She helped build a resilient organization grounded in its “Compassionate, Committed, Inspired” brand promise, as well as its “Peace of Mind Guarantee.” Her leadership fostered a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and purpose that will continue to guide the company into the future.

“It has been an honor to lead this organization and work alongside such a dedicated and talented team,” said Lau. “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident in the company’s direction. This is the right time for new leadership and fresh energy, and I look forward to continuing to support the organization through my role on the board, with a focus on strategic leadership and oversight.”

Incoming CEO Kurysh possesses a strong track record of leadership, innovation and strategic execution. With a collaborative and forward-looking approach, he is well-positioned to build on the company’s momentum while driving new opportunities for growth.

“I am honored to step into this role at such an important moment for the company,” said Kurysh. “Thanks to Lavina’s leadership, the organization is on solid footing. I’m excited to work with the team to continue delivering value, expanding our impact and shaping the next chapter of growth.” Terrybear.com

THACKER CELEBRATES CULLEN’S 35 YEARS OF SERVICE

Thacker Caskets proudly recognizes Bob Cullen for his 35 years of dedicated service as a sales consultant. He serves funeral service professionals throughout New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, the New York metropolitan area, Long Island and Westchester County.

Since joining Thacker in 1991, Cullen has built a reputation for reliability, hard work and genuine care for the customers he serves. During his tenure, he has earned the respect of customers and colleagues alike through his industry knowledge, consistency and strong relationships. He was named Thacker Salesperson of the Year in 2010 and was recognized as a member of the President’s Club in 2011. At this year’s annual Sales Meeting, Cullen was honored with a Thacker Caskets Tenure Award.

Reflecting on his career, Cullen said, “During my 35-year career with Thacker Caskets, I have had the pleasure of meeting the most dedicated and caring professionals. I have enjoyed being a part of the growth … of the most progressive and innovative business in the funeral industry. Working within the funeral service industry has been both an educational and rewarding experience.”

Thacker Caskets congratulates Bob Cullen on 35 years of outstanding service and extends its sincere gratitude for his dedication, loyalty and continued contributions to the company. ThackerCaskets.com

NMD REDESIGNS WEBSITE, INTEGRATES ERP SYSTEM

New Memorials Direct (NMD) recently launched its redesigned website, which has a fully integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Together, these investments mark a major milestone in the company’s continued commitment to exceptional customer service, quality craftsmanship and operational excellence.

The new website delivers a modern, seamless shopping experience designed specifically for customers seeking meaningful custom memorials. The website has improved navigation, faster performance, enhanced mobile functionality and a more intuitive design process so that customers can browse, personalize and order products with greater ease and confidence.

Behind the scenes, the newly implemented ERP system connects key areas of the business – order management, production scheduling, inventory, customer service and fulfillment – into one streamlined platform. This integration allows for faster processing times, improved communication, greater accuracy and enhanced visibility throughout the customer journey. NewMemorialsDirect.com

ETERNAL FAN AND WILBERT PARTNER TO BUILD FLORIDA SALES CHANNEL AND ADVANCE 904EVER CLUB

Eternal Fan, creator of the “After Life Experience,” has partnered with The Wilbert Group and its Memorial Monuments Division to establish a new scalable sales channel across Florida. The initiative will leverage Wilbert’s extensive network of licensed funeral home operators to introduce Eternal Fan’s fan-focused offerings to families seeking meaningful, lasting memorialization.

The partnership formalizes a coordinated effort to integrate Eternal Fan’s Fan Spaces and related offerings into the funeral-planning process with the help of trusted local providers. By aligning with Wilbert, Eternal Fan hopes to accelerate adoption of its After Life Experience while providing funeral homes with a differentiated, value-added service.

As part of the agreement, Wilbert will serve as the exclusive construction partner for Eternal Fan’s memorial monuments. One such monument is the landmark installation tied to the Jacksonville Jaguars and 904EVER Club, which is scheduled to debut in 2028 following completion of the team’s stadium renovation. The monument will be a permanent, team-branded structure that houses Fan Spaces, a dedicated place within the stadium environment for fans to honor lifelong connections to the team.

The Florida rollout will serve as the initial phase of a broader expansion. Before extending the program into additional states, Eternal Fan and Wilbert plan to refine the model through local market activation, training and integrated sales processes. Wilbert.com; GoEternalFan.com

PRECOA CELEBRATES FUNERAL PLANNING CENTER’S BEST MONTH EVER

In March, Precoa’s Funeral Planning Center celebrated setting nearly 10,000 appointments in a single month for the first time. The Funeral Planning Center achieved this milestone with 9,975 appointments, set by 151 scheduling specialists. Just 28 specialists accounted for more than 40% of those appointments.

This record was the result of the company’s yearly “March Madness” incentive, which brings out the “best” in people, according to Matt West, associate vice president of the Funeral Planning Center. He credits Precoa’s talent-dense teams for enabling the center to reach such heights. Precoa.com

DORIC HOLDS SPRING CONFERENCE

Doric Products Inc. welcomed dealers from across its network to the Doric Spring Conference, held April 15-17 at the Terre Haute Casino Resort in Terre Haute, Indiana. The multiday gathering brought together dealers for education, collaboration and updates on Doric’s product offerings.

The event opened the evening of April 15 with a welcome mixer, encouraging dealers to connect, share ideas and build relationships.

Educational sessions began the next day with a presentation from Mark Klingenberger on personalized graveside services. Next, John Mulyck of Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home shared his perspective as a funeral director who works with Doric products. His talk included his experience partnering with Todd Wieser and the Wieser Precast team.

Later, delivering his first presentation as a part of the Doric team, Dale Cameron discussed how to apply the 80/20 rule in today’s vault and cremation markets. The day concluded with an update from Derek Maher and Ken Crosby on the Classic Metal Vaults facility, which recently acquired a new laser unit designed to increase production efficiency for vault and columbarium projects. Doric-Vaults.com

DISOTELL CREATES YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR GRIEVING CHILDREN

Ruthann Disotell recently launched “It’s MamaRoo,” a new offering for funeral homes and parents. The 10-minute videos will speak to kids about subjects such as death and funerals. The episodes will cover grief, loss, illness, fear, friendship, kindness and respect. Books related to these topics will be read or recommended.

Disotell is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in New Jersey, a life celebrant, the creator and CEO of MemoriaLeaf, a speaker, and the inaugural president of the Pierce Mortuary Colleges Alumni Association. She will host the new show as “MamaRoo,” donning a pair of kangaroo ears.

“The vibe is a cross between Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Doubtfire and Captain Kangaroo. It’s a safe place for talking about feelings,” said Disotell. “Funeral homes are now welcoming children with playrooms and coloring books, but few are talking about what is going on in the next room. There was a communication void that needed to be filled.”

Due to copyright laws, books can only be read on the channel with the author’s permission. If you are, or know, the author of a relevant children’s book, contact Disotell at itsmamaroo@Yahoo.com. The YouTube channel is @itsmamaroo; on Facebook, search “It’s MamaRoo.”

GATHER LAUNCHES HOTEL-BOOKING TOOL, NAMES KENNEDY HEAD OF SALES

Gather recently launched a free hotel-booking feature that seamlessly integrates with the Gather platform and its Remember Pages. This feature makes it easier than ever for funeral homes to support out-of-town family members attending services.

Once activated, the hotel-booking feature embeds directly in the family-facing experience on the Gather platform and Remember Pages. When a family member accesses service details, they can search through a curated list of nearby hotels, automatically filtered by proximity to the funeral home or service venue.

From there, they can browse availability, compare options and complete their booking through the Expedia-powered interface. The entire process is just a few steps and requires no involvement from funeral home staff. The free feature is now available to all Gather customers who utilize Remember Pages, and it can be activated directly within the platform.

In other news, Gather recently appointed Nathan Kennedy as head of sales. Having served as vice president of sales for multiple software companies, Kennedy has extensive experience leading high-performing teams. Throughout his career, he has been driven by a commitment to building relationships, developing people and helping teams deliver value to their customers.

Kennedy joins Gather with a clear purpose: to help funeral directors and families have the best possible experience when saying goodbye to loved ones. He is passionate about supporting those on the front lines of care and ensuring they have the tools they need to serve with compassion and excellence. Gather.app

MBNA SELECTS MOTOCROSS-INSPIRED MEMORIAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN AWARD, ADOPTS 15-POINT CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE

The Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) recently presented its 2026 Excellence in Design Award to Harrison Monuments in Quincy, Illinois, for its Hardisty Track Monument. This memorial celebrates the life, personality and interests of Lane Hardisty of Bushnell, Illinois. The MBNA Excellence in Design Award recognizes excellence in memorial art, design innovation, craftsmanship and meaningful storytelling through permanent memorialization.

Created from jet-black granite sourced by Salem Stones in Obetz, Ohio, the memorial incorporates several custom elements inspired by motocross racing. The design features an etched image of Hardisty riding his dirt bike midair, sculpted granite elements resembling dirt-track terrain, and boulder-like granite vases. The reverse side of the memorial includes a collage of etched images reflecting important moments and themes from his life.

The monument recently was recognized during MBUniversity in Fort Worth, Texas, and it was featured on the MBNA’s Monument Matters podcast.

In other news, MBNA has adopted a 15-point Code of Good Practice for the monument-building industry. These standards reflect MBNA’s commitment to professionalism, ethical business practices, and long-term accountability to the families and communities its members serve.

One of the most important principles within the Code of Good Practice is financial stability. MBNA members pledge to operate responsibly so that every contract, warranty and promise can be honored. This means families never have to worry whether their memorials will be delivered, installed or serviced as promised. A financially stable company is one that will be there not only the day the order is placed but also years into the future.

The Code of Good Practice can be viewed at https://MonumentBuilders.org/code-of-good-practice For general information, visit MonumentBuilders.org.

KEEPER AND THE GRAVE WOMAN PARTNER

Internationally recognized as “The Grave Woman,” Joél Simone, founder of the Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy, recently formed a partnership with Keeper Memorials to foster conversations about legacy preservation, representation, memorialization, and the evolving ways families and communities remember those they love.

For the past six years, Simone has collaborated with Mandy Benoualid, president of Keeper Memorials, through her work with Talk Death. Through this new partnership, Simone will collaborate with Benoualid and the broader Keeper team to explore educational initiatives, digital resources, community conversations and memorialization opportunities that support funeral service professionals, families and communities seeking more inclusive and meaningful approaches to grief, remembrance and legacy preservation. MyKeeper.com; TheGraveWoman.com

FUNDAFAMILY BECOMES OGR ANNUAL SUPPLIER PARTNER

Crowdfunding platform FundAFamily and the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) have partnered to highlight the human and ethical aspects of the deathcare profession. FundAFamily provides a community-focused avenue for financial assistance for those experiencing the loss of a loved one. Community members can donate money to families with no fees attached.

Said Wes Johnson, president and CEO of FundAFamily: “The missions of FundAFamily and OGR complement each other, and we’re pleased to be working together to put a focus on the heart of the deathcare industry: people helping people through difficult times, with trust and ethics.”

“OGR is proud to welcome FundAFamily as an Annual Supplier Partner,” said Wendy King, OGR executive director. “Their commitment to helping funeral homes extend care and support beyond the service aligns closely with OGR’s mission of fostering compassion, trust and meaningful community impact within the profession.” FundAFamily.com