ETERNAL FAN SERVES AS PRIMARY PARTNER OF GASE’S NO. 55 904EVER CLUB FORD MUSTANG

In early August, Eternal Fan served as primary partner of the No. 55 904EVER Club Ford Mustang, driven by Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native Joey Gase of Joey Gase Motorsports. Longtime Eastern Iowa race fans should recognize the No. 55. Its old-school paint scheme recalls Gase’s early late-model cars, which helped launch his path from hometown racing to NASCAR’s national series.

The event, held at the Iowa Speedway, also served as a homecoming for Eternal Fan founder and CEO Matt Linn, who has a long-standing connection to Gase’s early racing years. The company is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“Joey and I first came together through Donate Life, and I have watched him use one of the hardest moments of his life to help other families,” said Linn. “To bring our relationship back to Iowa with a paint scheme that local fans will remember, while introducing the 904EVER Club to a national audience, makes this weekend especially meaningful for both of us.”

Gase’s Donate Life work began after his mother, Mary Jo, died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm in April 2011 when he was 18. Her organ, eye and tissue donations helped save or improve 66 lives. Donation awareness became an important part of Gase’s racing career, and the cause kick-started his relationship with Linn, which has grown through several racing and Eternal Fan programs.

Said Gase: “Matt has been part of my racing journey for years, and it is special to bring Eternal Fan back home with us. The 904EVER Club gives Jacksonville Jaguars fans a unique way to preserve their memories and maintain a lasting connection to the team, and I’m proud to help introduce the program to racing fans this weekend.” GoEternalFan.com

CONTINENTAL COMPUTERS ADDS DIGITAL CHAPEL BOARD TO TDAW

Continental Computers, creator of The Director’s Assistant Web (TDAW), recently introduced Digital Chapel Board. This TDAW feature allows funeral homes to easily display service details on digital screens, directing visitors to the correct areas.

Digital Chapel Board simplifies the setup of smart screens in chapels and lobbies. Details, including featured photos of the deceased, are pulled from TDAW case data. The enhancement offers horizontal and vertical templates for showing as many as three services on the same display.

This new feature works equally well whether you’re using a smart TV with a built-in browser or casting/mirroring to a portable monitor from a computer or mobile device. Simply set up screens once, then change event details as needed. ContinentalComputers.com

J&C ADVISORS LAUNCHES AI-POWERED ARRANGEMENT-CONFERENCE SIMULATOR

J&C Advisors recently launched Arranger’s Edge, an AI-powered simulator that lets funeral directors practice the arrangement-conference process before ever meeting with real grieving family members.

The simulator is built to cover the range of circumstances funeral directors typically navigate, whether it’s a single family member making straightforward arrangements or an entire family navigating a complex and highly emotional loss.

As a way to build confidence among users, Arranger’s Edge delivers helpful feedback rather than a verdict. After each session, the arranger can review what happened at their own pace and, if desired, go deeper with the simulator’s interactive coach. This tool feels like private practice.

“My 40 years [of] experience tells me one thing for certain: Arranger’s Edge is the tool I needed on day one. This isn’t a training tool. It’s the mentor I wish I had,” said Danny Jefferson, the funeral director who served as the subject-matter expert throughout the simulator’s development. ArrangersEdge.com

NMD INTRODUCES STAINLESS-STEEL EXPANDABLE BANGLE BRACELET OPTION

Giving funeral service professionals another easy way to help families create meaningful and versatile jewelry, New Memorials Direct (NMD) has expanded its memorial bracelet collection to include a stainless-steel Expandable Bangle Bracelet option.

Designed for comfortable everyday wear, the adjustable bangle has a polished finish and can be personalized with one or more petite charms. Available engraving options for the charms include fingerprints, photographs, text and other meaningful details.

Families can select from a variety of charm combinations and add birthstones as an additional personal touch. Charms that hold cremated remains are available, as well.

Preserving the simple, timeless appearance of the original bangle, the stainless-steel option brings enhanced durability and a more accessible price point to the collection. The bracelet can be worn on its own or combined with bangles that represent other loved ones, memories or milestones. NewMemorialsDirect.com

PARTING STONE RELEASES CREMATED-REMAINS STUDY

New research from Parting Stone finds that approximately 1 in 3 families that receive cremated remains haven’t decided what to do with them. (The study refers to these families as “in limbo.”) Families struggle most between six months and two years after receiving remains.

Additional findings from the study, titled The Ash Storage Reckoning, include:

• Among families in limbo, 38% are not at peace, and they are twice as likely to feel guilty due to their indecision.

• Younger Americans are far more likely than those of older generations to be in limbo.

• The barrier is emotional, not informational. Just 7% say they don’t know their options. The top reason for waiting, cited by nearly 4 in 10, is that deciding “feels like letting go.”

• Avoidance is widespread. More than 8 in 10 (83.5%) feel numb or avoidant at least occasionally.

• Readiness is there. About 2 in 3 families (65%) – and 70% of those in limbo – would welcome a new way to honor loved ones if it felt right.

The full study is available for free as a PDF download at PartingStone.com/Research/Ash-Reckoning.

CHPTR EXPANDS INTO CANADA

Chptr recently expanded into Canada, the company’s first market outside of the United States. This expansion grants Canadian funeral homes access to broadcast memorial technology for the first time.

For most Canadian funeral homes, extending obituaries beyond their website, social media or local newspaper has not been a practical option. Chptr Broadcast extends obituary announcements beyond a funeral home’s channels and on to local television, enabling families to share with the broader community through a trusted medium.

Each memorial announcement is professionally produced and scheduled for broadcast in the funeral home’s local market so that it might reach people who knew the person. Chptr.com

FUNERAL WOMEN LEAD EXPANDS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Funeral Women Lead recently appointed six new members to its board of directors: Camelia L. Clarke, Faith Haug, Kelly Kohut, Stephanie Ramsey, Robbie Pape and Rachel Moring.

Camelia L. Clarke is president of Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services and a 30-year deathcare professional. A past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association and an NFDA spokesperson, Clarke also serves on the Federated Mutual Insurance Companies Board of Directors.

A licensed funeral director and embalmer with more than 20 years of experience, Faith Haug is program director of the mortuary science program at Arapahoe Community College. She serves as
director-at-large for the Colorado Funeral Directors Association and as secretary/treasurer for the American Board of Funeral Service Education. She also is a graduate of NFDA’s National Emerging Leaders Program.

Kelly Kohut is regional vice president of partnership development at Precoa. She has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, strategic partnerships and organizational leadership. A national speaker and advocate for women in leadership, Kohut has developed programming to expand women’s professional growth, and she recently completed the Women’s Leadership Academy through the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Stephanie Ramsey is director of business analysis at The Foresight Companies and an experienced business advisor specializing in human resources, mergers and acquisitions, valuations, succession planning, and strategic growth. She leads a transaction and advisory services business unit, frequently speaks at national and state conventions, and contributes to funeral service publications.

Robbie Pape is vice president of operations for Carriage Services and possesses more than three decades of operational, financial and people-centered leadership experience. A certified public accountant, Pape serves as treasurer of the Cremation Association of North America, and she is a past president of the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association.

Rachel Moring is founder of NextGen Legacy Planning and a second-generation funeral service professional. Her experience includes funeral home operations, preneed and national-distribution leadership. In 2025, she was recognized by the Louisiana Funeral Directors Association for her excellence and dedicated service. In 2026, she founded PUP Preneed, a platform focused on pet preplanning.

Joining Funeral Women Lead’s founding board members, these six women expand the organization’s leadership with their experience in funeral home and cemetery operations, mortuary science education, preneed, business development, finance, organizational leadership, and professional associations. FuneralWomenLead.org

NEW YORK STATE APPROVES MANAGEMENT TRACK BY MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY AND VECTOR DIMENSIONS

The New York State Department of Education officially granted curriculum approval to the Manhattan University School of Business for its custom bachelor’s degree management track for funeral directors. Manhattan University is a regionally accredited, not-for-profit educational institution. The specialized academic pathway was created in close consultation with educational development firm Vector Dimensions LLC.

This authorization enables Manhattan University to administer and deliver the custom online program, which will help licensed funeral directors, mortuary science students and associate-degree graduates seamlessly transition into business management.

In addition to flexible online learning, the program offers expert academic faculty and financial-
aid eligibility via Title IV.

FEDERATED INSURANCE OFFERS COMPLIMENTARY RISK MANAGEMENT ACADEMY

On November 3-5, Federated Insurance will hold its annual Risk Management Academy in Owatonna, Minnesota. The company is offering funeral service professionals complimentary registration to this event, which helps attendees network with fellow business owners and develop risk-management best practices. All sessions are led by experienced professionals.

Key topics are: developing a risk-management culture; the importance of risk management; the advantages of using Federated DriveSAFE Telematics; evaluating worker-compensation risks; and business succession and employee retention.

Attendees are responsible for the cost of travel, lodging (a discounted rate is available) and incidental meals. Federated will provide an optional welcome reception; a daily shuttle to/from the hotel and venue; beverages and snacks; lunch on Tuesday; and lunch and dinner on Wednesday. FederatedInsurance.com

CEMSITES NAMES BERGER PRESIDENT

After more than a year of serving as interim president, David Berger has been named president of CemSites. Berger will lead the company as it continues investing in technology, products and solutions designed to serve the evolving needs of the deathcare industry.

A Tulane University graduate who began his career in management consulting at Deloitte, Berger possesses more than 30 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience, including more than 10 years in deathcare. He co-founded and led We Fund Funerals before its acquisition by Express Funeral Funding (EFF) in 2021. He also served as vice president of business development for EFF before joining CemSites.

Said Berger about his new role: “We’ve been investing in the foundation for what comes next. Our vision is to build on the legacy of CemSites by bringing powerful, adaptable technology that supports cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories and the broader deathcare ecosystem. We’re excited about where CemSites is headed, and this is just the beginning.” CemSites.com

ETERNAL ALASKA REBRANDS AS ETERNAL LEGACY SERVICE, ANNOUNCES MEMORIAL JOURNEYS

Eternal Alaska, a company specializing in destination scatterings, recently announced its national expansion and rebranding as Eternal Legacy Service. This move reflects the company’s growth beyond Alaska and its work with families seeking meaningful final resting places across the U.S.

Having served more than 600 families since 2021, the company marked its expansion by announcing two of its most ambitious memorial journeys to date – the Route 66 Centennial Legacy Journey, beginning in Chicago, Illinois, on November 11, 2026, and the 63 National Parks Memorial Journey, planned for 2027.

Starting at $39,500, the Route 66 Centennial Legacy Journey will carry a loved one’s cremated remains more than 2,400 miles through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, toward Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean.

The journey will include 25 authorized, individually documented scattering moments along or near the historic route, subject to applicable laws, permissions, weather and accessibility. Family members will be able to follow the journey through real-time location tracking, and they will receive videos, GPS documentation, professional photography and a custom “Route 66 Centennial” keepsake book.

For $149,500, the approximately yearlong 63 National Parks Memorial Journey will carry a loved one’s cremated remains through all 63 U.S. national parks, from Alaska to Hawaii and American Samoa and then across the continental United States.

Where the scattering of cremated remains is legally permitted and practical, a portion will be respectfully scattered in accordance with applicable National Park Service requirements. The cremated remains will still visit places where scattering cannot legally or practically be performed, but these parts of the journey will be documented through photography and, if available, cancellation stamps collected in a U.S. National Parks passport book. EternalLegacyService.com