For Immediate Release: November 12, 2026

Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Board of Directors, in accordance with the association’s governance process, has appointed Homer E. Elwood Jr. of Gray Funeral Home in Clinton, South Carolina, to serve as an at-large representative, filling the vacancy created by the recent resignation of Christopher Costello, CFSP.

Elwood, who previously served as a 2023-25 At-large Representative on the NFDA Board of Directors, will complete the remainder of Costello’s term, which concludes following the 2027 NFDA International Convention & Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Elwood brings extensive experience in funeral service and association leadership to the position. His career in funeral service began at age 16 when he started working at a local funeral home. He later graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and became a funeral director at Gray Funeral Home, a firm he and his wife subsequently purchased.

A first-generation funeral director, Elwood has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to serving his profession. He has held numerous leadership positions with the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association (SCFDA), including serving as its 2018-19 president. He also served as secretary/treasurer and chair of SCFDA’s Piedmont Group, held every office on the association’s Board of Directors, and chaired its Nominating Committee. In addition to his previous service on the NFDA Board, Elwood has served on NFDA’s Member Resources Work Group, Audit Task Force, Budget Task Force and Spokesperson Team.

The NFDA Board of Directors extends its appreciation to Elwood for his willingness to return to the Board and share his experience and perspective in service to the association and the funeral service profession.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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