Starmark Local Celebrates One-Year Anniversary in Statesville, North Carolina

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Vandor Corporation is proud to announce the first anniversary of its Starmark Local distribution center in Statesville, North Carolina. Vandor is celebrating a successful year marked by building trust and reputation with customers, establishing operational excellence, and sustaining growth for the future. 

The North Carolina-based Starmark Local Distribution Center opened in May 2024 and tackled some challenges in its first year, including navigating Hurricane Helene. The Starmark team started with Haley Cowles, the Service Center Director, but today consists of three team members who serve funeral homes and crematories in a large territory in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Haley Cowles had nothing but positive words for her first year of experience in funeral service: “Opening Starmark Local in North Carolina has been such an exciting adventure for us. Joining a new company and having Starmark trust me to build this local business from the ground up has been an honor. Being new to the funeral industry, I was very nervous, but with the great leadership and training from Starmark, they helped us succeed in our first year!” 

Looking ahead, Starmark Local remains committed to delivering exceptional value and white-glove service, guided by its core values: staying customer-focused, detail-oriented, appreciative of its team, and unwavering in integrity and professionalism.

“We are looking forward to growing our relationship and partnering with many more funeral homes over the next several years.” Haley shares, “The key is building the relationships and earning customers’ respect and trust.” 

About Starmark Cremation and Starmark Local: 

Since 2004, the Starmark brand has designed, marketed, and manufactured Sensible Solutions® for its customers. Starmark prides itself on providing innovative, affordable, and high-quality products so that our customers can focus on the things that matter most: allowing families to lay their loved ones to rest in an affordable yet dignified and respectful manner. Our ability to craft and deliver is part of the formula that helps us serve funeral professionals.

Starmark Local, a division of Starmark, is dedicated to offering personalized white-glove delivery service for the Starmark Funeral Products line. 

For more information visit: www.starmarkcp.com 

If you have read Funeral Director Daily for any length of time you will know that I am an advocate of “Permanent Memorialization” of loved ones.  My reason for that belief is pretty simple. . . 1)  It is just the way I was brought up and 2) I believe every life has meaning and should have the respect and memory of being remembered as long as possible.

By permanent memorialization I mean in a perpetually cared for cemetery, mausoleum, columbarium or other method, such as Better Place Forests or Great River Natural Burial, with some type of memorialization, such as a marker, designated to the deceased.  I should note that this “Memorialization” as I see it, can be done not only with casketed burial, but after cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, solidifying the cremated remains such as with Parting Stone, or any other method of final disposition.  What I think is “most important” is that there is some marker giving creedence to a “life that has been lived”.

Say what you will about my thoughts, but I think that remembrance and care is incredibly important for the future of humanity.  I’m a firm believer that the more “High Tech” we will become will create a synergy for “High Touch” as well — where we need connection to reality as a balance to the technology.

Here is an interesting video news story and print article of a single burial cemetery where the deceased was buried in 1833.  There was a small monument naming the deceased and today, almost 200 years later, people are still remembering her. In my book, it kind of gives reference and knowledge about a “life that has been lived”.

This Wikipedia article will give you information on all deceased U.S. Presidents and where they are buried.  It includes a photo of each of their burial monuments.  Interestingly enough, no deceased United States President has ever been cremated.  Vice-President Walter Mondale was cremated in 2021 but I believe he is the only Vice-President to be cremated.  I think it is important for our nation’s history that these Presidents are given this memorial permanence via their monuments that continues to reflect on the history of our nation.

Another bit of information foundational to the rest of this article is that this information from One World Memorials states that it is believed that one out of every three cremations has the cremated remains brought to a private home to be kept.  The United States has, it is estimated, over 2 million cremations per year which would, using this formula, mean that 600,000 to 700,000 cremated remains are brought to private homes annually.

It’s with that preamble that I’ve thought about the families of those in the North Carolina floods, or the Florida hurricanes, or most recently, the L.A. wildfires.  In L.A. alone it is estimated that 12,000 homes have been destroyed.  I cannot get over the human tragedy of not only losing your physical belongings but also losing the emotional bonds that are more than likely tied together by having your loved one’s cremated remains in proximity to you at your home.

This article that I found, dated in 2021,  titled “Recovering cremains in the aftermath of fires” points out:

One of the common threads that have surfaced from the interviews with the fire survivors is an appreciation of the non-material things in life. Although their experiences have been devastating and heartbreaking, they have all survived with renewed gratefulness for everything that they do have- memories, supportive family and friends, their health. They have come to terms with their losses and have new perspectives on what they value in life. The one material thing that they could not accept losing was the cremains of their loved ones. (Highlight provided by Funeral Director Daily)

Related Article —  “Day of Remembrance held at once forgotten cemetery”.  Loudon Now (VA)

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  We can probably chalk up the loss of cremated remains in disasters to the thought process that “the best laid plans can go awry”.  I’m guessing that very few who bring home cremated remains think about the loss of those precious remains via storms, hurricanes, floods, or fires.

And once that loss occurs. . . it is permanent and, for many, brings mental health challenges.

So, do we as funeral directors and advisors to these people have a greater responsibility than we seem to take at this time, to inform the clientele of what could happen without the idea of permanent memorialization?

Related Thought —  As cultural changes have occurred that includes many in the urban population living with pets such as dogs and cats, does this give greater creedence to pet cemeteries?

More news from the world of Death Care:

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

North Carolina Funeral Directors Association Endorses Homesteaders as Exclusive Preneed Provider

West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in preneed funeral funding, has been selected as the exclusively endorsed preneed provider by the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association (NCFDA).

“We are honored to be selected as the endorsed preneed provider for funeral professionals in North Carolina,” said Homesteaders President, CEO and Board Chair Steve Shaffer. “This partnership reflects our shared vision of advancing the funeral profession and further underscores Homesteaders’ leadership as a strong, stable and secure funding partner for funeral providers and the families they serve. We look forward to working alongside NCFDA and its members to make a positive impact in communities across North Carolina.”

Through this endorsement of Homesteaders, NCFDA members gain a dedicated partner passionate about helping them deliver peace of mind and lasting value to the families they serve. This collaboration emphasizes the association’s commitment to providing top-quality resources and support for North Carolina funeral professionals.

Rhett Miller, funeral director, manager and preneed consultant with Alexander Funeral and Cremation Service in Taylorsville, N.C., has been a long-standing customer of Homesteaders. “What sets Homesteaders apart is that they truly care about us, as customers, and the families in our communities.” Miller is the current Vice President of the NCFDA and is set to be named President at the 2025 convention. “We are proud to partner with Homesteaders, and I am confident this collaboration will bring immense value to our members and the families they serve.”

Homesteaders Director-Business Development Brandon Full has worked with Miller and other funeral professionals in North Carolina for many years. “I’ve seen the NCFDA Board embrace a growth mindset and work hard to provide value-added programs, services and support to members across North Carolina. We are honored to work with the association, strengthening support for funeral homes and professionals throughout the state.”

Both Homesteaders and the association have a similar history of dedication to the funeral profession, each with more than a century of service. This endorsement highlights their shared commitment to the success of the funeral profession and the families served.

Homesteaders Life Company is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more.

South Carolina Gets Tough on Deathcare; Should Other States Follow Suit?

Unlike most other industries, deathcare doesn’t like the spotlight. Why? Because it seems the press hardly ever presents a friendly focus on all the good to be found within the profession. The bad apples who pop up in the headlines every few years are often so horrible that they spoil the whole bunch. Not only do these evildoers put the profession on the defensive and resurrect long-dead-and-buried Jessica Mitford-inspired consumer concerns; they also seem to put governments in the awkward, yet urgent, position of putting laws into place to prevent these events from happening again.

On July 3, 2024, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed House Bill 4116 into law, updating, changing, or introducing regulations throughout virtually every aspect of deathcare, from preneed to cremation to general funeral home operations. Although the South Carolina Board of Funeral Service graciously summarized 13 of the most impactful changes, they also noted that this was not an exhaustive list; House Bill 4116 packed quite an expansive punch.

Why now?

South Carolina isn’t the first state to address deathcare rules in 2024, with many following the lead of Colorado. Certainly, no one — deathcare pros and consumers alike —  could fault Colorado legislators for reinstating licensing requirements after the recent, tragic events at Return to Nature and Sunset Mesa. The state’s distinction as the only no-license-no-problem oasis for the funeral profession was called into question, scrutinized, and ultimately blamed for the atrocities that occurred there — especially when it was widely publicized that Return to Nature co-owner Jon Hallford was not a licensed funeral director. Colorado quickly responded to the criticism, ultimately and efficiently rolling out a new set of laws in May 2024.

But would a license have prevented Hallford and his wife/business partner from committing their horrific crimes? In reality, there’s little proven correlation to deathcare transgressions and state licensing requirements — or funeral-related laws in general. Many, many states with a slew of strict regulations have weathered their own share of scandals; unfortunately, for some people rules and laws are simply inconsequential in their decision-making processes.

However, as Funeral Director Daily’s Tom Anderson recently shared, the recent spate of unethical actions at home and abroad are certainly “leading government authorities almost everywhere to take a hard look at their rules and laws of conduct in the profession.”

A mix of impacts

The state of South Carolina seemed to have been ahead of the game, though, as they introduced the initial draft of House Bill 4116 back in March 2023, post-Sunset Mesa but well before news of Return to Nature hit the headlines. When first introduced, the proposed law included both consumer- and profession-friendly changes, such as barring convicted felons from selling preneed insurance and requiring that cremations be performed only by employees trained to perform them.

The final version of the bill, though, included many more provisions and requirements that amended the state’s Funeral Practice Act, Safe Cremation Act, and Consumer Affairs Preneed Funeral Contract regulations, including:

• Changed definition of “cremation” to include alkaline hydrolysis;
• Removed requirement to keep at least six adult caskets in an onsite room;
• Prohibited the issuance of an operating permit if a funeral home name includes the name of a person without a license;
• Prohibited unlicensed persons to work in a licensed business;
• Prohibited embalmers or directors to practice if they’ve been convicted of or pled guilty to a crime that impacts performance of deathcare duties;
• Updated continuing education hours from three to four per year, with one hour being an ethics course; 
• Increased fines for violating the Safe Cremation Act from $5,000 to $25,000;
• Increased penalties for violating preneed laws;
• Allowed managers to live up to 75 miles from a funeral home (up from 25 miles previously); and 
• Required crematory operators to register with the Board.

Changes like the addition of alkaline hydrolysis and elimination of managers’ residency requirements may open up opportunities for South Carolina’s deathcare professionals and will most likely be eagerly embraced. However, the majority of these provisions are preventive and/or punitive in nature, put in place to both head off problematic behavior within the profession and to reassure consumers that the folks who are caring for their loved ones are qualified and licensed. Regardless, it’s a lot for these professionals to digest all at once, especially as the law immediately went into effect the day it was signed.

The state of other states

Colorado and South Carolina aren’t the only states that have updated their deathcare laws or have proposed related legislation this year. Most lawmakers have cited the much-publicized events in Colorado as the impetus for their actions, while some are responding to issues uncovered in their own districts.

For example, Illinois’ Integrity in Death Care Act, which takes effect in January 2025, will require deathcare establishments to establish a chain of custody system to track a deceased person from death to final disposition. The law was prompted after a Carlinville, Illinois funeral home gave at least 80 families the wrong cremains in 2023. At the time, this was not a criminal act in the state; however, the new law makes this act a felony.

Likewise, a new law in Florida that gives the state more authority to investigate questionable funeral homes was prompted by the actions of a Jacksonville funeral director who is facing 20 criminal charges for abandoning bodies in his mortuary and stealing funds from families.

The aftermath

Given the public’s probable perception of deathcare today (thanks to the worst actors), it’s not likely that any state will relax their deathcare rules. If anything, the profession can probably expect more legislators to start scrutinizing their current laws and potentially put new or stricter restrictions in place.

For the most part, these new guidelines should ultimately safeguard the reputation of the profession as a whole and further protect consumers from people like the Hallfords of Return to Nature and Sunset Mesa’s Megan Hess. And while state associations and other deathcare organizations are sure to support the reasoning and motivation behind these moves, they’re also carefully calculating the impact to the profession as a whole. Deathcare workers can expect these entities to work on their behalf to discourage legislation that seriously hinders qualifying, training, or hiring staff; requires massive operational overhauls; or will result in significant expenses that could bankrupt some businesses.

Regardless of the industry, no measure can or will be 100% effective, as Chris Farmer, general counsel for the National Funeral Directors Association, recently shared. 

“Even in the most stringent states, somebody’s going to do something bad,” Farmer said. “You can’t prevent it.”