Stolen Cars & Cremation Cops | 4M #215

Welcome to the two-hundred-and-fifteenth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #215, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!

More of All There Is

If you haven’t yet discovered Anderson Cooper’s podcast, “All There Is,” now is a great time to tune in. The podcast — in which Cooper and his guest explore grief and loss — has recently expanded into a year-round production. Plus, a brand new “All There Is Live” version launched on October 30, offering a live view of the podcast discussions. Just in the past few weeks, Cooper has hosted country music icons Kenny Chesney and Luke Bryan and filmmaker Ken Burns — but he’s also welcoming listeners to share their stories on social media or as his guests on the podcast. It’s just another reminder that although grief takes a million different forms, it’s something we all experience.

Funeral Homes Across America Trust Treasured Memories

From caskets to credit card processing, from outreach to memorial keepsakes — Treasured Memories brings together the industry’s leading providers under one roof. If you’re already using two or more (and chances are you are), you’re leaving rewards on the table.

Trusted by hundreds of funeral homes nationwide, Treasured Memories has become the go-to rewards network for owners looking to make their operations more profitable. Every month, members receive detailed point statements, so you know exactly what you’ve earned and how to use it.

Whether you reinvest in supplies, redeem for cash value, or let your points build, the choice is yours. Don’t miss out on benefits your peers are already taking advantage of.

A Connecticut director in criminal court

A former Connecticut funeral director is facing nearly 100 charges of fraud, including larceny and intent to defraud, related to allegations that he stole funds from preneed customers of his four funeral homes. Three separate law enforcement entities have issued these charges against Philip Pietras, alleging that rather than place the preneed funds in trust, he spent the money on gambling and trips. 

AMA — except maybe that

Reddit is an incredibly popular forum, and for good reason. There’s a subreddit community for virtually any and every topic, you can ask pretty much any question, and anyone can respond to any post with your honest opinion or helpful advice. Thanks to diligent community moderators and posted rules, most of the posts within each subreddit are appropriate and make sense. Sometimes, though, there are inquiries that seem a little odd — especially if you just look at the titles, like these we found on the “ask a funeral director” subreddit:

• [Does] the US also suffer from funeral mafia?
• Suspiciously horrible smell from recently recovered stolen car
• Why does the standard death notice designed by the funeral home offer no information about how the person died?
• I showered with my cremation chain
• Weird question – how big is your parking lot?
• Hypothetically, would a deceased person’s hair fall out if you were to brush it?

Luckily, the thoughtful funeral directors who participate in this particular forum almost always respond with kindness and tact — but it’s still a fascinating read!

Watching the detectives

The Houston, Texas police department has taken possession of 57 sets of unclaimed cremated remains that were recovered earlier this year from the now-shuttered Richardson Mortuary. They’ve issued a statewide 30-day public notice hoping that family members will come forward to claim the remains of their loved ones, as 22 families have already done after being contacted by HPD detectives. Any remains still unclaimed after the 30 days will be handed over to Harris County Bereavement Services for interment. If only every funeral home with unclaimed remains had detectives helping to reunite them with families… We can only hope their efforts are successful.