An article was authored by Seeking Alpha contributor Daniel Jones last week about the largest funeral home and cemetery operator in North America — Service Corporation International (SCI).  As our headline mentions, the title of the article, that you can access here, is “SCI:  A stock to take to the grave”.

Jones uses some information and images from SCI’s 1st Quarter presentation, which you can see here, in giving his analysis and opinion.

As with almost all of the articles from another source that give stock information and suggestions, we will quote some of the thoughts from the article but leave the personal opinions of Funeral Director Daily out of the equation.

Here are some of the quotes Jones uses in making his decisions on SCI:

• “Service Corporation International remains a ‘buy’ due to its industry leadership, stable growth, and strong long-term demographic tailwinds.”
• “The company’s asset clustering strategy and fragmented market offer significant acquisition and cost-saving opportunities for continued expansion.”
• Transition to insurance-funded pre-need contracts should improve margins and sales growth, with management guiding for stronger performance in 2026.”
• Since I (Seeking Alpha author Jones) last wrote about the company in January of this year, in an article in which I reaffirmed the business as a ‘buy’ candidate, the stock is up only 3.8% compared to the 4.3% rise that the S&P 500 has enjoyed. But since I originally rated it a ‘buy’ over nine years ago in April 2016, the stock is up an astounding 248.4%. That comfortably outpaces the 188% rise enjoyed by the S&P 500 over the same window of time. 

A couple of different graphics are shared in the report from the SCI 1st Quarter presentation.  Those graphics make these statements:

• “SCI has 1,985 total locations in North America as of March 31, 2025

• “SCI has a 17% market share in North America with other consolidators listed as 9% in total, and independents have a 74% market share.”

Disclaimer — The author of this article for Funeral Director Daily is a stockholder of Service Corporation International

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April 4, 2025

Losing a loved one is an emotional and challenging time, and navigating the funeral process can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s your first time making funeral arrangements or you’re unsure about certain aspects of the process, it’s natural to have many questions. Understanding the typical procedures and options available can help ease the burden during this difficult time. Here are some of the most frequently asked funeral questions and their answers to guide you through the process. 1. What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial service? A funeral typically involves a ceremony held with the body of the deceased present, either before or during burial or cremation. It often includes a viewing or wake, where family and friends can pay their respects. A memorial service , on the other hand, takes place after the body has been buried or cremated and does not involve the presence of the body. Memorial services may be held in various settings, such as homes, churches, or other venues, and can be personalized to reflect the life of the deceased. 2. What is embalming, and is it required? Embalming is a process that involves preserving the body to delay decomposition, usually for viewing purposes. It is not legally required in most places but may be necessary if the body is to be displayed at a public service or transported over long distances. In cases where there will be no viewing, embalming is typically not needed. However, certain states or countries may have regulations about embalming or the timing of burial. It’s important to check with the funeral home to determine what’s required in your area. 3. How much does a funeral cost? The cost of a funeral can vary greatly depending on factors like location, the type of service, and the funeral home you choose. There are options to help manage funeral expenses, such as cremation (which can be less expensive than burial), choosing a less elaborate service, or purchasing a funeral plan in advance. 4. What is cremation, and how does it differ from burial? Cremation involves the process of reducing the body to ashes. Many people choose cremation for its simplicity, lower cost, and flexibility in how the ashes can be kept, scattered, or interred. Some people opt for a cremation memorial service, where the ashes are present but there is no body. Burial , on the other hand, involves placing the body in a casket and then burying it in a cemetery. This option may include the purchase of a grave plot, headstone, and other related services. The choice between cremation and burial depends on personal, cultural, and religious preferences. 5. What are the steps in planning a funeral? Planning a funeral typically involves the following steps: Notify family and friends : Reach out to close family and friends and inform them of the passing. Choose a funeral home : Select a funeral home to help with arrangements, including embalming (if applicable), obtaining necessary permits, and coordinating transportation. Select the type of service : Decide on whether you want a funeral, memorial, or graveside service. You’ll also need to choose the location and any religious or cultural elements to incorporate. Choose a casket or urn : Select a casket for burial or an urn for cremation. There are many styles and price ranges to choose from. Plan the ceremony : Work with the funeral director to plan the service, including music, readings, eulogies, and floral arrangements. Arrange for transportation : The funeral home will coordinate the transportation of the body to the service and burial or cremation site. 6. Should I pre-plan a funeral? Pre-planning a funeral is a personal choice. Many people choose to pre-plan to relieve their loved ones of the burden of making arrangements during a time of grief. Pre-planning allows you to specify your wishes for the service, casket, burial, and other aspects of the funeral, ensuring your desires are respected. Additionally, pre-paying for a funeral can help protect your family from rising costs in the future. However, it’s important to carefully consider pre-planning options, as funeral costs can vary, and you’ll want to ensure that the plan is flexible and fully understood by the family members who will carry out your wishes. 7. What are the options for scattering ashes? If you choose cremation, there are many options for what to do with the ashes: Scattering : Many people choose to scatter the ashes in a location that had significance to the deceased, such as a favorite park, beach, or nature spot. Keepsake urns : Some families choose to keep a portion of the ashes in a special urn or piece of jewelry. Interment : Ashes can be interred in a family plot or at a cemetery, either in a niche or within a memorial garden. Other creative options : There are many creative options for commemorating the deceased, including turning ashes into diamonds or using them to create a memorial reef. 8. What is a death certificate, and why is it important? A death certificate is an official document issued by a governmental authority that confirms the death of a person. It is essential for handling legal and financial matters, such as settling the deceased’s estate, claiming life insurance, and closing accounts. The funeral home typically assists in obtaining several copies of the death certificate. 9. Can I personalize a funeral service? Absolutely! Many families choose to personalize the funeral service to reflect the deceased’s personality, passions, or hobbies. You can incorporate meaningful music, photos, special readings, or even display personal items that were important to the deceased. The funeral director can help guide you through creative options for personalization. 10. What should I do if I can’t attend the funeral? If you’re unable to attend the funeral in person, consider sending flowers, a sympathy card, or making a charitable donation in the deceased’s honor. If the family holds a memorial service, they may also offer the option to participate virtually, such as through a livestream. It’s always thoughtful to express your condolences in any way possible. Funeral planning can be complex, but understanding the answers to these frequently asked questions can help make the process easier to navigate. Whether you are arranging a funeral for a loved one or pre-planning your own, it’s important to take the time to make informed decisions. By doing so, you can create a meaningful, respectful ceremony that honors the life and memory of the deceased, while providing comfort to those who are grieving.

Prions: “Immortal Diseases” Enduring Beyond the Grave

Pathogens that stay viable in the environment for decades after the death of their host, opportunistically infecting whoever happens along, may sound like something out of a horror movie, but that’s exactly what prions do.

Capable of passing from the soil to people and animals for upwards of sixteen years and possibly much longer, prions are incredibly resistant to degradation specifically due to their shape. Other pathogens can hang on similarly after the death of their hosts, with lifespans extending months in certain bacterium of tuberculosis (virulent for nearly three months) and some rare viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Lassa) that can infect others for more than a week. But no virus or bacterium challenges the longevity of prions, which cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome in humans and Mad Cow and chronic wasting disease in cattle, sheep, elk and deer. There’s even a human version spread through cannibalism.

Misfolded proteins

Prion is the term for a treacherous protein with a structure completely different from what it ought to be. Proper proteins, you will recall, are honorable, essential building blocks of life: proteins are what  give us our heart muscle, our blood, our vital organs. Proteins have highly-specific three-dimensional profiles; it is this exactitude of a protein’s shape that gives it its identity. Angularity, precision of detail of form, engenders a protein’s particular powers.

Sounds almost innocuous, then, to speak of misfolding, a word more likely to inspire visions of laundry than reverent dread, but proteins gone wrong take on nefarious abilities. All prions were once common proteins of a type present in most humans and animal cells, but for a number of reasons (oxidative stress, genetic mutation), as they form may take disastrous turns, forming incorrectly. The protein’s structure gets shaped improperly, resulting in a prion instead of the protein that should have been. This prion then goes on to create more like itself, protected be the incorrect shape it has given itself.

The disease moves fast. It’s untreatable and always fatal.

Infection from the soil

Prions may bind to the soil and remain viable, infecting vegetation grown in soil where prion-diseased animals have decomposed; prions can pass through the vegetation to grazing animals, infecting them. Living infected animals meanwhile are moving through the world shedding prions through urine, feces, skin, antler velvet, and saliva.

Ingestion of prions through infected materials, tissues, or meat is one way of contracting the disease from the environment; sometimes livestock have received feed comprised in part of the remains of other infected animals, and contracted the disease this way. For humans — assuming cannibalism is not a factor — proper sanitation is key to avoiding infection where exposure is possible (including consuming meat from exposed livestock).

Destroying prions

There are, of course, many well-established precautions for those in the field of death care who must safely handle infectious remains, such as of those with prion diseases.

Those with the experience will be familiar with the various chemical processes that break down prions effectively, and that application of such methods isn’t practical at scale in the environment.

The safest disposition for infected remains is high-temperature cremation; temperatures above 900 degrees Fahrenheit sustained for several hours will destroy prions.

Back almost three years ago in July 2021, Funeral Director Daily brought you this story of how a renewable energy company, Verogy, had put a 7,000 panel solar energy farm inside a cemetery in Torrington, Connecticut.  In essence they took out a 20-year lease on the cemetery property with the energy they harness from the solar power being able to pay the lease payments to the cemetery.

That concept not only was able to bring power generation close to a community that could use it, but it was able to bring revenue to a cemetery that, more than likely, could use it too.  And, it used available space for the solar panels which could be removed following the lease terms, providing additional cemetery space if eventually needed for death care purposes.

Since that time, I think that technology and partnerships have continued to grow.  Here’s a recent (December 2023) article about the same company planning another 17 acre solar farm with the same cemetery group owned and operated by the Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Archdiocese of Hartford.  It’s interesting to note that that 17-acre field would provide the annual power for about 778 “average” homes.

The technology has only gotten better and you can read about municipalities using the open spaces off of airport runways for these types of installations also.  One should note that the closer the solar panels are to the end user of the solar power, the more efficient the situation is.  That fact makes it valuable for these solar farms to be housed in municipal areas and cemeteries are one of the prime areas where land is available in metropolitan areas.

Now, we have learned through this article from Electrek that a community in France is using “solar canopies” to not only collect energy but to also collect rainwater, another valuable use.  And, as you can see by the picture in the article, the canopies do not seem to affect the usage of the cemetery and its operations.  Since, I’m a Minnesotan and we are used to heavy snowfall, I do see potential issues in winter climates. . .although maybe the designers have a solution for that.

In any regard these situations are a development that anybody on the board of a municipal cemetery may want to keep in mind as they wrestle with the revenue issues that have plagued cemeteries during this time of unprecedented cremation choice.

Related — We pass on this archived 2020 press release from our friends at Funeral Director’s Life Company.  The article explains how Funeral Director’s Life, based in Abilene, Texas, switched to 100% solar energy for their corporate offices. . . powered by using a parking lot canopy solar system of 1,300 solar panels.  The press release contains a photo for you to see how this was done.

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