Michael Jewart Appointed as Leader of Starmark®, North America’s Leading Cremation Solutions Provider.

RICHMOND, IN, August 15, 2025 – Starmark is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Jewart to lead Starmark. With more than a decade of helping funeral professionals succeed, Michael expands Starmark’s mission to deliver innovative, cost-effective, and operationally seamless cremation solutions that empower funeral providers to serve families with excellence and profitability.

Starmark currently serves North America through its factory-direct approach and white-glove Starmark Local Service Centers. Over the next 24 months, the Starmark Local expansion will cover more than 50 territories across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. 

“By being closer to more funeral professionals across all of North America, Starmark can best respond to their needs in real time and ensure those who serve families have the resources, products, and support to deliver exceptional service,” added Jewart. “We’re offering funeral professionals the best cremation solutions along with the Starmark Promise: Guaranteed Best Pricing Apples to Apples Every Time.” 

As part of his role at Starmark, Michael will serve as Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing the entire portfolio of funeral brands — from Goliath™ Oversize and Elderlite® Cloth-Covered to CJ Boots Signature Hardwoods, Chateau Urns, Nature’s Way® Green Funeral Line, AMA Containers, Artisan Containers™, and many other partnered brands, all unified by a common mission: helping funeral professionals succeed in a rapidly evolving marketplace. 

Family-owned and rooted in funeral service for over a century, Starmark and its parent company’s team of more than 300 dedicated members serve thousands of funeral professionals and collaborate with hundreds of world-class brands, including many Fortune 500 companies and OEM automotive manufacturers worldwide. Supported by over 950,000 square feet of operations across North America and more than 80 issued and pending patents, Starmark is leading the future of Funeral Service with a mission to make the world a better place.

“I’ve known Michael for over a decade, and his experience and vision are exactly what Starmark needs to further solidify its leadership in cremation solutions while remaining steadfast in our commitment to helping funeral homes thrive,” said Justin Davis, Starmark President. “Our goal has never been to be just another casket company offering cremation products. By truly listening to funeral professionals and the families they serve, Starmark has helped lead funeral service into a new era with innovative and meaningful solutions for cremation.” 

About Starmark: Starmark Cremation Products creates Sensible Solutions™ for funeral professionals to help families honor life’s most meaningful moments with grace and respect. It is all about celebrating the lives of loved ones with dignity and care. This belief inspires everything we do at Starmark, allowing funeral service professionals and families to focus on love, legacy, and healing.

For more information, visit: www.starmarkcp.com 

Michael D. Williford passed away January 13, 2025, following complications from ALS. He was 74 years old. As he did throughout his life, Michael continued to share his love of music with all who would listen and offering unwavering support to his friends and family until the very end, leaving behind a legacy of harmony and hope.    Michael was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on September 19, 1950. He was a graduate of Woodlawn High School in Shreveport and later attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana, where he earned a B.A. and M.A. in Music Education, and The University of Iowa, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts. Michael believed that all talents are God given.  He served as pianist at Sunset Acres Baptist Church (now Springs of Grace) in Shreveport and was the accompanist for his youth choir for four years in his teens.  He also served as the pianist for the First Baptist Church of Westernport, Maryland for three years. Michael’s music teaching career began at Potomac State College of West Virginia University, and continued at Cornell College of Iowa, Centenary College of Louisiana, The University of Minnesota-Duluth, and one year at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport. He was a clarinetist in the Northwestern-Natchitoches Symphony, a clarinetist with The NSU Wind Ensemble, The University of Iowa Symphony and was the Second clarinetist and bass clarinetist with The Shreveport Symphony, The Longview Texas Symphony, The Duluth-Superior Symphony, and The Irving-Garland Texas Symphony.  In 1995 Michael decided to change his career and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas at Arlington. He had a highly successful career as an ICU RN, specializing in post-operative cardio thoracic surgery care for 24 years. He served as a staff nurse and a charge nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and at Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake in Dallas. Michael received notable recognition in 2003 as the Dallas County Nurse of the Year.   Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur F. Williford and Margie Pruett Williford, his paternal grandparents Norman D. And Osie R. Williford, his maternal grandparents S.H. and Euna Pruett, Uncle Donald Williford, Uncle Gerald Q. Pruett, Aunt Mattie Pruett, Step Aunt Vicky Pruett, and Aunt Barbara Pruett. He is survived by his Uncle Johnie James Pruett, first cousins Dr. Stephen Pruett, Annette Youngblood, Melody Strother, Stacy Shannon, second cousins Dr. Brandon Scott Pruett and his wife Dena, Stephanie Pruett and her husband Matthew Eubanks, and third cousins Henry and James Pruett.   Michael is also survived by Mr. Bruce G. Wiggs, his best friend and partner for over 14 years, sharing their care during illnesses or post-op surgeries, experiencing great cooking, attending Dallas Symphony Concerts and enjoying drama-filled sports such as college football, basketball, Dallas Cowboys games, and especially the four Grand Slam pro tennis tournaments. Bruce demonstrated his love and affection by being by Michael’s side as his caregiver until the end of his battle with ALS.   Michael wanted to express his gratitude for the beautiful friendships he was honored to have in his life, including Bruce’s Colorado family: his sister, Lesleigh Monahan, her husband Tim Monahan, their daughter Alison Monahan, and his brothers Jeff and Paul Wiggs, as well as an enduring friendship with Dana and Ginny Westlund of Wilbraham, Massachusetts.   Graveside services for Michael will be held on (date) at (time) at Centuries Memorial Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dr. Brandon Scott Pruett will lead the service.    Michael and his family would like to thank the staff from the Freedom Hospice and Palliative Care in the Skilled Nursing Unit at the Ventana by Buckner Retirement Community in Dallas, Texas, for their kind attention and care. Michael wished for any contributions in his memory to be made to the ALS Association (als.org/donate) or the church or charity of your choosing. Services for Michael will be on March 23, 2025 @ 2:00 pm at Centuries Memorial Cemetery in Shreveport.

Haltom City, TX- Michael F. Lewandowski (Mike) passed away on December 2, 2024. He was born on September 29, 1945 in Chicago, IL. Michael is survived by his brothers and sister, Leonard (Diane), John, and Susan (Tom) Mulchrone and his nephews and niece, Patrick (Elena) and Michael Mulchrone, Eric and Amy (Matt) Holley. He will be greatly missed by many other relatives and close friends. Michael was a retired retail manager and lived in Texas for 27 years. He was a lover of all sports especially football and the Chicago Bears. He was a food lover and enjoyed Prime Rib, ribs, and pancakes. He also enjoyed going to the casino, detailing cars, and gladly helped out his family and friends with any projects. A Celebration of Michael’s Life will be held in Orlando, FL at a later date and live streaming of this service will be available for out of town family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association.

Michael Scott Funeral? | FFFW 179

DISCLAIMER: None of the F’s in FFFW stand for “facts.” Enjoy the satire.

Y’all! IDK about you but I’m feeling so good rn. The weather is perfect, Kirk Cousins just signed a great deal, and I just tried Taco Bell’s “Double Berry Freeze.”

If you’re not feeling great then that’s okay too (but I would recommend the Double Berry Freeze). We’re here to share some GIFs, goats, and goodness.

“Wait, goats?” ~ you (probably)

That’s right. We’ve put three goats in this week’s FFFW just for you.

Let’s go!

3 Reasons Livestreaming Funerals on Facebook is Problematic

1) Aunt Nancy is going to use the “mad” instead of the “care” emoji and this will lead people to believe there’s some family drama going on.

2) “Go Rest High On That Mountain” gets your page flagged. Then when people rewatch the services there’s just silence for giant chunks at a time.

3) It legally* gives Mark Zuckerberg the rights to your families’ souls and eternal destinations.

FORTUNATELY THERE’S ANOTHER WAY
MemoryShare allows you to stream and keep your services inside of your obits.

Also, Facebook Live videos don’t appear in Google Search. This means going live on Facebook does not help you reach more people organically. MemoryShare improves SEO and increases leads and traffic to your website.

See how they helped Stevens Funeral Home increase monthly call volume.

*this point is actually misinformation

Learn more about what they do here!

What Each Character of “The Office” Would Choose for Their Funeral?

Pam Beasley
Artistic Celebration: Pam would want her funeral to be a celebration of life, filled with color and art. Her request would be for everyone to paint or draw something that reminds them of her, creating a vibrant, communal art piece. Traditional burial.

Stanley
Direct cremation.

Jim Halpert
Fun Goodbye: Jim’s funeral would be light-hearted and filled with inside jokes, designed to make everyone laugh rather than cry. He’d probably have pre-recorded messages popping up at unexpected moments during the service, each one revealing a never-before-seen heartfelt message to his loved ones.

Creed Bratton
No funeral. No obit. Unmarked grave.

Dwight Schrute
Traditional Schrute Funeral: True to his roots, Dwight would opt for a traditional Schrute funeral on the family farm. This would involve an elaborate Pennsylvania Dutch ceremony, complete with a horse-drawn carriage, a gravesite in the beet fields, and possibly a bizarre, ancient Schrute ritual to honor his warrior spirit.

Michael Scott
Grand Farewell: Michael would undoubtedly want a grand, over-the-top funeral service, complete with a video montage of his best moments (both real and imagined). There’d be a mandatory viewing of “Threat Level Midnight” for all attendees, and he’d request a heartfelt, improvised eulogy from each of his employees, believing himself to be the “World’s Best Boss” even in memoriam.

Trivia

Get it right and you’ll see a goat. Get it wrong and you’ll get a pie in the face.

Which city hosted the first NFDA?

A) Syracuse, NY
B) Rochester, NY
C) Allentown, PA

Here’s another goat.

You Otter Be Proud

Here are some good things going on in the profession.

1. Nick Gerhart Appointed Homesteaders COO
2. Funeral director says preplanning helps families at a time of loss
3. Rockland County moves to improve, restore several abandoned cemeteries