One Cemetery’s Wild Ride from $1 Million “Zillow Gone Wild” Listing to $1 Sale to Green Burial Organization

Talk about a real estate bargain! It’s not everyday that a seller accepts a buyer’s offer of one-millionth of the asking price, but that’s exactly what happened recently in Philadelphia when a judge approved the sale of a property — listed just last year for $1 million — for just one single buck.

Back in July 2024, Mount Vernon Cemetery—a neglected 26‑acre burial ground in North Philadelphia—was unexpectedly listed on Zillow for $1 million. The post instantly went viral for its eerie, overgrown appearance… and a not-so-subtle warning: the property had 33,000+ graves, ticks, poison ivy, spooky stuffed animals mysteriously showing up overnight, and even ghost hunters prowling around.

Filled with history

Mount Vernon Cemetery opened on February 28, 1856, as part of the then‑fashionable rural garden‑cemetery movement—intended as a lush, park‑like place to bury loved ones. It sits across Ridge Avenue from “competitor” Laurel Hill Cemetery, on land that once belonged to a Philadelphia merchant‑philanthropist Robert Ralston.

The property is filled with plots occupied by notable American families and Revolutionary War heroes and is dotted with distinctive architectural features. For example, the Cemetery’s original gatehouse and arched entry were designed in 1857–58 by architect John Notman, a big name in 19th‑century American cemetery design. Architectural historian Constance Greiff once called the structure “the setting for an Italian fairy tale.”

Mount Vernon’s features include: 

• Gardel Memorial Pyramid (1864): A towering 25‑ft sandstone and marble pyramid designed by Belgian sculptor Guillaume Geefs, honoring Julia Hawks Gardel. Complete with allegorical statues of continents and figures representing Hope, Faith, and America—it cost about $2 million in today’s dollars.
• Drew & Barrymore Family Plot: Generations of this famed acting dynasty—including Louisa Lane Drew, Maurice Barrymore, and John Barrymore—are interred here. Fans installed an “Alas poor Yorick” marker on John Barrymore’s grave in 1992.
• Re‑interred Historic Figures: In 1867, about 2,500 bodies—many Revolutionary War soldiers—from an Arch Street churchyard were moved here.
• Lots of Other Luminaries: There are beer barons, Medal of Honor winners from the Civil War, professional sports figures, and more.

Falling apart

By the late 20th century, Mount Vernon had fallen into neglect. No new plots were sold after 1968. In 1973, lawyer Joseph Dinsmore Murphy inherited the property—and let it sit derelict for decades. 

By 2021, it was an overgrown, vine-choked ruin—bronze doors looted, mausoleums flooded, bones floating in muck. The Philadelphia Community Development Coalition (PCDC) petitioned for conservatorship under blighted‑property laws, and a judge agreed. Volunteers, dubbed “Friends of Mount Vernon,” began clearing vines, mowing paths, revealing statues—and even hosted a Fall Festival on the property in November 2023.

Cemeteries Gone Wild

In July 2024, the PCDC listed the cemetery on Zillow for $1 million, a court‑ordered move. Only a few bidders showed interest—not surprising, given legal and preservation constraints. The listing even went viral, appearing on the popular “Zillow Gone Wild,” an Instagram account that showcases outrageous, unusual, and odd properties featured on the Zillow real estate platform.

The sudden attention led to public panic and fears that the site would be plowed down and become commercial property. Experts noted the site wasn’t suitable for development due to undocumented graves and a few purchased, but not yet occupied, plots.

“People were panicking … they got afraid they will move the bodies and it will become a Walmart. That will not happen,” volunteer Bradley Zimmerman said. “There are 33,000 people here and we don’t have accurate maps and records. You would have to do ground-penetrating radar over 26 acres to find everybody. There are infinitely cheaper and easier places. If you’re looking for the site of your next distribution center, Mount Vernon ain’t it.”

A green revival

Fast-forward to April 2025: a judge approved sale to New Jersey’s Steelmantown Cemetery Co., a green burial group, for just $1. Owner Ed Bixby plans to invest $400,000+ in repairs to the gatehouse and grounds and to create nature trails and walkable pathways over 18 months. The goal: create a welcoming green space and offer eco-friendly green burials.

The new owners and volunteers envision a “sustained ruin”: not a manicured lawn, but a respectful, walkable landscape with native plantings, paths, historical markers, art installations, and events.

They’ve already planned historic and art architecture tours, like the Gardel Monument spotlight tour held in Dec 2024, and community-friendly events: beer walks, film screenings (think Barrymore classics), and genealogy meet‑ups.

Steelmantown’s Bixby says it’s all about respecting the living who visit as well as the legacy of those buried there: “Cemeteries are designed for the living.”

Foundation Surpasses $1 Million in Academic Scholarships Awarded

Funeral Service Foundation Awards $95,000 in Academic Scholarships to 33 Students in spring 2025

Brookfield, Wisconsin – Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Funeral Service Foundation awarded 33 academic scholarships this spring totaling $95,000 to students across the United States and Canada. This milestone brings the Foundation’s total academic scholarship awards to more than $1 million since the program’s inception in 2002.

“Donating more than one million dollars to such an important cause—the future of the profession—is at the heart of the Foundation’s mission,” said John Heald, Chair of the Funeral Service Foundation. “Investing in funeral service students who will strengthen and shape the profession has been incredibly meaningful to the Foundation and its supporters.”

Since awarding its first academic scholarship, the Joseph E. Hagan Memorial Scholarship, in 2002, the Foundation has established additional scholarships in memory of Shipley Rose Buckner; Mark Hornibrook and Harry Pontone; Steve Mack; Louis and Josephine Pontone; Dennis Schoepp; Todd Van Beck; Jack Springer (with CANA); and Edward J. Fitzgerald (with APFSP); and in honor of John Carmon, Bob Horn, Steve Lang, and Funeral Directors Life.

Additionally, the Memorial Classic Scholarships are supported by proceeds from the annual Tom Johnson Memorial Classic golf tournament, while Foundation ’45 Scholarships honor the Foundation’s founding year, 1945. The Foundation also promotes the Brenda Renee Horn and Steve Mack Memorial Scholarships in partnership with the SCI National Scholarship Program.

This spring, the Foundation awarded 33 scholarships, which included 19 named scholarships honoring or memorializing funeral service professionals, 12 from the Foundation ’45 Fund, and two scholarships awarded to military veterans through the Journey to Serve initiative, in partnership with the ICCFA Educational Foundation.

The Foundation’s academic scholarship program runs in two annual cycles – spring and fall. The next application window is September 15 – April 1.

Academic Scholarship Spring Class of 2025:

Foundation ’45 Scholarship | $5,000

• Anna Bruess, Roseville, Minnesota (University of Minnesota – Program of Mortuary Science)  
• Cecilia Fajardo, Downey, California (Cypress College – Mortuary Science Department)  
• Christine Jesoraldo, Beverly, Massachusetts (North Shore Community College – Funeral Service Program)  
• Brashad Young, Edna, Texas (Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service)  

Dennis Schoepp Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Kyle Gooch, Havre, Montana (Arapahoe Community College – Mortuary Science Program)  

APFSP/Fitzgerald Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Ethan Yoder, Sioux City, Iowa (Des Moines Area Community College – Mortuary Science Program)  

Bob Horn Scholarship | $2,500

• Dave Dockweiler, Yorktown Heights, New York (American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service Education)

CANA/Jack Springer Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Christopher Bobo, Le Roy, New York (Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science)  

Foundation ’45 Scholarship | $2,500

• Alexandra Allen-Byam, Peterborough, New Hampshire (FINE Mortuary College – Funeral Service)  
• Stephany Garber Black, Delta, British Columbia Canada (Canadian College of Funeral Service)  
• Taryn Dallas, Corona, California (Cypress College – Mortuary Science Department)  
• Jelene Eliassen, Lynnwood, Washington (Lake Washington Institute of Technology – Funeral Service Education)  
• Aylissa Koskey, McKeesport, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science)  
• Marina Shafer, Bella Vista, Arkansas (Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service)  
• Erika Stark, Catonsville, Maryland (Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville – Mortuary Science Program)  
• Cora Tinker, Wethersfield, Connecticut (Goodwin University – Funeral Service Program)  

Funeral Directors Life Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Nora Derthick, Galloway, Ohio (Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science)  

John Carmon Scholarship | $2,500

• Linda Barajas, Kissimmee, Florida (Florida State College at Jacksonville – Funeral Service Program)  

Joseph E. Hagan Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Simone Fournier, North Providence, Rhode Island (Cape Cod Community College – Funeral Service Program)  

Louis & Josephine Pontone Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Francis Murphy, Salem, Massachusetts (North Shore Community College – Funeral Service Program)  

Memorial Classic Scholarship | $2,500

• Marvin Laurel, Decatur, Georgia (Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service)  
• Johanna Trenter, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada (Canadian College of Funeral Service)  
• Christie White, River Ridge, Louisiana (Delgado Community College – Funeral Service Education)  

NGL – Harry Pontone Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Jane Baden, Washington, District of Columbia (University of District of Columbia Community College – Mortuary Science Program)  
• Ly’Geria Mathis, Lithonia, Georgia (Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service)  

NGL – Mark Hornibrook Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Dustin Mangum, West Jordan, Utah (Arapahoe Community College – Mortuary Science Program)  
• Graham Myrfield, Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada (British Columbia Funeral Association and Funeral Service Association of BC)  

Shipley Rose Buckner Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Bryn Cleary, Savage, Minnesota (University of Minnesota – Program of Mortuary Science)  

Steve Lang Scholarship (Homesteaders) | $2,500.00

• Stanley Murray, Alexander, North Carolina (Fayetteville Technical Community College – Funeral Service Education)  

Steve Mack Memorial Scholarship | $2,500.00

• Brelan Holston, Conyers, Georgia (John A. Gupton College – Funeral Service Programs)  

Todd Van Beck Memorial Scholarship | $2,500.00

• Veronica Rapier, Chandler, Arizona (Chandler-Gilbert Community College – Mortuary Science Program)  

Academic Scholarship for Veterans: 

The Funeral Service Foundation, in partnership with the ICCFA Educational Foundation, offers academic scholarships to United States and Canadian military veterans, as part of the Journey to Serve initiative. Offered twice a year, scholarships range from $2,500-$5,000 and are available to military veterans who are 18 years of age or older at the time of application and who are currently enrolled (or accepted into) in an ABFSE-accredited funeral service program. Learn more about the Journey to Serve at www.JourneyToServe.com. 

Journey to Serve Scholarship | $5,000

• Roderick Ward, Jacksonville, North Carolina (Fayetteville Technical Community College – Funeral Service Education)

Hunter M. Harbeson Memorial Scholarship | $2,500

• Derek Shilling, Silver Lake, Indiana (Mid-America College of Funeral Service) 

In Their Words:
In their own words, scholarship recipients express what this support means to them as they prepare to serve their communities through funeral service.

“As a woman entering this field, I am especially inspired by the way that this scholarship uplifts and empowers women to pursue a career in funeral service. It recognizes the unique perspectives, resilience and empathy, that women bring to this profession. It also helps pave the way for us to grow as leaders, caregivers and advocates for the communities we serve.”

• Bryn Cleary, Shipley Rose Buckner Scholar

“After spending over a decade serving my community as a deputy and later as a sergeant, I’ve seen firsthand the emotional toll that death takes on families. That experience sparked something in me. I realized I wanted to continue helping people, but in a different way, by guiding them through grief and loss with compassion and care. Funeral service allows me to do just that. It’s a calling I feel strongly about, and one that gives me purpose.

Balancing this new path hasn’t been easy. I’m a full-time public servant, a husband and father of two children. Between work, family, life and school, there are lots of demands on my time and energy. This scholarship helps relieve some of the financial pressure and in doing so, gives me pace to stay focused on my studies and training. It’s a gift not just to me, but to my whole family.”

• Stanley Murray, Steve Lang Scholar

“I have a strong passion for restorative arts, and I believe in the deep healing that comes from helping families see their loved ones at peace. This scholarship allows me to further develop these skills with focus and dedication, so I can serve each family with compassion, care, and professionalism.”

• Christie White, Memorial Classic Scholar

“Funeral service is more than a career to me; it is a calling. I am deeply committed to serving families with compassion, dignity and respect during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. With the support of the Funeral Service Foundation, I feel even more empowered to pursue this meaningful work and uphold the values that define this remarkable profession.”

• Brashad Young, Foundation ’45 Scholar

“Choosing to pursue a career in funeral service is not something I take lightly. It is a vocation built on compassion, reverence and the quiet strength to serve individuals and families through moments of profound grief. Your support allows me to continue my education with more focus, intention and passion. It gives me the space to truly grow into the kind of professional I aspire to be, one who is informed, ethical and deeply human in their work.”

• Alexandra Byam, Foundation ’45 Scholar

“As a retiring Hospital Corpsman and a student at Fayetteville Technical Community College, I am committed to serving families during their time of greatest need with compassion, professionalism and dignity. Your support is more than just financial assistance, it is an affirmation of the path I have chosen. It encourages me to continue carrying the values of honor, service and dedication from my military experience into my career in funeral service. “

• Roderick Ward, Journey to Serve Scholar

FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR OPENING SOON:

• CANA 107^th Cremation Innovation Convention: Applications close May 29, 2025. Visit https://fsfapply.smapply.org/prog/cana_convention_scholarships.

• 2025 NFDA International Convention & Exposition: Applications will open June 2, 2025, and close July 24, 2025. Visit https://www.funeralservicefoundation.org/scholarship-opportunities/nfda-international-convention-expo-scholarships/.

ABOUT THE FUNERAL SERVICE FOUNDATION – FuneralServiceFoundation.org
Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the philanthropic voice of the funeral profession and has identified as the charitable arm of the National Funeral Directors Association since 1997. Donors and volunteer leaders profession-wide support the Foundation in its mission of lifting up grieving communities by investing in people and programs that strengthen funeral service.

It’s not your father’s Death Care world anymore.  Because if you are currently involved in the Death Care business it seems like everyday something new happens that we haven’t thought about before. . . .  and hadn’t happened in the past.

Recently this story broke about what happened on South Korea’s Jeju Island.  Jeju Island, as you can see here, is a small island off of the southern tip of South Korea.

It turns out that Jeju Island, which South Korea operates as a visa-waivered location to bolster tourism, recently was the site of a temple being broken into by tourists and selected cremated remains from a columbarium in the temple were stolen.  Some time later families of the deceased remains were notified of a ransom by the alleged thieves.  The ransom demanded $2 million in order to have the remains returned.

According to the above article “following a three-day search involving around 40 officers, police located and returned the urns to the families, Jeju police confirmed.”

Again according to the article, surveillance cameras in the temple captured the theft.  It is suggested that the thieves have been able to get off the island without being captured and South Korean authorities have asked Interpol for their help in apprehending the suspects.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Every day that I continue to look for articles on the world of Death Care it just seems to get stranger.  There’s plenty of articles about the theft of bronze flower vases from cemeteries and even some articles about watches and jewelry being stolen from casketed bodies at visitations.

It’s just a world that I’ve never thought about.  However, it reminds all of us that as funeral home owners/operators and as cemetery owner/operators we more than likely have some duty of care to do what we can do to limit loss of another’s property via theft..

It’s something that we should not have to think about, but in today’s world we do. . . . and, that’s a sad commentary to go into a weekend with.

More news from the world of Death Care:

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

Yesterday Funeral Director Daily reported on the 4th Quarter and Year-End press release of Service Corporation International.  And, last week SCI also had it’s quarterly discussion with financial company personnel in which we peruse the transcript for more detailed information.

As has been our practice of late with this type of information we will link the transcript of the Earnings Call courtesy of Seeking Alpha as well as a new concise report by Seeking Alpha called “Earnings Call Insights”.  In addition, Funeral Director Daily will post some quotations from the Earnings Call below.

CFO Eric Tanzberger on “Growth Spending”:  “We also invested about $19 million of growth capital in the quarter towards the purchase of real estate, construction of new funeral homes and the expansion of existing funeral homes and cemeteries. For the full year, this brought the total growth capital spend to just over $100 million, which was up about $9 million from 2023 as we identified meaningful opportunities to invest in greenfield cemetery and funeral projects.

Let’s talk a little bit about acquisitions. So we invested $19 million into business acquisitions in the fourth quarter. In total, we finished the full year with an impressive $181 million of acquisition spend.”

CEO Thomas Ryan on “4th Quarter Comparable Revenue and Services”:  “Comparable core funeral revenues decreased by $9 million or about 2%, primarily due to a 4.4% decrease in core funeral services performed, which was somewhat offset by a healthy 2.7% growth in the core average revenue per service.”

“Comparable cemetery revenue increased by $20 million or about 4%. Core revenue was primarily responsible for the increase, as it grew by $21 million over the prior year quarter.”

Tom Ryan
SCI CEO

CEO Thomas Ryan on the prospects for 2025:  “Within our funeral segment, we expect flat to slightly down funeral volume compared to 2024, with the average revenue per case growing at inflationary rates, slightly negated by the effect of a modest cremation mix increase.”

“We do expect to see higher general agency revenue generated from the favorable impact of our new insurance agreement, which should drive healthy profit growth for the funeral segment, increasing the gross margin percentage by 80 to 120 basis points.

We expect preneed funeral production to be slightly lower in 2025 as we continue the transition of SCI Direct and as we focus on increasing the underwritten insurance product sales in our core channel.”

“For the cemetery segment, we anticipate that we can grow preneed cemetery sales production in the low to mid-single-digit percentage range, resulting in cemetery revenue growth of about 2% to 3%.”

“Continued focus on managing inflationary costs should result in reasonable segment profit dollar growth while maintaining our impressive gross margin percentages as compared to 2024. Below the line, we expect favorable impacts from slightly lower interest expense . . . . “

CEO Thomas Ryan in answer to a question on the lingering “Pull-Forward” death rate effects of the pandemic:  “I think there’s still some hangover pull-through because there’ll be — it’s just a diminishing amount. And I think the other factors take over market share, preneed demographics that those things will offset what little impact COVID will continue to have.”

CEO Eric Tanzberger on a question about “Acquisitions”:  “I would say the pipeline continues to be robust. And if you remember, we’ve been saying that really kind of coming out of COVID. But these deals ebb and flow.

You have to make sure that it’s a win-win situation with the independent family and organization that is ready and wants to raise their hand for a liquidity event. Sometimes you have a start and stop in those situations. Sometimes it takes a lot longer. These are sometimes second, third, fourth-generation families that need to align accordingly, and all want to create the liquidity event.

So the pipeline has been strong. And — but in terms of closing the deals, it’s going to ebb and flow based on that. But just as strong as I said last year that end up coming to fruition in terms of the timing of closing, I still am just as excited this year with the strength of the pipeline.

So we’re going to give you an initial guidance of (spending) 75 to 125 (million dollars). If it ebbs and flows in the right direction based on the strength of the pipeline, I hope we could exceed that again this year like we did last year.

But again, a little bit of this is we want a win-win situation. We’re not in a situation where we are going to force people to sell. We want to — that family and that organization to be very excited about joining us and have all their ducks in a row and ready.”

CEO Thomas Ryan in answer to a question on “Lower Service Case volumes”:  “January, on the funeral volume side is down just about 3%, which wasn’t very far off our expectation. . . . . .

. . . . I think it’s a little of a pull forward. And like I said, it’s not — I guess, it’s not technically the pull forward when I say we saw extended periods of excess deaths that had occurred maybe longer than other people anticipated. And you couldn’t explain why, right? You just had — you knew these categories of deaths are down, there could be cancer screenings, it could be overdose, all these different things, mental health issues.

And now I think categorically, all the data that we’re looking at is saying that the country is kind of healing, which is a good thing. And so maybe normalizing back. And that’s the piece that’s probably moved us a little bit is to say, hey, in a good way, those things are normalizing again.

And now the factors that we would anticipate to contribute to our growth, which would be our strong preneed backlog, our competitive position in the markets to grow market share. And then just the general aging of America, that those three things will begin to be the more dominant talking point as we go forward, and we’ll see less and less COVID impact, less and less excess deaths conversation.

So that’s kind of where we are. And again, we feel pretty good about where we are. We think it could be slightly down, it could be flat. I mean, it may surprise us to be up slightly, but it’s pretty hard to predict right now. And we haven’t seen a real impact from the flu season yet. We hear a lot about the flu, but really hadn’t seen it, I’d say, in our numbers.”

• To read the entire Earnings Call Transcript from Seeking Alpha click here.
• To read a summary of the Earnings Call Transcript from Seeking Alpha click here

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

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

Funeral Safe announced last week that they had received almost $US 9 million in additional funding to expand their funeral-based consumer finance company.  In business since 2016, the latest round of capital investment by Black Lion Ventures will give Black Lion Ventures a controlling interest in the company.

Funeral Safe is a United Kingdom-based consumer-facing finance company designed to help consumers with death care payments.  According to a recent article in the British publication Funeral Service Times the company is described as “A consumer credit provider that specialises in tailored funeral finance, which allows individuals to spread the cost with monthly payments.  Funeral Safe works with more than 2,000 funeral homes and legal firms nationwide”. 

The article in Funeral Services Times is behind a pay wall, but Funeral Director Daily found this short article that explains more on the transaction.

Here’s what Robin Hyde-Chambers, founder and CEO of Funeral Safe said in the Funeral Service Times article, “This significant funding marks a major milestone in our journey, enabling us to accelerate our growth and innovation in the UK market. This investment underscores the confidence our investors have in our vision, our team, and the future of the firm.”

Service needed as United Kingdom faces growing “funeral poverty” —   According to this The Guardian article from earlier in 2024, Great Britain faces a growing trend that they refer to as “funeral poverty”.  The article states that a recent survey indicates that “. . . a growing number of grieving families are having to sell belongings, raid their savings or borrow from friends to cover the cost of a loved one’s funeral”.

The article from The Guardian also states that “One in five families experience “notable financial concerns” when paying for a funeral” and that “There has also been an increase in the number of “public health funerals”, formerly known as pauper’s funerals, which are arranged by the local council for someone who has died without relatives, and with no way of paying”.

Finally, it is surmised that this issue of cost is one of the leading reasons that “Direct Cremations with No Services” has grown to a 20% market share of dispositions in the United Kingdom.

Topic Related Articles:

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Nothing real surprising here.  Obviously Funeral Safe must be showing progess on its business plan to instill continuing confidence on the part of its equity partner.  And, in my opinion, the idea of the equity partner now becoming the lead partner shows a likelihood of continuing confidence in the Death Care sector by private equity.

More news from the world of Death Care:

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

Just the other day Funeral Director Daily received our monthly report on website activity from Monster Insights which aggregates information from Google.  I am extremely happy to report FDD pageviews for the month of September 2024 reached 21,063.

On an annual run-rate that would equate to a total of over 250,000 page views. . . . 252,756 to be exact.  That’s over a quarter- million of our articles being read by interested parties in the course of a year.  Starting a blog with 4 readers a few years ago, that number of monthly pageviews would at that time, have been thought by me to be unreachable.

So simply, Thanks!!! for reading.  I’m glad I’m providing content that those in the greater Death Care space deem important. . . .and especially Thanks!! to our sponsors who help in providing that information free of charge to our readers.

Thanks again. . . I’m humbled that I’ve been so highly accepted by my funeral director peers —  it’s an honor and privilige to know that some of the things I write may help you in moving your funeral home to better profitability — that’s one of my goals. . . . . . .Here’s a few unsolicited comments that FDD has received over the recent weeks”

“. . .smart, timely and relevant content for the funeral home that wants to stay ahead of the curve”.

• Rolf Gutknecht, LA Ads Marketing

 

“Enjoy the insights, love that it is informative without bias.”

• Danny Jefferson, Funeral Director, Two Guys and a Question podcast

 

“. . keep up the great work.  Read Funeral Director Daily every day — I  think it is a great source of news and analysis for the industry.”

• Chris Trainor, CEO Batesville

 

“. . .Thank you for your daily funeral information updates.  I share them with our staff who also find them thought provoking.”

• Henry Epstein, Hodroff-Epstein Memorial Chapels

 

“Thank you for your commitment to creating such an informative funeral news website.  We love FDD and consider it a valuable resource for the entire funeral service community.”

 

“. . .we appreciate the opportunity to sponsor Funeral Director Daily.  Love your take on business and the profession.”

• Jamie Meredith, Executive Vice-President, C&J Financial

 

“Strong values and a reasoned balanced voice aren’t as common as they once were.  Your work is greatly appreciated, Tom.”

• David Lutterman, CEO, OneRoom

 

“Congratualtions on being featured on the Podcasket.  Listening to a portion of your life story was great, and I sure learned more about you and how you think about things.”

• Carlos Quezada, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Carriage Services

 

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

Coffin Cheese & Million Dollar Metals | 4M #159

Welcome to the hundred-and-fifty-ninth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #159, 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!

Rocket’s man

An attempted DIY pet cremation is thought to have sparked a huge wildfire that spread for 11 square miles and caused $200k in damages. The partially burned remains of a dog were found along with a rock etched with the words “Rocket Dog, Rest in Peace Buddy.” Rocket’s owner has been arrested and is charged with arson and trespassing.

Jute genius

A UK inventor has patented a pretty cool lightweight, prefabricated coffin that packs flat until it’s ready to be assembled — a process that takes only two minutes. According to the manufacturer, Oasis Coffins, these jute-over-bamboo coffins became available in the U.S. in September.

Let this cheese stand alone

Back in 2003, archaeologists opened a 3600-year-old coffin they had excavated from a cemetery in China, finding within the mummified corpse of a young woman. Laid across her neck was a string of something that looked like decorative rock-like jewelry. It took 21 years, but scientists have finally identified the substance on the necklace — and it’s cheese. Specifically, kefir cheese. And now it’s officially the world’s oldest cheese.

Millions in metals

It’s a simple fact: there is money to be made in cremation metals recycling. It was reported last week that Japanese cities collected $45 million by recycling metals last year. And that’s not even every city; that total amount was earned by less than half (48%) of the country’s 88 major cities. It seems that allocation of the proceeds is up to the cities rather than at the federal level, as the report stated that “some cities sell these collected materials to pay for public cremations.” Way to recycle, reuse, and pay it forward!

One year ago on October 4 …

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since we learned of the atrocious conditions at the Return to Nature green burial facility in Penrose, Colorado. For families of those whose remains were discovered inside that building last October, this past year has been excruciating and unforgettable, as some are still waiting for positive identification of their loved ones. However, some elements of this story do seem to be nearing closure, as Return to Nature owners Jon and Carie Hallford are expected to appear in court later this month to address plea deals that would keep them in jail on both state and federal charges. 

The California attorney general filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the Neptune Society, alleging $100 million was “swindled” from customers who prepaid for cremations.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and three Bay Area prosecutors claim that the Neptune Society and its subsidiary Trident Society broke state laws by failing to hold more than $100 million in a fully refundable trust for customers who signed up for prepaid cremation services.

The lawsuit alleges that the Neptune Society should have kept the money in reserve for  prepaid cremation customers.

“As a result, many of the company’s customers failed to get full refunds if they canceled their contracts, and thousands of other prepaid customers could also lose their money if they cancel,” said a recent story in the Los Angeles Times.

The story reported that the well-known company also falsely claimed to use its own crematoriums when in fact it contracted with others and illegally accelerated payments when customers died, among other misleading business practices.

The company is “swindling customers who were simply trying to look out for their families and prepare for one of life’s most difficult moments,” the attorney general said in a statement.

Beth Dombrowa, a spokeswoman for Neptune and its parent company, Texas-based Service Corp. International, said she could not immediately comment, the L.A. Times reported.

The lawsuit claims that “the Service Corporation International subsidiaries deceive purchasers of a standard package of cremation and merchandise, typically costing $2,500, by leading them to believe that all of their money is refundable.”

The suit alleges Neptune steered 99% of customers to its Standard Neptune Plan, which included both cremation services and related funeral services “products” but then illegally kept about half the money because it was earmarked for products

Neptune thus deceived consumers who thought all their money was protected, as required by California law, the lawsuit claims.

“Consumers should expect the money paid toward future funeral needs will be fully protected and available to pay for the necessary services when the need ultimately arises so family and loved ones are not further burdened,” Marin County Dist. Atty. Lori Frugoli said in a statement, the L.A. Times reported.

Service Corp. International and its subsidiaries are North America’s largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, including in the Metro Vancouver area.

The lawsuit noted that nearly two-thirds of people in California choose to be cremated, with many choosing to prepay for those services through companies such as Neptune.

The suit seeks civil fines and court orders requiring Neptune and Trident to put the full amount of money collected in the past into trusts and to stop the allegedly deceptive practices.

Neptune Society was established in 1973 in Florida and was purchased by SCI in 2011. It is known as Trident Society in six California locations.

At Sept. 30, of this year, Service Corp. International says it owns and operates 1,477 funeral service locations and 483 cemeteries in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico. It markets its services under the “Dignity” brand.

SCI was founded in 1962 by Robert L. Waltrip, a licensed funeral director who grew up in his family’s funeral business; he still serves as chairman of  SCI’s board of directors.

Both SCI and Neptune Society have faced numerous lawsuits in the past.

In 1988, Neptune Society reached a $32-million settlement involving 5,000 plaintiffs who claimed the cremated remains of their deceased relatives were “unceremoniously dumped” in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

In 2014, SCI and its Eden Memorial Park cemetery in California reached an $80.5 million out-of-court settlement with families who claimed the cemetery disturbed the remains of loved ones to fit more deceased in graves.

SCI also reached a $100-million settlement in 2003 involving a class-action filed by families who claimed the remains of their loved ones had been desecrated at two Menorah Gardens cemeteries in Florida.