Lacy Robinson Opens Doors to Hospice Partnerships

Robinson presents at CANA’s Symposium in Las Vegas this February 25-27, 2026 

WHEELING, IL— Approximately 50% of all deaths in the United States involve hospice care. With a rapidly aging population, both hospice and death care will see greater demand for services in the coming decades. More than ever, building professional relationships with hospice care teams is important to keep your company top-of-mind. That’s why Lacy Robinson brings Advanced Hospice Partnership Strategies to the Cremation Association of North America’s 2026 Cremation Symposium. Learn to transform casual hospice relationships into strategic partnerships—and generate measurable results. Register to attend this February 25-27 in Las Vegas. 

Professional partnerships between hospice and death care create a continuity of care that spans a family’s end-of-life experience with their loved one. Hospice clinicians and volunteers support patients and families in their final moments together, transitioning care to you and your staff, who take that loved one and family into your care for a memorable goodbye. Working together, hospice and death care can serve those at need with both competence and heart. 

“This synergy between funeral service and hospice care is exactly why I’m excited to present at the CANA Symposium in February,” enthused Lacy. “My session will focus on how funeral and cremation providers can partner more effectively with hospice organizations—not just through volunteering, but through building collaborative relationships that benefit the families you serve.” Symposium registrants will benefit from actionable strategies and practical frameworks to position their business as the preferred provider among hospice teams while serving families with dignity and excellence. 

With a background in funeral service and more than a decade of active volunteering and advocacy work with Hosparus Health, Lacy Robinson brings practical knowledge of hospice-funeral home partnerships. She has been speaking and training on hospice relations for nearly 10 years, helping funeral homes understand and strengthen their connections with hospice care teams. Lacy co-authored the book Engaging the Heart of Hospice – Making Funeral and Memorial Services an Extension of Hospice Care with Greg Grabowski, president of Serviam Hospice. Building on Greg’s celebrated hospice presentation from CANA’s 2025 Symposium, Lacy’s session on Advanced Hospice Partnership Strategies, sponsored by Nomis Publications, will provide additional practical techniques for deepening partnerships and explore how volunteering can open doors to meaningful professional relationships with hospice care teams. 

Looking for even more ideas to bring your business’s future success into focus? The following presenters join Lacy on the stage at CANA’s 2026 Symposium: 

• Larry Stuart, Jr., of Raven Plume Consulting, delivers the keynote session, Beyond the Flame: How Today’s Trends Are Shaping Cremation’s Next 150 Years, reflecting on 150 years of cremation practice and exploring what the next 150 years could hold for our profession. 
   

• A panel of legal and regulatory experts consider the Legal and Ethical Strategies for Unclaimed Remains. Tim Koch of Metro First Call, Tanya Marsh of Wake Forest University School of Law, Lara Price of Pappas Grubbs Price, and Wendy Russell Wiener of WRW Legal, PLLC, discuss how to protect your organization while honoring those left in your care with unclaimed remains. 

• Experienced cemeterians from coast-to-coast will tackle Cremation’s Role in Cemetery Financial Sustainability. Dan Applegate of The Arlington Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, Steve Brown of Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Sandra Walker of Fairmount Memorial Association, will discuss trends in consumer attitudes toward cremation memorialization. 

• Armed with the latest stats on consumer preferences in disposition methods across different demographics, Tanya Marsh, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, shares highlights from the 2025 Wake Forest Law School study in Tomorrow’s Consumers in Focus: Casket Burial Gains Ground Among Younger Adults. 

• In Really Thriving or Just Surviving: How to Work Smarter and Build Wealth, Kara Ludlum, CPA and licensed funeral director, shares insights on why formerly financially strong funeral homes and cemeteries are now struggling and how to restore profitability and sustainability. 

• The future is bright when it comes to AI and the efficiencies it can bring. A panel of experts take the stage to share practical capabilities, case studies—and some cautionary tales—about AI usage in death care. The AI Panel features Lauren Pettine of WRW Legal, PLLC, Curtis Funk of Tukios, and Kris Yee of Prelude. 

Time to network is what makes a CANA event unique. In addition to the intimate atmosphere and meals, the crowd-favorite Roundtables session brings attendees face-to-face with session presenters – including Lacy – and leaders from across funeral service in all business models, locales, experience levels, and call. Get a seat at the table as we tackle today’s challenges and share solutions.  

Make connections that put your business first among hospice nurses during critical transfer moments. Lacy Robinson shows you how. Register for CANA’s 2026 Cremation Symposium this February 25-27, 2026, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino: cremationassociation.org/future.  

About CANA 

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. 

SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery Opens First Cremation-Only Building in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

New building ensures respect for the human body as called for in the catechism

Springfield, Penn. (October 14, 2025) – Cremation or traditional burial is often one of the most difficult questions facing people as they consider end-of-life decisions.  

While the Catholic Church has permitted cremation for over 60 years, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s only options for cremation were columbaria and urn burials – until now. 

Everstory Partners, through its unique partnership with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, unveiled the first Archdiocesan cremation-only building open to all Catholics in Southeast Pennsylvania at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery.  

As the Church requires cremated remains to be interred on consecrated grounds, this new building provides a sacred indoor space where families can preserve the ashes of their loved ones with reverence and honor the tenets of their faith. 

“This is important because the number of people who are seeking cremation for their loved ones continues to rise every year,” says Matt Sobon, senior vice president of operations, Everstory Partners. “Our first cremation-only indoor space follows our efforts to respectfully shape memorial services for modern families.” 

Currently, nearly 62 percent of individuals are cremated in the United States. That number is expected to exceed 80 percent by 2045, according to a recent report of the National Funeral Directors Association. 

Appointed as the Reflections Suite, this welcoming sanctuary is located at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, Penn. It features more than 1,000 exterior granite and interior glass-front niches as alternatives to burial and accommodates the Vatican’s guidance on conserving ashes. 

The Most Rev. Keith Chylinski, auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia who presided over the October 11 blessing of the Reflections Suite reminded us of the heart behind this sacred space.  

“It’s important that we have sacred places to remember our loved ones, places where we can pray for them, feel the presence of God, and be reminded of our hope in Him and in eternal life,” he shared at the event. 

About The Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia   

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia proudly serves families in the Greater Philadelphia area with over 12 locations including Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery. Paul Sargent, Supervisor. Visit archdioceseofphiladelphia.org   to learn more and for a list of locations.     

About Everstory Partners 

Everstory Partners’ mission is to create supportive spaces where individuals and families can find solace, meaning, and hope in the midst of loss. Since 1999, the company has grown to include 463 cemetery, funeral, and crematory locations serving more than 65,000 families a year across the United States (including Puerto Rico) on both a pre-need and at-need basis. Everstory is the brand promise, created in April 2023, to destigmatize death care with a unique blend of long-standing traditions of caring for the deceased with a fresh perspective that death is a natural and beautiful part of the human experience that should be planned and celebrated. Visit  everstorypartners.com to learn more. 

Indiana Death Doula Decision Clarifies Roles & Opens Up Opportunities

How would you define the term “funeral director?” Most people would probably use phrases like “someone who helps families with the celebration, disposition, and memorialization of a deceased loved one” — or something similar. No matter the words, the description would surely include the support and guidance deathcare professionals provide to families in addition to caring for the deceased. 

Death, definitions, and disclaimers

Over the past two years, the definition of “funeral director” has been the topic of constitutional and regulatory debate in the state of Indiana. In 2023, an anonymous complaint was filed by someone in the deathcare profession against death doula Lauren Richwine, proprietor of Death Done Differently. At issue was whether her work—providing non-medical emotional and logistical support to individuals approaching the end of life—should require a funeral director’s license under Indiana law.

Richwine is quite open and forthcoming about the services she offers — as well as those she does not. She doesn’t claim to be a funeral director.  In fact, a disclaimer on her website reads: “Death Done Differently is an educational consulting organization and is in no way considered a funeral establishment.” Even so, the complaint filed with the Indiana Public Licensing Agency alleged that Richwine was practicing funeral services without a license.

In 2023, Indiana’s State Board of Funeral & Cemetery Service issued a cease-and-desist order against Richwine, asserting that her services fell under the definition of “funeral practice,” as she offered guidance on final disposition, planning, and support. The state argued that she needed a funeral director license and to operate from a licensed funeral home—requirements Richwine found impractical. Indeed, to comply, she would need formal mortuary education, internship, and an embalming facility she would not use. 

She fought the law … and she won

As Richwine’s website states, “She did not agree to their terms. Instead, she fought back.” Supported by the Institute for Justice, among others, Richwine filed a federal lawsuit against the state “challenging the Indiana funeral code and defending the work of death doulas in the Midwest.”

She countered that her work was distinct, speech-based counseling—not regulated funeral services—and that the licensing requirement violated her First Amendment rights. A federal district court agreed, granting her a preliminary injunction that allowed her to resume operations while her lawsuit moved forward.

Last month, the Seventh Circuit Court affirmed that decision. The appellate judges ruled that Indiana’s attempt to regulate Richwine’s activity—simply talking about and planning for death—overstepped constitutional bounds. They emphasized that while the state has legitimate regulations over physical services like embalming or body disposition, speech-based support falls under protected expression.

The court noted that Indiana offered exceptions allowing non-licensed individuals to conduct some memorial services provided a licensed funeral director handled legal disposition, underlining that licensed regulation of speech was unnecessary.

Implications for deathcare

So what impact should the court’s decision have on deathcare? This case helps delineate the scope of funeral-directed duties versus companion-based support. The distinction between regulated tasks (embalming, body handling, official filings) and emotional/logistical guidance is now legally reinforced. In essence, the decision confirms that doulas like Richwine do not replace funeral homes — instead, they complement them. 

Death doulas can be valuable, trusted partners for deathcare professionals. Doulas can help to guide individuals facing end-of-life and their families emotionally, as well as offer neutral, non-commercial advice about options like legacy letters, advanced directives, and even what methods of disposition might be available for them. 

There’s a reason death doulas are often called “end-of-life” doulas — they’re there with the deceased and the family in those final days. They hold their hands, listen to them as they speak their last words, and prepare the family for their loved one’s final moments. Just like deathcare professionals, the job of a death doula requires a very special person with empathy, strength of character, and a big compassionate heart.

The Fort Wayne case underscores the fact that speech and counseling around death are constitutionally protected, even if they occur outside licensure. For deathcare professionals, it opens a path toward greater collaboration, transparency, and client-centered care—without fear of overregulation.

Thacker Caskets Opens 19th Distribution Center, Servicing St. Louis, Missouri 

Monrovia, MD — Thacker Caskets, the nation’s largest family-owned funeral supply company, is proud  to announce the opening of its 19th distribution center, located in Belleville, Illinois, serving the greater  St. Louis, Missouri area. This new facility expands Thacker’s reach and reinforces its commitment to  providing funeral homes throughout the Midwest with faster delivery, local support, and full access to  its extensive product offerings. 

Over the last 85 years, Thacker Caskets has grown from humble beginnings to become a national leader  in the funeral supply industry, all while remaining family-owned and grounded in the core values of  compassion, integrity, and service. The new St. Louis center enables Thacker to deliver quicker  turnaround times, enhanced logistical support, and face-to-face representation to assist funeral homes  with merchandising, planning, and day-to-day service. Funeral Homes will also have access to Thacker’s  full line of American-made caskets, innovative personalization programs, and a wide range of  ceremonial rental caskets for cremation. 

“We’re excited to plant our flag in St. Louis and begin serving funeral homes across this region,” said  Nick Giamalva, the new Sales Consultant for the St. Louis territory. “Thacker has an outstanding  reputation in this profession, and I’m proud to represent a company that offers American-made caskets  and real support for funeral directors. I look forward to building strong relationships here and helping  funeral homes showcase the best to the families they serve.” 

Thacker also welcomes Chris Boeglar as the new Warehouse Manager of the Belleville facility. 

“This new distribution center was designed with efficiency and dependability at its foundation,” said  Roberto Castillo, Thacker’s Operations Manager. “From streamlined inventory receiving to timely,  accurate deliveries, our focus is on providing the seamless experience funeral homes have come to trust  and expect from Thacker.” 

Paul Graham, Thacker’s National Sales Director, added: “This is an exciting new chapter for our sales  team. Having a local presence in St. Louis, combined with Nick’s talent and passion for service, positions  us to deepen partnerships with funeral homes in the area. We’re not just delivering caskets, we’re  delivering solutions, support, and long-term value to our clients.” 

About Thacker Caskets: Founded in 1939, Thacker Caskets is the largest family-owned funeral supply company in the United  States. With a focus on quality, affordability, and exceptional customer service, Thacker’s mission is to  be the most trusted funeral supplier by providing honest products, at an honest price, with honest  service. To learn more, please visit www.thackercaskets.com.

Connect, Learn, Empower: NFDA Opens Registration for 2025 Professional Women’s Conference

Brookfield, Wis. – Registration is now open for the 2025 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Professional Women’s Conference, a premier event designed to empower female funeral service professionals. The conference will take place May 15-18, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. This intimate event, limited to 165 attendees, offers transformative educational sessions, invaluable networking opportunities and strategies tailored to the unique challenges women face in the funeral profession. The Funeral Service Foundation will offer 20 all-inclusive David C. Baue NFDA Professional Women’s Conference Scholarships to make this event even more accessible.

Designed by and for women, the conference aims to celebrate their vital contributions to funeral service while equipping them with tools for personal and professional growth. During this inspiring and uplifting conference, attendees will hear from exceptional speakers covering a wide range of topics:

• Turning Setbacks into Comebacks: MINDSET OF CHAMPIONS presented by Dawn D. Tryba, MBA, CPMBC, CMC, PMP, coach and management consultant
• Balancing Grief, Family Dynamics and Financial Conversations in Funeral Service presented by NFDA Trainer and licensed funeral director Lanae Strovers
• The Art of Self-Reflection: Harnessing the Power of YOU presented by Tina Paulus-Krause coach, visionary leader and catalyst
• Integrating AI in Human Resource Systems: Legal Considerations and Ongoing Training Strategies presented by Vice President, SESCO Management Consultants Jamie Hasty
• Creative Applications: A New Approach for Mastering the Prep-Room and Beyond presented by Autumn Cooper, a sales representative with The Dodge Company
• From Awareness to Action: Advocacy for Impact presented by NFDA Senior Vice President, Advocacy Lesley Witter, MPA, CAE
• And more! 

Engaging Discussions and Networking

Professional Women’s Conference attendees will kick off their time together with a Welcome Party that captures the spirit of the southwestern United States. While enjoying complimentary food and drink, guests will experience a fun-filled evening of lively conversation and building bonds with colleagues. The Welcome Party is generously sponsored by NGL. 

Professional Women’s Conference participants will also have the option of participating in a tour of Passages International headquarters and dinner. This unique “behind the scenes” tour will explore how Passages’ sustainable and eco-friendly funeral solutions products are made and the value they bring to grieving families, funeral homes and the planet. Tour participants will also have a chance to meet with members of Passages’ team while enjoying complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Following the tour, participants will enjoy dinner and continued networking at a well-known local New Mexican restaurant. 

There are countless other opportunities to build relationships with fellow funeral service professionals during the Professional Women’s Conference. “This was an incredible experience,” said one 2024 Professional Women’s Conference participant. “I am so grateful that NFDA creates this space for women to connect and support one another. The atmosphere is unmatched to any other event I’ve ever been to.” 

Another 2024 attendee noted, “Every woman in the funeral profession should seek the opportunity to attend a Professional Women’s Conference at least once.” 

Scholarship Opportunities

Thanks to the generosity of the Baue Family, the Funeral Service Foundation is offering up to 20 David C. Baue NFDA Professional Women’s Conference Scholarships to funeral professionals and students to attend this year’s event. The scholarships cover registration and event fees, three-nights lodging, and up to $500 in travel reimbursement. 

Applicants must be verifiably employed in funeral service or related occupations or be a student in good standing and currently attending classes at an ABSFE- or Canadian-accredited institution or program; NFDA membership is not required. Complete requirements and the application form are available at online FuneralServiceFoundation.org/Scholarship-Opportunities. Applications will be accepted from December 2, 2024, through January 15, 2025. 

“I will forever be grateful to the Funeral Service Foundation for the scholarship award and the opportunity to attend this amazing event, which will change the trajectory of my career,” said one 2024 scholarship recipient. “I truly left [the conference] feeling empowered and with a whole new network of colleagues.” 

Inspiration Award

During the 2025 Professional Women’s Conference, the association will confer the third annual NFDA Inspiration Award. This award will recognize an exceptional individual who has made noteworthy professional contributions to funeral service or a related field. 

Nominations for the NFDA Inspiration Award will be accepted online from January 15 through February 16, 2025. The ideal nominee is an enterprising individual who consistently takes the initiative to elevate the funeral service profession. The nominee serves as a mentor to colleagues and their energy and independent spirit serve as an example to others. Their efforts have resulted in significant accomplishments at the local, national and/or international level. 

Complete details are available at NFDA.org/InspirationAward. NFDA is grateful to NGL for sponsoring the Inspiration Award. 

Conference Registration Is Now Open

Registration for the 2025 NFDA Professional Women’s Conference is now open. Participants can save when they register by the early-bird deadline of February 14, 2025. Attendees must register for the 2025 NFDA Professional Women’s Conference by May 5, 2025. Registration is limited to just 165 participants. 

NFDA has negotiated a generous discounted rate of $249 plus taxes and fees per night, and waived the resort fee, at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. This luxury resort located just 30 minutes from the Albuquerque International Airport in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Whether conference participants want to enjoy a scenic horseback ride, a round of golf at the on-site course, lounging by the pool or receiving a service at the Tamaya Mist Spa & Salon, this resort has it all. When dinnertime rolls around, guests have several onsite restaurants to choose from. 

In order to receive the exclusive NFDA rate at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, you need to register for the Professional Women’s Conference. Your registration confirmation email will contain a special link that can be used to book a hotel room. 

Participants can find complete details about the 2025 NFDA Professional Women’s Conference and register online at NFDA.org/PWC, or by calling 800-228-6332 (262-789-1880). 

About NFDA 

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org. 

In a press release we received last week funeral home and cemetery operator/consolidator Service Corporation International (SCI) announced the opening of its new property in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

According to the press release that you can read here, the company’s Arlington Memorial Park is “the first memorial structure of its kind designed and built as a permanent resting place”.   The press release goes on to say, “Fitted with porcelain floors and floor-to-ceiling inurnment spaces, Legacy Chapel includes a combination of 1,900 niches and 800 crypts with options for family members to rest in peace together, adjacent to an indoor-outdoor event space for funeral gatherings and receptions.”

David Hass, senior managing director of Arlington Memorial Park made these prepared comments in the press release, “We took special care to design Legacy Chapel with new features such as illuminated glass-front niches in which family members may display and view their loved one’s cherished mementos or keepsakes.  We also built-in an event space that is, at once, intimate for small gatherings or expansive enough to accommodate large groups with beautiful, natural lighting and, creating a unique memorial option for families.”

Here is the website for Arlington Memorial Park where you can see photos and learn more about this memorialization option from SCI.

Photos from Arlington Memorial Park, including some of the new Legacy Chapel.

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