Late last week we received this press release that indicates that Park Lawn Corporation acquired eight stand-alone funeral homes in locations spanning the greater Oklahoma City market.  It represents Park Lawn’s entrance into the state of Oklahoma.

The press release announced “Park Lawn Corporation is pleased to announce that, effective December 1^st, it acquired substantially all of the assets of Service Group of Oklahoma (SGOK), a group of businesses consisting of eight stand-alone funeral homes with locations spanning the greater Oklahoma City market.”

Jennifer W. Hay, CEO of Park Lawn made the following prepared comment in the press release about the transaction, “Entering Oklahoma marks an exciting milestone in our growth strategy. These eight locations have deep ties to the communities they serve, and we’re proud to support their continued tradition of excellence.  We are pleased to welcome Chad Vice, John Davenport and the entire SGOK team to Park Lawn.  Their passion, expertise and commitment to service make them an outstanding addition to our organization.”

You can access the Park Lawn Corporation website here.  

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Acquiring eight established funeral homes around one major city in the United States will certainly add to the numbers of Park Lawn Corporation.  From my point of view, and this is only an anecdotal observation, it seems to me that the large national acquisition and operating companies have almost completely moved on from acquisitions in what I would call Regional Centers and are very much concentrating on what I would term mid-major and major cities almost exclusively.

That strategy makes sense. . . . . the numbers of deaths and the economies of scale make those communities very attractive to the large scale companies that can raise the combination of capital and secure the debt that it takes to acquire them.  It also allows for future “bolt-on” acquisitions in the future that can make those markets even more profitable for the operators.

If that is the strategy it leaves a lot of great communities and their funeral homes, probably outside of America’s largest 50 markets, available for acquisition by the next tier of consolidators — those that compete in a more regional sphere.  That’s good news for those operators.

While the brand names of the eight funeral homes acquired were not listed in the Park Lawn press release, here are the websites of those funeral homes that we believe may be included in the acquisition.

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Maybe there is something to the ongoing prediction that a whole lot of funeral homes will be changing hands in the next 3 to 5 years.  Barely after we were able to get a press release from Park Lawn Corporation out about a funeral home/cemetery expansion in New Mexico we received this press release announcing the sale of the Wages and Sons Funeral Homes in Georgia to Park Lawn Corporation.

According to the press release which we received on Monday, October 6, 2025:

“Park Lawn Corporation (“Park Lawn“), is pleased to announce that, effective today, it acquired substantially all of the assets of Atlanta Crematory located in Stone Mountain, Georgia; Cremation Society of Georgia located in Atlanta, Georgia; Wages & Sons Funeral Home located in Stone Mountain, Georgia; Wages & Sons Funeral Home Gwinnett Chapel located in Lawrenceville, Georgia; and Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel Crematory located in Lawrenceville, Georgia (collectively “Wages“). This transaction strengthens Park Lawn’s presence in the greater Atlanta, Georgia market through the addition of two (2) stand-alone funeral homes as well as a cremation focused provider.”

Jennifer W. Hay, Chief Executive Officer of Park Lawn Corporation made this prepared comment about the transaction in the press release, “We are excited to expand our presence in the State of Georgia through the strategic acquisition of the Wages businesses. For years, these businesses have been trusted pillars in their communities, recognized for their compassionate service and care. We are honored to partner with Jeffrey to carry this legacy forward. We warmly welcome each of the Wages businesses and their esteemed staff into the Park Lawn family, and we look forward to continuing their tradition of excellence in serving the families of the greater Atlanta area.”

Here is the website for the Wages and Sons Funeral Homes & Crematories

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Just like the title of the hit song, “I’m a Believer” when it comes to the prediction that there will be many funeral homes changing hands in the forseeable future.  Not only are there many current family funeral home owners reaching the age of retirement but many of those firms have no next-of-kin interested in continuing as the next generation in the funeral business.  That lends itself to the eventuality of many funeral homes coming to market and many opportunities for current operators to expand their businesses with a “right-time”, right-facility”, “right-location” acquisition.

I’m guessing we will continue to hear about acquisitions as we move farther into the 4th Quarter of the year.  First of all, it is convention time and many firms like to have the momentum of acqusition announcements rolling into the convention where they get a chance to visit face-to-face with many targets.  Secondly, the process of offer/acceptance, due diligence, and closing takes some time so the firms we hear being acquired at this time of the year were probably companies on the market at the beginning of the year, a time many firms take their firms to the consolidators.

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

According to this press release from Park Lawn Corporation, the funeral home and cemetery consolidator added what they call their Taos Memorial Gardens adjacent to their existing DeVargas Funeral Home in Taos, New Mexico.

In a prepared statement from the press release Park Lawn Corporation Chief Executive Officer Jennifer W. Hay made this comment on the completion of the project, “This beautiful, two-acre greenfield cemetery is located directly adjacent to our DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos and allows us to better serve families experiencing loss by providing a comprehensive means of celebrating, remembering, and permanently memorializing their loved ones in one location. . . . . .We are thrilled that it is now open and ready to serve the Taos community.”

According to an archived edition of the Taos News, “(The) DeVargas (family) sold the business in 2017 to The Signature Group, which was then acquired in 2018 by Park Lawn Corporation.

Here is the website for the DeVargas Funeral Home and Taos Memorial Gardens.

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Last year, almost exactly one year ago this week, Funeral Director Daily published this article announcing that Park Lawn Corporation had the regulatory approvals to sell the company to Veridian Holdings L.P. which was a business made up through a partnership of Homesteaders Life and Birch Hill Equity Partners.

Recently, Birch Hill Equity Partners as announced in this article from Yahoo Finance, partnered with Brookfied Asset Management to take Canadian mortgage firm First National Financial private in a structure that appears to be very similar to the Park Lawn transaction.

Again, much like the Park Lawn transaction, the acquired firm took a position that the transaction was good for the shareholders as they are quoted as commenting, “First National Financial says the deal came after a strategic review and that it offers compelling value and liquidity to shareholders”.

You can access the Park Lawn Corporation website here.  As a private company we no longer have access to their financial documents to learn how they may be doing from that perspective but press releases since the sale date have indicated that Park Lawn has added facilities through acquisition in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, and Colorado.  You can access Park Lawn Corporation press releases here.

Related — Here is the website for Birch Hill Equity Partners

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In this very brief press release issued out of Toronto, Ontario, last weekend funeral home and cemetery operator Park Lawn Corporation announced that they had acquired two free-standing funeral homes in Colorado’s Western Slope.  The press release announced that they had purchased substantially all of the assets of Hood Mortuary located in Durango, Colorado and in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

When you look at the website of Hood Mortuary, which you can access here, it appears that these two funeral homes were under common ownership.

Jennifer Hay
Park Lawn CEO

Jennifer W. Hay, Chief Executive Officer of Park Lawn Corporation made these prepared comments in the press release, “We are pleased to deepen our Colorado presence through the strategic acquisition of the Hood businesses.  These outstanding businesses will allow us to better serve the communities of the Western Slope and will be an excellent addition to our existing portfolio of high-quality businesses in Colorado.” 

According to the press release, Park Lawn Corporation operates businesses in two Canadian provinces and 17 of the United States.

Park Lawn Leadership Changes —  This is the first press release we have seen from Park Lawn Corporation that lists Ms. Hay as the Chief Executive Officer.  For the last several years Mr. J. Bradley Green had been in that position.

I first learned in late April that Mr. Green was no longer with Park Lawn Corporation.  To date, at least that I can find on their website, the company has issued no public press release on Mr. Green’s departure nor Ms. Hay’s ascension to the top position at Park Lawn Corporation.  The last notice that we had on leadership changes at Park Lawn Corporation was a press release on September 10, 2024, about one month after the company was taken private.  Funeral Director Daily published this article on those personnel moves on September 12, 2024.

The Female Leaders — Jennifer Hay joins Lilly Donohue as CEO’s of two of the largest four funeral home and cemetery consolidators in North America.  Lilly Donohue has been, for the past couple of years, the CEO of Everstory Partners, a private company operating over 450 funeral home and cemetery locations in North America and Puerto Rico.

LIlly Donohue
Everstory CEO

While Everstory Partners and Park Lawn Corporation are now private companies and revenue numbers are somewhat hard to come by, I don’t think it is a stretch to suggest that Service Corporation International, Everstory Partners, Carriage Services, and Park Lawn Corporation are the four largest funeral home/cemetery businesses (by revenue) in North America.

On the topic of female leadership, here’s an article on the Lisa Baue led movement for women’s leadership in funeral service.  There is no doubt that the number of women in funeral service is greatly increasing and Hay, Donohue, and Baue have the opportunity with their positions to promote and increase female leadership in the profession.

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Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary Partners with Tukios to Enhance Services for Los Angeles Families

Los Angeles, California – Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary has partnered with Tukios, a leader in funeral home technology, to introduce innovative digital tools that streamline operations and enhance the funeral planning experience for families.

Tukios collaborated closely with Hillside to create a modern, user-friendly website that simplifies the arrangement process while maintaining the funeral home’s high standards of service.

“Tukios took the time to understand our needs rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Rafael Ochoa, General Manager at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary. “From a custom-built website to digital tools that streamline operations, they delivered solutions that truly work for us.”

A key feature of the partnership is what Tukios is calling the “Floral Catalog,” which allows funeral directors to order family flowers directly from local florists during an arrangement conference. This eliminates the need for physical catalogs and manual coordination, giving families real-time access to pricing and selections while ensuring floral costs are seamlessly included in service arrangements.

“We asked for a way to help families select floral arrangements as part of funeral planning, and Tukios delivered with a built-in wholesale flower store that simplifies ordering and expense management,” said Scott Ankerholz, a consultant assisting Hillside in the site development. Additionally, Hillside has implemented Tukios’ AI Obituary Writer, which assists funeral directors in crafting structured, thoughtful obituaries efficiently.

“Instead of starting from scratch, our directors can generate a well-structured obituary and tailor it to the family’s wishes, saving time while maintaining professionalism,” Ochoa explained. “This collaboration demonstrates how funeral directors and technology providers can develop meaningful, practical solutions that improve efficiency and enhance the family experience,” Ochoa concluded.

Both the Floral Catalog and updated website reflect Hillside Memorial Park’s commitment to leveraging technology to better serve families, reinforcing its dedication to excellence.

About Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary

Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, located in Los Angeles, California, has been dedicated to serving families with dignity and compassion for decades, providing personalized funeral and memorial services.

About Tukios

Tukios is a leading technology provider in the funeral industry, offering innovative software solutions that streamline operations and enhance the funeral planning process.

December 23, 2024

Grief is a journey that no one wants to traverse, yet it is a path many will find themselves on when a loved one passes away. As we contemplate the profound impact of loss, it’s vital to recognize how we can reach out and support our friends during their times of sorrow. Understanding our role can foster connection and compassion, especially in a world filled with emotional challenges. When we think about navigating this sensitive subject, finding the right balance between offering support and respecting personal space is essential, particularly as families often seek services from adjacent resources, such as Rochester, NY funeral homes. Understanding Grief and Its Phases Before we can effectively support our grieving friends, we should take time to understand the grieving process itself. Grief is not linear and encompasses various emotions and phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The upheaval following a loss can bring about tumultuous feelings, and it’s important to remember that your friend may oscillate between these stages throughout their journey. A critical way that we can help is by being present. Sometimes, your friend may need a listening ear more than they need advice. Allowing them the space to express their thoughts and feelings without judgment can be incredibly beneficial. It may be helpful to encourage them to share funny or touching memories they have of their loved one, a practice that can provide moments of solace amidst the turmoil. Offering Practical Support Helping a friend through grief also means offering practical assistance. Grieving can be an exhausting and overwhelming experience, leaving little energy for everyday tasks. Offer to help with simple chores—cooking meals, running errands, or helping keep things organized at home. Sometimes, just knowing someone is there, offering to shoulder some of life’s burdens, can alleviate the stress your friend is feeling. In addition to offering tangible help, suggesting options from local services can also ease the burden. For instance, if your friend needs support in navigating funeral logistics, it’s wise to mention reputable funeral homes, that they could consider, like Rochester Cremation. Knowing that compassionate professionals are available can bring reassurance and peace to their difficult journey. Creating a Comfortable Environment for Healing When it comes to helping a grieving friend, creating an environment that allows for open conversation is critical. While checking in on them is appreciated, remember to approach them sensitively. Each day might feel different for your friend, so the time you spend together should evolve based on their needs and feelings. Inviting your friend out for a walk—some fresh air can aid in emotional healing—might help distract them from their grief, although it’s essential not to force social interaction if they seem disinterested. The simplest gestures, like a text message to let them know you’re thinking of them, can go a long way, even if they don’t respond immediately. Respecting Boundaries and Understanding Signs of Need While offering support, it’s just as vital to acknowledge when to step back. Everyone’s process is unique, and not everyone is comfortable discussing their grief openly. Pay attention to their cues; if they seem withdrawn or if they indicate a desire for solitude, honor that choice. Encourage professional support if needed. Whether it’s suggesting a grief counselor or attending a support group together, prioritizing their mental health by finding professional help can be a game changer. Informing them about available local resources shows that you care and are looking out for their well-being. The road following a loss is fraught with challenges. Yet, knowing we can play a role in transforming a friend’s grief reality can inspire hope. In conclusion, as we support our friends during these heartbreaking times, let’s embrace compassion and understanding, remembering our larger community as we navigate the journey together. If you have questions regarding resources or services through Rochester, NY funeral homes, reach out for help. The existence of compassionate professionals at places like Rochester Cremation highlights that support is always within reach.

Back in early June of this year (2024) many of us were surprised by this announcement that public funeral home and cemetery operator Park Lawn Corporation (PLC) had agreed to be acquired and taken private by a group known as Veridian Holdings.  Probably most consequential in that announcement was that one of the partners in the buy-out agreement was preneed funeral home insurance company Homesteaders Life.

The announcement revealed that Canadian private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners Management would join Homesteaders Life as partners in the limited partnership.

The published price for the buy-out and take private move was CAN$ 26.50 per share making the transaction total about CAN $1.2 billion, which when equated to the US dollar at the time would equal a trasaction valued at about US $871 million.

On August 9, 2024, a press release from Park Lawn Corporation announced that the transaction had been concluded and Park Lawn Corporation would now be operating as a private company owned by a group that included Homesteaders Life and Birdh Hill Equity Partners Management.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  This marks the 2nd straight year that our “Business Story of the Year” involved a take private movement involving a private equity company.  Here’s a re-cap of our story for 2023 when Batesville was sold to private equity group Long Range Capital for a reported $761 million.

There seems to be a lot of money in private equity at this time as other Death Care companies had preceeded the Park Lawn Corporation sale.  In prior years we have seen the following public funeral home and cemetery operating companies be purchased by private equity groups:  StoneMor (now re-named Everstory), Dignity plc, and InvoCare.

Related Article:  Private Equity 2024 Mid-Year Report.  September 2024.  Cherry Bekaert

What makes the Park Lawn Corporation sale interesting is that one of the major parties to the acquisition is a preneed insurance provider — Homesteaders Life.  My guess is that management of that company sees a lot of synergies in owning funeral homes and has moving forward plans of not only bringing in more premium dollars but seeing an interesting path to deploy those premium dollars in investments that can then bring in more premium dollars. . . . . I can see the opportunities. . .

On the other hand, the partnership is not without risk for Homesteaders Life. . . . .some family funeral home owners now may see the company as a competitor (in the funeral business) and not as an ally (as a preneed partner).

In any regard. . . . there are enough sides to this story to be named our “Funeral Director Daily Business Story of the Year”.

Here’s some Funeral Director Daily articles that were published on this transaction:

June 4, 2024:  Park Lawn drops a bombshell:  Company announces it is going private

June 11, 2024:  Is Park Lawn now “In play”?

June 14, 2024:  A Seeking Alpha opinion on the proposed Park Lawn sale

June 18, 2024:  Will SCI take a run at Park Lawn Corporation?

July 10, 2024:  Will Carriage Services be next?

July 29, 2024:  It’s July 29.  Will Park Lawn be going private?  What does that mean for Homesteaders Life?

July 31, 2024:  Park Lawn shareholders approve sale, take-private move.

August 19, 2024:  Where was SCI?

Final Thought:  One thing that occured to me as I looked back over these articles is that for those of you who read Funeral Director Daily to keep tabs on the bigger companies in Death Care, we certainly covered this transaction from all possible angles that we could think of. . . . . certainly more than any other publication.  I think that is part of the reason that Funeral Director Daily continues to move to the forefront of Death Care business readership. . . . . In essence, we don’t just publish the press releases as they come in, we analyze, look into, theorize, and hypothesize almost all that could happen. . . Wondering what could happen and why  . . . . . that’s what makes us different.

Just writing that last paragraph reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. . . .and it is even Death Care related coming from the Ted Kennedy eulogy of his brother Robert (RFK) at his funeral. . . . I’ve thought of it often in my own life. . . . Here is that part of the eulogy:

Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world.

As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him:

“Some men see things as they are and say why.
I dream things that never were and say why not.”

Join me as we move into 2025 by dreaming big for our nation and world and asking “Why not”?

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You can read in this press release issued yesterday by Park Lawn Corporation (PLC) that, effective yesterday, they added four stand-alone funeral homes to their company via the purchase of two funeral businesses in the suburban geographic area to the west of Chicago, Illinois.

PLC announced the purchase of the Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory of Rockford, Illinois. . . . a firm that operates out of two chapels.  The company also announced the purchase of Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home – Freeport and Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home – Forreston.  Those firms are located in Freeport and Forreston, Illinois respectively.

Here’s what Park Lawn Corporation CEO J. Bradley Green said in a prepared statement in the press release from Park Lawn Corporation, “We are thrilled to expand our operating presence in the State of Illinois through the strategic acquisition of the Fitzgerald and Burke-Tubbs businesses.  We are honored to welcome these esteemed businesses and their dedicated teams into the Park Lawn family.  Their addition to our portfolio enables us to better serve Illinois families with the outstanding care and excellence for which these businesses are known.”

According to information from their respective websites, Fitgerald Funeral Home & Crematory was founded in 1914 and Burke-Tubbs Funeral Homes were founded in 1953.

Funeral Director Daily take:  The privatization of Park Lawn Company certainly has not slowed down their acquisition rate.  Just one month ago, Funeral Director Daily reported on a Park Lawn Corporation acquisition in Texas.  Here is that article.  

According to information contained in the press release, Park Lawn Corporation now operates in two Canadian provinces and 17 states of the United States.

Here is a graphic that shows the Park Lawn Corporation locations.

Here is the website for the Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory

Here is the website for the Burke-Tubbs Funeral Homes

Another funeral home acquisition story —  Smith-Miner Funeral Home continues as “family” business.  Midland Daily News (MI)

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On Monday of this week Park Lawn Corporation announced that they had continued their Texas acquisition growth with the purchase of the Callaway-Jones businesses located in and around Bryan, Texas.

According to the press release which you can read here, Park Lawn Corporation acquired  “substantially all the assets of Callaway-Jones Funeral Home and Crematory located in Bryan, Texas; Callaway-Jones College Station Funeral Planning Office located in College Station, Texas; Rest-Ever Memorial Park located in Bryan, Texas; and Cozart Funeral Home in Normangee, Texas.” 

Here’s what J. Bradley Green, CEO of Park Lawn Corporation, said in prepared remarks included in the press release, “We are excited to announce our partnership with a highly respected family that is deeply rooted in the Bryan-College Station community. This collaboration not only strengthens our presence in Texas but also enhances our ability to serve our families with the quality and care they expect from us.”

Here is the website for the Callaway Funeral and Cremation Centers.

Here is the website for the Cozart Funeral Home.

Here is the website for the Restever Memorial Park Cemetery.

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