A recent report (November 2025) from the State of New York Department of Health with the results of an audit “which covered April 2019 through November 2023, concluded that the state Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene must improve oversight and coordination to address significant deficiencies in the practice of funeral directing” according to the reporting from this article in the Albany (NY) Times Union.

The audit covered that time period listed above in which, according to the report there were 801,421 deaths in the state.  There is some interesting data in the report that I found, but before I report on that I’ll post what seemed to interest the New York State Department of Health and the various news sources.

The audit report, in its entirety from the Department of Health can be found here.

Among other issues, here are four areas where the report mentioned that New York’s funeral establishments can improve:

• Risks with handling of remains.  In this area the report suggested four areas that could be improved upon.

1.  Verifying deaths by the funeral director via pulsation and and listening for a heartbeat via stethoscope or putting an ear over the chest.  Audit workers confirmed that a full 1/2 of funeral directors who were asked said they did not perform these verifications of death.
2.  Funeral directors could reduce mis-identification by labeling or tagging of bodies
3.  There is a “lack of assurance of acceptable preparation rooms”.  Evidently in 2006 the NY DOH stopped inspections and now relies on an annual photo of the preparation room.  Some firms seem to submit the same photo year-after-year so there is no “assurance” the room is in compliance.
4. Burial and cremation permits are not to be issued until after the Death Certificate has been filed.  Evidently, it is widespread not to follow this practice as the audit found 2,545 death certificates that were registered after the disposition took place.  Those death certificates came from 872 different funeral directors.

• Funeral Director and Firm Registrations.

1. It seems that the biggest issue with this point is that there may be funeral homes with multiple branches where some of those multiple branches are not registered.

• Death certificates with duplicate or no Social Security numbers.

1. The audit found 773 Social Security numbers that were used for more than one person.  That affected 146 death certificates and these certificates were filed by 111 funeral directors from 108 funeral firms.

• Reporting firm closures and other firm changes. 

1. There is somewhat of a “muddled” situation between primary firms and secondary firms at the same locations.  Because of no inspections the DOH has reason to believe that many of these licenses are not up to date and or correct.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  As so often happens with these types of reports authored by those not in the Death Care profession, much gets lost in the translation of what really is important.   For instance, when you have 773 Social Security numbers that are duplicated that means one thing if it is on a 10,000 death caseload, but it means a completely different thing if that is in the context of over 800,000 deaths.

And yes, funeral directors should be reporting those numbers correct, but in most instances, they are at the mercy of the number that was provided them by the family.  Keeping proper records should be a goal of all in the profession.

Also, the problem with the prep room photos and the potential for funeral director and funeral firm registrations probably gets corrected if the New York State Health Department puts an inspector or two back on the road to check on these establishments.  My guess, is that the State has other priorities that take the resources that should probably be used for this purpose but are designated for other programs.  . . . and, if you don’t fund inspections, then you cannot expect to find the bad actors in the bunch.

The State of New York is scheduled for a 2026 annual budget of $254 billion.  If better funeral home enforcement was a priority, it would probably take less than $500,000 to make it happen.

Finally. . . some statistics I found interesting:  One of the statistics I found very interesting in the audit was one you could probably only get from an audit of Death Certificates.  It was the statistic on the place of death.  Here’s what they found for those New York residents between 2019 and 2023 — a period that did cover the pandemic era deaths:

1.  46.3%  –  Hospital
2.  30.8%  –  Residence
3.  17.2%  –  Nursing Home
4.    3.4%  –  Hospice Facility

Anecdotally, I think those numbers represent a real change from when I started in the profession in 1980.  And, I think the change represents the value of Hospice and how it has moved forward and been almost universally accepted.  My guess, is that when I started the ranking would have been (1) Nursing Home, (2) Hospital, (3) Residence.  I think the higher ranking of Residence at this time reflects the fact that many in those residences are receiving Hospice care at home.

I also wonder if Hospital deaths are higher than normal on this list, simply because it was conducted during some of the pandemic era dates.

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

Amy Cunningham is a friend of mine.  She was a writer/editor who has become a funeral director and she has teased me that I was a funeral director who has became a writer/editor with Funeral Director Daily.

This second career for Ms. Cunningham has brought her to the forefront of a growing movement in America. . . the movement of Green Burials.  What is interesting about Amy Cunningham, however, is that she is not in some rural community in flyover country, but her and her funeral business are located in New York City and she is thriving in the world of Green Burials in that concrete environment.

This article from BK Reader and titled “Green Burials take root in Brooklyn” will give you a little idea about some of the thinking that is going on there when it comes to the world of “environmentally friendly” Death Care options.  For instance, Green-Wood Cemetery in the city allows the deceased to be buried anywhere in the cemetery in a non-treated pine box or burial basket.

Theresa Wozunk, a memorial counselor at Green-Wood is quoted in the above article saying, “It’s certainly not traditional but interest, in general, is way up.”  In fact, the article mentions that,  “Inquiries about placing the body directly in the earth, forgoing embalming and using biodegradable materials have increased so much (that) staff there organized an hours-long seminar this fall that was packed with about 80 curious residents, death doulas and family members planning after-death care.”

Funeral Director Cunningham is also quoted in the article saying,  “People who choose green burials like to think that their body has a usefulness to the earth.” 

And while any type of burial at Green-Wood is not inexpensive, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, about 33 miles north of Brooklyn also offers a natural burial ground with a less costly grave site.  You can see information on that cemetery here.

Related — Here is the website for “Fitting Tribute Funeral Services”, Amy Cunningham’s funeral service in NYC.

Related Article —  Green Burials:  Old methods a new option for funerals.  The Signal (Nova Scotia – Canada)

Funeral Director Daily take:  There is no doubt that what I term the “Niche” funeral choices, such as Green Burials will grow in popularity over time.  There may actually be some emotional correlation between big cities and Green Burials.  Emotionally we know about the contrast that the more involved in technology we get, the more human contact we crave.

Maybe there is also some correlation between living in a very large city and craving a more simple way of Death Care?  That might explain what seems to be an odd, and seemingly growing, acceptance of Green Burials in large cities.

I also think that Green Burials will become more popular overall when a nexxus is reached between “interest” and “opportunity”.  I think that there is a lot of interest in the idea at this time, but the businesses that can and will provide an easier “commercial opportunity” for the public are not built-out as yet.  I think that will come providing easier access for the consumer and Green Burials will grow in commonality at that time.

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

Parting Stone, the New Mexico based start-up that takes cremated ash remains and turns them into what they term “Solidified Remains” recently sent out this press release celebrating their 10,000th family served in their short business history.

In the press release the company says this about their achievement, “This milestone marks a significant achievement in the company’s mission to provide a comforting, tangible alternative to conventional cremated remains and highlights an important shift in the modern grief experience in America.”

The company calls their solid form of cremated remains, which results in 40-80 small stones “a complete alternative to conventional “ashes.”

Related Article — In a somewhat related article the New York Post published this article recently titled, “How innovative cremation services are giving a new spin to the end of life”.   The article features Parting Stone but also mentions about a dozen other alternatives for cremated remains.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

The article intimates that with the high percentage of cremations taking place there is also a feeling that burial of cremated remains, niche placement, and even home urn placement are not the preferred ways that people want to memorialize their cremated loved ones.  According to the article, “They (consumers) want customized events paired with tactile experiences. Not surprisingly, a creative movement memorializing ashes is now happening.”

To that end, there are many opportunities, wide and varied in scope, coming to market for the these consumers looking for another option and the article mentions many of them with links to the processes.

I would suggest that you read the article and learn of the options available.  Many of them offer commissions or margins to funeral directors who facilitate the sale and, in a business looking for increased revenue, that revenue may come in handy.

The NY Post article states, “According to the Cremations Association of North America’s 2022 Cremation Memorialization Research, almost one in four US households, or approximately 22 million families, have human cremated remains in their homes.”

Disclosure:  The author of this article for Funeral Director Daily is a shareholder of Parting Stone.

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

This article from North Country Now of New York announces the acquisition of the Green Funeral Home of Gouverneur, New York, by the Frary Funeral Home.  From the company’s website which you can access here, it appears that the Gouverneur location will be the 6th location operated by Frary.

The article from North Country Now makes the following statement, “Both businesses have deep-rooted histories as multi-generational family businesses, committed to serving the community.”

It also appears from the article that Wesley McGill, a funeral director at Frary’s had been a funeral director previously at the Green Funeral Home.  It appears that Mr. McGill was born in Gouverneur and a natural fit to now be working with the Gouverneur location.

According to the newspaper article the press release also made the following comments, “With Wes’s guidance, Frary Funeral Home looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence while offering fresh, thoughtful solutions to meet the evolving needs of our community. . . .We are committed to serving Gouverneur and the surrounding area with care and compassion, just as both Frary Funeral Home and Green Funeral Home have for generations.” 

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  A viewpoint of mine is that the anticipated sale of existing funeral homes by so many owners who are reaching retirement age is happening.  It’s been predicted for years and I now think it is upon us.

A simple suggestion to those funeral homes who want to expand is now is the time to make sure that your finances are in order and you have the resources available to do such.  I would also suggest that if you have not talked to potential acquisition site owners, now is the time for that also . . . before you miss the opportunity.

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

With one acquisition announced in December and another in January Newcomer Funeral Service, based in Topeka, Kansas, continues to grow.  The Newcomer website states “Newcomer Funeral Service Group is an independent funeral home, crematory, and cemetery service provider based in Topeka, Kansas with operations in ten states.”

According to this press releasefrom December 2024, the company acquired the Jones Funeral Home and Cannon Funeral Home in the Albany, New York, metropolitan market.  The press release makes this comment “The funeral homes will continue to be led by John H. Cannon, who has served thousands of Capital Region families throughout his 44-year career. This acquisition complements Newcomer’s existing presence in the area, where we serve families from locations in Colonie and Latham.”

In a prepared statement in the press release John Cannon made this statement, “My team and I are honored to serve this community and care for families as if they were our own. By joining with the Newcomer family, I am confident that together with our superb staff, Cannon Funeral Home and Jones Funeral Home will continue to provide the best care possible to the Capital Region.”

The press release continued with this comment, “The funeral homes will continue to operate under the same name, with the same great team. Newcomer will provide additional support as needed to continue the Cannon and Jones tradition of excellence.”

And, according to the following press release the company purchased the Grayson Funeral Homes in Charleston and New Washington, Indiana, earlier in January 2025.  According to that release “Grayson strengthens our presence in Southern Indiana and the Greater Louisville area.”

In a prepared statement from that press release Chris Grayson made this comment, “My family and our associates are honored to serve Charlestown and New Washington and care for families as if they were our own. We are comfortable joining the Newcomer family knowing they share our values of service and that Grayson Funeral Homes will continue to provide the best care possible to Southern Indiana.”

Here is the website for the Newcomer Funeral Service Group.

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