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The
Missouri Funeral Director
Fall 2015
An official publication of the Missouri Funeral Directors & Embalmers Association
Features
Articles/Columns A Message from the President Page 4 Executive Director’s Report Page 5 News Page 14 A Message from the President-Elect Page 14 In Memorium Page 16 Nuggets from the Past President Page 22
Advertiser Directory
P age 6
ASD, 4 CFL Pre-need, 15 Crime Scene Cleaners, 13 Dodge Company, 5 Eagle Bank and Trust, 13 Endorsed Companies, inside back cover Federated Insurance, 9 First Call, 12 FrontRunner, Inside Front Cover Funeral Directors Service, 16 Kansas City, KS Community College, 20 Lamcraft, 15 Mid-MO Mortuary, 13 Mullen Coach, 9 Parkway Advisors, 21 Saving Sight, 18 Shields Professional Vehicles, 17 SI-Wilbert, back cover
Front cover: Design by Kathleen Lavery
Missouri Legislature over-rides Governor’s veto of HB 618 - Page 10
DISCLAIMER: Portions of this magazine are taken from other sources, which we believe to be reliable but may not be complete statements on all available data. The services of an attorney or accountant should be sought in legal and tax matters. The Missouri Funeral Director is designed to quickly and briefly inform the membership on a variety of subjects. It is NOT intended to address any particular area in detail. ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER: Please note that MFDEA reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising for any reason.
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A message from our President Dear MFDEA members and friends, As I have started my second year as President, I have good news to report. HB 618 that Governor Nixon had vetoed has been overridden in the veto session of the legislature. This bill should make it easier for us in dealing with the doctors in getting our families their death certificates, make disinterment authorization follow the next of kin rules and it created the family members majority rule which should help us when making arrangements where there are disagreements with family members. Thank you to all that worked so hard in preparation of this bill and visited and contacted your legislature to get this bill passed. I want to encourage everyone to support MFDEA, your local districts and district directors by attending your district functions and getting involved. This is how you stay up with what is affecting funeral service which creates your living whether an owner or employee. Membership renewals will be coming around again soon. I hope you will rejoin and encourage others to see the benefits of belonging to MFDEA. The benefits include Missouri Funeral Trust, various John Veach, MFDEA President resources, forms, legal counsel, magazine, district functions, convention and if for Mudd-Veach Funeral Home Bowling Green, MO no other reason what MFDEA does with legislation which benefits all in funeral service. Cathy and I are preparing to go to the National Funeral Directors Association Convention in Indianapolis on October 17 – 21st. I want to encourage as many as can to attend, as its fairly close this year and is the largest convention/expo in the world and has many great seminars and speakers. Everyone there from our state are welcome to gather with us on Tuesday night for dinner. Place and time will be announced “In The Loop”. Answering Service For Funeral Professionals Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president and the support you have given me and the MFDEA. As we continue to serve in our local communities and give our families the best service possible, one thing is for sure “We are Stronger and Better Together”.
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Executive Director’s Report Had an interesting call from a Missouri Coroner/ME office one Sunday night recently as I was trying to watch the lunar eclipse (stupid clouds!). The person that called had an interesting issue. A person had died on a chartered airplane flight that then had an emergency landing in their county. The call came straight to me (usually I get emergency calls via the MFDEA answering service). I'm not sure how this person got my cell phone number, but they had been told "Don Otto is the only one that will know the answers!" The person I talked to was very smart and perceptive. Although they did not know all the answers they did recognize all of the issues that were presented. The situation presented so many interesting items, I want to share with you the problems potentially faced and the answers. Please note that all of the answers below pertain to Missouri law only! I do not know what the requirements of the other states might or might not be - thus, see #6 below. 1. The person died on an airplane somewhere either over Missouri or between the takeoff and Missouri, where is the place of death for the DC? This one is easy. Since it was not an international flight, you follow what I call the Donald C. Otto, Jr. MFDEA Executive Director & General Counsel "Greyhound Bus" rule: "When a person dies on a moving conveyance and the body is first removed from the conveyance in this state, the place of death is the place of removal." So the airport where the body was taken off of the plane was the "place of death." On international flights, because of various treaties and conventions, you are supposed to try and determine - as best as possible - where the person died. 2. The death was from natural causes so there was no reason to hold the body by the Coroner/ME. Can the body be released the to the family (or to whom the family directs) or does it have to be released to a licensed funeral establishment? In Missouri, the next-of-kin has the absolute right to the care and control of the body (unless there has been a prior organ/tissue donation, in which case the OPO has a lot of control). Furthermore, there is no need to have any sort of license to transport a body within the State of Missouri. So there is no requirement that a funeral establishment be involved. 3. Does the body have to be embalmed before removal from the state? No. There is no Missouri requirement that a body be embalmed before removal from Missouri. However, after 24 hours from death - if the final disposition has not happened yet - then the body must either be: 1) Embalmed, 2) Stored in an airtight container, or 3) Refrigerated at a temperature of 40 degrees (f) or Greg Arnold Jim Wright below. Other state's laws may very well be different, garnold@dodgeco.com jwright@dodgeco.com however, so if YOU are in charge of moving a body (800) 554-1078 (660) 258-2428 from one state to another, then you need to check with each jurisdiction as to their rules. 4. The family wanted the body put back on the chartered plane to be taken home unembalmed, is this legal? There are a number of potential issues here. First this was NOT a commercial commonwww.dodgeco.com carrier flight (such as American, Delta, etc.) so the https://shop.dodgeco.com tel 1-800-443-6343 special rules dealing with common carriers do not fax 1-800-443-4034 apply. Next, if the body was going to be getting to its continued on page 20 The Missouri Funeral Director
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Develop
talent now for a successful future
While incentives such as bonuses and profit sharing are important, recognizing achievements and building selfesteem are priceless. Some business owners procrastinate or avoid communicating their succession plans because they fear how family members and employees might react. However, their silence may actually create more stress and cause harm to the business. Most employees—including family members—will feel more secure about the future if they know what to expect and how they will fit in. It’s never too late to develop a business succession plan. But the earlier you start, the better. Estate planning experts agree that long-term plans to transfer businesses are generally much more successful than those “patched
together” following the unexpected death or disability of an owner. Business succession actually begins with each employee’s first day on the job Think about it, whether he or she is one of your children or a high school student working part-time, that young person could someday be the head of the company. Experts agree— succession planning includes creating an environment that motivates employees to use their talents and skills to reach their full potential and contribute to the success of the business. Sounds simple, but how do you accomplish it? Perhaps a mentor program or an apprenticeship is a good start. Talented young people are more likely to stay with the company if they feel involved in something bigger than their own job. It is wise to provide opportunities by matching
A Vision for the Next Generation
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experienced workers with newer employees to guide them as they grow in their jobs. As employees gain experience, they become assets to your business and their value increases. Providing key employees opportunities to gain well-rounded business experience through cross-functional training and experience is admirable. This no doubt helps them become dependable managers who can make good decisions and take initiatives to improve operations.
Estate Tax Plans
are not only for the
Rich
and
Famous
E state P lanning M istake : S aving M oney by N ot G etting A dvice Low cost (or free) forms are readily available online, but using them for your estate plan is a clear example of “you get what you pay for.” Is a simple will sufficient, or should you utilize a trust? Is your estate large enough to require specialized planning to minimize estate taxes? Do-it-yourself estate planning seems straightforward enough, but is the potential for an estate planning disaster worth the risk? Legal documents vary by state and generic documents may not fit with your unique situation. Spending a small amount for advice from a competent attorney now will not only give you peace of mind that your estate plan is set up properly, but could save your family a large amount in legal fees and other costs later. Federated offers a professional, team approach to estate planning and business succession. Call us to learn how you can take advantage of our network of independent estate planning attorneys. Each of them is highly trained in the area of business succession, and is ready to help make the process easier and less stressful for you.
It’s been more than a year since Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which finally provided business owners and their advisors with some needed certainty around planning for gift and estate taxes. To recap, each person currently has an exemption amount of $5.34 million (for 2014), which can be used to pass assets to heirs free from gift tax during life, or estate taxes at death. Assets can still pass tax-free between spouses, and “portability” allows a surviving spouse to use any exemption not used by his or her deceased spouse. This effectively gives a married couple the ability to pass $10.68 million to their heirs without incurring any federal transfer tax liability. As a result, planning for estate taxes has become less of a concern for many business owners. In fact, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (TPC) estimates that only 0.14 percent of all estates from 2013 will owe estate taxes.1 Put another way, 99.86 percent of decedents will probably not be subject to the federal estate tax! As reassuring as that sounds, don’t relax quite yet. There are other tax issues lurking for the next generation that still need to be addressed when reviewing your estate and business succession plans. State Level Estate Taxes. Although most individuals will not owe federal estate taxes, remember that a number of states impose their own state level estate or inheritance tax. Currently, sixteen states2 have an estate tax, and six have an inheritance tax. Two states, Maryland and New Jersey, impose both. Each state has an exemption under which assets can pass to heirs without incurring the state level tax, but these amounts are significantly less than the federal exemption amount in all but two states. Additionally, states do not offer portability of the deceased spouse’s unused exemption, so special planning documents are needed to take advantage of both spouses’ state exemption. Future Income Taxes. In the past, conventional wisdom included lifetime gifting of assets to heirs, with the objective of reducing the size of an individual’s estate at death to below the federal exemption amount. Keeping the value of the gifts to less than the annual gift tax exclusion amount (currently $14,000) each year could allow for a significant reduction in the size of an estate over the years, with no lifetime use of the donor’s exemption amount. The Missouri Funeral Director
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D on ’ t T ake a C hance – V aluation M ethods for B uy -S ell A greements A Buy/Sell Agreement helps a business owner “lock in” a value for the business. The Agreement does this by using a “valuation formula.” The formula you use could mean the difference between receiving liquidation value or fair market value. Does your valuation formula lock in fair market value? Common Valuation Formulas for Buy/Sell Agreements Option 1 – Book Value The book value method (also known as net worth or owner’s equity) is simply the total assets minus the total liabilities as shown on your financial statement. This method is sometimes referred to as the “liquidation” method. This method usually understates the true fair market value of your business, as it does not account for goodwill, profitability, or recapture of accelerated depreciation. Fair Market value of ABC Inc. = $1.4 million Book Value = $450,000 Loss in value = $950,000 Option 2 – Agreed Value Method With this method, owners periodically meet and set the value of the business in writing. This new value is then amended in the Buy/Sell Agreement. If you utilize this type, how long has it been since you documented a new value? If you have not adjusted the value to reflect today’s current value, you can lose. Fair Marketing Value of ABC Inc. = $1.4 million Last Documented Value (2003) = $800,000 Loss in Value = $600,000 Option 3 – Appraised Fair Market Value Method This method has a stated process to formally or informally appraise the business. To arrive at fair market value, it factors in several things, such as the current value of assets, liabilities, goodwill, and profitability. This method ensures all interested parties receive the full value they deserve. Appraised Fair Market Value of ABC Inc. = $1.4 million Loss in Value = $0 Make sure your valuation method locks in the fair market value of your business. Take advantage of Federated’s Agreement EvaluatorSM to receive an informal review on the strengths and weaknesses of your valuation formula along with the other terms of your Buy/Sell Agreement.
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However, there is an important difference between lifetime gifts and transfers at death that can have a significant impact when it comes to future tax liability—the tax basis of the property in the hands of the new owner. “Basis” is essentially what the owner paid to acquire the property, with certain additions (for example, the cost of improvements). The basis of property is important, as it is used to determine capital gains or losses when the asset is later sold. Lifetime gifts receive a “carryover basis.” In other words, the recipient takes the donor’s basis in the property. For highly appreciated assets such as business interests or real estate, this could subject the new owner to significant capital gains tax liability if he or she wants to sell the asset. In contrast, assets received at death take a basis equal to the date of death value, which could be either “stepped up or down” from the decedent’s basis. In the case of appreciated assets, tax liability on the growth of the asset can be eliminated when transferred this way. Taxpayers and their advisors need to be mindful of the basis and current value of their assets when determining the best way to pass them on to their heirs. So, just because 99 percent of us probably won’t need to worry about estate taxes, tax liability may come in other, less expected, ways. Working with knowledgeable tax and legal advisors is just as important to you and your dealership as it is to have a reliable plumber, or parts supplier, or other business associates available when you need them. Meet with your tax and legal advisors. Review and update existing plans and identify tax strategies. Because not having an estate plan is something you don’t want to pass along to your heirs.
H ire
a
S pecialist ! Y our
life ’ s work
should not be left to chance
If a family member had a serious heart condition that required surgery, we would surely seek out the best cardiovascular specialist available to perform the operation. The same should hold true when seeking advice on our estate and business succession plans. Our families and businesses deserve the benefit of expert advice. We need legal advisors and other facilitators specifically trained and experienced in dealing with the estates of business owners. Many lawyers who are general practitioners are adept in handling common legal affairs. But, few of them would attempt to develop a sophisticated estate plan that could provide the specialized legal documents you may need. Just as we would not likely ask our family doctor to perform open heart surgery, neither should we assume that a generalist attorney is qualified to develop a complex estate and business succession plan. In addition to technical expertise, estate-planning attorneys often have developed the skill to explain complex issues to us in understandable terms. Since these attorneys
regularly deal with multifaceted challenges facing family business owners, they can focus on listening. And because they may be more skilled and experienced in working with other advisors, they have a greater ability to direct the planning process to a successful—and cost-effective—outcome. Federated is committed to helping family business owners complete this important planning. This is why our marketing representatives can help our clients locate attorneys specializing in estate planning and personally help facilitate much of the “leg work” that can make the process go more smoothly. Your local Federated representative would be happy to visit with you about this. After all, your life’s work should not be left to chance.
Information provided by Federated Insurance of Owatonna, Minnesota. Federated Insurance is a an MFDEA Endorsed company. 1 Tax Policy Center Table T13-0020 2 Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts
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Missouri Legislature over-rides Governor’s veto of HB 618 The Missouri House and Senate voted to over-ride the Governor's veto of House Bill 618. While the override is immediate, because of technicalities dealing with entering the bill into the State's Statues, its actual effective date will be October 16th - which is 30 days after the veto was over-ridden. Here is the breakdown of the law going from the easiest issue to the most difficult
1. DISINTERMENT OLD LAW: The old law had a conflict between who was "in-charge" of burying a person and who was in-charge of removing them to a different grave. This caused a number of family disputes and made it very confusing for funeral directors and cemeteries. NEW LAW: Whoever was in charge of the final disposition is now also in charge of disinterment - THAT is the person who decides IF and where a body is moved. If the person who was in charge of the final disposition is no longer alive, then it is the majority of the following who determines if a body is to be disinterred: surviving spouse, parents, children. If none
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of those people are alive, then whoever wants to disinter the body needs to go to court and get an order. In all cases the people that want to move the body are responsible for paying for that. HOWEVER, a body can still be moved within the original cemetery - at the cemetery's expense - without anyone's permission when there has been a mistake as to where the body was buried. THE EFFECT: Until the new law is in effect, it is still possible that the next-of-kin who was in charge of the funeral could get "out-voted" on a disinterment issue. As always, it is good practice to get EVERYONE to sign-off on a disinterment whenever possible. If you run into an issue like this, call Don Otto at the MFDEA office and he can walk you through what the law says.
2. NEXT-OF-KIN DISPUTES OLD LAW: The old law gave every person in the same level of "next-of-kin-ness" the right to fully control the final disposition. That resulted in situations where, for example, 5 brothers wanted to bury mom and 1 sister wanted mom
cremated. In those kinds of situations there was nothing the funeral director could do but either hope the family could reach a compromise or wait until one of them got a court order stating who was in charge. NEW LAW: The new law says that it is the majority of the people in the same class that control the final disposition. Thus, in the above example, the 5 brothers would win and get to control the final disposition. The law does not help you if it is a numerical tie within the class. So, if 1 brother wants one thing but the 1 sister wants something else, then you are still stuck. People in the same class can "vote" their desires on final disposition via fax or email, they don't have to be right in front of you. As always the person(s) who want to exercise the right to handle the final disposition, must be over 18, mentally competent AND willing to take financial responsibility for the final disposition they are requesting. THE EFFECT: This will be a great help to funeral directors in many situations. Be sure to "paper" your file as to how many people you are dealing with and get documentation what the majority of them want. This law will also be a huge help when you have the majority of the siblings in front of you but there is one "black-sheep" that nobody can locate (or, as often seems to be the case, is in prison somewhere). You no longer have to worry that the unreachable sibling can cause problems later. As always, the funeral director - by statute - is allowed to rely on the reasonable representations of your customer so, if a person states that there are "only 5 brothers" and you have all 5 in agreement, there is no need for you to search the world over to determine if there might be 6 other siblings out there somewhere. (of course, if you KNOW this family and KNOW there are 6 others out there, then you would want to track enough of them down so you have a majority). In every case, document in your file the situation that is presented.
3. DEATH CERTIFICATES - WHO CAN SIGN THE CAUSE OF DEATH OLD LAW:Under the old law in the absence of, or with the permission of, the "physician-in charge" of the deceased at the time of death, the following persons could certify the death instead of the primary physician: 1) The assistant physician ( but "assistant physician" was not defined) 2) The doctor that performed an autopsy or 3) The chief medical officer of the institution where the person died. Also, if the person died more than 36 hours after being treated by a physician, the last physician in attendance could sign OR the cause of death
could be determined by your local registrar (county health department everywhere but St. Louis City). Of course, if the Coroner or Medical Examiner was in charge of the case, he or she could always sign as to the cause of death. NEW LAW: The new law adds to this list "Assistant Physicians" (now defined). "Physician Assistants" (also defined - they are different than "assistant physicians�) AND "Advanced Practice Registered Nurses." Again, when there is a doctor that was in charge of the patients care at the time of death, they are first on the list and can continue to control the the signing of the death certificate since all of these other people, per the statute, must be under the supervision of the physician and have been delegated specific tasks relation to the care of the the deceased. THE EFFECT: This promises to be an important help in getting DC's timely signed as now there are more (and more clearly defined) medical personnel who can legally determine the cause of death and sign the death certificate. This will be especially important in the case of "hospitalists" that may no longer be at the hospital (or even in the state!) and so cannot be reached to get the DC signed. Others states such as New York have had similar provisions in their law for a long time and it has been highly successful in expediting death certificates. There will likely be a time-lag, however, before this becomes widespread as people need to find out about the new law AND as vital records will have to get the new potential certifiers trained on the EDRS system and get them logins, passwords etc.
4. DEATH CERTIFICATES - WHO CAN ENTER THE DATA OLD LAW: The strict reading of the old law was that the doctor had to be the one the was physically sitting at the computer terminal entering all of the DC data. While everyone knew that many doctors probably had someone else doing this for them, it was technically not permitted. This was causing problems at several major hospital/doctors groups who were refusing to use the EDRS system causing delays in getting death certificates. NEW LAW: Under the new law the person who is determining the cause of death (see #3 above) can authorize - in writing - someone else to actually enter the medical certification on his or her behalf. This is NOT the same as "signing" the death certificate. The doctor (or other person, see #3) must still determine and certify with a signature the cause of death. This just allows The Missouri Funeral Director
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someone else - ON THE DOCTOR'S BEHALF - to be the person to sit at the computer and type everything in. Here is the actual text of the new statute on this provision: The person authorized to complete the medical certification may, in writing, designate any other person to enter the medical certification information into the electronic death registration system if the person authorized to complete the medical certificate has physically or by electronic process signed a statement stating the cause of death. Any persons completing the medical certification or entering data into the electronic death registration system shall be immune from civil liability for such certification completion, data entry, or determination of the cause of death, absent gross negligence or willful misconduct. Notice that this provision also gives liability protection to those entering the data. Another part of the new law makes it clear that the Funeral Director can enter the name and license number of the embalmer. THE EFFECT: This one might take a while to work out with Vital Records as there needs to be forms and other paperwork developed. Also the EDRS computer system has physical limitations concerning data entry that no statute can fix. Once the new law is implemented it will allow many doctors to do legally what they may have been doing all along - having someone else at the computer terminal. It will also
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allow the big hospital groups to designate a person that will enter the data into the EDRS system. These people will also have to be trained on the computer system, etc. ALSO the new law will allow -if the doctor approves AND there is proper paperwork - for a funeral director to enter the data on the doctor's behalf. Again, it will take some time to work out this processm especially with the login and password procedures but, eventually, this could allow a doctor to simply fax over a copy of the cause of death (and other DC information on a form the doctor has signed) and allow the funeral director to then type it into the system. The new law also required that vital records convene a "working group" that consisted of representatives of DC data providers. MFDEA has already reached out to Vital Records, the Doctor's Association, the Nurses Association and the coroners to help facilitate such a meeting. In short, it will take some time before all of the pieces are in place on the death certificate section of the new law. If you have any questions, please call the MFDEA office at 573-6351661.
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News To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, such as compliance with state and federal regulations; providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement in the community; participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession; and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs. Participants are also required to adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices. Butler Funeral Home, Bolivar, Missouri Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Missouri Holman-Howe Funeral Home, Lebanon, Missouri In addition to receiving the 2015 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, four funeral homes earned the Best of the Best Award, which recognizes the development and execution of an innovative program or service that had a positive impact on the families and communities they serve. Holman-Howe Funeral Home, Lebanon, Missouri
T.J. Sampson of Clark-Sampson Funeral Home was recently appointed District 1 Director by President John Veach.
Christy Trimble cuts the ribbon during the grand opening ceremony of Dulle-Trimble Funeral Home’s new crematory. The crematory is the only crematory in Cole County, Missouri. MFDEA Board Members recently toured the Lodge of the Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks where the MFDEA Convention will be held in June 2017.
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A message from the PresidentElect Tom Hebner, MFDEA President-Elect Heritage Funeral Home Chillicothe, MO
I want to thank the 2015 convention committee for all the help and long hours they have put into another successful convention. The vendors need a special thanks, without their participation our convention would not have been the success that it was. Several of our vendors had special promotions. I hope all of our attendees took advantage of the savings that were offered. The auction was a big success with a profit of almost five thousand
dollars. This was possible because of the wonderful items that were donated by our members. The auctioneer Bobbie Eschbach deserves a special thanks. He kept the crowd going and got every dollar he could. The 2016 convention will be a Tri State convention held in Kansas City. John Moore is working on the 2017 convention which will be held at Lake of the Ozarks Four Seasons Resort. If you have time to be on the committee it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again to everyone for making the 2015 convention a great success.
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Adam James Lambert of Adel, IA passed away Sunday, July 5, 2015 at the age of 24 years. Everyone could depend on Adam James Lambert. This was never more evident than late in his short life, as he served with his fellow U.S. Marines. He was there for his Marine Corps family through the worst of times and the best of times. It was the same for his friends at home. Regardless of their girlfriend problems, boyfriend problems, money problems, drinking problems, family problems, it all seemed better after talking to Adam. He had a perspective on life that made so much sense to others. When all else failed, his amazing humor cured everything. For Adam, laughter was truly the best
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medicine. This is what made him a great son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew, friend. Empathetic beings like Adam give a little piece of themselves to help others gain hope, strength and power to overcome difficulties. We will forever believe he gave out all of his energy so those of us in his sphere could live better lives in his memory. Adam is survived by his mother and father, Jill (Fielder) and Dean Lambert of Adel, Iowa; sisters McKenzie Lambert of Des Moines and Anna Lambert of Adel; Grandparents Jim and Lori Fielder of Grand Island, Nebraska; Grandfather Lewis Lambert of Texas; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. The family received visitors on Friday, July 10, between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm at Iles Funeral Home-Dunn's Chapel, 2121 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa. Adam's life was celebrated on Saturday, July 11 at 10:00 am at West Des Moines
United Methodist Church, 720 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines, Iowa. Please consider making a donation in Adam's memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, woundedwarriorproject.org. See more at: www.ilesfuneralhomes. com DA Meyers, 90, of Carrollton, MO passed away Sunday, August 2, 2015 to be with his heavenly Father. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Saturday, August 8, 2015, at 12:00 Noon at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Carrollton, Mo with the Most Reverend Bishop Robert Finn as the celebrant. Burial in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. A visitation was at 10:30 am prior to Mass. There was also a 5:00 to 7:00 pm visitation Friday, August
7, 2015, at the Meyers Funeral Chapel, Blue Springs, MO, where the Rosary was prayed at 7:00 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to the Jimmy Meyers American Legion Baseball Scholarship c/o Meyers Funeral Chapel, 1600 West Main St., Blue Springs, MO 64015. Online condolences may be sent in DA’s name to meyersfuneralchapel. com. DA was born June 27, 1925 in Kansas City, MO to Daniel and Lena (Weller) Meyers. On June 24, 1952 he married Juanita Mann, who preceded him in death on October 16, 2012, after 60 years of marriage. DA and Juanita spent their entire life in Carrollton. They owned and operated the Sears Catalog Store in Carrollton for 30 years. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. He was an entrepreneur, handy man, and farmer his entire life. He bought and sold guns, houses, cattle, and had rental property all over Carroll County. He passed on his entrepreneurial spirit to
all his children, setting the example of being fair to people treating them as he wished to be treated. His handshake and word was golden. DA had a huge garden and liked to share his vegetables with his friends and family. He loved traveling with his family all over the country every summer, going to destinations that took him to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His family home place farm and lake was a place of gathering for all the family members and friends, BBQing massive amounts of chickens, steaks, and having fish fry’s, sometimes with hundreds of people. DA loved to fish, quail and pheasant hunt, spending time with his sons, and dear best friends Monte and Gary Davidson going to South Dakota and Nebraska. His infectious smile and attitude toward life was inspiring to all who knew and loved him. In addition to his wife, DA was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Daniel James “Jimmy” Meyers; daughter-in-law, Barbara Meyers;
brother, Emmett “Bud” Meyers and wife Leona; and sister, Florence Fischer and husband Arthur. Survivors include his children: Daniel Meyers of Jacksonville, TX, Cindy Hanavan and husband Terry of Chillicothe, MO, Marty Meyers and wife Kimberly of Blue Springs, MO, and Dennis Meyers and wife Julie of Blue Springs, MO; grandchildren: Cody, Erin, Cory, Laura, Kourtney, Chad, Bobbie Jo, Adrianna “AD”, Chase, John and Jamie; great-grandchildren: Brett, Charlee, Blake, Morgan, and Rhylee; brother, Travis and wife Rose Mann; and a host of nieces and nephews. Raymond Clinton Garber, age 94, of Versailles, passed away Saturday, August 8, 2015, peacefully at his home. He was born December 30, 1920, on his family's farm outside of Versailles, a son of the late Edwin and
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Elizabeth (Diener) Garber. On February 1, 1942, at the Versailles United Methodist Church, he was united in marriage to Susanna Elizabeth (Aeschbacher) Garber, who preceded him in death on June 7, 2015. They shared seventy-three years together, which created a wonderful family legacy. Ray served as a veteran of the United States Air Force to protect the ideals and freedoms held dear for his community and the country he loved. He retired as a First Lieutenant and was a flight engineer for various aircraft. With his wife Susanna by his side, Ray was stationed at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas, Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada and Walker AFB in Roswell, New Mexico. Ray was a man of commitment. Besides his seventy-three year marriage and dedication to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he was a man who provided for his community. He was employed by and/
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or owned and operated Kidwell-Garber Funeral Homes, Kidwell Granite Works and Garber Memorial Estates to serve the Versailles, Gravois Mills, Laurie and Sunrise Beach communities for a total of seventy years. After purchasing Kidwell Funeral Home in the 1970's, Ray built upon the legacy of his mentor, Bill Kidwell, by developing the KidwellGarber Laurie/Sunrise Beach Chapel and Garber Memorial Estates to provide a higher level of service to a larger part of the Lake area. In addition to the present Kidwell-Garber, Inc., Ray was previously the owner of an ambulance service, Wilbert Vault and Sedalia Monument Company. Community and civic commitment were at the forefront of Raymond's priorities. He belonged to and led many organizations throughout the Versailles and Lake West area, as well as many organizations within the funeral profession. He was highly respected within his professional community for
the expertise and service he provided. Ray, along with Susanna, was an unselfish, quiet benefactor in the lives of his family, as well as his community. Faith was the basis upon which Ray built his life, his family and his business. He loved and supported both of his lifetime churches - Bethel Mennonite Church and the Versailles United Methodist Church. Evident in each endeavor he embarked upon, his quiet demeanor, driven spirit and friendly voice were anchored by his faith in God and the promises he held dear from his Savior. His family is forever grateful for the example set by Ray, as well as Susanna; the reassurance and quiet comfort that God would provide and be the steadfast constant. With a strong work ethic and passion for his work at Kidwell-Garber, Ray never actually retired. However, he had a passion for travel and exploration. Along with Susanna, the couple drove to every state in the United States reachable by vehicle. Ray drove five roundtrips to
Alaska, making the last when he was in his eighties. He rarely would be without Susanna, and truly enjoyed spending time with his sweetheart and the open road (and a new vehicle for each trip). Ray is survived by his children, Sue Akin and Gary Garber, both of Versailles; his grandchildren, Suzanne Hall and husband Corey of Versailles, Nathan Garber and wife Michelle of Versailles, Landon Akin of Osage Beach and Michael Garber and wife Shannon of Versailles; his great-grandchildren, Ila Garber, Ethan Garber, Landri Hall, Rose Garber, Matthew Garber and Pearl Garber all of Versailles; his brothers, Dennis Garber of Warrensburg, Missouri and Homer Garber and wife Twila of Versailles; his sisters, Ina McCormick of Bangor, Northern Ireland, Lena Alexander and husband Dick of Promise City, Iowa, Velma Reiss of Demorest, Georgia, Mary Gehman and husband Dan of Lewistown, Montana and Rosella Fulks of Latham, Missouri. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings, Robert Garber, Pauline Wulff, Ed Garber, Bill Garber, Norman Garber and Violet Garber, as well as his granddaughter, Meredith Garber. Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 12th, at the Kidwell-Garber Funeral Home in Versailles with Pastor Lora Cunningham and Pastor Dave Zapf officiating. Graveside services and entombment with full military honors followed at the Garber Family Mausoleum in the Versailles Cemetery with Suzanne Hall, Nathan Garber, Landon Akin, Michael Garber, Brian Graber and Mark Graber serving as casketbearers. The family received friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Versailles United Methodist Church or Bethel Mennonite Church. Expressions of sympathy may be left online at www. kidwellgarber.com. Arrangements were under the direction of his family: Sue, Gary, Suzanne, Nathan, Landon and
Michael at Kidwell-Garber Funeral Home of Versailles. Joyce A. Weiker, 77, of Blue Springs, formerly of Fayette, died We d n e s d a y, August 26, 2015 at Kansas City Hospice House. Funeral services were Friday, August 28, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. at Slater United Methodist Church with Rev. Robert Sisney officiating. Burial was in Fayette City Cemetery. Visitation was from 9:00 until 10:00 A.M. Friday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Kansas City Hospice House. Born June 23, 1938 in Kansas City, she was the daughter of the late Marvin W. and Nadine Howelman Dusenberg. On August 17, 1958 in Fayette she married Joe Weiker, and he preceded her in death on February 9, 2013. She is survived by her son, Jason D. Weiker and his wife, Bethany of Slater; two grandchildren, Lauren Ann Crews and her husband, Zach, and Andrew Jason Weiker of Slater; and several cousins. She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Blue Springs and formerly a longtime member of Linn Memorial United Methodist Church in Fayette. She was a 1956 graduate of Fayette High School, and a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia school of nursing, where she received her RN degree. She worked as a surgical nurse at Boone County Hospital and later a special duty nurse at Lee Hospital and Keller Memorial Hospital in Fayette. R o n Durbin, March 4, 1947 - August 26, 2015 Beloved husband of Diane Durbin
(nee Ekstrom) for 47 years; Devoted father of Jennifer (Kristine Reid) Durbin, Rebecca (Matthew) Presnell and the late Timothy Durbin; Loving grandfather of Alan Presnell; Cherished son of Joseph (Dottie) Durbin and the late Margaret Durbin (nee Muschany). Dear brother of JoAnn (Larry) Suttles, Pamela (the late Brian) Woods, Lisa (Mike) Kessels and the late Donald Durbin; Our dear brother-in-law, uncle, great-uncle, nephew, cousin and friend to many. Ron retired from General Electric after 31 years and then served the community as an Embalmer/Funeral Director for 25 years. Memorials preferred to Ron Durbin Funeral Service Scholarship Fund, Bethel UMC Memorial Fund or Brian Woods Scholarship Fund. Funeral was held Saturday, August 29, 10:30am at the Jay B. Smith Fenton Chapel and interment was at Chapel Hill Cemetery.
Our Mission The mission of MFDEA is to encourage excellence in funeral service, to provide members with exceptional resources and assistance, to represent and protect the common interest of its members, and to educate the membership and public about our profession.
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Executive Director Report
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final destination within 24 hours from death (see #3 above), then there is no requirement to embalm, so Missouri law would generally allow the body to be transported on the plane without embalming or being placed in an airtight container. HOWEVER, when a person dies of certain contagious diseases (its a VERY OLD list of diseases from 1909 and 1936 - seriously, the law is THAT old) , then the body must be embalmed AND placed in an air-tight container to be transported). In this case, the body was going to reach the final destination within 24 hours of death and the person had not died of a contagious disease, therefore it was Missouri-legal to have the body put back on the plane to be flown home. (PRACTICAL - not legal - NOTE: You cannot place a truly sealed container in the cargo hold of an airplane or even the passenger area if the cargo hold/ cabin is not sufficiently pressurized, as the pressure difference can cause a sealed container to burst open.) 5. What do you put as the final disposition on the DC? This one is also
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easy: the final disposition is simply "removal from the state." There was no need to put what was going to happen to the body once it got to the other state. 6. Somebody here in Missouri is filing a Missouri Death Certificate that says they are "in charge" of the final disposition, but the person filing the DC won't control what is going on after they release the body to the family and its put on the plane, what should you do? This situation applies in any case where you have possession of a body but a family wants you to hand it over to them - or directs you to hand it over to someone else. You should ask the family to sign a "release" form (MFDEA Members have access to several versions of this release form in the Members Only area of mofuneral.org). The release form basically states that the next-of-kin, or their authorized representative, is "taking over" and that they are responsible for making sure, from this point on (at whatever point you lose control), that all laws and regulations are being properly followed and that the funeral director (or, in this case, the coroner/ME) is not
responsible for anything that happens after the body is removed from his or her custody. This is especially important in a case like this where the body is going to another jurisdiction where the laws may be very different than Missouri. In effect, the next-of-kin is "firing you" at some point and taking over. Therefore, THEY are responsible for making sure all the rules are followed. The person from the Coroner/ME's office was extremely grateful and ended the conversation with: "They were right, you ARE the only one that would know all the answers!" While flattering, this is not true, because each and every one of the above topics is covered in MFDEA's monthly law-exam review class for people preparing to take the law exam for Missouri Funeral Directors, Embalmers, Pre-Need Agents and those seeking a license by reciprocity! Did you know all the answers? If not, that's OK. The key to any situation is not knowing the answers, its is recognizing (as did this caller) when you have a problem! If you know you have a problem, you can usually find the answer. It's not recognizing the potential issues that most often gets
people in trouble. MFDEA member funeral home are automatically MFDEA MFDEA members can call the office at 573-635-1661 day members!) you can take the MFDEA class any time you want or night if you have important issues that need to be discussed for only $50. Even if you don't have to take the law exam, the or clarified. If it is after hours -and it really, really, really, can't class will get you up-to-date on the law and will allow you to wait until morning - just tell the answering service it is an answer questions like the ones above and much, much more! emergency and you need them to page Don Otto. Please do call the office in advance to confirm date and time Still worried that you might not be up-to date on all the and so we have enough materials (and lunch!) for everyone. new requirements of Missouri, the FTC, OSHA and the Justice Department? Concerned you don't know enough about the changes in the law since you had to take the test? Never had to deal with the pre-need laws before but now you do? Wondering what those "special rules" are if this has been on a common carrier? Are you ready? Just feel like you need a refresher so FAMIC’s consumer education campaign, Have the Talk of a Lifetime®, you can properly supervise your employees? has started conversation among families and friends – people in your MFDEA now has you covered! community – about their lives and how they want to be remembered after We are pleased to announce a new they die. special offer! Licensed MFDEA members Visit FAMIC.org to learn more about the program and access a variety of can now take the law-review class for only tools you can easily incorporate into your business today. $50! IF you are a licensed funeral director or embalmer AND if you are an MFDEA member (and all licensed funeral directors ® and embalmers that are employed by an
The conversation
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The Missouri Funeral Director
7/31/15 9:35 AM
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John Pautz’s granddaughter Aven (aka Nugget)
Hello MFDEA Members and Friends, Get your calendar out and pencil in a couple of dates for the upcoming conventions. Tri-State will be May 8-11, 2016 again at the Overland Park Convention Center. And for 2017, at the Lodge of the Four Seasons, Lake of the Ozarks on June 4-7. We always have a great convention at these locations. Hope to see you there! It’s that time of the year where in the next few months you as funeral directors, managers and owners start to review the present year’s sales. The big item each year has become the percent of cremations to burials. With this information tweaking your GPL for coming year is vital to your business. I do a lot of reading of trade publications. The latest is The Funeral Director’s Guide to Statistics: 2015 Edition. Sponsored by Homesteaders Life Company, this guide includes relevant content including: Up-todate statistics from the Cremation Association of North America, KatesBoylston and Johnson Consulting Group. Included are the latest casket and compensation survey results. Data
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Nuggets from the Past President interpretation can help you understand consumer preferences on cremation, pet loss, caskets and more. Expert advice from industry leaders pointing you toward immediate action steps to grow your market share concludes a comprehensive study that every member of the funeral business needs to have! Following the current market trend the main item in the guide is that the cremation rate is still going up. Are you at the 50 % mark yet? So, how do YOU gather information that can help you tweak the GPL and the Bottom Line? I’m in the process of looking at the services for the previous months of 2015 and building a chart. Start by dividing the service by cremation and burial. Next, break the cremation or burial services down a few more steps. For example in cremation; was it full service with a rental casket, cremation with memorial service or simple cremation. Next, did the family purchase any keepsakes such as urns, jewelry, thumbies? Once you complete each service for the things you have to offer the families, then put the total service price. Yes, this is alot of work. But the information will give you a great picture. Now, how can we improve our bottom line? Are you telling every family that you serve about everything
your funeral home has to offer or are you missing something? Do you offer rental caskets, keepsake mini urns, jewelry, thumbies, portraits, tribute videos, reception hall, meals, etc. Don’t ever assume what the family may or may not know. Start with the basics every time and add all the offerings. How many cremation package do you offer? Three, four, five, six? A family cannot purchase what they don’t know about. I moved my thumbie display from the arrangement room to the front foyer and my sales have doubled. How many cremation or burial services have you noticed are set for the weekend? Families are looking at services that are not interfering with work or family activities. Have you thought about charging more for the weekend? Discount for weekday or not? When you make changes to your GPL and packages, do you involve your staff? They may suggest something that you may not think of. When your whole staff is involved, everyone is on board. Times are changing - are you?
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PRESORTED FIRST CLASS US POSTAGE PAID Jefferson City, MO 65101 Permit 313
MFDEA 1757 Woodclift Drive, Suite 202 Jefferson City, MO 65109 over a century of strength
When a hero falls, Wilbert is there. Commemorating First Responders Wilbert’s Commemorating First Responders program provides families of firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel who have died in the line of duty with a tribute worthy of their valor and sacrifice. At no charge to the family, Wilbert Funeral Services will donate a customized Wilbert Stainless Steel Triune burial vault. If the choice is cremation, we offer a selection of urns, as well as a Stainless Steel Triune urn vault for memorial tribute. If permitted, a WilbertWay graveside service may also be included. Learn more about providing this program to the families and communities you serve by contacting your Wilbert representative or local plant for more information.
When a first responder falls in your community, please contact us for assistance. Michael Nash Regional Marketing Manager (816) 810-7884 - Mobile mnash@wilbert.com DJ Roshan Regional Marketing Manager (417) 379-5519 - Mobile djroshan@wilbert.com Dan Welzenbach Regional Vice President (816) 966-9000 danwelzenbach@wilbert.com
Grandview ................ (816) 966-9000 Jackson ...................... (573) 243-6052 Moberly ..................... (660) 263-1213 Mt. Grove.................... (417) 962-3126
More information about the Commemorating First Responders program is available at www.wilbert.com.
Rolla .......................... (573) 364-3800 Springfield ................. (417) 883-2355 St. Joseph ................... (816) 233-0248 Versailles ................... (573) 378-5474 2015-026 MFDA