Memories.com DVD Program TributeSuite.com swering Service Tribute Websites Obituary Compiler APP Shop ObitsForLife.com
The Missouri Funeral Director Spring 2015 Published Four Times Per Year
1757 Woodclift Drive, Suite 202 Jefferson City, MO 65109 TheGriefNetwork.com 573.635.1661 • Fax: 573.635.9494 www.mofuneral.org • info@mofuneral.org
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Online Flowers Fallen Heros Wall PreArrangeOnline.com e-Commerce MFDEA STAFF Simpler Times Don Otto, Executive Director, info@mofuneral.org Sympathy Store Kiosk Cindy Gorman, Office Manager, cindy@mofuneral.org Forms Generator Kathleen Lavery, Publications Manager, publications@mofuneral.org Reporting Tools Gerding, Korte & Chitwood, Certified Public Accountants Management Sympathy Cards
Missouri Funeral Directors & Embalmers Association
rranging Director
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2014-2015 Officers President Secretary/Treasurer John Veach, Bowling Green John Moore, CPC, Potosi (573) 324-2211 (573) 438-2111
Veterans Memorial Wall
District Directors
Quote Builder
Pet Loss
Mobile Websites
de.com
Immediate Past President John W. Pautz, CPC, Sullivan (573) 220-0584
President Elect Tom Hebner, Chillicothe (660) 646-6600
Marketing Center
TributeSuite.com
District 1 Eric Montegna, St. Joseph (816) 232-3366
District 7 Jay Hardy, Maplewood (314) 781-1115
JustCremateMe.com District 2
Brad Davis, Canton (573) 288-4422
District 8 Greg Bird, Springfield (417) 833-1111
Memorial Tribute Pages
(816) 252-7900
District 9 Austin Woodard, Joplin (417) 781-1711
Memorial DVD Program
District 4 Steven Bittiker, Carrollton (660) 542-2011
District 10 Patrick Weiss, Farmington (573) 756-4541
District 5 Kyle Trimble, Jefferson City (573) 893-5251
Eastern Director-at-Large Randall Schulz, Poplar Bluff (573) 785-8484
District 6 Jessica Oltmann, Union (636) 583-2525
Western Director-at-Large Bill Stuart, Moberly (660) 263-3360
Totally Integrated—Enter Data Once Memorial Donation District Handler 3 MyLifesJourney.com Book of Memories™ Funeral Home Website Chuck Townsend, Independence Mobile Website Platform Forms Printing
Stationery Print Program World Class Personalization Family Contract Generator Webcasting Posting Engine ExtensiveObituary Ad Library Virtual Showroom Mobile Arrangements Revenue Generation Tools
Memorial Candles Funeral Webcasting Showrooms Memorial Stationery Social Media MFDEA is a proud partner of FrontRunner. All members receive 10% off any technology solution.
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We offer our clients comprehensive strategic initiatives, and a marketing matrix designed to attract more families.
MISSOURI FUNERAL TRUST, INC. 2015-2016 Officers Secretary/Treasurer President David McWilliams, Gallatin Brian Boyer, Bonne Terre (660) 663-21171 (573) 358-2277 Vice-President Kent Trimble, Jefferson City (573) 893-5251
Directors
Can you afford to not be part of FrontRunner?
A Better Way Forward. FrontRunner360.com/MFDEA 1-866-748-3625
Immediate Past President Kayla Carter, Elsberry (573) 898-2181
Robert Baker, Brookfield (660) 258-5050
Ozella J. Foster, CPC, St. Louis (314) 652-3305
Bill Bennett, Steelville (573) 775-2123
Jay Hardy, Maplewood (314) 781-1115
Jon Cozean, Farmington (573) 756-4541
The
Missouri Funeral Director
An official publication of the Missouri Funeral Directors & Embalmers Association
Features

Spring 2015
Articles/Columns A Message from the President Page 4 Executive Director’s Report Page 5 News Page 14 In Memorium Page 16 Nuggets from the Past President Page 22
Advertiser Directory
Page 10
2015 Annual Convention and Tradeshow J u n e 1 t o 2 , 20 1 5 S t . C h a r le s C o n v e n t i o n C e n t e r R e gi st r a t i o n D e a d li n e : M ay 1 , 20 1 5 Page 6
ASD, 6 CFL Pre-need, 21 Crime Scene Cleaners, 15 Dodge Company, 5 Eagle Bank and Trust, 21 Endorsed Companies, inside back cover Federated Insurance, 15 First Call, 14 FrontRunner, Inside Front Cover Funeral Directors Service, 16 Kansas City, KS Community College, 20 Lamcraft, 13 Mid-MO Mortuary, 4 Mullen Coach, 20 Parkway Advisors, 21 Saving Sight, 19 Shields Professional Vehicles, 17 SI-Wilbert, back cover
Front cover: Design by Kathleen Lavery 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, I’m sure we are all getting tired of the cold and snow. Serving our families is definitely more challenging in the winter months, so we can be thankful that Spring is here. Thank you for everyone who has joined MFDEA this year. This is our first year with our new membership format where with a firm membership, all branches, satellites, licensed funeral directors and embalmers are included as MFDEA members. If you have not taken advantage of this opportunity, you can still join and take advantage of all MFDEA benefits. One of those benefits is trusting your preneed money with the Missouri Funeral Trust which includes state reporting. Note: You cannot sell MFT contracts if you are not a member of the MFDEA, so make sure you have renewed your membership. Some of the other benefits include our MFDEA Directory, quarterly magazines, web site where many forms are available for download, full time staff for help and assistance, free legal knowledge, district meetings, informative “In The Loop” emails and our MFDEA Convention June 1 -2 at the St. Charles Convention Center. There will also be a Celebrant Training on May 30-31. Look for the convention registration form for all the details. One of the most important things that MFDEA does with the help of our Executive Director Don Otto, lobbyist Sam Licklider, MFDEA board and legislative committee is to John Veach, MFDEA President protect against state bills that are damaging to funeral service and aid in promoting good Mudd-Veach Funeral Home funeral service legislation. Recently some funeral directors called state hearing committee Bowling Green, MO members and some of us attended a hearing to block a bill that was not the best for us. We are proposing a bill that would give another option in expediting the information from the doctor that we feel will help process the death certificate quicker and help us better serve our families. As you read this, we have just had our annual MFT Banquet, MFDEA Board meeting and legislative day at the capitol. I want to thank our board members and everyone in our association for caring about funeral service and about issues that affect how we serve our families. One thing is for sure: “ We are stronger and better together”. The MFT investments are handled in accordance with the investment policy approved by the MFT Board of Directors. The current Board of Directors are:
MISSOURI FUNERAL TRUST, INC. 2015-2016 Officers Secretary/Treasurer President David McWilliams, Gallatin Brian Boyer, Bonne Terre (660) 663-2117 (573) 358-2277 Immediate Past President Vice-President Kayla Carter, Elsberry Kent Trimble, Jefferson City (573) 898-2181 (573) 893-5251 Directors Robert Baker, Brookfield (660) 258-5050
Ozella J. Foster, St. Louis (314) 652-3305
Bill Bennett, Steelville (573) 775-2123
Jay Hardy, Maplewood (314) 781-1115
Jon Cozean, Farmington (573) 756-4541
Status of the Missouri Funeral Trust Balances as of March 31, 2015
4
Total Trust Assets: Total Consumer Payments: Total Undistributed Income: Total Unrealized Gains:
$60,066,101.21 $49,769,058.88 5,960,395.64 4,336,646.69
Total:
$60,066,101.21
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Executive Director’s Report One of the most difficult issues we face with the Missouri Funeral Trust is when a purchaser or, very often, someone supposedly acting on their behalf, wants to cancel an irrevocable preneed plan and get a refund. People get very upset and emotional, however, for a number of reasons this almost never can be done. Irrevocable means Irrevocable. Chapter 436 provides: “A beneficiary who seeks to become eligible to receive public assistance under chapter 208 or any other applicable state or federal law may irrevocably waive their rights to receive any refund or payment of any moneys from the funds or insurance used to fund their preneed contract.” That means if you make it irrevocable, you never have the right to get any money back! Further, if some situation happens where there is money that looks like it could be refunded, somehow left over, or otherwise not spent on the funeral, it does not go back to the purchaser or beneficiary, it will go to the State of Missouri. Chapter 208.010.4 states: ...”if the purchaser of such contract or his or her successors in interest transfer, amend, or take any other such actions regarding the [irrevocable preneed] contract so that any person will be entitled to a refund, such refund shall Donald C. Otto, Jr. be paid to the state of Missouri.... MFDEA Executive Director & General Counsel Why is the law like this? The reason people make a contract irrevocable is to become eligible for public assistance and they have to get below the asset level ($999 in Missouri) to qualify for Medicaid/MoHealthNet or other assistance. Most people refer to this as a “spend-down” of assets. This is not only legal, it is encouraged by the law as Chapter 208 provides that any money that is set aside in an irrevocable preneed contract is NOT counted against the person as an asset. Thus the taxpayers of the State have been supporting that person on the assumption that they did not have more assets than allowed by Missouri law. IF assets are returned to the person, that is money that belongs to the State to reimburse it for the financial support (often the subsidized nursing home bed) that has been provided. Instead the funds need to be sent to the Third Party Recovery Unit of MoHealthNet. By the same token you can’t give your nephew $10,000 to get below the limit then have that nephew give it back to you later. What makes this very dangerous for the funeral director is that, if it has been determined that you HAVE given funds to a person that should have been handed over to the state, then the state can come after you and get you to pay the money again, this time to Missouri - PLUS interest. Even worse, if it looks like anyone was intentionally trying to get around the rules to get money back to someone who should not have it, that could be Medicaid fraud! A purchaser can change the mix of goods and services and can even change funeral home providers on an irrevocable contract. But if this results in funds not being spent on the funeral that money must again go to the State of Missouri. Check out our new web store Sometimes you run into a situation where the https://shop.dodgeco.com person claims that they, or their relative, have not received public assistance but the contract is still The Dodge Company ~ www.dodgeco.com irrevocable. What then? Well you, as the funeral tel 1-800-443-6343 / fax 1-800-443-4034 director really don’t know if the person has been getting assistance or not and its not your job to find out either. That is the State’s job. Chapter 208 provides for this when it says: “...any amount in jwright@dodgeco.com garnold@dodgeco.com excess of the public assistance benefits provided
Jim Wright
Greg Arnold
(660) 258-2428
(800) 554-1078
continued on page 20 The Missouri Funeral Director
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2015 Annual Convention and Tradeshow
J u n e 1 t o 2 , 20 1 5 S t . C h a r le s C o n v e n t i o n C e n t e r R e gi st r a t i o n D e a d li n e : M ay 1 , 20 1 5
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C e le b r a n t T r a i n i ng Certified Celebrant Training May 29 - 31, 2015 | St. Charles, MO Glenda Stansbury has trained over 2500 celebrants in the funeral industry. Glenda will be bringing this educational and much requested seminar to Missouri in conjunction with MFDEA’s Annual Convention. Don’t miss it! Schedule May 29 May 30 May 31
2:00 pm - Registration 3:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m. (Dinner provided) 8:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. (Continental breakfast and lunch provided - dinner on your own) 8:00 a.m.—12:00 noon (Continental breakfast provided)
CEU Information for Funeral Directors The Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice: 17 hrs of attendance. State Funeral Service Board approval: Approved hours vary by state. More Information If you have any questions about Celebrants, please contact Glenda Stansbury at In-Sight Books: glenda@insightbooks. com, 405-810-9501 or 800-658-9262 Registration Fees MFDEA Member - $800 Non-Member - $900 ($850 each for 3 or more from one firm) Student Registration - $600 (Limit 5 student registrations)
Register at
www.insightbooks.com space is limited
S u n d ay , M ay 31 12:00 pm Registration 1:00 pm Golf at The Falls Golf Club Join us for a leisurely day of golf with a shotgun start, golf cart, box lunch and beverage cart. 6:00 pm MFT Board Meeting 7:00 pm MFDEA Board Meeting Free Evening - Take advantage of one of the fine restaurants in the area or try your luck at one of the casinos.
M o n d ay , J u n e 1 8:00 am Hall
Registration Opens in front of Exhibit
8:30 am - 9:45 am Break-out Sessions •• Women in Funeral Service - Kalene Summerville of Summerville Funeral Home and MFDEA Past President •• Price List Options - Scott Gilligan, General Counsel for NFDA •• Optimizing Chemical Distribution - Rick Roark of Pierce Chemicals •• Celebrants in the Funeral Industry - Glenda Stansbury, MA, CFSP 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Annual Meeting, Awards Banquet, Memorial Service and Installation of Officers. Banquet meal is included in registration fee. 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm Preneed in Missouri This seminar will discuss the latest in preneed including audits, NPS updates and The Missouri Funeral Trust. 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm Break-out Sessions •• Restoration Techniques - Vernie Fountain of Fountain National Academy & Fountain Embalming Services •• Cremation Liability - Scott Gilligan, General Counsel for NFDA •• Same Sex Marriage and Funerals - Donald C. Otto, Executive Director of MFDEA •• The Agony and Ecstacy of a New Website - a case study using two funeral homes and two web companies - Kathleen Lavery, Publications Manager, MFDEA 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Exhibit Hall Opens 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm Owner/Manager Reception. New for 2015, here is your chance to meet with Exhibitor’s after the exhibit hall closes and get the best deal possible. Invitation only. Open Bar. 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm Meet and Greet Cocktails in the Grand Ballroom. 7:30 pm Dinner and Live Auction Time to unwind and have fun with good food, live entertainment and a live auction to benefit MFDEA’s scholarship fund.
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T u e s d ay , J u n e 2 8:00 am Hall
Registration Opens in front of Exhibit
8:30 am - 10:00 am Round Table Discussions There will be several round table discussions regarding top issues in the funeral industry today. Topics may include therapy dogs, social media, MFT questions and answers on procedures, forms and contracts. Check our website for a complete listing of topics as they become available. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Exhibit Hall Opens 12:00 pm Lunch in Exhibit Hall
S pecial T hanks
12:00 pm Presidents Luncheon 6:00 pm - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers (Sponsored by Federated Insurance) Join us for an evening of baseball at Busch Stadium in our own Party Box which includes an unlimited buffet with Hunter Hot Dogs, brats, Mesquite BBQ beef brisket, BBQ chicken, Buffalo mac & cheese, nachos, mixed greens salad, cookies and brownies, Budweiser and Bud Light on tap, Coca-Cola products and O’Doul’s. Clients of Federated Insurance who are registered attendees will receive one free ticket to the event.
to our
C onvention S ponsors
As of 4/15/2015
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2015 MFDEA Convention • June 1 to 2, 2015 St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, MO Registration Deadline: May 1, 2015 Name: (Please register each person separately, except for spouse) Position/Title: ____ Owner
____ Manager
____ Funeral Director In Charge
____ Funeral Director
____ Embalmer
____ Apprentice
Spouse name: Firm or Association: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone:
Fax:
E-mail: REGISTRATION FEES
Postmarked by May 1, 2015
Postmarked after May 1, 2015
Member (employee of MFDEA Firm Member)*
$150
$175
Non-member Spouse or relative of Member
$100
$125
Member ONE DAY ONLY (Tuesday)
$100
$125
Non-member
$200
$225
Non-member ONE DAY ONLY (Tuesday)
$150
$175
(All meals are included in the registration fee)
Student (must provide copy of student ID)**
$25
$50
MFT Provider who has written 10 or more contracts within the past 12 months
FREE
FREE
Retired Funeral Director - Exhibit Hall ONLY
FREE
FREE
Total
TOTAL $ *Members of other state funeral director associations may register at the member rate. GOLF REGISTRATION TOTAL (from other side)
$
CARDINALS GAME: Please reserve _________ tickets at $45.00 each | Federated Insurance Client - 1 FREE Ticket ______
$
AWARDS BANQUET: ____ # of FREE tickets for Registered Attendees ____# of tickets at $50.00 each for Banquet only.
$
YES, I (or my district) will bring something for the live auction. (Donation benefits the MFDEA Scholarship Fund.)
GRAND TOTAL $$ DUE
$
Payment Methods Enclosed is payment for registrations and tickets Credit Card Check (payable to MFDEA) Credit card type: MasterCard Visa Discover
American Express (+$5.95 service charge)
Card #: Expires: CSV#: Zip Code: Name on card (print): Signature: PLEASE DO NOT FAX UNLESS PAYING BY CREDIT CARD • Fax (573) 635-9494 • Questions? MFDEA phone (573) 635-1661 • Mail to: MFDEA, 1757 Woodclift Drive, Suite 202, Jefferson City, MO 65109 Cancellations: All cancellations must be in writing and postmarked before 5/1/15. All cancellations accessed a $25 fee. No refunds after 5/1/15. The Missouri Funeral Director
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Trying to sort through web technology today can be frustrating and time consuming. Expectations can be high and often not realized in the final product. In this article we talked to two funeral directors who recently took the plunge and updated their websites. Ryan Freeman of Freeman Mortuary in Jefferson City and Larry Carter of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry discuss their reasons for a new website, which company they chose to build their website, the final cost and overall experience. Ryan and Larry will be part of a more detailed discussion on funeral home websites at the MFDEA Annual Convention and Tradeshow in St. Charles, MO on June 1 and 2, 2015. The Missouri Funeral Director
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How long did you have your previous website? Who designed and hosted it? Freeman: Our previous website was hosted by the National Biodiesel Board in Jefferson City, Mo. We had a working relationship with them beginning around 2001. We had a great relationship with them and they did a wonderful job customizing our website. Carter: We had a custom website with Aurora Cakset beginning in 2004. In 2009-2010 we continued with an updated website with Aurora slowly because Tributes was taking over their obits and charging $20.00 per obit. We resigned with Aurora in 2012 but Tributes took over after 2012. What was the reason for the new website? Freeman: The main reason is there are a few companies that specialize in only funeral home websites and they have a competitive advantage with the vast array of features they offer. It became hard for a local web hosting company to create these new features for only one client in the funeral profession. Carter: Three reasons - 1) We were tired of paying Tributes $20.00 per obit, and for all practicalities, Tributes was controlling the website and redirected hits on the website how they wanted. 2) The main technology person, who did most of the work at Aurora, left the company. It became apparent after the sale of Aurora, that the website technology area was not an important area of focus any longer. 3) It was to refresh the website with a different look and feel. Who did you look at for creating the website and why? Freeman: I looked at four website companies: Frazer, Funeral Net, Funeral One, and Frontrunner. These are the companies that I saw advertised in trade magazines. They all offered a simple platform with amazing features that other companies couldn’t compete. All
of them made it extremely easy to create our own website to make it unique to our funeral home. Carter: We looked at Funeral One, Frontrunner and FuneralTech. These three seem to be the leaders in websites for the funeral industry. We had an association with Funeral One with their videos, so natrually would look at their websites. FrontRunner and FuneralTech were tied to either/or both to OGR or MFDEA. What were the deciding factors for you in choosing your current web designer? Freeman: We choose Frontrunner because I liked the way they laid out the deceased web page and turned it into their own memorial page. Many of our visitors go to our website to only look at the deceased page for service details and other information so we wanted to make sure that was the best part of our website. Carter: Basically, it boiled down to the salesperson and the approach each took Top: The original Carter-Ricks Funeral Home Website. to describe the benefits Above: The redesigned Carter-Ricks Funeral Home Website created by FuneralTech. of the sites. One company was focused on the income Also we were looking for new funeral generation. Another company seemed home software, since our software was to be playing “catch-up” or didn’t want from 1998. We hoped the software and to fully explain its products, for fear of the website would work together. And losing information. The third company, we didn’t want to be Cloud based. If just plain, had a better salesperson. they or the internet go down, there isn’t It quickly became apparent, we anything you can do. could not get the “total custom” look How long did it take from initial Aurora had in the beginning, which really contact until you had a fully functional raised a question of why. It was a matter webstie? of blending the look we wanted into their Freeman: I was after something various “pre-formed custom” designs. unique to our funeral home and We did like the ability to make each community so it took about four months individual obit page more personalized to get everything finalized. I kept going where the family can add pictures and back to the drawing board with different videos at no additional charge. themes and pictures and that is what The Missouri Funeral Director
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took the longest. Honestly, these funeral website companies can have a funeral homes website up within a month, if you know exactly what you want right away. Carter: I would say six to seven months. The major factor was not a problem on their part, but on ours due to three items - 1) not wanting to give up the custom site we had with Aurora; 2) since we were providing updates to existing information, and in some instances, new information, we dallied getting the work done; 3) just getting used to the fact of a new site. What difficulties occurred that you did not anticipate? Freeman: When Frontrunner took the site live, we had major problems for about three days. I found out that you can have a test site but once they make it live, links/pages/admin sections all need to be adjusted. We had problems with the layout of previous deceased pages and communication with people asking questions through our website. It only took a few days on the phone with the company letting them know about problems and they fixed them extremely quickly. Carter: Getting information together and placing it in their “structure.” For instance, we already had a pictorial history, however getting the pictures to work took a longer time and effort on their part than I expected. It took longer once we got going on our part for the site to work correctly. Did the web designer explain why these difficulties occurred, i.e., misunderstanding on your part, lack of communication on their part, technical issues, etc.?
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Freeman: They didn’t tell me there would be technology problems when they took the site live so I had unreasonable expectations that everything would go smoothly from minute one. No funeral director likes problems, especially when you are handling a lot of services. It was a lack communication on both parties because I should have asked very specific questions about taking the site live and they should have told me about problems that might arise. For example, during the first three days links did not work properly, or obits from our previous website did not fit properly into the new design and had to be slighly reconfigured. Also, we discovered that emails that were coming from our new “Contact Us” page were being sent to the wrong email address. Once these items were corrected the website ran smoothly. Carter: Part of the issue was a change in representative at the website company (she left for materinity leave) and it took a while for us and the new
Spring 2015
person to connect. Probably all the issues you mentioned, misunderstanding on our part, some lack of communication on their part, technical issues of us trying to be more custom that they may have anticipated or wanted, and their system really not working correctly played a part in the length of time to operation. However, now everything seems to work well, looks good and we have had a lot of compliments on the site. What features did the company offer that you incorporated into your website, i.e. social media integration, income generation through sale of flowers or candles, etc.? Freeman: Frontrunner offers everything that we could ask for and more. We all know about online condolences, uploading pictures features, income generation through flower sales, social media integration because all the companies have that as standard features now. Carter: We connect to Facebook. Since we are using FuneralTech’s mortuary program (MIMS), it is fully integrated with the website. Service information and photos in MIMS transfer over to the website. Being a funeral home in a rural area, we really were not interested (at this time) in adding income from other vendors, i.e. flower shops. My feeling is that “if you try to take too many slices of the pie, the pie will disappear and does no body any good.” In our case in this area, we have already lost two flower shops, and
getting flowers is sometimes difficult. Maybe we are looking at it wrong, but we do not want to get aggressive on the website. This may change after we see when the website is settled and add items to sale. Did you add any additional features during the design process that you had not planned on? Freeman: No. Carter: Not really. We did add the picture history and FuneralTech added a lot of printed material that they thought would enhance the website. Are you pleased with the final product? Freeman: Yes, it has done everything we had hoped and even more. We are constantly learning new features that they are launching and our staff is becoming familiar with the admin section to offer our families more innovative ways to share memories during their loved one’s service Carter: Yes!! We are pleased with the final product. The funeral home software seems to integrate smoothly with the website. As time goes and we get more used to the site, the more comfortable we will be with it. What was the final cost and how did it compare to what you were originally quoted? Freeman: The intial quote was approximately $2,500. This was if we used an existing template. I wanted a personalized website that did not look like so many other funeral homes today and gave a sense of the region where we are located. The final price after customization was $3,750.00. It is like anything in life, ask them if they can personalize something to your liking and these companies will make it happen. You will just pay for the extra effort in design work. Carter: FuneralTech Premium Website setup was $1,295.00. We also purchased the mortuary program (MIMS) for $1,795.00 plus $995.00 for data conversion from Mortware to
MIMS for a final price of $4,085.00 This is what was quoted and what we paid so there were no surprises. Do you pay a monthly fee? If so, what does the fee cover? Freeman: We pay monthly hosting fee of $80 and that gives us all the customer service we desire as well. Carter: We pay a monthly fee of $50.00 for FuneralTech to host the website with unlimited obituaries. (We were paying Tributes $20.00 per obituary posted.) We pay a monthly fee for support of the mortuary program. Would you recommend the company who designed your webisite? Freeman: Absolutely, I have recommended Frontrunner many times because I still believe they provide the best possible deceased page in our profession. We constantly get great feedback from our families about its functionality for them and how they can use it to celebrate their loved one’s life. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of updating their webisite? Freeman: Technology is constantly changing and new features are being offered every month by these companies. Directors need to ask themselves what their goals are for the website and rank what features are important to you. The layout of the deceased page is extremely important to me so that was the main factor for me in selecting a web company. That could be different for every director though. Don’t be afraid to interview many of these companies and ask as many questions as possible. This will be a long term relationship and you want to feel comfortable with your company. In the near future we will be putting up YouTube videos featuring our upcoming renovations. Carter: Patience, patience, patience and talk to all providers and be comfortable with them. Then work on your content and don’t drag your feet like we did. The Missouri Funeral Director
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News
Mudd-Veach Funeral Homes in Bowling Green and Silex got a name change on January 1, 2015. John and Cathy Veach owners since 1987 sold a portion of their business to Ryan V. and Stacey Bibb. The new name is now called Bibb-Veach Funeral Homes. Ryan had worked for the Veach’s as an embalmer and funeral
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director for the past eleven years. Being Ryan was born and raised in Bowling Green, John and Cathy feel very comfortable in this transition as they begin to slow down, it is a win, win, win for John and Cathy, Ryan and Stacey and for the communities they serve. Parker Mortuary in Joplin, Missouri and its sister company, Four State Cremation, are searching for a licensed funeral director, apprentice funeral director and embalmer, or a person committed to soon becoming a licensed funeral director. We are searching for just the right person with a heart for serving families in making arrangements, assisting in day-to-day operation and conducting services. The applicant should be selfmotivated, possess a can-do attitude
Spring 2015
and have the willingness to mesh with our team of mission-committed staff. Parker Mortuary has been serving Joplin area families since 1931, and currently helps 600 families annually. Scheduled hours 8:00 to 5:00 p.m. On duty two weekends, then off two threeday weekends plus a Wednesday off preceding your weekend on call. Group health insurance and life insurance provided. Funeral uniform provided. Cell phone provided. Two weeks paid vacation per year. Salary commensurate with experience. Fluency in Spanish a plus, but not required. Serious applicants should reply confidentially directly to: Tom Keckley Parker Mortuary 1502 S Joplin Ave Joplin MO 64804 twkeckley@cableone.net Cell (417) 437-1013 Elections were held at the District 5 meeting in April. Kyle Trimble of DulleTrimble Funeral Home was elected as the District Director and Brian Gardner of Columbia Cremation Care Center was elected as the District President.
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Richard E. “Gene” Carroll, Sr., 88, of Kansas City, MO passed away peacefully Monday, February 23, 2015 at the Villages of Jackson Creek. Visitation was Feb. 26th at the McGilley & Sheil Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial 11am Friday at St. Mark’s Catholic Church. Interment followed in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Gene was born February 3, 1927 in Kansas City, KS to Patrick Michael Carroll, Sr. and Catherine Ellen (McGuire) Carroll. Gene joins his wife Mary Therese (Sheil) Carroll in eternity. Gene was the loving and devoted husband and father. He is survived by two sons, Richard Eugene (Rich) Carroll, Jr. (Terry); Dennis Patrick Carroll, Sr. (Kathleen) and one daughter, Jean Therese (Carroll) Ferrara (D. Aldondeceased). He is also survived by two brothers Patrick Michael Carroll, Jr. (Deannie) of McKinney, TX and Dennis P. Carroll, Sr. (Lyn-deceased) of Lindenhurst, IL. He leaves 9 Grandchildren and 14
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Great-Grandchildren. Gene was a proud resident of Historic Northeast Kansas City, Missouri for more than 60 years. He was a founding member of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association and served several terms as President. He was a member of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church and served the church as President of the Parish Council for several terms. Gene and Mary Therese were honored with the Bishop’s Recognition more than once for their dedication to the Church and Schools in the Diocese of Kansas CitySt. Joseph. Gene was a licensed Funeral Director and embalmer for over 50 years and regarded his role for families a vocation. He was a former owner of Sheil Funeral Homes, Inc. Gene was a proud World War II veteran of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Gene was a Charter Member of Council 3430 Knights of Columbus and a Fourth Degree member of the Fr. Donnelly Assembly. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Bishop Sullivan Center, 6435 E. Truman Rd., KCMO 64126.
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William J. Mahn, Jr., “Billy” , 66 years old, of Jupiter, Florida, lost his life due to a tragic plane accident near Palm Beach County, Florida on March 2, 2015. Billy was born December 28, 1948 in St. Louis to Irmalee Mahn and the late William J. Mahn, Sr. He is survived by his loving wife, Beverly (Brame) Mahn. Other surviving family members are his two brothers, Mike A. (wife, Ginny) Mahn of Battle Ground, Indiana and Mark S. (wife, Alexandria) Mahn of De Soto; a sister, Lee Ellen (husband, Michael Tolentino) Mahn also of De Soto; his niece and nephews: Ben (wife, Candice) Mahn, Jason (wife, Alexandria) Mahn, Nick Mahn, Stephanie Mahn, Connor Mahn, Grant Mahn, Jake Hertenstein and Ross Hertenstein; three great-nieces, Olivia, Anniston and Wren and a great-nephew, Ronan and many cousins and friends.
Robert E. Cukrowicz of Sullivan, Missouri formerly of South Bend, Indiana passed away on Monday, February 23, 2015 at the age of 88 years. He is survived by a daughter, Mary Ann Eaton and husband Jim of Sullivan, Missouri, owners and operators of the Eaton Funeral Home, Inc. in Sullivan and Bourbon, Missouri and the Meramec Regional Crematory in Sullivan; two granddaughters, Addie (Eaton) Walters and husband Matt of Vero Beach, Florida and Erin (Eaton) Wilkins of Cumming, Georgia; two greatgranddaughters, Adelyn and Lydia Wilkins; cousins, nieces and nephews. Funeral services were conducted on February 27, 2015 at the Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan with entombment in St. Joseph Mausoleum, South Bend, Indiana. Memorials are appreciated to BJC Hospice. Irma L. Koch, 83, of Sedalia died Tuesday February 24, 2015 at the home of her son in Russellville, Missouri. Visitation was from
6-8 P.M. February 26, 2015 at McLaughlin Funeral Chapel in Sedalia with a brief service following. Graveside services and burial was at Evergreen Cemetery in DeWitt, Missouri. Irma and her late husband, Bill Koch owned and operated Heisel-Koch Funeral Home in Brunswick for 31 years until her retirement. She had been a funeral director/receptionist at McLaughlin Funeral Chapel in Sedalia since 1998. Liz Berg - We lost a wife, our mom, our grandma, our sister, our aunt and our friend on Sunday, March 22nd at 4:36pm. You may have known her as Maureen, Liz, Lizzie, Lizard or Butch. She was one of the sweetest, quietest, most gentle comforting souls. Even though she was all of these things, she was also strong and tough in her 15 year long fight with Multiple Myeloma. She graduated from Randolph High School in Randolph, NY with the Class of 1960. She was a graduate nurse from Saint Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Olean, New York. Liz then completed her nursing
degree from Baylor University Hospital in Dallas Texas with a post-graduate in Pediatrics and Obstetrics. It was at this time in 1965 that she was set-up on a blind date to find her future soul mate and father of her four children, Ronald Berg. They would have been married 50 years this May 1st. She eventually obtained her Missouri Funeral Director license and later her Kansas Assistant Funeral Director license and was also active with her husband in the Missouri Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association and Missouri funeral legislation. Liz continued her funeral career at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, where she assisted families for over 7 years. She was preceded in death by her father, Victor I Roberts and mother, Anna Maureen (Carmody) Roberts of Randolph, NY; father-in-law, David F Berg and motherin-law, Laura A. Berg of Sweet Springs, MO. Liz is survived by her husband Ronald H Berg of Olathe, KS; her children, Ronald H Berg, Jr and wife Sheri Stamper of Overland Park, KS, Michael P Berg and wife Amy of Baldwin City, KS, Mary E Berg and husband Brent Groves of Olathe, KS and Timothy K Berg and wife Wendy of Baldwin
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City, KS; her seven grandchildren and one great granddaughter. She is also survived by her sister Mary Ruth (Dr Robert) Rasey of Weston Mills, NY and her brother Thomas R (Lou) Roberts of Chesterton, IN. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Visitation was held Friday, March 27th at McGilley & Frye Funeral Home, 105 E. Loula St, Olathe, KS. Mass of Christian Burial was Saturday, March 28th at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, with burial immediately following in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Lenexa, KS. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions be made to The Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City, PO Box 32243, Kansas City, MO 64171. Patricia “Pat” Wagy Wright, age 78, of Chillicothe, died Thursday, April 2, 2015, at Research Medical Center in Kansas City. A funeral service was Saturday, April 11, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Chillicothe with Pastor John Rice and Rev. Chuck Greever officiating. Memorials to Livingston County Humane Society may be left at or mailed to Wright-Baker-Hill Funeral Home, PO Box 496, Brookfield, MO 64628. Patricia Ann, daughter of Harold C. and Palmalee (Rogers) Robertson, was born March 20, 1937 in Chillicothe. On December 19, 1954, she married James K. “Jim” Wagy who preceded her in death April 23, 1996. On October 15, 2002, she married C.W. “Bill” Wright. Pat was a graduate of Mooresville High School. She earned an Associate Degree in Mortuary Science and was a Licensed Embalmer and Funeral Director. She had owned and operated Chillicothe Coach and Ambulance and Chillicothe Casket Company prior to purchasing and operating Norman Funeral Home and Gordon Home for Funerals, combining the two into Norman-Wagy-Gordon Funeral Home. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Chillicothe, serving on the Board of Trustees, teaching Sunday school, and was a member of the Chancel Choir. She had been a member of the Chillicothe Salvation Army Board of Directors and the Chillicothe Summer
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Playground Association. Survivors include her husband, C.W. “Bill” Wright of the home; two daughters, Cindy K. Singer and husband, Randy of Sunset Hills and Patrice W. Robertson and husband, Ed of Chillicothe; a granddaughter, Ashley B. Falkner and husband, Gary of St. Louis; three step children, Linda Black and husband, Robin and Jim Wright and wife, Julie all of Brookfield, and Patricia Wright of Chesterfield; and six step grandchildren and four step great-grandchildren. Her father and mother; her bother, Ben Robertson; and her stepfather, Jim Woody, also preceded her in death. John Thurman Britton of Cuba, Missouri, formerly of Steelville, Missouri passed away Wednesday, January 21, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 86 years, 3 months
and 22 days. He will be sadly missed by his wife of sixty-six years, Ava Britton of Cuba, MO; two daughters, Patti Campbell and husband Bruce and Jane Eads and husband Steve all of Cuba, MO; two sisters, Opal Wilkerson and husband Joe of Potosi, MO and Erma Lee Holley and husband Darrell of O’Fallon, MO; one brother, Donald Britton and wife Madeline of Cuba, MO; one sister-in-law, Barbara Britton Walls of Potosi, MO; four grandchildren, Stephen Eads and wife Nikki, Jason Eads and fiance; Lesa Ray, Jonna Leonard and husband Jeff and Jennifer Smith and husband Ryan; seven great-grandchildren; other relatives and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Leonard Britton and Allie May Wilkinson Britton; brother, Alfred J. Britton; and three sisters, Marie Darst and husband Harry, Delorce Gibson and husband Freeman and Beulah Akers and husband Charles. Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 26, 2015 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville, MO. Committal prayer and burial with Full Military Honors were in the Caledonia Methodist Church Cemetery in Caledonia, MO. Charitable donations may be made in John’s memory to: Gideons Memorial Bible Program, P.O. 302, Sullivan, MO 63080,
Spring 2015
or Steelville First Baptist Church Building Fund , P.O. Box 126, Steelville, MO 65565 Kathy I. Patton, 69, of Moberly, formerly of Huntsville, passed away Saturday, January 3, 2015 at the Moberly Regional Medical Center. She was born April 24, 1945 in Moberly, MO. the daughter of James Thomas and Marjorie Louise (Sharp) Carney. On June 26, 1966 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Moberly she married Thomas G. Patton who survives of the home. Kathy was a member of the Huntsville United Methodist Church where she was a choir member, served as financial treasurer for 12 years and was in charge of the children’s moments for over 20 years. A few of Kathy’s hobbies included, knitting Afghans, trout fishing and keeping up with her grandson’s activities. In 2005 Kathy was the recipient of the MRS Woman of the Year award. She worked as a receptionist for Dr. Dan Detrick’s office and was co-owner of Patton Funeral Home in Huntsville. In addition to her husband Tom of 48 years, survivors include two daughters, Nancy Sappington and husband Troy of Gardner, KS, Linda Gray of Granite City, IL; one aunt, Jean Knapp of Moberly, MO; a cousin, Jeannie Bates of Moberly, MO; two sisters-in-law, Molly White and husband Dennis of Moberly, MO, Paula Waters and husband Jerry of Gardner, KS; two brothers-in-law, Steve Bailey and wife Gale of Jefferson City, MO, Michael Bailey and wife Pat of Moberly, MO; four grandchildren, Greg Hopper, Eric Hopper, Nathan Gray, Andrew Gray; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Visitation was held on Monday, January 5, 2015 at the Huntsville United Methodist Church. The funeral service was Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at the Huntsville United Methodist Church with burial to follow in the Huntsville City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Woman of the Year Scholarship or the Huntsville United Methodist Church. Arrangements are in the care of Patton Funeral Home of Huntsville.
Walter J. “Shorty” Haines, Jr. ,89, of Versailles, Missouri formerly of Slater, Missouri died Saturday January 3, 2015 at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Funeral services were Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 1:30 P.M. at Slater Presbyterian Church with burial with military honors in Slater City cemetery. Mr. Haines was a licensed funeral director and embalmer over 50 years and a past member of MFDA and NFDA. He owned and operated Haines Funeral Home in Slater from 1956 until retiring in 1983. R o b e r t A. Ortmann, baptized into the Hope of Christ’s Resurrection, S a t u r d a y , November 22, 2014. B e l o v e d husband of Geraldine Elizabeth Ortmann (nee Hayes); dear father and father-inlaw of Tom (Amy), Katie, Patrick (Ann),
Jennifer and Michael (April) Ortmann; dear grandfather of Ethan, Emily, Connor, Aidan, Andrew, Abigail and Henry, and one on the way; dear brother and brother-in-law of Elaine and Sam Stipanovich, Connie Young, the late Sister Marie Elaine SSND, Ginny and Kevin Logan, Paulette and Charlie Hirschi, Mary Sparks, Bob and Ruthanne Hayes and the late Barbara Lee; our dear uncle, great-uncle, cousin and friend. Bob was the owner of the Ortmann Funeral Home in Overland, MO, established in 1935 by his father, Alphonse C. Ortmann. In 1998, He and his partner/ brother-in-law, Sam Stipanovich, expanded the business by opening the Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home located in Creve Coeur, MO. Bob was a Past Grand Knight of the Bishop John N. Wurm Knights of Columbus Council #1376, member of St. Louis Assembly 4th Degree, All Souls Holy Name Society, American Legion Post #338 and served on the police advisory board for the City of Overland. He loved his farm in the country and he was a founding member of the Bob Ortmann Fan Club. Funeral from the ORTMANN FUNERAL HOME, 9222 Lackland Rd., Overland,
Saturday, November 29, 9:30 a.m. to All Souls Church for 10:00 a.m. Mass. Interment St. Monica Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to All Souls Church appreciated. Visitation from 3:00-8:00 p.m. Friday. H a t t i e Sanders mother of Conita & Chris Follis of the Follis & Sons Funeral Home passed away on Monday, November 10, 2014. She was the grandmother of Chad (Stacey) Follis and Collin (Jenna) Follis. Funeral Service was November14, 2014 at the Follis & Sons Chapel Memorials may be made to the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery Fund care of Follis & Sons Funeral Home.
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Executive Director Report
(continued from page 5)
under this chapter to be refunded by the state of Missouri to the purchaser or his or her successors.” So its up to Missouri to determine how much, if any, support has been provided, take out whatever the state is entitled to, and then send the remainder back to the family. But that is only if something strange happens were money is not spent on the funeral. The base-line rule of Chapter 436 is that no money goes back on an irrevocable contract. Sometimes a family might come to you and they don’t need to go on public assistance right now but anticipate they will in the future. In that case do NOT make the contract irrevocable right then. A contract can be made irrevocable at any time, so wait. Once its made irrevocable the purchaser loses a lot of rights so it, in most cases, should not be done until it absolutely must. Another tricky thing is determining who’s money is really being spent on the preneed plan. If it is NOT the funds of the person going on public assistance (for example a son buying a preneed with his own money for his mother) than the son should be the purchaser, the mother the beneficiary. but there is no need to make it irrevocable since it is not the mother’s assets being used.
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However, if it is the mom’s money that is being used - even if the son controls it via a power-of-attorney - then the contract would need to be made irrevocable in order for the mother to qualify under chapter 208. Further complicating the matter is that, the way Chapter 436 USED to be worded, one can make the argument that contracts entered into before August 28, 2009 can be cancelled even if they were made irrevocable (its stupid, yes, but the old 436 language leaves that open as a possibility). This, however, does not change the requirement of Chapter 208 which requires that the money be sent to the state of Missouri. Even if the contracts were messed up so bad that they get voided, the money should still be
turned over to the State to determine if Missouri is entitled to any of the funds per Chapter 208. So the bottom line is that if the preneed contract was made irrevocable, the funeral director (or, more accurately, the preneed seller) will never be handing money back to the family on an irrevocable contract.
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John PLautz’s granddaughter Aven (aka Nugget)
Nuggets from the Past President
Hello MFDEA Members and Friends, Missouri Funeral Trust had another great year in 2014. The annual board meeting and dinner was held Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at the Double Tree Hotel in Jefferson City. The annual report was given by Eagle Bank and Parkway Advisors. MFT’s Growth and Income Pool is just shy of $60 million. Around 2,800 contracts were written this year and MFT has a total of approximately 17,000 contracts. The index average was 5.77 % and the pool averaged 6.97%. Way to go MFT! A big “Thank You” to all funeral homes that support the trust. If you are a member of Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association and not a member of Missouri Funeral Trust, please contact the office and talk with Don Otto about the benefits of being an MFT member. Mark your calendar for the next Missouri (only) convention coming up May 31st, June 1 and 2 at the St. Charles Convention Center. We are looking forward to great programs such as restoration techniques, embalming techniques, legal issues, and celebrants in the funeral industry. Don’t forget a great show room, dinner and live auction, and the Cardinals game vs. Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. See you there! Food for thought…. As cremation rates continue to rise, how many funeral
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homes have noticed that the younger generation when making arrangements go for cremation because; 1) It’s easy. The loved one is taken to the funeral home and given back in the temporary box. 2) No service. 3) No obituary. 4) No effort on the part of the family, other than scattering, if that, and 5) It’s cheaper than a burial funeral. It’s also amazing to me, that a portion of the current generation making arrangements knows a limited amount of information about their parents, grandparents or where to look for it while you are gathering information during the conference. Is this because the family doesn’t talk around the dinner table? Is this the generation that is sheltered from death by their parents because a loved one dies? Not taken to the funeral home to have the experience? Or is it in part because the owner of the funeral home doesn’t want the kids running around or touching things on the tables. Another concern is there isn’t any insurance to finalize the deceased wishes or help the family. Therefore, no way to pay for the cremation, memorial service or funeral. They hadn’t thought anything about it or are willing to put out any effort to find the funds. So let’s do the next best thing-we CROWD FUND! We’ll ask for donations at the local businesses with a plastic container, or in the obituary to fund the funeral, or we’ll crowd fund on Facebook. Yup, crowd fund on Facebook. Looks like this is going to be the up and coming thing. Example: Mom dies, post on Facebook that the family is needing help for the expenses. Some money comes in depending on your friend base. Down the road, another member of the family dies and they start the process over again. No out of pocket expense. Have you checked this out? Does this younger generation have different priorities? Is this the entitlement generation? What will you do for me? I work with an associate that handles the utility assistance through a local church. The questions I hear and the answers are mind blowing. They
can’t pay the electric bill because they used the money to pay for the top of the line cable service. Good luck watching television without electricity! Or, the electric bill cannot be paid since they paid the cell phone bill and everyone in the family has the latest I-phone or Galaxy S-6. What’s your thought on the issue? A second item for thought…. Two issues on insurance come to mind within this past month. The first one: policy was for $3,000.00 and was taken out late in the nineties. Interest rate was doing well, so the owner of the policy had the premiums paid for by the interest. When the interest rate went down, the premiums were being subtracted from the policy. Notice was given to the owner of the policy but nothing was done. Early this year, the owner of the policy dies. Daughter figured policy would cover the cremation. Much to their surprise the value of the policy was only $60. Second issue: family comes in to do a preneed. Daughters checked on mom’s insurance. It too was paid by interest, but was caught in time. The policy was for $25,000. The daughters talked with the agent but was confused as what to do. Pay back was an option. The daughters wanted to get a burial policy which would cost the same as the payback would be. After showing them the options on paper, the right choice was to payback the policy. The policy would cover the burial plus the extra cash would cover other expenses. These two issues I believe resulted from the owners of the policies living on reduced income and the agent telling them about the option of the interest paying the premiums. The only problem is that this money is going to have to come from somewhere to cover loss payment for the loss in value. Every day, we experience family concerns. How can we change this? Let’s hear from you! Send an email to publications@mofuneral.org and we will post your response in the next magazine.
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