retired funeral director and owner of Hayes Funeral Home, Elba, Alabama, died November 30, 2024, at age 85.

Hayes was actively involved in the Alabama Funeral Directors Association, serving as president. He was also selected to serve on multiple city boards and was often sought for his input on decisions that would affect the town of Elba and its residents. He had numerous years of service with various civic organizations and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow designation through his service with Rotary International.

He is survived by wife Rebecca, daughters Katrina and Ceina, son Charles, seven grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Douglas Wayne Manning died January 27, 2025, at age 92, and his impact on the bereaved and vision for improving the deathcare profession will be felt for generations.

After high school, Manning entered the ministry and attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he met Barbara Maddox. For 57 years, he and his wife had a partnership and foundational bond amazing to behold.

During the time Manning was a pastor, he became interested in the grief experience and concerned that there was little support or resources. His first book was A Minister Speaks About Funerals in 1978 and Don’t Take My Grief Away From Me in 1979, which launched his career in the life transitions genre. After his first book for caregivers, When Love Gets Tough: Making the Nursing Home Decision, he determined this was his calling and left active ministry to establish InSight Books.

Manning became an internationally known author and speaker on grief and elder care. He wrote 51 books and produced 27 audiotapes and videos. His resources have been used by individuals, churches, hospitals and hospices. He became well-known in funeral service, selling thousands of books and speaking at countless seminars and trainings.

In 1996, the company moved to Oklahoma City and Manning’s daughters took over day-to-day operations of publishing, speaking and training. In 1999, he co-created the InSight Institute Funeral Celebrant Training program with daughter Glenda. They traveled North America establishing a new way to consider what funerals could be. To date, more than 5,000 people have completed the training.

For countless individuals, colleagues and friends, Manning was always ready to listen, offer wisdom or make you think. For the rest of his story and his philosophy of life, consider his final autobiographical book, The Spiritual Journey of a Recovering Baptist.

He is survived by daughters Glenda, Kathy, Cindy and Sandra; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

retired funeral director and coowner, Cozine Memorial Group, Wichita, Kansas, died December 23, 2024, at age 84. Cozine graduated from the University of Kansas and then the University of Wichita with a degree in political science and attended Washburn Law School in Topeka. After the unexpected death of his father’s business partner, Cozine left law school to attend Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and joined his father as a second-generation funeral director in 1964; he worked in funeral service until he retired due to health concerns in 2019.

Cozine spoke to various groups about death and dying and also fostered an environment of understanding around the subject. In 1995, he purchased land in northeast Wichita and developed Kensington Gardens cemetery.

He was recognized as a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and was among the first group of individuals in the nation to achieve the title of Certified Crematory Operator from NFDA. His dedication to the profession was acknowledged further when he was appointed by former Gov. Sam Brownback to the Kansas State Board of Mortuary Arts, where he served as president.

Cozine was especially proud when his grandson, Hillard, became a fourth-generation funeral director in 2022.

He was a ­founding member of the Wichita Wagonmasters and served as Admiral Windwagon Smith VIII in 1981. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Wichita River Festival and served as president of Wichita Festivals in 1976. Cozine’s commitment to serving extended to several organizations, including the Salvation Army, Wichita Independent Business Association, Wichita Sister Cities, Grumpy Old Men and Wichita Downtown Rotary.

He is survived by wife Suzy; son Ashley, NFDA past president; daughter Heather; and eight grandchildren.

retired funeral director and former owner, Perkins and Pollard Funeral Home, Pittsfield, New Hampshire, died December 6, 2024, at age 80.

After high school, Pollard joined the U.S. Navy as a corpsman. He later started working at Waters Funeral Home in Concord and went on to graduate from New England Institute of Anatomy. Pollard continued working at Waters Funeral Home before buying Perkins and Pollard Funeral Home in Pittsfield. After selling his business, Pollard returned to Waters Funeral Home and worked part time.

He was a former New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association executive director and member of Rotary Club and American Legion.

funeral director and co-owner, Brown Funeral Homes, Clinton, Wingo and Mayfield, Kentucky, died November 5, 2024, at age 44. She is survived by husband Micah, daughters Ellie and Izzie, mother Margaret, sister Lori, brother Cory, sister Jenny and stepbrother Jonathan.

funeral director, The Funeral Chapel of Powell and Deckard, Bloomington, Indiana, died November 20, 2024, at age 77. Deremiah attended Indiana University for two years before studying mortuary science at Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. He was a former partner at Deremiah Frye Mortuary Greene & Harrell Chapel.

In 1999, Deremiah joined Flanner Buchanan in Indianapolis and served as area manager of Washington Park East.

He returned to Bloomington in 2014 and retired in 2017, but he quickly realized that after 49 years in funeral service, he missed serving families. After receiving an opportunity to return to The Funeral Chapel of Powell and Deckard, he decided to drop the word “retirement” from his vocabulary.

Deremiah was a life member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice and founded and currently chaired the Indiana Funeral Directors Association (IFDA) Intern Mentorship Academy, in which he took great pride and responsibility in thoroughly and properly training and educating the intern funeral directors in Indiana.

He also served as a past NFDA Policy Board representative and as IFDA past president.

Deremiah served as a dental technician in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He was active in many local organizations, including Ellettsville Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of Bloomington, Suburban Kiwanis Club, American Legion Burton Woolery Post 18, Ellettsville Masonic Lodge, Bloomington Laurens B. Strain V.F.W. Post 604, Indianapolis Murat Shrine Temple and Scottish Rite-Valley of Indianapolis. He was currently serving as president of the Kiwanis Club of Bloomington.

He is survived by wife Kathy; sons Andrew, Timothy and Aaron; and five grandchildren.

retired funeral director and owner, Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Homes, Big Spring and Midland, Texas, died November 13, 2024, at age 71. Welch attended Stephen F. Austin University and, later, Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. Upon graduation, Welch’s family returned to Big Spring to serve in the family business and he began his career under his father, owning and operating Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Homes. Welch served on the boards of Directors Investment Group, International Order of the Golden Rule and the West Texas Funeral Directors Association, where he was honored as Funeral Director of the Year.

In the community, Welch served on the boards of the Northside Community Center, First Church of the Nazarene, New Hope Christian School, Gideons, and was a member of the Downtown Lions Club.

Welch is survived by wife Teresa; children Kasi, also a funeral director at the firm, Kylee and Kaegan; and six grandchildren.

licensed funeral director, founder and co-owner, Good Shepherd Funeral Home, Montevallo, Alabama, died November 4, 2024, at age 68. Meadows served as president of the Alabama Funeral Directors Association (AFDA) and as past vice-chairman on the Alabama Board of Funeral Service. He was the husband of funeral director Beverly Meadows and father of funeral directors Calvin D. Meadows and Harold Bowman, all of Good Shepherd Funeral Home.

Meadows was a certified funeral service professional and certified cremation operator. He held a doctorate in divinity from St. Thomas Christian College and was also a senior pastor and a much sought-after speaker for conferences, revivals, training and instruction. Meadows served 12 years on the Alabama Board of Funeral Service, 10 as vice-chairman, helping to write funeral service laws and regulations for the state.

In 2024, Meadows became the first person of color to be sworn in as AFDA president. He also served as chaplain of the Alabama Funeral Directors and Morticians Association for more than 10 years.

He is survived by wife Beverly Jean, sons Calvin D. Meadows and Harold Bowman, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

retired funeral director and owner, Schneider Funeral Directors, Janesville, Wisconsin, died October 16, 2024, at age 92. Schneider volunteered and served in the U.S. Army, a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the infantry. He then graduated from Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science. In 1960, Schneider started Schneider Funeral Home, where he served until his retirement in 2015. He furthered the family’s five-generation legacy in funeral service that began with his grandfather and continues to this day with his grandson and namesake Neal J.

Schneider was a member of many Janesville and state organizations, including the Wisconsin DNR board, city council, local service clubs, church boards, bank boards and Farm Progress Days. He also supported fundraising efforts for United Way. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Forward Janesville in 2004, honoring his dedicated service in Janesville and beyond.

He is survived by children Lori, Joseph and Daniel; grandchildren Neal J., funeral director of the firm, Tasha and Andrew; and two great-grandchildren.

retired funeral director and chairman, Amigone Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Erie County, New York, and past president, New York State Funeral Directors Association (NYSFDA), died September 7, 2024, at age 92.

Amigone attended Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science and went to work in the family business, founded in 1926. In the 1950s, he designed and built the first modern funeral home in Buffalo, New York, followed by constructions and acquisitions throughout western New York. The powder-blue “Amigone Blue” hearses, limousine and service vehicles were his creation.

While serving as NYSFDA president, Amigone focused on legislation with concern for the consumer, ensuring the creation of funeral preneed laws to protect consumers.

Amigone served in the U.S. Army in the Far East during the Korean conflict with the Army Graves Registration Unit, responsible for the repatriation of Korean dead. In 1955, he helped bring American knowledge of modern-day embalming and funeral service to Hong Kong, where he was associated with the president of the International Funeral Parlors of Hong Kong and Singapore.

Amigone was awarded the Buffalonian of the Year Award for dedication and service to the Buffalo community. In addition to serving as NYSFDA president, he was also president the National Association of Approved Morticians and the Erie Niagara Funeral Directors Association. He also served as an NFDA district governor and was a member of the Order of the Golden Rule. He held membership and served in such other organizations as Rotary (he was a Paul Harris fellow), Knights of Columbus and several chambers of commerce.

He is survived by daughters Mary and Danielle, sons Anthony P. Jr. and Vincent, and by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.