On June 4-5, the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky (FDAK) held its 142nd Annual State Convention at the Kentucky Expo Center and Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville. FDAK President Wesley Rominger of Rominger Funeral Home (Manchester) presided. “Journey Through the Decades – Don’t Stop Believin’ ” was this year’s convention theme.
During the evening of June 3, association past presidents joined the FDAK board for a delicious dinner and meet-and-greet with old friends and new. On June 4, convention chaplain Philip Brown held the annual Service of Remembrance to honor the Kentucky funeral directors, sales club members and others who had died since the last convention. Messenger provided a commemorative ornament to families of the deceased. In addition, FDAK honored 50- and 60-year licensed funeral directors, as well as funeral homes that have been in business for 50, 75 and 100 years. During the afternoon, Rominger and wife Danielle, along with children Faith and Paul, cut the ribbon to officially open the sold-out exhibit tradeshow floor.
The annual President’s Party was a sold-out event for “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” an interactive show that included plenty of crowd participation, a fabulous dinner and drinks provided by the Kentucky Funeral Supply Sales Club and Funeral Funding Trust of Kentucky.
Standing room only was the theme for this year’s continuing education portion of the convention, which included: Sara Murphy of the University of Rhode Island, “Communicating the Value of a Funeral With Cremation” • Amanda King of Bailey Funeral Homes, “Pediatric Funeral Care” • embalming instructor John Hill of James Funeral Home, “Explaining Embalming to Everyone” and “True Embalming Techniques: The Past and Present” • Gary and Amie Burr of Krill Funeral Service, “Therapy Dogs and New Concepts for Funeral Homes.”
Brandy Harwood of Bob Hunt Funeral Chapel in Cave City was sworn in as FDAK president on June 5 by two of her best friends, Lacy Robinson and Stacey Cassidy. FDAK Past President Grant Bolt swore in the remaining board members and district directors.
Board members include President Harwood • Chairman of the Board Bill Mullins, Ludlow • Immediate Past President Wesley Rominger, Manchester • President-Elect Chad Townsend, Dixon • Vice President John Hill, Owensboro • Secretary/Treasurer Kyle Wolfe, Hyden • Sergeant-at-Arms Louis Linnemann, Erlanger.
District directors include Patrick Stanley, Northern District, Williamstown • Doherty Reynolds, Central District, Frankfort • Laura Neal, Eastern District, Catlettsburg • Tony Floro, Southcentral District, Hustonville • Jason Steele, Southeastern District, Pineville • Frank Giles, Western District, Hopkinsville • Lee Muster, Southern District, Calhoun. fdaofky.com