On May 7, 2025, the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) recognized this year’s finalists for its professional service awards during the Golden Circle Celebration at its annual conference, PROGRESS, in Riverside, California.

OGR’s Golden Rule Community Service Award recognizes funeral homes’ outstanding community service, as demonstrated by activities that benefit local organizations or community events. The 2025 Community Service Award nominees are: Arlington Memorial Chapels, Inc., Quezon City, Manila, Philippines; Veterans Funeral Care, Clearwater, Florida; Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton, South Dakota; and Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Exemplary Service Awards are given to firms for providing outstanding customer service to families during their time of loss. Nominees are selected based on comments provided by families through OGR’s Family Contact Survey Program. This year’s Exemplary Service Award nominees are: Jakubs-Waite Funeral Home, Cleveland, Ohio; Freitag Funeral Home Service, Bridgeton, New Jersey; Koch Funeral Home, Ellicott, Maryland; Harrod Brothers Funeral Home, Frankfort, Kentucky; Moore Family Funeral Service, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Heafey-Hoffman-Dworak-Cutler Mortuaries & Crematory, Omaha, Nebraska; Plummer Funeral Services, Inc., Litchfield, Illinois; Stewart Family Funeral Home, Tyler, Texas; Oliverie Funeral Home, Manchester, New Jersey; Moore Funeral Service, Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Farmer & Son Funeral Home, Inc., Geneva, Nebraska; Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, New Jersey; Pray Funeral Home, Inc., Charlotte, Michigan; and Osborne Funeral Home, Williamsport, Maryland. ogr.org