For Immediate Release: August 24, 2018

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is pleased to announce that 160 funeral homes have earned the 2018 Pursuit of Excellence Award. This award is presented by NFDA annually to firms that have demonstrated a commitment to raising the bar on funeral service excellence by adhering to strict ethical and professional standards and providing outstanding service to families and communities.

To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, including 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.

NFDA will recognize the 2018 Pursuit of Excellence Award recipients on October 15 during the All-Star Recognition Ceremony, which will take place during the 2018 NFDA International Convention & Expo, October 14 through 17 in Salt Lake City.

Information about the NFDA Pursuit of Excellence program can be found by visiting www.nfda.org/pursuitofexcellence. Registration and application materials for 2019 will be available in late-October 2018.

Richard Myers Pinnacle Award

NFDA is pleased to confer the inaugural Richard Myers Pinnacle Award on Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory in New Castle, Del.

As part of the entry process, all program participants are required to submit an essay describing the development and execution of a program or service that had a positive impact on those served. To recognize funeral homes that develop an extraordinary program or service, as described in their essay, that far surpasses the definition of funeral service excellence, NFDA established the Richard Myers Pinnacle Award.

Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home created unique and engaging 16-page anti-bullying activity book created entirely by their team, and geared specifically toward children ages 4-8. The book’s main character, a loveable bulldog named Duchess, offers a warmer, gentler way to introduce the topic of bullying to a young audience. Duchess is the name of funeral home owner Matthew Smith’s bulldog – she really exists.

The book, entitled “Duchess the Bulldog Says Be a Buddy, Not a Bully,” has been distributed by Spicer-Mullikin staff to local libraries, YMCA and several elementary schools. The book is also available to children who accompany adults to the funeral home. Spicer-Mullikin staff have also hosted live “book readings” for local children in aftercare and summer camps at the local YMCA.

The Richard Myers Pinnacle Award is conferred at the discretion of the Pursuit of Excellence Committee and only when it encounters a remarkable example of excellence in the profession.

This award is named in honor of the founder of the Pursuit of Excellence Program, NFDA Past President Richard Myers.

Best of the Best Award Recipients

All Pursuit of Excellence applicants submitted an essay describing the development and execution of a program or service that had a positive impact on the families they serve or their community, qualifying them for the Best of the Best Award, which recognizes the most novel and innovative programs and services in the profession. 

After a thorough review, the Pursuit of Excellence Committee has selected three funeral homes to receive the Best of the Best Award. The 2018 Best of the Best Award winners are: 

Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore: The Last Portrait, was a special project to give families of nursing home residents a beautiful, professionally taken portrait of their loved one – something that many families did not have.

Funeraria San Vicente S.A., Medellin, Colombia: The Grief Counseling Center, is staffed by  seven psychologists, a physician and other staff who offer free support groups and other programs to help people grieving the loss of a loved one. The center averages 600 consultations every month.

Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, East Pittsburgh, Penn.: When Pat Lanigan was searching for a unique and meaningful Memorial Day tribute, he decided to bring two local heroes – one who died during WWII and one who died during the Vietnam War – back to life. Dressed in vintage military garb, Lanigan represented Leo Maloney and Michael Estocin as if they were still alive. He gave voice to their stories and thanked those in attendance for making time to remember the nation’s honored dead.

NFDA Hall of Excellence Inductees

NFDA-member funeral homes are inducted into the Hall of Excellence upon receiving their 10th Pursuit of Excellence Award. In recognition of their consistent display of professional and ethical excellence, seven funeral homes will be inducted into the NFDA Hall of Excellence in 2018:

• Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services, White Plains, N.Y.
• Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Burritt Hill, New Britain, Conn.
• Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors, McDonough, Ga.
• Emmanuel Johnson Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Penn.
• Pedersen Funeral & Cremation Service, Morris, Minn.
• Savage-DeMarco Funeral Service, Endicott, N.Y.
• Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, Tenn.

2018 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award Recipients

*Previously inducted into the NFDA Hall of Excellence

^First-time award recipient

A.H. Peters Funeral Home of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.* 

A.H. Peters Funeral Home of Warren, Warren, Mich.

A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors, Troy, Mich.*

Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes Inc., Naugatuck, Conn.^

Anderson & Sons Mortuary, American Fork, Utah

Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, Belvidere, Ill.

Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory, Alexandria, Minn.

Anderson-Burris Funeral Home & Crematory, Enid, Okla.

Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors Pte., Ltd., Singapore, Singapore^

Arlington Memorial Chapels Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Arnett & Steele Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Pineville, Ky.*

Arrington Funeral Directors, Jackson, Tenn.

Baird Funeral Home, Troy, Ohio*

Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services, White Plains, N.Y.

Baskerville Funeral Home, Wilmington, Ill.

Bass Funeral Home Inc., Gordonsville, Tenn.

B.C. Bailey Funeral Home, Wallingford, Conn.

Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home, Hammond, La.

Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, N.J.

Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home, Covington, Ga.*

Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors, McDonough, Ga.

Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral and Cremation Service Inc., Alliance, Ohio*

Centro Funerário Morada da Paz, Paulista, PE, Brazil

Chambers & James Funeral, Pet & Cremation Services, Wellsburg, W.Va.

Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home Inc., Albion, N.Y.

Copeland Funeral Service, Beaufort, S.C.

Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Mo.*

Cozine Memorial Group Wichita, Kan.*

C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers, Mass.

Crowe's Funeral Homes Inc., Jamaica, N.Y.

David C. Brown Funeral Home, Belleville, Mich.*

Davis Funeral Home LLC, Nashua, N.H.*

Deiters Funeral Home & Crematory, Washington, Ill.

D'Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, East Hartford, Conn.*

D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield, Conn.*

Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel, Hutchinson, Minn.*

Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Burritt Hill, New Britain, Conn.

Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Newington Memorial, Newington, Conn.*

Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Home, Pickerington, Ohio*

E. Blake Collins Funeral Home, Wilkes Barre, Penn.

Emmanuel Johnson Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Penn.

Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, Pennsauken, N.J.

Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Homes, Camden, N.J.

Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, Abingdon, Va.

Finch & Finch Funeral & Cremation Service, Altavista, Va.

Freitas Rupracht Funeral Home, Yerington, Nev.

French Funeral Home, Brazil, Ind.*

Funeraria Hernandez, Pennsauken, N.J.

Funeraria La Esperanza, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Funeraria San Vicente S.A., Medellin, Colombia

Gamble Funeral Service , Savannah, Ga., US*

Gardinier Funeral Home Inc., Franklin, Penn.

Geisen Funeral, Cremation & Reception Centre, Crown Point, Ind.

Geisen-Carlisle Funeral & Cremation Services, Michigan City, Ind.

G.H. Herrmann Funeral Homes, Indianapolis, Ind.

Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes,  Lansing, Mich.*

Grupo Primaveras, Sao Paulo, Brazil^

Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care, Madison, Wis.*

Halpin Bitecola Brookdale Funeral Home, Bloomfield, N.J.

Heath Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Lakeland, FL

Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory, Pekin, Ill.*

Heritage Funeral Home, Nipawin, SK, Canada*

Herman-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Holman-Howe Funeral Home, Lebanon, Mo.

Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, New Haven, Conn.

Hughes Family Tribute Center, Dallas, Texas

Inglesby & Sons Funeral Home, Pennsauken, N.J.

Irvin-Macz Funeral Home, Centralia, Ill.

James Funeral Home & Northlake Memorial Gardens, Huntersville, N.C.

James H. Cole Home for Funerals, Detroit, Mich.^

J. Garcia Lopez – Casa Coyoacan, Mexico City, Mexico

Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Litchfield, Minn.*

Johnson-McBride Funeral Chapel, Glencoe, Minn.

Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory, Douglasville, Ga.*

Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory, Villa Rica, Ga.*

Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge, Minn.*

Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home, Port Huron, Mich.

Kemp Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Southfield, Mich.^

Kerrville Funeral Home, Kerrville, Texas*

Kilpatrick Funeral Home, West Monroe, La.*

Kimble Funeral Home, Junction, Texas

Kok Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cottage Grove, Minn.

Krestridge Funeral Home, Levelland, Texas

Lakeshore Memorial Services, a Dignity Memorial Provider, Holland, Mich.

Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home Inc., Hamburg, N.Y.

Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, West Seneca, N.Y.^

Langley Funeral Home, Camp Hill, Ala.

Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Stamford, Conn.

Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, Athens, Ga.

Martin Funeral, Cremation and Tribute Services – Fairgrove, Fairgrove, Mich.*

Martin Funeral, Cremation and Tribute Services – Grand Blanc, Grand Blanc, Mich.*

Martin Funeral, Cremation and Tribute Services – Mt. Morris, Mount Morris, Mich.*

Martin Funeral, Cremation and Tribute Services – Vassar, Vassar, Mich.*

Memorial Funeral Home, Edinburg, Texas*

Memorial Funeral Home, San Juan, Texas*

Mercer-Adams Funeral Service, Bethany, Okla.

Meredith-Clark Funeral Home, Cremation and Personalization Center, Morgantown, Ind.

Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary, Waipahu, Hawaii

Miller-Jones Mortuary & Crematory Inc., Moreno Valley, Calif.

Milward Funeral Directors, Lexington, Ky.*

Molden Funeral Chapel & Cremation Service, Bristol, Penn.

Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, Madison, Ind.

Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tenn.

Morrissett Funeral & Cremation Service, North Chesterfield, Va.

Murphy Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ewing, N.J.^

Myers Mortuary – Brigham City, Brigham City, Utah*

Myers Mortuary – Layton, Layton, Utah*

Myers Mortuary – Ogden, Ogden, Utah*

Myers Mortuary of Roy, Roy, Utah*

Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services – Carpenter Road Chapel, Ann Arbor, Mich.^

Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services – Liberty Road Chapel, Ann Arbor, Mich.^

Oakley-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, Bristol, Tenn.^

Oceanside Memorial Home, Lake Como, N.J.

Ochiltree Funeral Service and Aftercare, Winterset, Iowa*

Old Bridge Funeral Home, Old Bridge, N.J.

Oliverie Funeral Home, Manchester, N.J.

Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Sheboygan, Wis.*

Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, East Pittsburgh, Penn.*

Pedersen Funeral & Cremation Service, Morris, Minn.

Pixley Funeral Home, Rochester , Mich.*

Posey Funeral Directors, North Augusta, S.C.^

Pray Funeral Home Inc., Charlotte, Mich.*

Radney Funeral Home, Alexander City, Ala.

Ransford Collon Funeral Home, Caro, Mich.

Reeves Funeral Home, Coal City, Ill.*

Reichmuth Funeral Home, Elkhorn, Neb.

Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Traverse City, Mich.*

Roller-Ballard Funeral Home, Benton, Ark.

Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, Little Rock, Ark.*

Roller-Coffman-Crouch Funeral Home, Mountain View, Ark.

Roller-Cox Funeral Home, Clarksville, Ark.

Roller-Daniel Funeral Home, Searcy, Ark.*

Roller Funeral Home – Paris, Paris, Ark.

Roller-McNut Funeral Home, Conway, Ark.*

Roller-McNutt Funeral Home Clinton, Clinton, Ark.

Roller-Owens Funeral Home, North Little Rock, Ark.*

Savage-DeMarco Funeral Service, Endicott, N.Y.

Seaver Brown Funeral Service & Crematory, Marion, VA

Sharer-Stirling-Skivolocke Funeral Home, Alliance, Ohio*

Smith Family Funeral Home, North Little Rock, Ark.

Southern Utah Mortuary, Cedar City, Utah

Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory, New Castle, Del.

St. Peter Chapels, Quezon City, Philippines

Staab Polk Memorial Home/Cremation Services of Central Illinois, Chatham, Ill.*

Tetrick Funeral & Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tenn.

Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, Tenn.

Thomas McAfee Funeral Home Downtown Location, Greenville, S.C.*

Thomas McAfee Funeral Home Northwest Location, Greenville, S.C.*

Thomas McAfee Funeral Home Southeast Location, Simpsonville, S.C.

Twiford Funeral Home LLC, Elizabeth City, N.C.*

Waitt Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Morganville, N.J.

Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, Salt Lake City, Utah

Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg, Ill.

Weeks' Dryer Mortuary, Tacoma, Wash.

Weeks' Enumclaw Funeral Home, Enumclaw, Wash.*

Weeks' Funeral Home, Buckley, Wash.*

Wieting Family Funeral Home, Chilton, Wis.

Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Royal Oak, Mich.*

Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Utica, Mich.*

Worlein Funeral Home, Austin, Minn.*

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 39 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.           

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Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org