As we approach the 19th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, host Gabe Schauf visits with New York funeral director Dominic Carella. Dominic was the first funeral director called on 9/11 – he and his team provided care for 79 families that lost loved ones to the tragic events of that fateful day.

With cremation rates hitting 55% nationwide, NFDA recognized the need to offer a Cremation Certification Program developed by funeral directors for funeral directors. Mike Nicodemus, Vice President of Cremation Services, joins Gabe Schauf to discuss how this program provides attendees with the framework to run an impeccable, successful operation. While the Cremation Certification Program has been a staple of NFDA’s outstanding education options, it is now offered virtually giving attendees access to critical information without the need to travel. Past attendees Francheskia Fenderson and Brandon Rogers-Plott join in to talk about their experience and the value it has brought to their firms.

Talking to a child about death and loss can be challenging and parents are often looking for resources to help. In this episode, Gabe Schauf sits down with Lacie Bruckner and Katherine Pendergast, co-authors of the “In Loving Memory” books, which teach children about funerals, cremation and the grief journey. Lacie and Kat share their inspiration for the books; provide ideas for talking to children about death; and suggest ways parents and funeral directors can involve children in the funeral.

The Future of the Funeral Service Profession is Bright

In this episode of “A Brush with Death”, Gabe Schauf is joined by five members of the Class of 2020 who share their experiences in mortuary science school and the funeral service profession. If you are curious about what the life of a mortuary student is like, this is a great place to start.

A special congratulations to the class of 2020 Mortuary Science School graduates! We are proud of you and looking forward to working with you in this great profession. 

Meet our Guests 

Jordan Meacham - graduate from Chandler Gilbert Community College
Maci Kiker - graduate from Jefferson State Community College
Jennifer Milkus - graduate from the Milwaukee Area Technical College
Jayven Chee - graduate from Salt Lake Community College
Jennifer Workman - graduate from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service

In this episode of “A Brush With Death”, we pick up where we left off in the discussion featured in our last episode. Host Gabe Schauf teams up once again with Sara Murphy, Ph.D., certified thanatologist and expert on death, dying and bereavement, to answer your questions regarding grief during these unprecedented times. Topics include self-care, managing the phenomenon of “COVID fatigue”, and reinforcing the importance of the funeral director in times of mass fatalities. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of this series, we highly recommend Episode #10 where Dr. Murphy discusses the impact Coronavirus is having on grief and loss.

She also introduces the new booklet entitled Grieving Alone & Together: Responding to the Loss of Your Loved One During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a free resource being offered by the Funeral Service Foundation and NFDA.

About Our Guest

Sara Murphy, Ph.D. is a certified thanatologist and expert on death, dying and bereavement. She teaches at the University of Rhode Island and conducts workshops and seminars on death, dying, and bereavement nationwide for professional organizations, schools, and community groups.

This episode of “A Brush With Death” discusses the impact Coronavirus is having on grief and loss.  Host Gabe Schauf talks with Sara Murphy, Ph.D., certified thanatologist and expert on death, dying and bereavement, about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on both individual and cultural grieving. Sara also introduces a new booklet she authored called “Grieving Alone & Together: Responding to the Loss of Your Loved One During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a free resource being offered by the Funeral Service Foundation and NFDA.  The first in a two-part series, listeners will be able to send questions regarding grief during these unprecedented times to: abrushwithdeath@nfda.org.

Sara Murphy, PhD, CT, is a death educator, certified thanatologist (Association for Death Education and Counseling), and suicidologist. She is a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island and conducts workshops and seminars on death, dying, and bereavement nationwide for professional organizations, schools, and community groups. Dr. Murphy is the author of the NFDA booklet, “Grieving Alone & Together: Responding to the Loss of your Loved One during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Our guest on this episode of "A Brush With Death" is Justin Baxley, a licensed funeral director and VP of business development for Foundation Partners.  A private funeral company based in Florida, Foundation Partners operates 140 funeral home locations across the country.  Justin describes how their firm is embracing new ideas and new technologies to serve families and communities during these trying times.

Funeral director, embalmer, owner, and national speaker, Wally Hooker from Family and Friends Funeral Home in Wingate, Indiana, joins “A Brush With Death” to offer some practical advice regarding transfers and embalming during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner/funeral director/embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife established, designed and built their funeral home in 2004.  Wally attended Purdue University and is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Wheeling, IL. He is 2016 Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association. Wally does a significant amount of trade embalming out of his funeral home.  He is routinely called on by other funeral directors for technical consultation, to assist with their problem cases and restorative work, and for their family members. Wally has developed a passion and reputation for quality no-nonsense embalming and facial reconstruction. As an ‘in demand’ lecturer, Wally enjoys sharing his professional knowledge and experience with others at many International, national, state, and regional conventions and meetings as well as several mortuary colleges.

Today, we are going to be talking about burnout and compassion fatigue. While many in the death care profession hate to admit it, both are very present.

Fortunately, there are people out there working to educate us about those topics and how to deal with them… People like our guest today, Jason Troyer.

Dr. Jason Troyer is a grief expert, author, former psychology professor, and therapist. He helps funeral homes and cemeteries connect with their communities through his Facebook content and grief support materials. Dr. Troyer has been an expert speaker at several NFDA Conventions as well as state funeral service events. He provides community presentations, professional workshops, and trainings and is on staff at Smith Funeral & Cremation Service and Grandview Cemetery in Maryville, TN. 

Dr. Troyer can be reached at DrJasonTroyer@gmail.com. More information can be found at JasonTroyer.com.

To learn more about disenfranchised grief, read this blog series by Sara Murphy on the Remembering A Life blog.

Disenfranchised grief is the subject of this month’s NFDA podcast. Disenfranchised grief is grief not openly acknowledged, validated or publicly observed.  Our guest is Sara E. Murphy, Ph.D., a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island in the Honors Program and Department of Gender and Women's Studies and an expert on death, dying and bereavement.  Host Gabe Schauf will dive into the causes, effects and how funeral professionals can best serve clients struggling with it.

For more information about disenfranchised grief, read Sara Murphy's blog series on the Remembering A Life blog. 

NFDA sits down with Ethan Morse to talk about his journey from tomb guard sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to filmmaker.   He discusses his films “The Unknowns”,  a documentary about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels who stand guard at our Nation’s most sacred shrine, and the soon-to-be-released “Honor Guard”, a four-part series that highlights the dedication members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment—The Old Guard—show in paying their respects to those who gave all.

Lacy Robinson, CFSP most recently served as the Director of Member Development for the National Funeral Directors Association, developing and facilitating training programs for NFDA members. She  talks with host Gabriel Schauf about how funeral homes can communicate the added value they can bring to the cremation discussion, whether the initial inquiry is via a phone call or during the arrangement conference. Robinson emphasizes that any meaningful cremation discussion should be a conversation about honoring the life of a loved one.

Host Gabriel Schauf and attorney Michael Sharkey, CFSP, CCO, explore legal issues confronting funeral directors and their businesses. Listen in to learn how to reduce the potential for lawsuits and to discover best practices that can help keep your funeral home out of court.

The 2019 International Convention & Expo features highly rated workshops focused on compliance and legal, including:

- FTC Funeral Rule: Reducing Your Risk
- Lingering Liability: Inside the Cemetery
- Is it Sexual Harassment?
- Business Succession Planning
- And more!

Host Gabriel Schauf talks with Sara Moss, NFDA’s education manager and a hospice volunteer, about the remarkable end-of-life care hospice professionals provide to patients and their families. Sara discusses how funeral directors can better interact with hospice workers and their families regarding the support they can provide after a loved one dies.

Listen to the full episode below and then click here to learn more about the Hospice is Where the Heart Is workshop at the 2019 International Convention & Expo.

Hospice professionals are invited to the 2019 International Convention & Expo. Check out special programming, activities, events and more, here.