My Commentary
The March Of Dimes & Funeral Service
The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to eradicate Infantile Paralysis (Polio). With the advent of Jonas Salk’s vaccine in the early 1950’s the disease was largely eradicated in the Western World. In 1994 the United States was the first nation to be certified “Polio Free.” What does this have […]
The Case of The Reluctant Successor
Case Studies in Succession Planning: The Case of the Reluctant Successor It comes as a surprise to most owners to learn that more than 50% of potential successors, whether they be children or key employees, either don’t want the business or can’t swing it financially. But many owners operate on the assumption that when it […]
Six Blind Funeral Directors – Fourth Installment
What, Then, Shall We Become? So, considering the issue from a theoretical, rational and contextual perspective, we are left with the question: Now What?! When this most recent transformation began several decades ago the question was: “how can we adapt?” I believe that question led us down some unfortunate rabbit trails. It is less about […]
Six Blind Funeral Directors – Third Installment
Six Blind Funeral Directors – Third Installment In our prior two installments we looked at our future from a theoretical perspective and a rational perspective. This installment we will focus on a contextual perspective. A Contextual Approach To The Future A study of the evolution of contemporary American DeathCare beginning in 1850 suggests that our […]
Six Blind Funeral Directors – 2nd installment
Six Blind Funeral Directors – 2nd installment A Rational Approach To The Future Last week we explored the theoretical approach to our future using the allegory of the Six Blind Funeral Directors. This week we explore a Rational Approach. Our first question is: What do we know? We know that our market has changed and […]
Six Blind Funeral Directors Describe Our Future
Six Blind Funeral Directors Describe Our Future Chapter 1 The Theory of DeathCare We are all familiar with the parable of the six blind men describing an elephant. As we struggle with imagining the future of funeral service a survey of trade journal articles and convention agendas can’t help but bring this parable to mind. […]
Obituaries and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence – Doing more efficiently that which is already done poorly. It’s all the buzz – Artificial Intelligence. Of course the excitable “hand wringers” among us are already speculating about its disruptive potential. Perhaps this time they are right. It remains to be seen. AI’s first toehold is in the writing of obituaries. Feeling, […]
Finish Well
Posted on March 25, 2023 By Thomas A. Parmalee Forty-three years ago, Alan Creedy took over the financially distressed OGR Service Corp., the for-profit arm of what is now the International Order of the Golden Rule. With a background in accounting and psychology, he had no idea he was about to start his life’s work, […]
Global Pandemic: How Should We Then Live
I know this is a politically charged topic. It is not my intent to influence anyone’s perspective. These words so precisely express my own viewpoint and are so encouraging to me that I feel compelled to share them. The words of C.S. Lewis guide us yet today. It’s now clear that COVID-19 is a deadly […]
Covid – 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials
Covid – 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials Talking with funeral directors across the nation and Canada I am hearing (as you are experiencing) that you are busy but the services are mostly abbreviated or direct. So your revenue is deeply affected. Many wonder what funeral service will be like after we struggle to return […]
Creedy Not Bloodless After All
Blood Drives…Something You Can Do During the Pandemic Well there is a picture you can’t unsee. Me giving blood at Pierce Jefferson Funeral Home in Greensboro. A few weeks ago I suggested to some of my clients they hold a blood drive. Several of them took me up on it. The first was Danny Jefferson […]