
Ren and Theresa Newcomer, owners of Topeka’s Penwell-Gabel Funeral Homes and Cemetery, are in the process of buying the financially-strapped Mount Hope Cemetery.
Ren Newcomer said Wednesday he had signed a letter of intent to purchase the cemetery at 4700 S.W. 17th but details had yet to be finalized.
“We consider Mount Hope to be one of the finest cemeteries in Kansas, and we look forward to the opportunity to return it to a condition that honors those who rest there and that Topekans can be proud of,” he said.

For more information on how to maximize Facebook for you funeral home or industry company please contact Ryan Thogmartin ,or send a twitter reply to @disruptmg, or visit http://www.disrutpmg.com/funeral and fill out the form for a free social media review.
Are you using photos to enhance your Facebook page? If not, you may be missing a key opportunity.
Cameras are everywhere these days. This access to photography, coupled with the rise of social media, means that not only can everyone shoot photos, but they can also share them with a lot of people.
Utilizing photography in social media offers organizations an incredible opportunity to connect with others and showcase their brand in unique and interesting ways.

I just received an email from Robin Heppell and he wanted me to let you know that on Thursday, May 26, he is hosting two 3 hour programs via live webinar called:

Had yet another interesting couple of meetings the past few weeks on the topic of “pet death care.” In one meeting, my good friend and colleague, Jodi Clock, mentioned being a part of a funeral professionals meeting taking place here locally. Once again, when the topic of pet death care came up, a few people were saying “we’re still watching what’s going on with that.”
Being “old” preneed sales representatives, we both found this topic interesting and at the same time amusing. Oh, not amusing as in funny but amusing in the fact that we both have heard this statement countless times before.

Had yet another interesting couple of meetings the past few weeks on the topic of “pet death care.” In one meeting, my good friend and colleague, Jodi Clock, mentioned being a part of a funeral professionals meeting taking place here locally. Once again, when the topic of pet death care came up, a few people were saying “we’re still watching what’s going on with that.”
Being “old” preneed sales representatives, we both found this topic interesting and at the same time amusing. Oh, not amusing as in funny but amusing in the fact that we both have heard this statement countless times before.

SENDAI, Japan — Cars are strewn around like toys. A month after the quake, crews were still searching the cars and afterward marking them with a red X. Temporary graveyards have been established to hold bodies in coffins for up to two years. And people who do not normally work as undertakers have been drafted into service.
More than 14,700 bodies have been recovered in the wake of northern Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Another 11,000 are still missing.
Many mortuaries and crematoriums were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. Those still functioning are overloaded.

SENDAI, Japan — Cars are strewn around like toys. A month after the quake, crews were still searching the cars and afterward marking them with a red X. Temporary graveyards have been established to hold bodies in coffins for up to two years. And people who do not normally work as undertakers have been drafted into service.
More than 14,700 bodies have been recovered in the wake of northern Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Another 11,000 are still missing.
Many mortuaries and crematoriums were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. Those still functioning are overloaded.

Aurora, Ind. — Another contract offer for union workers with Aurora Casket has been rejected.
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local Lodge M300 President Tim Ashcraft says 83 percent of union members voted down the company’s latest collective bargaining contract offer Saturday.

Our firm is working on an awareness campaign about celebrating life and the ways in which people deal with grief. Members of the Expressing Sympathy Council include professionals from across the deathcare world, including funeral directors, grief counselors, life celebration experts, florists and others.

INFECTIOUS medical waste is being buried with the dead by shonky funeral operators trying to cut costs.
A Sunday Mail investigation has revealed that rogue funeral operators are ignoring public health risks and ripping off grieving families.
Queensland Attorney-General Paul Lucas said yesterday that a mandatory, state-sanctioned code of conduct would help clean up the industry.
An industry whistleblower and another long-term legitimate operator detailed how dodgy funeral operators:
Follow Us!