Educational Foundation Awards 118 Scholarships To The 2020 ICCFA University in Atlanta, Georgia; Scholarships Carried Over Into 2021

STERLING, VA (June 5, 2020) – The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) Educational Foundation was able to award 118 scholarships to the 2020 iteration of ICCFA University thanks to generous donors who believe that professional development is important to the well-being of the profession. Scholarship recipients represent ICCFA members from 33 states and Brazil, Canada, Curaçao, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica and Uruguay, who hold many different positions at funeral homes, cemeteries and industry suppliers.

With input from the ICCFA leadership, staff, ICCFA University Deans, public health experts, and membership, the 2020 ICCFA University was cancelled due to the ongoing public health and safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Scholarship recipients will have their 2020 scholarships honored at the 2021 ICCFA University on July 23-28. Below are the scholarship recipients:

• Heidi Aarestad, Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Kitty Alexander, StoneMor, Elizabethon, Tennessee
• Mark Anderson, Homecoming Inc., Tempe, Arizona
• Carla Birdwell, Glen Oaks Memorial Park, Chico, California
• Jerome Auer, St. John Cemetery c/o Cincinnati Catholic Cemetery Society, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Marie Baker, LMS Guam, Tamuning, Guam
• Ray Baldonado, Daniels Family Funeral Services, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
• Lori Banes, National Cremation Society, Fruitland Park, Florida
• Steve Barber, Sunburst Memorials, Saint Cloud, Minnesota
• Susan Barney, Greenleaf Memorial Park, New Bern, North Carolina
• Emily Biersdorf, Green Hills Mortuary, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
• Zachary Blotter, Green Hills Mortuary, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
• Johnny Bolton, Blackstone Cemetery Development, Santa Ana, California
• Devin Bowlds, Basham Funeral Care, Bakersfield, California
• David Boyle, Town of Chelmsford, Chelmsford, California
• Anthony Bracy, Collins Funeral Home, Inc./Bracy Funeral Service Group, LLC, Camden, South Carolina
• Ryan Brooke, Oakwood Memorial Park, Inc., Ottawa, Illinois
• David Brooks, Morris Funeral Cottage & St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Cheraw, South Carolina
• Pamela Brown, Hillside Cemetery, Wilton, Connecticut
• Christina Budhwa, St. Michael’s Cemetery & Crematory, East Elmhurst, New York
• Mollee Burnash, Mount Elliott Cemetery Association, Detroit, Michigan
• Mandy Butler, Smith Family Funeral Homes, North Little Rock, Arizona
• Sherri Campbell, The Homewood Cemetery, Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania
• Carlos Camargo, Universal Empreendimentos Ltda., Brazil
• Patrick Carroll, Spring Grove Cemetery and Funeral Homes, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Dorman Caudle, Carolina Donor Services, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Denise Childress, Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, Palm Harbor, Florida
• Lauren Christakos, The Arlington Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Karen Christon, Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Home, Westland, Michigan
• Emily Christopherson, Professional Cemetery Services, Dundee, Illinois
• Gordon Chuck, Sam Isaacs & Son Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica
• Chris Clements, Oliver’s Funeral Home, Grand Prairie, Canada
• Carlos Colon, Hepburn Superior US Chemical, Orange, California
• Alex Core, Leaf Cremation, Cartersville, Georgia
• Jason Crandall, Sunburst Memorials, Saint Cloud, Minnesota
• Kim Crawford, Cairn Partners, Hanover, Indiana
• Christi Cross, StoneMor, Asheboro, North Carolina
• Judith Cruz, LMS Guam, Tamuning, Guam
• Carlos Culqui, Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
• Colin Cumberworth, Gethsemane Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Sarah Dawber, Tippecanoe Memory Gardens, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Shaline DeGuzman, Cairn Partners, Sacramento, California
• Clift Dempsey, Leaf Cremation, Cartersville, Georgia
• Pierce Dempsey, Leaf Cremation, Cartersville, Georgia
• Elda Diaz, Park Lawn Cemetery, Commerce, California
• Bert Edquist, Mission Hills Memorial Gardens, Niles, Michigan
• Newton Fernandes, Cemitério Vertical de Curitiba, Brazil
• Mary Ferwerda, Wiefels & Son Funeral Directors, Palm Springs, California
• Rafael Flores, Grupo Cortel, Brazil
• Danny Funchess, Citadel Group, Houston, Texas
• Lanny Funchess, Harrelson Funeral Home, Forest City, North Carolina
• Deborah Gagnon, Knollwood Cemetery Corp., Sharon, Massachusetts
• Sandra Goldman, Hebrew Cemetery of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Denise Goodwin, Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, Palm Harbor, Florida
• George Granberry, III, Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
• Makeba Gregg, Cumby Family Funeral Service, High Point, North Carolina
• Michelle Haslock, Williams Funeral Homes & Crematory, Columbia, Tennessee
• Amanda Heidtman, The Tribute Companies – Fort Howard Memorial Park, Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Rodolfo Hidalgo, Catholic Cemeteries Diocese of Orange, Garden Grove, California
• Troy Hoerner, Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation, Spokane, Washington
• Thomas Holland, Atlantic Coast Life, Woodstock, Georgia
• Gregg Hooker, Williams Funeral Homes & Crematory, Columbia, Tennessee
• Kim Horn, G.A.R. Cemetery – City of Miami, Miami, Oklahoma
• Cynthia Hulsey, Bulloch Memorial Gardens, Statesboro, Georgia
• Samuel “Jake” Jacobs, Williams Funeral Homes & Crematory, Columbia, Tennessee
• Marq Jeffrey, Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home, Alberta, Canada
• Denise Jones, Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Home, Westland, Michigan
• Tanner Kerr, Hansen Mortuary and Cemetery, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Thomas Kiley, Kirby’s Tucker Memorial Cemetery & Crematory, Mountain Home, Arizona
• Jill Lazar, Homesteaders Life Company, Des Moines, Iowa
• Solange Li-Engelhardt, Agencia Funeraria El Consolador, Willemstad, Curaçao
• Emory Martin, Smith Family Funeral Homes, North Little Rock, Arkansas
• Maria Martinelli, Rogelio Martinelli S.A., Montevideo, Uruguay
• Noel Martinelli, Concesionaria Martinelli S.A., Montevideo, Uruguay
• Lisa McClain, The Arlington Memorial Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Tracy McFee, Oliver’s Funeral Home & Crematorium, Grand Prairie, Canada
• Ericka McKibbin, Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, Palm Harbor, Florida
• Marcelo Minatel, Grupo Jardim da Saudade, Brazil
• Jenna Moerk, Hillside Memorial Park & Mortuary, Los Angeles, California
• Katie Mueller-LaBella, St. Michael’s Cemetery & Crematory, East Elmhurst, New York
• Erin Murphy, DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home, Willoughby Hills, Ohio
• Nathan Nardi, New Cathedral Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
• Alex Fernando Mildenberger Nunes, Cemitério Parque das Araucárias, Brazil
• Raymond Ortner, Lone Tree Cemetery, Hayward, California
• Vanessa Padua, Our Lady of Peace Memorial Gardens, Barrigada, Guam
• Adrian Paredez, Cairn Partners, Woodland, Washington
• Abigale Parker, Newton Cemetery & Arboretum, Newton Center, Massachusetts
• Anthony Pennacchio, Memory Gardens, Albany, New York
• Claudia Pereda, Eternity, Guatemala, Guatemala
• Matthew Petrocy, Midwest Memorial Group, Beverly Hills, Michigan
• Tim Porras, Catholic Cemeteries Diocese of Orange, Garden Grove, California
• Delana Pratt, Cairn Partners, Woodland, WA
• Beth Quattro, Midwest Memorial Group, Beverly Hills, Michigan
• Gail Rubin, A Good Goodbye, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Lori Salberg, Johnson Consulting Group, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Cesar Salgado, Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
• Carly Schorman, Homecoming, Inc., Tempe, Arizona
• John Sennhenn Jr., Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Homes, Inc., Independence, Kentucky
• Dustin Seog, Mount Elliott Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan
• Rafael Domenciano Silva, Parque Memorial de Goiania, Brazil
• Nick Startup, Leaf Cremation, Cartersville, Georgia
• Ann Marie St. George, Cooperative Funeral Fund, Madison, Connecticut
• Brandon Tagayun, StoneMor, Dunbar, West Virginia
• Reggie Taylor, Cairn Partners, Elk Grove, California
• Sara Thompson, Indiana Funeral Care & Crematory, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Nihkolas Tipton, Fair View Cemetery, Roanoke, Virginia
• Margarita Toscano, Basham Funeral Care, Bakersfield, California
• Jeff Touchette, Albany Diocesan Cemeteries, Albany, New York
• Vercell Vance, Eden Terrace Memorials, Destin, Florida
• Veronia Van Hof, Baltimore Humane Society Memorial Park, Reisterstown, Maryland
• Gretchen Varnell, Service Corporation International, Houston, Texas
• Jennifer Waldron, Walker Funeral Homes & Crematory, Toldeo, Ohio
• Daniel White, Newton Cemetery, Newton, Massachusetts
• Sommer Williams, Midwest Memorial Group, Beverly Hills, Michigan
• Jacqueline Woodward, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
• Kiy’Ree Wright, South-View Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia
• Craig Zitterman, Glen Eden Memorial Park, Livonia, Michigan
• Becky Zoch, City of Evansville – City Cemeteries, Evansville, Indiana

For more information about the Educational Foundation, contact ICCFA Educational Foundation President Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE, jprice@parklawncorp.com, 248.290.0338.

Founded in 1887, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation, funeral and memorialization profession. Its membership is composed of more than 9,100 rooftop locations and 18,000 professionals in the cemetery, funeral home and crematory industries, as well as supplier and related businesses worldwide.