DIY Cremation & Viking Hides | 4M #90
Welcome to the ninetieth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #90, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!
This newsletter is powered by MemoryShare, a funeral livestreaming platform that you can set up in 30 seconds or less.
Mishandling in Missouri
A Jefferson City, Missouri funeral home is facing a potential “permanent injunction barring the company from funeral work” after the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors filed suit alleging six counts of violations of state law. Multiple investigations conducted by the board in March and April found distressing conditions at Serenity Memorial Funeral and Cremation Service, LLC, including clogged embalming drains, no embalming log, unidentified bodies, and bodies that had been reported on death certificates as being cremated months earlier. Additionally, an “unmarked” and unlocked 61-degree-temperature “overflow room” was found to contain 15 “mishandled” bodies in various states, while two bodies were found in a 70-degree transport van. A final visit revealed an additional eight bodies in a cooler unit, but only six could be identified. A hearing has been scheduled for May 30.
An odd top 10 list
Grunge.com recently published an interesting list of “Things Found in Old Churches That Caused a Stir.” Weirdly, most involved ancient body parts, including:
- The mummified head of St. Catherine of Siena
- The tongue and jaw of St. Anthony of Padua
- The skinned hides of Vikings nailed to church doors
- A mummified human heart found in a wicker basket inside a pillar
- Multiple mummified heads (supposedly) of John the Baptist
The incorruptible
By now, you’ve probably seen this story, but just in case … OMG did you hear about the nun who was buried four years ago but whose exhumed body shows no signs of decomposition? Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died in Gower, Missouri in May 2019 at age 95. Her body was not embalmed, and was buried in a simple wooden casket with no outer enclosure. In April, the order to which Sister Wilhelmina belonged exhumed her remains to be reinterred in a newly completed shrine. Expecting to find only bones, the sisters were shocked to find a remarkably intact body. As news of the discovery circulated, Catholics from all over the country made pilgrimages to see and touch the nun’s body, which lay in state on a platform. Over the Memorial Day weekend, though, thousands of those pilgrims followed Wilhelmina’s sisters as they carried her body to an abbey where she was placed in a protective glass case for viewing.
DIY Cremation?
From the “No, really, don’t try this at home” files: Recently, a woman in India literally took matters into her own hands after her husband died. Worried that her two sons would learn of their father’s death and “come and fight for property,” she decided to cremate his body before anyone learned of his demise. While it’s not exactly clear what specific methods she used to perform her husband’s last rites, neighbors saw smoke “coming out of the house” and called authorities. They have deemed the woman mentally unstable.
Closing the case
Randy Lankford, who last year was indicted for failing to complete funeral services he was paid to perform at Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center, has pleaded guilty to 40 felony theft charges. A July 2022 investigation of the Jeffersonville, Indiana facility revealed 31 unrefrigerated decomposing bodies and 17 sets of cremains. As part of Lankford’s plea deal, he will not be allowed to appeal his sentence, which includes four years in jail and eight years on home incarceration.
Say goodbye to Facebook
If you’re using Facebook for live streaming, does this sound familiar?
- Copyrighted music is silenced (even with proper certifications!)
- Advertisements out of your control pop up during the livestream
- It’s difficult for families to access because it requires a Facebook account
This is why Carlton Stevens Jr., Operations Manager and Mortician at Stevens Funeral Home in North Carolina, said goodbye to Facebook and switched to MemoryShare—a live streaming platform built specifically for funeral professionals.
“Now, families don’t have to worry about Facebook accounts. It works, and it’s easy to use,” Carlton said. “It’s the best, I’m telling you. It’s liquid gold.”
After he started offering live streaming during the pandemic, Carlton saw Stevens Funeral Home call volume bump from 20 calls to 41 calls.
Today, Stevens Funeral Home live streams a service every other day.
And with MemoryShare, all they have to do is push a button.
“It’s a no brainer,” Carlton said.
Read how Carlton is using livestreaming to grow his business in our latest case study—click here to read it!
