Snake Milkers & Minute Rice | 4M #95
Welcome to the ninety-fifth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #95, 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.
Grave consequences
A kind act had dire consequences in late June when a man who was righting a 100-year-old gravestone died from injuries sustained when the stone fell on him. Kenneth Gruber, 73, was helping a friend with the stone at Saint Malachy Cemetery in Iowa County, Wisconsin when the terrible accident occurred.
Cremains kill?
A women’s garden club in Massachusetts has asked people to stop depositing human or animal cremains along the idyllic path they manage because they’re doing more harm than good. The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls once supported trolleys, but since 1929 has been a pedestrian path lined with trees, flowers, and draping vines. Its beauty has also attracted many families who want their loved ones, both pets and humans, to rest there. However, the caretakers recently posted a notice on Facebook asking people to stop spreading ashes on the bridge, saying they are “toxic to the plants,” are “harmful” to garden workers, and “do not remain untouched.”
At least you’re not a urine farmer
One particular deathcare duty was recently included in a list of “unpopular,” yet “lucrative” professions: Embalming. MSN.com lists the profession of embalmer as an “emotionally demanding” undertaking with a potential salary of up to $78,000. While the salary estimate might be debatable, MSN nailed it with their statement that “embalmers who possess the necessary emotional resilience find fulfillment in providing a dignified farewell to the departed.” Other unpopular, lucrative jobs include oil rig workers, sanitation workers, coal miners, portable toilet cleaners, urine farmers, snake milkers, and bovine semen collectors.
It’s not minute rice
Co-op Funeralcare, the UK’s largest deathcare provider, recently announced that it will begin offering alkaline hydrolysis (AH) to the families it serves later this year. It’s the first alternative disposition method available in the UK since cremation was introduced in 1902. It’s a big deal, and virtually every UK-based news outlet has opinions — not all of them flattering. In fact, The Guardian has dubbed AH the “boil in the bag” funeral, perhaps diminishing the environmentally positive impact of this option.
She’s determined, we’ll give her that
It’s bad enough that Misty Collins was so determined to cause damage to Eggers Funeral Home in Cliffside, North Carolina that she returned three times, but we simply can’t fathom why multiple hairstyles and wardrobe changes — including two-piece bathing suit — were necessary. According to funeral director Larry Skipper, the South Carolina woman “uprooted many potted plants around the building, broke property lighting, broke a security camera, bathed using a water hose and destroyed several windows in the property’s garage and storage building.”
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!
