We have arrived. It’s now time for the big weekend. And I’m not talking about the MLB World Series- I’m talking about our World Series- NFDA.
This is also kind of the end of the year for us. If I’ve learned one thing about the Funeral profession, it’s that the year starts in January and ends with NFDA, and the time in between is the “next year” season. The season where the answer to every problem is “we’ll focus on that next year.” Wildly, that “next year” never really seems to come. Thus, the wild amount of 90s wallpaper covering the funeral homes across North America.
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Funeral Director at NFDA Makes “How ’Bout Dem Bears?” His Whole Personality
McCormick Place attendees report that visiting funeral director Evan Clark has adopted a single, city-specific remark—“How ’bout dem Bears?”—as his entire understanding of Chicago, deploying it as a greeting, joke, segue, and exit line across the NFDA schedule. He opened with it at badge pickup, repeated it at the Welcome Reception, and tried a slower, reverent version during a CE session on HIPAA-compliant texting, as if it were a benediction. On the expo floor he used it to bridge every product category: cremation equipment (“How ’bout dem Bears?”), software (“CSV exports—nice. How ’bout dem Bears?”), and caskets (“Do you have anything in… Bears?” followed by, “Chicago.”).
By Tuesday, coworkers had developed a working translation: “How ’bout dem Bears?” = hello/I acknowledge we are in Chicago; “How ’bout dem Bears!” = I would like to end this conversation; “How… ’bout… dem Bears?” = I am lost in Hall F but proud. At press time, Clark posed at the NFDA photo backdrop, told the photographer to “make it very Chicago,” delivered his line with the gravity of a eulogy, and considered the matter settled.
Trivia
Choose the correct answer and you’ll see a puppy. Get it wrong and you’ll see someone hurting themselves.
When Lincoln’s funeral train stopped in Chicago (May 1, 1865), about how many people filed past the coffin per hour?
A. 700
B. 7,000
C. 70,000
You Otter Be Proud
Here’s some good news going on in the profession.
- This Milford nonprofit helps families with high funeral costs
- People Magazine Covers Funeral Profession Story
- Fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal helps families grieve, celebrate loved ones
