When Cows Kick the Bucket
Contrary to popular belief, Hindus do not worship cows as gods. However, India’s Hindu inhabitants do consider cows to be sacred beings, so they fervently protect the lives...
The State of State Regulation in Oregon and Hawaii
Last week the Oregon death care industry made news — of the negative sort — and it wasn’t really the funeral homes’ fault. Confusing headlines like “State Inspections...
Live Streaming Funeral Services: Unsettling or Inevitable?
This summer two popular media outlets — Wired and CBS News — covered the subject of live-streaming funerals. From these features, one might think that broadcasting memorial services...
Three Reasons to Attend the First-Ever Green Funeral Conference in October
The First-Ever Green Funeral Conference, organized by Passages International and the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is scheduled for October 2-4. If you haven’t already made plans...
Funeral Home Transgender Discrimination Case Heads to Supreme Court
It’s been six years since Anthony Stephens wrote a letter to his boss and coworkers at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes announcing his intention to return to...
“Scatter Days” and Grandmas in the Closet: The Problem of Superfluous Cremains
“Most families have at least one cremation urn in their care — and don’t know what to do with it.” This is a quote from the website of...
Connecting Directors Readers: Enjoy the Latest Issue of Parliament
We’re excited to announce that Connecting Directors has partnered with Lemasters Consulting to bring our readers the latest issue of Parliament! Click to Download Parliament Poul Lemasters, Esq., a...
New Vermont Regs Fast-Track Path to Funeral Director License
New rules finalized in late August by Vermont legislators will eliminate the requirement of an associate’s degree to become a licensed funeral director. Instead, students can become licensed...
Party Like It’s 1899: Are Cemetery Picnics Making a Comeback?
Picture it. It’s a beautiful spring day. Blue skies overhead, lush green grass under your feet, and the scent of fresh flowers perfumes the air. You spread a...
Diary of My First Death Conference
I’ll admit, when I started writing for Connecting Directors in 2018, I had no idea how many death conferences existed. Or what they entailed. Or what to expect. ...