In our line of work, we don’t deal in illusions. We build the final physical resting place a person will ever need, and that carries a profound weight we never take lightly. Because of what we do, we meet families at the most difficult moments of their lives. We see...
When a Simple Errand Becomes a Minefield For five generations, our family has stood quietly beside people in the immediate, raw aftermath of loss. We know the profound weight of this work, and we know the realities of grief that extend far beyond the day of the...
There’s a famous story about the rock song "Sultans of Swing." It was 1977. Mark Knopfler walked into a deserted pub in South London on a rainy night. In the corner, a Dixieland jazz band was playing. They weren't just going through the motions to get a paycheck. They...
In the quiet moments of the workshop lately, times spent reflecting on the craft and the generations that came before us, we’ve been thinking a lot about a phrase I hear often in this industry: "Don’t die with your dead." It’s a bold statement, and at first glance, it...
For some reason we have been following the story of the lost colony. Advances in technology have allowed the tracking of DNA. The same practice is happening in other parts of the world and a recent report regarding the Bo people of China, confirming their modern...
When my wife Stephanie’s father passed away in 2020, our family made the decision to establish a new family cemetery. It was a time of immense grief, but also of establishing a legacy. During the arrangements, the funeral home asked the standard procedural question:...
