Burr Oak Cemetery Task Force REPORTS-your funeral guy.

Burr oak Cemetery Report completed

The  Burr Oak Cemetery Task Force has reported to the Governor of the State of Illinois on CEMETERY REFORM. Specific recommendations have been given. In the session last hearing Thursday the politics of the Race for Governor  was front and center, Gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes went on for an hour defending his actions..

In the Governors Press  Release  there appears to be no statement on what will be done for the families that were victims of the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal.

The focus is the prevention of Future scandals like the one that happened at Burr oak cemetery in 2009

Snippet from “Governor Quinn Receives Final Cemetery Oversight Task Force Report
Will Review Plans for Tougher Industry Regulations”

“Among the Cemetery Oversight Task Force recommendations:

• Consolidate regulatory authority of funeral and burial practices into the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
• Enact the Cemetery Oversight Act, which will ensure that only qualified persons can own, operate or work in a cemetery in Illinois.
• Amend and consolidate existing statutes to strengthen industry regulation and enforcement.

The Task Force heard testimony from families with loved ones buried at Burr Oak, other cemetery and law enforcement experts, industry professionals, and government officials. Each provided insight into the type of laws, regulations and oversight needed to protect the dignity of loved ones after death.”

DOWNLOAD THE FULL CEMETERY TASK FORCE REPORT HERE

Funeral Industry Funeral Blog by R.Brian Burkhardt

Patrick Swayze Died|Funeral-Latest in 09Summer of deathYour funeral Guy

Patrick Swayze has died Funeral arrangements not finalized

1969 was the summer of love. Forty years later we are coming to the end  Death Summer09 with late comer  Patrick Swayze also known as the “dirty dancer”. He  is the latest victim of the 2009 death summer.. The 2009 summer death saga plans to, will end on September 21st 2009.

Summer 2009 Deaths

May, Jack Kemp, Dom DeLuise, Chuck Daly.
June: Ed McMahon, , Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, David Carradine
July: Karl Malden, Steve McNair, Robert McNamara, , Walter Cronkite, Frank McCourt, , Gidget the Chihuahua.
August: John Hughes, Les Paul, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Robert Novak, Senator Edward Kennedy.
September: Patrick Swayze

There are no  Patrick Swayze Funeral arrangements or plans at this time.

Funeral Industry Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Patrick Swayze Picture from flickr under the creative commons license from

Alan Light’s photostream

Source:

Ted Kennedy Burial-The end of the Summer of Death?|YourFuneralGuy

Firm in New SCI suit won $38.1 Mil in Florida Case-Your Funeral Guy.

Up to 500 Graves desecrated here

The law Firm in the NEW  California  Service Corporation International Lawsuit won a Florida Case against SCI in 2oo8. The case that they won occurred in Florida at the Menorah Gardens Cemetery. The Jury trial ended in 2008. The grave desecrations in the latest lawsuit  occurred at Eden Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

A COPY OF THE LATEST SCI LAWSUIT IN CALIFORNIA CAN BE VIEWED HERE

The lawsuit at Eden Memorial Park at Mission Hills in California is the latest  in a string of Lawsuits against Service Corporation international  in 2009.

Up to 5oo Grave sites were desecrated in the New SCI Scandal.

Snippet from www.edenclaims.com

“Less than one-year ago Eagan O’Malley & Avenatti, LLP obtained a $31.8 jury verdict, reported to be one of the largest in the country in 2008.  Plaintiff is also represented by Edward M. Ricci, Esq. of Edward M. Ricci, P.A in Palm Beach County, Florida.  Mr. Ricci previously successfully represented numerous individuals in connection with the Menorah Gardens cemetery scandal in Florida, where similar allegations were made against Service Corporation International.”

The grave robbing at Burr Oak cemetery in Chicago along With this latest Service Corporation International Scandal  is a wake up call for Cemetery Reform Legislation!

Up to 500 graves desecrated at Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills California.

Up to 300 graves desecrated at Burr Oak Cemetery Alsip, IL

Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Photo from -CNN.COM

Service Corporation Intl | latest Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal-YourFunerlGuy

The World s largest Funeral Corporation has had a body desecration Scandal like that of Burr Oak Cemetery near  Chicago.This Scandal took place at Eden Memorial Park in Los Angeles, A Jewish Cemetery.

Service Corporation International(SCI) is the largest provider Funeral and cemetery goods and services on the planet.

At Burr Oak Cemetery 300 graves were desecrated and bodies were found to be found in piles throughout the cemetery. In California at Eden Memorial Park, a lawsuit alleges that the atrocities there  have been going on for 15 Years.

It has been reported that groundskeepers were told to breakup vaults and caskets. Human body parts, caskets vaults were then disposed of. This is grave desecration.

Any time a grave is dug up the family needs to be notified.

Snippet from CNN.COM

* Eden Memorial Park, in Mission Hills, California, is large Jewish cemetery
* Lawsuit says it breaks open vaults, discards remains to make room
* Cemetery is owned by Service Corporation International
* SCI spokeswoman says allegations in the lawsuit are not valid.

The usual SCI policy of denying everything till press reports die down is in place.

Abuse of the dead at the World’s Largest Funeral Corporation needs to stop, now.

Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce are buried here. I am sure Groucho does not find this funny.

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SCI SCANDAL

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Dignity Logo Pic on flickr under the creative commons license  at

Jeremy Brooks’ photostream

How Michael Jackson looked in the Casket-YourFuneralGuy

Michael Jackson

Revealed here is a description of how Michael Jackson Looked in his Gold  Casket. His sister Latoya Jackson said he looked “Fabulous” on September 3rd. This was stated in an interview with  ABC’s 20/20.

From the Huffington Post:

In an interview on ABC’s “20/20,” she tells Barbara Walters that the King of Pop was dressed in white pearl beads and a big gold belt, “like a belt that you win being a boxer.”

“His hair was done beautifully, his makeup was done beautifully,” she says.

Michael Jackson was laid to rest in a private Burial ceremony on September, 3rd 2009 at Forest Lawn,Glendale California in the Great Mausoleum. His family  an close friends  were present about 200 folks.

Michael Jackson death has made many aware of his music. Most are purchased downloads.

Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by your funeral guy

Jackson illustration from flickr under the creative commons license from

themmg’s photostream

9-11-01-America was changed Forever-YourFuneralGuy

This is the way it was-.09.01.09-It will never return

On the morning of  9.11.01 I was sitting in class at my first day in mortuary school.  When I see the memorial videos every year I cry. The world before (9/11) will never return.

Neither will the United States of America

This is a big reason why I love to serve families and doggedly pursue those who abuse others in death.

NEVER FORGET!

Be sure to cry.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Stewart Enterprises numbers nudge Funeral Industry Decline-YourFuneralguy

Declining Funeral Corporation Numbers are nudging a Funeral Industry Decline.

The third quarter numbers for Stewart Enterprises are nudging the Funeral Industry towards it’s disaster. Stewart Enterprises did not meet the street expectations in the third quarter 2009. They did show a small  3Q revenue profit  do to debt reduction and cost cutting. The problem is you cannot cut costs and retire debt forever.

Stewart Enterprises, Inc (STEI)is the second largest Funeral Corporation in the United States of America.  The competitor Service Corporation(SCI) International finds itself in  a worse position.

Total revenue at the company fell 9.7 percent to $117.8 million.
Revenue from the company’s cemetery segment dropped 16 percent, primarily due to a decrease in cemetery property sales (translation Cemetery Preneed).

Snippet from tradingmarkets.com

“Funeral revenue decreased $2.5 million, or 3.6 percent, to
$66.0 million.

The cremation rate for the Company’s same-store operations
was 41.8 percent for the third quarter of 2009 compared to
39.9 percent for the third quarter of 2008.

Cemetery revenue decreased $10.2 million to $51.7 million
for the third quarter of 2009.  This decrease is due primarily
to a $3.7 million, or 13.5 percent, decrease in cemetery
property sales.

Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Burr Oak Cemetery Desecration Defendants plead Not Guilty-YourFuneralGuy

Defendants plead not guilty in Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal

The Burr Oak Cemetery Defendants have pleaded not guilty  to body desecration and other charges. In court without shackles this week the three  jailed suspects appeared in orange jump suits.The four defendants are due back in Court on 9.25.09

This criminal case is not expected to go to trial for about a year.

From the Huffington Post.com

Four former cemetery workers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges accusing them of digging up bodies at a historic suburban Chicago graveyard in order to resell the burial plots.

During a brief hearing, attorneys for the four defendants entered the pleas. All four indicated that they understood the charges against them. They are Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39 – all from Chicago, and all in custody. The fourth defendant, Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins, is out on bail.

There are some significant things here to be mentioned. The second to  last hearing on the Burr Oak Cemetery is Thursday 9.10.09 Thursday, September 10th, 2009 – 2-4PM – Chicago, Thompson Center, Room 16-503.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy

Burr oak cemetery pic from religion dispatches.org

Walter Cronkite Funeral Memorial Service|Live Video-YourFuneralGuy

"And that's the way it was"

9.09.09-There is live video from the Walter Cronkite  Funeral Memorial Service available. You can click on the link in the post to see the service live. President Obama and President Clinton will speak at the Lincoln Center at 10:30 AM Eastern Standard time.

CLICK HERE TO SEE LIVE STREAMING VIDEO FROM CSPAN of the Memorial Service

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WALTER CRONKITE MEMORIAL SERVICE AT 10:30 Am Eastern for LIVE STREAMING VIDEO

Funeral Industry|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

Medical Science delaying Baby Boomer Funerals-Your Funeral Guy

Medical Science is hollding back the Funerals of Baby Boomers

Medical Science is holding up Baby Boomer Funerals and an explosion of Business for the Funeral Industry. Because of the recession interest in Funeral Service is up 20% according to Mortuary schools. The cremation rate for 2009 has jumped to 38% nationwide.

Many folks are leaving their traditional jobs thinking they are entering a recession proof business called funeral service. Cremation sales are up and traditional sales are down. It is not the number of Sales that are down but the amount of Funeral Goods and Services  people are buying.

From Bakersfield.com

“To the funeral industry, the deaths of baby boomers – people born between 1946 and 1964 – is a windfall worth lusting over. But first, the industry must survive the current “death trough,” the decline in death caused by advances in medical science, among other things.

According to federal agencies that track population and health statistics, the nation’s death rate has dipped slightly and is expected to be “stagnant” for several more years.”

The Funeral business is hurting and anyone who suggests you will have a new  profitable career there is lying. Preneed Sales or prearrangement sales are down 50% (according to the NFDA)and the industry is tarnished by Scandal(IFDA,NPS, Neptune Society, SCI).

Yes Medical Science is holding back baby boomer funerals, but the funeral industry will have to adjust before wind fall profits arrive.

Funeral industry|Funeral blog by your funeral guy.