George R. Kelder Jr., CFSP

Every year we gather to review the state of our profession. It's easy to measure ourselves by the number of calls we oversaw, the legislation we passed or the programs we offered. Those are important measures, but they don't tell the whole story.

The real question is whether funeral service is becoming stronger, more relevant, and better prepared for the families who will need us tomorrow.

That's the standard by which I believe we should judge ourselves, because funeral service continues to change around us.

Families are making decisions differently than they did a generation ago. Cremation continues its steady rise, green and alternative disposition options are gaining acceptance, traditional religious services continue to decline and funeral directors increasingly find themselves guiding difficult family conversations rather than simply conducting predetermined wishes.

Our workforce is changing as well. Today's interns and newly licensed funeral directors are increasingly women. Many are entering funeral service as a second career with little or no prior funeral home experience, while fewer children of existing licensees are choosing to follow their parents into the profession.

Funeral service is also becoming more diverse in every sense of the word. New licensees bring different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, while professionals from adjacent fields, including end-of-life doulas, are creating new opportunities for collaboration in serving families.

The business of operating a funeral home has never been more challenging. Rising operating costs, increasing property values, changing prepaid funeral economics where claims are larger than new deposits and the cost of doing business in New Jersey require funeral homes to think differently about long-term sustainability.

Technology has shifted from being an advantage to being an expectation. From EDRS to online education, digital communications and consumer demand for transparency and online arrangements, our members must meet families where they are.

Finally, the regulatory environment grows more complex every year, particularly in employment, human resources and workplace compliance.

None of these changes are temporary, and none of them can be ignored. They represent the new environment in which funeral service will operate for years to come. They require leadership that is willing to adapt while remaining firmly rooted in the values that define funeral service.

The questions before the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association were simple: Would we simply react to these changes, or would we proactively prepare our members to succeed in them?

We are strengthening the workforce because no profession can succeed without talented people entering and remaining in it.

Returning to split licensure this November modernizes New Jersey's licensing structure, reducing barriers to entry while addressing workforce shortages and meeting the evolving needs of both funeral service and today's consumers.

The Northeast Funeral Service Partnership, our five-state coalition, continues to expand professional development opportunities, shared services and membership value across state lines.

Two new certification programs, Certified Funeral Service Employee and Certified Funeral Service Employer, graduated their inaugural classes this year, encouraging stronger workplace communication and professional development across every level of the funeral home.

We also began exploring collaborative affiliations with end-of-life doulas to foster relationships that promote greater awareness of the value of funeral service and enhance continuity of support for families throughout their end-of-life journey.

We are expanding opportunities because today's families expect choices that reflect their values.

We successfully saw the passage of legislation authorizing natural organic reduction in New Jersey, expanding environmentally sustainable approaches to decedent care and broadening consumer choice through innovative funeral service options.

We are modernizing the association. We have developed and launched an innovative learning management system, providing licensees with convenient on-demand continuing education that may be completed anytime, anywhere and on any device while maintaining the highest standards of professional education.

We expanded the capabilities of the NJSFDA Mobile App through the integration of an enhanced member directory, Convention programming, governance resources, vital communications and digital access to The FORUM, creating a centralized platform for member engagement and association services.

And we are planning for the future.  To ensure stability we have learned that strong organizations don't simply prepare for next year; they prepare for the next generation of leadership. This year the association approved an executive succession plan and transitional employment agreement that will guide the transition following my retirement after 40 years of service while ensuring continuity stability, and a seamless transition for the NJSFDA.

Taken together, these initiatives represent more than individual accomplishments. They reflect a deliberate strategy to ensure that New Jersey funeral service remains strong enough to meet today's challenges and adaptable enough to embrace tomorrow's opportunities.

We still face a workforce challenge. The changes to New Jersey's licensing laws represent an important step forward, but they are only one piece of a much larger workforce challenge. We still face an aging workforce, increasing retirements and fewer young people considering funeral service as a career. Recruitment is only the beginning. Retention, mentorship and creating workplaces where talented people choose to build long careers remain equally important.

Consumer expectations continue to evolve. Families today expect more flexibility, more transparency, more technology and more personalized service than ever before. They compare every experience we provide, not just with other funeral homes but with every other service they encounter in their daily lives. Convenience, communication and responsiveness are no longer competitive advantages; they are baseline expectations.

Regulation never stops. Government will continue to examine funeral service through the lenses of consumer protection, environmental concerns and workforce regulation. Whether the issue is alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, preneed oversight or future licensing changes, our profession cannot afford to simply react. We must remain engaged early in every conversation if we expect our voices to shape the outcome.

The greatest challenge is change itself. Perhaps our greatest challenge isn't any single issue. It is the pace of change itself. Technology continues to evolve. Consumer expectations shift. New business models emerge. The funeral profession has never stood still, and neither can we.

These challenges are real. But they are also manageable, if we continue working together as an association and as a profession.

The path forward. Looking ahead, your association remains committed to four priorities:

• Building the next generation of funeral professionals
• Protecting and advancing our profession through effective advocacy
• Delivering education that prepares members for tomorrow's challenges
• Providing practical resources that help funeral homes succeed regardless of size or business model

Leadership is everyone's responsibility. Associations do not create strong professions. Their members do. Every committee volunteer, every convention attendee, every mentor, every legislative advocate and every funeral director willing to share ideas with a colleague strengthen this profession. The future of funeral service in New Jersey will not be determined by a Board of Directors alone. It will be shaped by the collective commitment of every member.

Funeral service has never been defined by the absence of change. It has always been defined by the professionalism and dedication of those who adapt while remaining true to the values that matter most.

Our profession will continue to evolve. Families will continue to change. New challenges will undoubtedly emerge.

But if this past year has demonstrated anything, it is that this association is willing to confront those challenges thoughtfully, strategically and together.

The state of our profession is strong not because our work is finished, but because we have the leadership, commitment and vision to continue moving forward.

Why this profession still matters. Throughout this report I've spoken about workforce shortages, legislation, education, technology and strategic planning.

Those things matter.

But they are not why any of us chose this profession.

We chose funeral service because families experience some of the hardest days of their lives, and they deserve knowledgeable, compassionate professionals to guide them through those moments.

Every improvement we make as an association or as individual funeral directors has one purpose: making certain that every New Jersey family receives the care, dignity and professionalism they deserve.

During my four decades with this association, I have watched funeral service reinvent itself more than once.

I've watched traditions evolve, technology transform the way we work and new generations bring new ideas into our profession.

Through every change, one thing has remained constant.

Funeral directors continue to answer the call when families need them most.

I have every confidence that the next generation will do exactly the same.

But the future will undoubtedly look different than the past. It always has.

And it won't be determined by legislation alone. It won't be determined by economics. It won't even be determined by technology. It will be determined by the decisions made every day by the funeral directors in this room.

Every family we serve...

Every young licensee we mentor...

Every challenge we choose to face instead of avoid...

That's how professions endure.

But as long as this profession continues to place service before self, compassion before convenience and families before everything else, I remain optimistic about where we are headed.

Earlier I asked whether we would simply react to change or prepare our members to succeed in it.

I believe the work of this past year answers that question.

Thank you for allowing me to serve alongside you.

Samuel C. Arnold, President

About 30 years ago, I had an opportunity to attend a National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association convention which offered a class on the increase in cremations worldwide.

Shortly after I started the class, I began to think it was a waste of my time and effort because the cremation rate in New Jersey was then extremely low. Fast forward to 2026, I have experienced a remarkable rise in cremations.

There has been an almost unreal increase in cremations to the point where now my funeral home rate is steadily approaching or is above 40 percent. In retrospect, I now understand that the intent of that seminar I attended 30 years ago was to prepare us for the inevitable. Specifically, the funeral industry, as I now better understand, is way ahead of its time and is making concerted efforts to keep its members informed and prepared.

It is also way ahead of its time about changes on the horizon. Years later, I must admit that we should listen to experts, because they can sometime reliably forecast future events more than we can. That was true in this instance.

Prior to COVID-19, the cremation rate was still low. No one in my community would have even conceived of having themselves or a loved one cremated, except for religious reasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic the cremation rate steady rose. Some families were discouraged from having or planning traditional funeral services. In fact, there were state, federal and municipal government mandates restricting and banning large gatherings, especially during peak lockdown periods.

Also during COVID. I personally witnessed the inspections conducted here by both city and state health officials due to the volume of people that were served. While making funeral arrangement with families during this period, many families were made aware of the rules and restrictions prior to making final arrangement with us at Perry Funeral Home. Accordingly, many families decided to simply cremate and possibly have a memorial service at a later date when it would be more conducive for family gatherings. Interestingly, it was during the COVID era that many families decided that cremation, which was once thought to be taboo in our community was suddenly not tragic after all.

Families today frequently come into our offices at Perry Funeral Home with clear direction and pre-determined plans for cremation, with a memorial service, before sitting down for a conference with me or another member of the staff.  Similarly, many also come into the funeral home and share their intentions of ordering a cremation urn from Amazon or come in with the pre-ordered urn for the cremation already in their possession. This was stunning to me, seeing a bereaved family’s overwhelming display of strength and knowledge about cremation process.

Clearly, these families had already done their research prior to a loved one’s passing or immediately afterward and well before contacting a funeral home. Cremations have now become a norm and account for a large percentage of end-of-life arrangements.

However, I next am concerned about the potential risks that come with so many cremations as well as the escalation of cremation rates. The main risk is the positive identification of the deceased before cremations, particularly when a family member appears to have reservations or is reluctant about coming into the funeral home to identify the deceased loved one before the cremation.  It is astonishing how many families do not wish to see or view the deceased loved one after death because they choose to remember the loved one in life. That choice is understandable to me as a funeral director, but as funeral directors we must minimize the risks we take. Here at Perry Funeral Home, protocol dictates that immediate next of kin must sign a photo positively identifying the deceased loved one.

One other major concern in navigating the cremation process is identifying the correct next of kin or the person or persons to authorize the cremation. To my chagrin, I have discovered that a spouse may not in fact be a spouse; a child may not in fact be a child; and a brother or sister may not in fact be a brother or sister.

Thus, the saga continues. As a result, I sometimes feel like I am in the role of Alex Haley unearthing a history I never imagined or uncovering family secrets. My prayer, nevertheless, is that a brighter future awaits those who tread this path after me. As I conclude, it is my prayer that God blesses us continually.

When was the last time you actually read your insurance policy?

If your answer is, “When I renewed it,” you’re probably not alone.

For many funeral home owners, the insurance policy gets filed away after the renewal is completed and doesn’t see the light of day again until the next renewal.

The problem is your business doesn’t sit in a filing cabinet for the next 12 months.

Things change.

You buy another vehicle. You replace or add equipment. You hire employees. You renovate part of the funeral home. You purchase another property. You add a new service. Your payroll changes. Maybe your business has grown significantly since your last insurance review.

And while all of that is happening, your insurance policy is sitting there unchanged.

That can become a problem when something happens, and you discover that the coverage you thought you had doesn't quite match the business you are operating today.

An insurance review shouldn’t simply be about looking at this year’s premium and comparing it to last year’s number. It should be a conversation about your business.

What has changed?

Did you add or remove vehicles? Did you purchase new equipment? Did you make improvements to the building? Has your payroll changed? Have you added employees or changed how they work? Are you offering services today that you weren't offering a few years ago? Have your property values or business income needs changed?

These are the kinds of questions that can uncover gaps, outdated limits or coverage that may need to be adjusted.

And that doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy more insurance.

It means you should make sure the insurance you are paying for reflects the business you own today.

At Thanexus Financial Services, LLC, we believe an insurance renewal should be more than a policy, an invoice and a signature. It should be an opportunity to have a conversation about what has changed and whether your coverage still makes sense.

So, the next time you pull that insurance policy out of the filing cabinet, don't just put it back.

Take a look.

Your business has changed. Your insurance may need to change with it.

Your insurance policy can sit in a filing cabinet.

Your business shouldn't.

Do you have questions about your premium costs? Please contact one of our Thanexus Financial Services, LLC insurance agents at 888.483.5138 for more information or a personalized quote for your individual insurance needs. All funeral directors have access to insurance coverage. This is not a benefit limited to members of Thanexus, Inc.

Thanexus Financial Services, LLC is staffed by salaried, non-commissioned producers with no personal financial interest in your decisions regarding coverage. By using salary-based compensation, our agency force focuses on service rather than volume. Our staff members are licensed in New Jersey, as well as Connecticut, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.

Thanexus, Inc. is a funeral service cooperative and economic development initiative of New Jersey Funeral Directors Services, Inc. For more information about joining Thanexus as a shareholder, contact our Agency Manager, Jonathan C. Krowicki, at 732.282.5117.

Memorial services for longtime New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Membership Services Representative Carol Flynn have been scheduled for November.

Friends and colleagues will gather at Oliverie Funeral Home, 125 South Cooks Bridge Road, Jackson, NJ 08527 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 8. Her celebrant service will begin at 2:00 p.m. followed by light refreshments.

Carol was ever present at the NJSFDA office and the yearly Funeral Directors Convention and Expo. One of the first to greet members and guests either on the telephone or in person, Carol was often the person at the association who addressed their questions and solved their problems.

Please join us on November 8 in celebrating Carol’s life and legacy.

Government officials and lawmakers in Illinois are advocating for a consolidation of funeral home and crematory oversight following the discovery of more than 50 decaying bodies at a funeral home in Chicago.

Currently, oversight of funeral homes is conducted by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, but crematories are regulated by the Illinois Office of the Comptroller.

The split in oversight exposed a flaw in the investigations of Clark and Johanna Morgan, a married couple. Johanna Morgan was a funeral director at South Chicago Chapel, where the bodies were found in August 2026 in an unrefrigerated area infested with rodents and maggots.

Clark Morgan, the husband of Johanna Morgan, was listed as the president of the funeral home. Clark Morgan was also listed as the owner of Heights Crematory, where investigators in 2025 found bodies stored in a trailer.

The case led funeral industry leaders to call for a more comprehensive approach to regulation and investigation.

“What happened in Chicago should cause us to look beyond the individuals involved and examine whether our regulatory systems have the authority, funding and personnel to protect the public–not just when there's a crisis, but every day,” said New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Executive Director and CEO George R. Kelder, CFSP. “We shouldn't wait for a tragedy to discover that the people responsible for protecting the public don't have the authority, money or manpower to do their jobs.”

Kelder and others argued that the regulatory oversight environment in Illinois led to a situation where the discovery on bodies at Heights Crematory did not trigger an immediate investigation into South Chicago Chapel. Instead, the problems at South Chicago Chapel were not discovered until more than a year later.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza told WLS in Chicago that the current system is “100 percent dysfunctional.”

“I've been advocating and calling for a consolidation of these services under one umbrella, and how there is no reason and no excuse to not move forward with this," Mendoza told the television station.

WLS also reported that state Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock is crafting a bill that would consolidate the oversight over funeral homes and crematories and establish a stronger regulatory system.

"We need to consolidate that into one roof. And we need to make a more efficient and responsive system," Blair-Sherlock told WLS. "It's absolutely worth it for us to do this. And to have regular inspections and I don't think it's unreasonable."

New Jersey has some of the highest costs for funeral services in the country, according to statistics gathered by a consumer advocacy group.

Funeralocity’s figures show that the Garden State ranks fifth in average costs for a traditional full-service burial, which the organization describes as including the “basic service fee, embalming and care of body, a visitation or wake prior to the funeral, a service at either church or funeral home chapel, a funeral procession to the grave site and a committal service prior to the burial.” A casket is also included in the cost.

Key Takeaways

• New Jersey ranks fifth nationally for traditional full-service burial costs, averaging $9,451, according to Funeralocity
• Bergen-Passaic has the state's highest average cost at $9,915, while southern New Jersey regions are less expensive
• Rising burial, casket, fuel and manufacturing costs continue driving funeral price increases statewide and nationwide

The New Jersey cost for an average traditional full-service burial is $9,451, according to statistics gathered by Funeralocity. That is more than $850 over the average national cost of $8,595. Costs for a full-service cremation and affordable burial are also well above the national average, Funeralocity reports. The cost of a direct cremation in New Jersey is more than $300 greater than the national average.

The Funeralocity statistics break down New Jersey’s costs by region, with the Bergen-Passaic county region registering the highest costs in the state. A traditional full-service burial in those two counties averages $9,915, well above both the state and national averages. Following closely is the Newark area, with an average of $9,863 and Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon at $9,751.

Most of the state averages more than $9,000 for a traditional full-service burial. The only two regions below that level are Atlantic-Cape May and Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, which have the lowest average in New Jersey of $8,672 and $8,646 respectively.

Nationwide, New Jersey ranks behind only Minnesota, Connecticut, Hawaii and Massachusetts. Minnesota had the highest average for a traditional full-service burial at $9,697. Two other neighboring states, New York and Pennsylvania, ranked 15th and 16th in the list, with averages of $8,836 and $8,820 respectively.

The lowest costs in the nation were recorded in Oregon, where a traditional full-service burial averaged $7,554, according to Funeralocity.

Statistical surveys have shown that funeral costs are rising nationwide. In New Jersey, the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Biennial Statistical Pricing Survey, last conducted in 2025, showed that prices for the actual burial rose dramatically in a two-year period. The opening and closing costs for a grave and the purchase of the grave and burial vault rose nearly 18 percent between significantly between 2023 and 2025.

More increases in costs have come in the past year.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that the cost of manufacturing a casket had increased 4.2 percent during the past year. Funeral homes, in response, have been raising their retail prices for caskets. An informal study of Thanexus firms, conducted in May 2026, showed that 40 percent of stakeholders had submitted increases in their price lists since January 2026.

The Federal Reserve statistics showed that a significant jump in costs was recorded in December 2025 as the impact of tariffs and energy costs began to hit the manufacturing sector. Costs for gasoline and diesel fuel, needed for the transport of caskets and other funeral industry goods, as well as most products in the United States, have soared during 2026, putting additional stress on overall pricing for funeral services.