On March 21, 2020 Governor Phil Murphy shut down all non-essential businesses and effectively closed the state for business. Everything changed.

Funeral gatherings were severely limited. In-person arrangements became optional, rather than mandatory. There were backlogs at crematories and cemeteries. Even the role of interns was changed. The funeral business, as we had known it, became something different nearly overnight.

“We are no longer able to conduct business as usual because of what we all are working through daily in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic,” New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association CEO and Executive Director George R. Kelder Jr., CFSP, wrote in March 2020.

Six months later, those words still hold true.

“We are no longer able to conduct business as usual because of what we all are working through daily in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The following is a look at some of the ways that the lives of funeral directors and the business in which they are engaged have changed or evolved.

The availability of personal protective equipment is no longer a given. While currently supplies of PPE can be obtained through New Jersey’s regional funeral associations, early in the pandemic, PPE and body bags were in short supply. Funeral directors were forced to get creative and go outside their standard list of suppliers to obtain equipment needed to prepare decedents for disposition. Despite the fact that PPE can be more easily obtained now, the NJSFDA is urging its members to stock up in preparation for a second wave of COVID-19 deaths.

Funeral arrangements can be made remotely. Funeral directors were used to sitting down with families to go over arrangements, hear their concerns and get them to sign paperwork to move forward with disposition. The state has temporarily waived the rule mandating in-person arrangements and authorizations and allowed for e-signatures on the documents needed to proceed with funeral services.

Interns can witness dispositions without being accompanied by a licensee. The numbers of deaths in New Jersey increased exponentially in April–and were also higher than usual in March and May–leaving funeral directors struggling to keep up with the number of cases they were handling. The state has temporarily waived the requirement that interns must be accompanied by licensed directors when witnessing dispositions. The rule waiver was granted to ensure more timely dispositions during the pandemic.

To deal with these challenges, funeral directors have gotten creative.

The percentage of cremations as disposition in New Jersey has increased. The state saw a spike in the percentage of families choosing cremation as a means of disposition. As of June, the cremation rate has risen by four percentage points since January 2020. Cremations account for well more than 50 percent of dispositions in New Jersey. The increases in the number of deaths and in the number of cremations also led to severe backlogs of several weeks at crematories, causing the state to lift limits on their hours of operation and some air emissions.

Funeral directors can earn continuing education credits remotely. The state temporarily waived its requirement that mandatory continuing education credits be obtained only through in-person seminars. In order to assist funeral directors in earning the needed credits to secure license renewal, the New Jersey Funeral Service Education Corporation has held the Webinar CE Series, with new webinars coming soon.

Social distancing at funeral services is mandatory. Even though some restrictions on funeral gatherings have been eased, mourners must still practice social distancing at services. This means that attendees must remain six feet apart at all times and also must wear masks. Families living in the same house may be seated together, but all others must be distanced.

The 2020 NJSFDA Funeral Directors Convention and Expo was canceled. The annual Funeral Directors Convention and Expo, originally scheduled in September at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, was canceled. The convention is one of the largest regional events of its kind, providing funeral directors and vendors an opportunity to meet, greet and develop relationships. The pandemic, however, made the in-person gathering impossible to hold.

To deal with these challenges, funeral directors have gotten creative. The webcasting of funeral services, for instance, has become more prevalent. But more changes may be coming, and different challenges may arise. Many of the changes above are considered temporary.

When and if waivers of in-person arrangements and remote continuing education are rescinded is anyone’s guess. Whether restrictions on gatherings will continue to be eased or tightened again if the number of COVID-19 infections rise is yet to be known. Funeral directors, however, are better prepared for whatever happens, said NJSFDA President Gregory M. Aseltta.

“When the pandemic accelerated in March, nobody was prepared for what was about to come,” Aseltta said in a recent interview. “Over time, our knowledge continued to improve to the point that I believe we now have the experience, resources, and equipment to handle another round of COVID-19.”

With autumn arriving soon, families will begin to abandon their outdoor retreats and the cooler temperatures in favor of the warmth and comfort of the indoors.

Even on the nicest days of autumn, the conditions that you will be embracing–and sometimes battling–are vastly different than those faced in the summer. Fall provides not only a change in the seasons outside but a change on the inside as well. As you prepare to get your home ready for the colder months, here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. Be Sure to Actively Monitor the Cleanliness of Gutters, Sewers and Other Risk Points. Frequently, people think the most significant danger of falling leaves is the increased amount of raking. But while keeping the front and back yard clean is aesthetically pleasing, what is significantly more important is keeping clean the areas you may overlook, especially in the summer. While gutters and drainage systems may not be as fun and easy to clean, fall debris in these locations creates an increased likelihood that draining won’t work correctly, leading to the possibility of water damage even outside of a severe storm. Most gutters can be cleaned by the homeowner over the course of a day, but if upon review, they are in terrible shape, calling a professional may help save money down the road.


2. Get a Jump Start on Checking the Heat and Ventilation. Many do not want to turn on the heat or start a fire until it Is absolutely necessary. However, checking that both of these systems work is crucial to being able to handle the winter without a hitch. Since fall offers a sprinkling of days where the temperature significantly drops, don’t be afraid to get a head start on turning on the heat or lighting a fire in the fireplace, but check for soot or creosote buildup first. Besides making the home warm and comforting, you can ensure that these systems are functioning correctly and get needed repairs done before staring at a cold winter’s day.


3. Finish All Outdoor Maintenance Projects Before the Season Changes. Remember that repaving of the driveway you had hoped to finish but instead spent the week at the beach? What about those fixes to the patio that just got “lost in the days”? We’ve all experienced our fair share of procrastination, but like all projects, there is eventually a deadline. For outdoor maintenance, that deadline is the winter. As you get your home ready for the winter, be sure to make certain that all outdoor projects have been finished. Not only will you be indoors for a few months, but the cold weather and snow will almost certainly damage anything that is left half done, to the point where you may need to start from scratch in the spring. Save yourself the trouble down the road and complete these projects over the next few weeks when possible.

Do you have questions? 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 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 Business Development Manager, Chris Murphy, at 732.282.5117.

The monthly number of deaths in New Jersey has shrunk from an all-time high in April to well within historical norms, indicating progress in the state’s battle against the coronavirus that has taken the lives of more than 14,000 residents.

New Jersey Department of Health statistics show that, as of September 8, 2020, a total of 5,509 people died from all causes during August. The average number of deaths in August from 2015 to 2019 is 5,888. While the numbers for 2020 are still preliminary, the August total shows a continued drop in the number of fatalities since April 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities reported for April continues to grow. In early June, the total for April stood at 17,502. As of early September, the April number was 17,854. The DOH statistics also show that 7,966 people died in March and 9,521 died in May. Both numbers are far above the statistical norm. The fatalities in those three months account for more than half of the 66,463 reported deaths in New Jersey so far in 2020. The DOH data is collected in real time, so numbers often change as information continues to be compiled. Data often is not finalized until more than a year after it is initially gathered.

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(Chart courtesy of the NJ Department of Health.)

The numbers also continue to show the enormous impact that COVID-19 had on northern New Jersey communities. In April, Bergen and Essex counties logged more than 2,000 deaths each. Seven other counties – the southernmost being Ocean – had more than 1,000 deaths each. Since 2015, no county has ever logged more than 1,000 deaths a month until April 2020. In August, the highest number of deaths in any county was 497 in Ocean.

News reports have indicated that the toll of the virus could be even worse, with COVID-19 deaths having been underreported by as much as several thousand.

While fatalities have diminished since April, concerns still exist that a second wave of COVID-19 cases could once again cause a spike in deaths. The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association is urging its members to stock up on personal protective equipment to prepare for any resurgence in the virus.

“Please don’t think we have seen the last of COVID-19!” wrote NJSFDA President Gregory M. Aseltta in his September message. “Do not let your supply of personal protective equipment and body bags get low; replenish them now. This is not a time for complacency, and we must continue our focus to be optimally prepared for round two.”

Nationwide, there have been more than 6.3 million diagnosed cases of the coronavirus and more than 189,000 deaths, according to The New York Times.

(Click to see larger image)

(Chart courtesy of the NJ Department of Health.)

Get ready for another television series centering around life–and death–in a funeral home.

CBS has green-lighted a series called “Closure,” which features a retired Hall-of-Fame baseball player who takes over his uncle’s funeral home and deals with all the complications, rewards and heartache associated with the business, according to Deadline.

The plot is loosely based on the life of Andre Dawson, an outfielder known mostly for his outstanding years with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. After his career ended, Dawson invested in and then began to run Paradise Memorial Funeral Home in Miami, FL.

In the show, a fictional baseball star takes over his uncle’s funeral home while dealing with the disappearance of his adult son.

“Rocked by his family’s loss, he and his three daughters–a homicide detective, coroner and trauma nurse, who each have their own parallel journeys in the business of death–commit themselves to helping others find the peace and closure their family hasn’t been able to yet,” the story in Deadline says.

“Closure” is not the first show to focus on the funeral business. HBO’s “Six Feet Under” ran for five seasons and 63 episodes, from 2001 to 2005, winning nine Emmy awards.

Congratulations to the following New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association member firms for earning the 2020 National Funeral Directors Association Pursuit of Excellence Award:

• Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick
• Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, Camden
• Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, Pennsauken
• Feeney Funeral Home, Ridgewood*
• Halpin-Bitecola Brookdale Funeral Home, Bloomfield
• Inglesby & Sons Funeral and Cremation Service, LLC , Pennsauken
• Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick
• Old Bridge Funeral Home, Old Bridge
• Oliverie Funeral Home, Manchester

The NFDA presents the Pursuit of Excellence Award annually to firms that provide exceptional service to their families and communities by observing strict ethical and professional standards.

“This has been a challenging year for funeral homes,” said NFDA Director of Public Relations Jessica Koth, who manages the Pursuit of Excellence Award program. “The Pursuit of Excellence Work Group was very impressed with the quality of this year’s entries and all that funeral homes have been able to accomplish during the pandemic. The funeral homes that NFDA is recognizing with the Pursuit of Excellence Award have truly earned it this year.”

To earn a Pursuit of Excellence Award, funeral homes must adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices and demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service.

Congratulations to all.

New Jersey funeral directors know that they must use the Internet Explorer browser when printing burial permits and death certificate abstracts from the state’s Electronic Death Registration System.

So as Microsoft phases out support for Internet Explorer and its use with Microsoft applications, what does this mean for those who use EDRS?

Upgrading to the Windows 10 Operating System

Internet Explorer 11 will be accessible for use with EDRS as you upgrade to the Windows 10 operating system. Review this article to help you get started: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026136/windows-10-use-internet-explorer.

EDRS Print Compatibility with Other Browsers

The state has plans to enable the EDRS print function in browsers other than Internet Explorer. A project completion date is not available at this time, but the state will keep the NJSFDA updated on its efforts.

The NJSFDA will continue to advocate to have the EDRS print function supported in multiple browsers.  Knowing that its need is critical for funeral directors,  association leadership will work with both DOH and the Legislature to resolve the issues.  Members will be updated as developments occur.