Imagine waking up, trapped in a box several feet underground. Screaming won’t help; no one will hear you. So you grab for a rope that’s resting near your hand and pull. You hear a faint ringing. People coming running. You are, quite literally, saved by the bell. 

There may be some disagreement over the term (most say the bell reference is from boxing matches), but the result couldn’t be argued. In the 19th century, with illnesses that could mimic death, being buried alive was a fear among many.

That’s why and when the safety coffin was invented.

The safety coffin was used to describe several types of coffins that contained alert systems to help someone who might have been alive when interred to call for assistance with getting back on the right side of the lawn. The most common device was a rope that made its way through the coffin and was attached to a bell on the grave’s headstone. Often the bell was tethered to a decedent’s hand so that any movement at all could be detected.

More than 30 different designs of the safety coffin were patented in Germany during the 1800s, according to an Australian Museum article.  Some were more elaborate than others, including feeding tubes to sustain a person mistakenly buried.

Dr. Adolf Gutsmuth of Germany demonstrated his safety coffin in 1822 by allowing himself to be buried alive. While underground, he enjoyed a meal of soup, beer, and sausages which were given to him through a feeding tube, the Australian Museum said.

In the late 1800s, Americans got in on the act. Safety coffins, outfitted with windows, speaking trumpets and even telephones were patented, all designed to make sure no one was buried alive, according to Forbes magazine.

But was anyone ever saved from being buried alive, technically called vivisepulture? Angel Hays, a Frenchman, suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident in 1937. He appeared to be dead and was buried. Exhumed two days later by insurance detectives, Hays was found to be alive. Hays’ story about the discovery of his non-death changed several times, but he used the sensational tale to demonstrate his version of the safety coffin on French television in the 1990s.

His coffin, replete with a transistor radio, presumably there to keep the not-quite-dead-yet up to date with the latest news, never really sold, but that didn’t stop Hays from pushing his product and believing in its necessity.

“With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous glint in his eye, Angel Hays is understandably proud of his invention and, above all, its success,” an article in Charente Libre (translated from French) stated.

Hays appeared to finally die in 2008 and was buried again. Presumably, this time, he didn’t need the radio.

In observance of Thanksgiving, the office of the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28, 2025. The office will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025.

The NJSFDA Board of Directors and staff are grateful for your dedicated service. Enjoy the holiday and stay safe.

The information contained in this column is a report of the actions taken by the board members who were present during the open public session portion of the meeting only. It is not a transcript of the official board minutes or an official record of attendance. It does not address board member attendance or actions taken during the executive session that typically follows the open session and is closed to the public.

November 13, 2025

Members Present

Paul Desbiens, Chair; Debbie Santangelo, Vice Chair; Linda McGloin; Jeffrey Kasko; Rabbi Jay Kornsgold; Anthony Menafro.

Executive Staff Present

Executive Director Quin Archer; Dan Roman, Deputy Attorney General; Megan Cordoma, Deputy Attorney General.

Public

Samantha L. Link, New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, and 14 other members of the public were present.

Approval of Meeting Minutes

The Board approved the minutes of the October 16, 2025 meeting.

Deputy Attorney General Megan Cordoma spoke regarding the staffing struggles at the Attorney’s General Office saying there are not enough deputies and the Board will only have one deputy attorney general moving forward.

Executive Director’s Report

Total number of complaints received in October: 2

Total for 2025: 49

Old Business

Ewing Cemetery Association (CA#020) sent a letter to the Board stating that there have been no further developments following their request for guidance on the bulk plot transfer.

New Business

Anjuman-e-Burhani (New Jersey), Inc. The mosque received approval for a cemetery on their property. The purpose of the cemetery is only for the interment of their members. They are not requesting a certificate of authority as it will operate as a religious cemetery. They requested a letter of no interest. The Board approved that the letter be sent as requested.

Senate Bill 2269 would allow state boards to implement stipends for members of boards or commissions. Funds for the stipends will be allocated from fees collected by the boards. The Board voted to remain neutral on the bill.

A New Jersey licensed funeral director is seeking to gain a cemetery sales license in Pennsylvania. DAG Dan Roman and Chairman Paul Desbiens said they did not see a conflict of interest and if there is a conflict of interest that Pennsylvania would not issue the cemetery sales license they seek. Executive Director Quin Archer discussed New Jersey’s separation of industry laws.

The Natural Organic Reduction Regulations Committee met on November 10, 2025. A regulatory analyst is now reviewing what the committee has proposed. The draft proposal will go before the full Board for its approval upon the completion of the regulatory analyst’s review of the proposal.

Senate Bill 1597 allows for telemedicine from out of state. Since it has no impact on the Cemetery Board, the Board voted to have no comment on the bill.

Senate Bill 3700 establishes the act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for healthcare professionals. As this bill has no impact on the Cemetery Board, the Board voted to have no comment on the bill.

Senate Bill 3882 requires the retention of funds collected by the Department of Banking and Insurance and certain professional boards. The Board voted to have no comment on the bill.

Bulk Sales

• Marlboro Memorial Inc. (CA#395) to Dibra Community Center of New Jersey (1,302 plots)
• Fountain Lawn Memorial Park Association (CA #076) to Hainan Association USA, Inc. (204 plots)
• Greenwood Cemetery Association (CA #028) to Jamil Foundation for Children and Youth (100 plots)
• Greenwood Cemetery Association (CA #028) to Muslim Foundation Inc. (891 plots)
• Restland Memorial Park t/d/b/a Eternal Sunset Memorial Park and Cemetery (CA #117) to Islamic Unity & Culture Center of Plav-Gusinje (500 plots)

The Board moved all the bulk sales to executive session for advice of counsel.

For Your Information

Colonial Memorial Park, Inc. (CA #016) provided the Board with an update on their crematory permit application. They are still awaiting the necessary permits and will advise the Board when they are in receipt of the necessary permits.

Green Cemetery (CA #323) submitted a columbarium construction request.

Public Comment

Carrie Jones, a member of the public, asked for an update regarding an investigation into a cemetery and how long those typically take. The cemetery in question still does not have a certificate of authority as the investigation has been ongoing for two years. Ms. Jones has members of her family who wish to be buried in that cemetery and asked what happens if a family member dies while the investigation is ongoing. Executive Director Archer stated that the matter remains under investigation and therefore the Board cannot provide any updates.

Larry Dworkin asked for the Board’s position in connection with a cemetery selling endowed care without sufficient personnel to provide such care. Chairman Desbiens said they are in receipt of his complaint regarding Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge and will be discussing it during today’s executive session.

Michele Donnelly represents a nonprofit that works to obtain VA markers for deceased veteran plots that don’t currently have one. The cemetery she is working with sent one price when they ordered the marker, and now that the marker has been delivered, the cemetery is charging a higher price. She stated that it is bad business and against Board regulations regarding pricing. Chairman Desbiens recommended that she submit a written complaint to the Board.

Andrew Esiner is the Board President for Community Alliance for Jewish Affiliated Cemeteries that clean up neglected Jewish cemeteries and currently oversees 10,000 graves at 12 cemeteries. He also commented on cemeteries’ inability to maintain perpetual endowment care and said he would be submitting comments to the Board on the matter.

The Board voted to end the public session at 10:02 a.m. and moved into executive session.

The next Board meeting will take place on December 11, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom.

The International Order of the Golden Rule Foundation is encouraging students enrolled in accredited funeral service education programs to apply for one of the foundation's six scholarships.

The foundation is offering a total of $10,000, to be divided among the six scholarship recipients, for those who “distinguish themselves through academic performance, community involvement and a commitment to serving grieving families with compassion, fairness and dignity,” according to an OGR foundation press release.

The scholarships are limited to those who are scheduled to graduate during the 2026 calendar year. The application period ends at midnight December 31, 2025. Applications, as well as more information on the scholarship program, can be found here.

One of the scholarship winners in 2025 was Angelyna M. Scheck of Franklin, NJ. Scheck also was awarded a New Jersey Funeral Service Education Corporation scholarship in 2025.

In addition to the scholarship award, recipients will be entitled to attend the OGR’s annual conference, held from May 5 to 7, 2026 in Louisville, KY. The recipients will be entitled to complimentary conference registration, travel and accommodations.

Job growth in funeral service will be roughly equal to the overall national growth rate in employment over the next 10 years, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bad news, however, is that there are fewer people working in the industry now than previously reported and any increase in employment is tempered by the prediction that new hires will not keep up with attrition.

A recent update to BLS figures on employment in funeral service shows that there are 1,400 fewer people working in the industry than in 2024, even though the bureau predicts a steady 4 percent increase in staff over the next 10 years.

In addition, despite an increase of approximately 2,200 workers by 2034, it is expected that 5,800 jobs will open yearly during the 10-year period. The openings are caused by retirements and people leaving the traditionally time-intensive profession.

That disparity between hiring and exiting employees was reflected in the bureau’s estimates. In 2024, BLS estimated there were 61,000 current funeral service workers, but the 2025 estimate indicated that only 59,600 people were employed, a marked difference in staffing.

The bureau laid the blame for some of the problems with funeral service employment on the increase in the number of families choosing cremation instead of traditional burials.

“This demand [for funeral service workers] will be constrained by consumers increasingly preferring cremation, which costs less and requires fewer workers than do traditional funeral arrangements,” the bureau said.

Nationally, approximately 61.8 deaths result in cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America. That rate is expected to increase to 72.9 percent by 2034. In New Jersey, where the number of cremations is behind national figures, the rate is expected to increase to 69.3 percent in the next 10 years.

The rise in cremations also has affected the profitability of funeral homes, which can further restrict hiring. The difference between a typical full-service funeral and a cremation can reach $6,000, according to figures gathered for the 2025 New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Biennial Statistical Pricing Survey. With more than 39,000 cremations held in 2024 in New Jersey, the pricing difference could range into the millions of dollars.

Exacerbating the problem is the dearth in qualified candidates to step into roles as full-time funeral directors. While the number enrollees in accredited funeral service education programs nationally are at near record levels, those actually graduating and entering the profession are well below what is needed to replace those leaving full-time employment.

Out of 2,016 graduates of accredited funeral service education programs in 2024, only 1,643 became employed in a funeral service-related profession, according to statistics gathered by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.

Green burials are becoming more popular at one of New York’s most venerable cemeteries. Two mortuaries and a funeral home have been closed in Ghana for operating without a license and environmental concerns. And Black veterans buried at a Virginia cemetery are finally being honored for their service. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

Parish, Cemetery Lay 22 Cremated Remains to Rest as Part of “Gather Them Home”
By Gabriella Patti (Detroit Catholic)
Following a memorial Mass on November 8, 2025 at the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, MI, the cremains of 22 individuals were solemnly accompanied by their families to their final resting place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, MI, in the All Souls Remembrance Room. The Mass and service were part of "Gather Them Home," an initiative of Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services' All Souls Remembrance Program, which offers to anyone at no charge the opportunity to inter the cremated remains of loved ones within consecrated ground. Read more here.

Green Burials Take Root in Brooklyn, NY
By Kaya Laterman (BK Reader)
Amid the concrete jungle, a growing number of New Yorkers are embracing green burials, a more sustainable alternative to traditional interments. Inquiries about placing the body directly in the earth, forgoing embalming and using biodegradable materials have increased so much at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, staff there organized an hours-long seminar this fall that was packed with about 80 curious residents, death doulas and family members planning after-death care. Read more here.

Plan to Turn Popular Woods into Cemetery Approved
By Elliot Jessett (BBC News)
Plans to turn a popular woods in England into a cemetery with thousands of burial plots have been approved despite “1,500 objections,” campaigners against the development have said. Knowsley Council announced plans to buy part of Whiston Woods in Rainhill and turn it into a cemetery in 2023 as burial space at the nearby Knowsley cemetery on Fox Bank Lane was running out. Read more here.

Black Veterans’ Cemetery Was Overlooked in Ceremonies. How Fellow Vets Are Paying Tribute
By Julie Carey (News 4)
For the first time, Black veterans laid to rest at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Manassas, VA, are receiving special recognition this Veterans Day. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Post recently learned about the African American cemetery and the fact it had been overlooked in traditional ceremonies. Read more here.

Two Mortuaries and One Funeral Home in Ghana Closed for Violations
By Kingsley Adusei Amakye (3 News)
The Mortuary and Funeral Facilities Agency in Ghana has shut down three facilities in Greater Accra for operating without licenses and failing to meet environmental standards. Read more here.

Florida Man Allegedly Dumped Mother-of-Four’s Cremated Remains Alongside 500 Pounds of Trash on Roadside
By Zoe Hussain (New York Post)
A Florida man allegedly dumped a mother-of-four’s cremated remains and 500 pounds of trash on the side of a road late last month, according to reports. Daniel Rolando, 26, was arrested and charged with one felony count for littering more than 500 pounds of commercial or hazardous waste after Charlotte County Sheriff deputies discovered a massive pile of trash in Punta Gorda on October 30, 2025. Read more here.

Hospital Authority in Hong Kong Extends Free Mortuary Storage from Three to 28 Days Following Backlash over New Fees
By Hillary Leung (Hong Kong Free Press)
Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has revised its plan to introduce charges for mortuary services in public hospitals following backlash, extending the free storage period from three to 28 days. Read more here.