The funeral profession has always evolved alongside the families it serves. From the changing role of the funeral home to the growing acceptance of cremation, consumers have continually introduced new expectations, values and choices into the deathcare profession.

Now, another significant change has arrived in New Jersey.

Natural organic reduction is no longer simply a topic for the future. It is becoming part of the funeral service landscape.

At the 2026 Funeral Directors Convention and Expo, held from September 15 through 17 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, funeral professionals will have an opportunity to take a closer look at this emerging entrant into the industry during “Powered by Nature, Approved by Law: An NOR Panel Discussion.” The timing could not be more important. New Jersey enacted legislation authorizing natural organic reduction in September 2025, and the law took effect in July 2026.

The panel will be moderated by NJSFDA Executive Director and CEO George R. Kelder Jr., CFSP, and Director of Government Affairs Samantha L. Link, MPA. Panelists include Richard Benton, Earth Funeral; Mandy Stafford, Return Home; Jenna Wheatley, The Natural Funeral; and Pablo Metz, Meine Erde.

For funeral directors, this is an opportunity to get ahead of a change that will affect the way families ask questions, make arrangements and think about their final wishes.

For some families, the appeal may be connected to environmental values, a desire for a more natural disposition, changing attitudes toward death and the body or simply a desire for another choice.

Whatever the motivation, funeral directors should recognize an important point: Families do not necessarily wait for the profession to become comfortable with a new option before they begin asking about it.

Hear from the Experts

By attending the NOR panel discussion at the Convention, you will hear from industry experts who are on the front lines of the growing natural organic reduction business.

Panelists will address questions about why the families they are serving are choosing NOR over more traditional forms of body treatment and disposition. There will be discussions concerning the partnerships these NOR firms are forming with funeral homes throughout the country and how those partnerships work.

While NOR has received significant media attention, less information is available about the logistics of the process. How does a funeral home get NOR equipment? Are NOR operators able to accommodate those who preplan their funerals? How many NOR vessels are needed to accommodate demand? What are families who chose NOR doing with the product that results from the process?

By attending the panel discussion, you will come away with a stronger understanding of the process and the particulars of both guiding a family through the choice of NOR and possibly establishing an NOR facility of your own in New Jersey–all from experts willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

A New Option Means New Conversations

One of the most important roles of a funeral director has always been to translate complicated choices into understandable options for grieving families. NOR adds another option to that conversation.

The challenge is not simply learning the mechanics of NOR. Funeral professionals will also need to understand how to explain it compassionately and objectively. The NOR panel presents the ideal opportunity to learn the logistics, language and science of the process so you can hold intelligent and informed conversations with consumers.

By attending the panel and engaging in an open professional discussion among these experts, you can avoid the trap of letting unfamiliarity become misinformation.

Funeral directors who attend the panel can begin thinking now about how NOR might affect their arrangement conferences, general price lists, community education, staff training, vendor relationships and relationships with facilities providing the service.

They can also begin considering a larger question: What does the future of funeral service look like when families have more choices than ever before?

Preparing for the Future of Deathcare

Natural organic reduction should not be viewed simply as a competing alternative to burial or cremation. It is another example of the broader transformation taking place throughout the deathcare profession.

Today's families are increasingly exposed to different philosophies surrounding death, memorialization and disposition. Funeral directors who understand those choices are better positioned to serve families regardless of which option they ultimately select.

The professionals who thrive in a changing industry will not necessarily be the ones who embrace every new trend. They will be the ones who understand the changes well enough to have informed, thoughtful conversations with the families they serve.

The 2026 Funeral Directors Convention and Expo provides funeral directors with an opportunity to learn, ask questions and begin preparing for that future.

Whether you are enthusiastic about natural organic reduction, uncertain about it or simply want to understand what it means for your profession, this panel discussion is worth attending.

Because the question is no longer whether new techniques will become part of the deathcare conversation. The question is whether funeral directors will be ready when families begin asking for them.

This panel discussion, Powered by Nature, Approved by Law: An NOR Panel Discussion, will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 16 and from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, September 17, 2026 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Registration for the event is now open. Use code FD26 to save 5 percent on your registration.

The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association is pleased to announce the 2026–2027 Board of Directors, who will take office effective September 1, 2026.

2026-2027 NJSFDA Board of Directors

• Samuel C. Arnold, President
• Daniel Bitecola III, CFSP, President-Elect
• Kyle P. Ledford Sr., CFSP, 1st Vice President
• Thomas E. Weber Jr., 2nd Vice President
• John K. Baltz, Secretary/Treasurer
• Rosa E. Hernandez, Delegate-at-Large
• William L. Smith, Delegate-at-Large
• Joseph L. Wood, CFSP, Delegate-at-Large
• Shawn’te Harvell, CFSP, Delegate-at-Large
• Ryan M. Buckland, Immediate Past President

NJSFDA District Officers

• Bruce J. Van Tassel, Bergen County FDA President
• Jill B. Ingram, Burlington County FDA President
• Shawn’te Harvell, CFSP, Essex, Union and West Hudson County FDA President
• Adam Chamberlain, Hudson County FDA President
• Kevin R. Latham, Mercer County FDA President
• Joseph V. Costello IV, Middlesex and Somerset County FDA President
• Sara A. Giustino, Monmouth and Ocean County FDA President
• Erik J. Schneider, Morris County FDA President
• Harris M. Holloway, CFSP, Passaic County FDA President
• Richard L. Maguire III, Tri-County FDA President
• Patrick J. Reynolds, West Jersey FDA President

When 56 bodies in different stages of decomposition were found in a Chicago, IL, funeral home recently, the first question inevitably was about how something like this could happen.

Examining the regulatory, investigative and legislative environment surrounding funeral homes and crematories could not only provide some answers but also a path forward to a better, safer future, according to New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Executive Director and CEO George R. Kelder Jr., CFSP.

Key Takeaways

• Funeral scandals can expose weaknesses in regulatory authority, funding and oversight
• Regulators need adequate resources, staffing and legal authority to investigate and prevent misconduct
• Chicago’s tragedy should prompt lawmakers to strengthen funeral industry oversight before another crisis occurs

“Before we point fingers at one person or one facility, we need to ask whether the regulatory system itself had the authority, resources and oversight necessary to prevent this,” Kelder said.

Cook County investigators removed the remains from South Chicago Chapel, and the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has suspended the funeral director’s license of Johanna Morgan, according to a CBS article.

The bodies were found 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 the now shuttered Heights Crematory, where investigators previously found bodies stored in a trailer.

The multiple disturbing events involving the same owners should have set off alarms, Kelder said, but without proper authority to act, a regulatory body could be handcuffed. In Illinois, according to the CBS articles, crematories fall under the purview of the Illinois Comptroller’s office.

These kinds of loopholes can be exploited by nefarious actors.

“You can have a very good regulatory board, but if the legislature hasn't given that board the authority to act, the board can't simply create that authority for itself,” Kelder said.

Kelder’s point about legislative authorization and regulatory oversight was dramatically illustrated in Colorado, where a nearly nonexistent regulatory environment allowed multiple catastrophes in the funeral industry, including one case where nearly 200 bodies were found piled up in a mortuary. The owners are now serving long prison sentences, but the criminal charges they faced were not the result of any regulatory investigation.

Colorado has once again mandated the licensing of funeral directors and allowed for spot inspection of facilities.

The bottom line, Kelder said, is that regulatory boards need to have the infrastructure to do their jobs.

“A regulatory board without adequate resources is a regulatory board in name only,” Kelder said.

In New Jersey, the resource dilemma is acute.

Much of the money collected in licensing and registration fees by the State Board of Mortuary Science of New Jersey and the more than 50 other regulatory boards within the state Division of Consumer Affairs has been siphoned off into the state’s general fund, removing vital money needed for technology infrastructure, staffing and training.

Some complaints have languished without resolution in the Mortuary Board for nearly 10 years.

The NJSFDA and other professional organizations have lobbied for that money to remain within the Division of Consumer Affairs.

“We can have all the laws and regulations in the world, but if there aren't enough investigators and attorneys to investigate complaints and prosecute violations, those laws don't mean very much,” Kelder said.

In the Chicago incidents, there needs to be a comprehensive review of what happened and who knew about the issue. Those involved must be held accountable, Kelder said. But then there should be an examination of the regulatory structure to assess whether the staff and infrastructure exist to identify and stop illicit conduct before it becomes a crisis. Lastly, Kelder said, the legislature and administration need to build a more sustainable oversight system.

“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,” Kelder said. “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.”

The New Jersey family of a brain-dead man decries the organ donation system in the state after they claim a donor group insisted on harvesting his organs even though he had rescinded his permission. An author explores the increase in death doulas. And the proposed route for a power line between the United Kingdom and Ireland was scrapped after Harry Potter fans claimed it would disturb a fictional elf’s burial site. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

Brain-Dead Man Wasn’t an Organ Donor. NJ Group Insisted It Could Harvest His Body, Family Says
By Karin Price Mueller (NJ.com)
His family gathered around his hospital bed. Machines were purring. Beeping. They were keeping Keith Lott alive. Lott, a husband, father, son and beloved uncle, was brain dead, doctors told the family after a series of tests over several days in May. Read more here.

The Doulas Who Help Us Die
By Alexandra Schwartz (The New Yorker)
Before meeting a client, Virginia Chang, an end-of-life doula, performs a ritual that she calls “becoming an empty vessel.” She closes her eyes, plants her feet on the ground, and holds her arms at her sides, palms up. She breathes deeply through her nose. To still her mind, she begins to quietly chant a Sanskrit mantra such as lokah samastah sukhino bhavant–may all beings everywhere be happy and free. Then she starts to move, pushing her hands away from her body, raising them above her head, and lowering them again in a gesture of surrender. Read more here.

Owners of Chicago, IL, Funeral Home Where Dozens of Decomposing Bodies Were Found Have Been in Trouble Before
By Dave Savini and Rebecca McCann (CBS News)
The owners of a Far South Side funeral home where dozens of decomposing bodies were found earlier this week have run into trouble with state regulators before over their handling of bodies at a crematory in the south suburbs. Read more here.

Philippine Police Get Leads on People Behind Anti-China Caskets
By Jason Sigales (Inquirer.net)
The Philippine National Police found leads on the figures behind the five caskets containing an anti-China message spread across Manila recently. Read more here.

Where Do Foreign Residents in Japan Want to Die?
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa (The Japan Times)
Across Japan, people are preparing to return to their hometowns to honor the spirits of their ancestors with traditional dances and grave visits during the annual Bon summer holiday period. But as the native Japanese population plummets and the number of foreign residents continues to rise–topping 4 million for the first time in 2025–a morbid question emerges: Where do foreign nationals want to die? Read more here.

Harry Potter Fans Force Relocation of $580 Million Undersea Cable to Avoid Dobby’s “Grave”
By Helena Horton (The Guardian)
Harry Potter fans have forced a new multimillion-dollar power cable between the United Kingdom and Ireland to be relocated after complaining it would desecrate the “grave” of Dobby, a fictional elf. Read more here.

You know that new couple you met recently? Would it surprise you to know they “met cute” at a funeral?

A recent survey conducted by a dating app indicates that funerals and memorial services could sometimes be fertile grounds for those looking for a partner. Of the 71 percent of Gen Z and 91 percent of Millennial respondents, 29 percent and 40 percent respectively had felt a physical attraction to someone they met at a funeral.

Key Takeaways

• Many Gen Z and Millennials report feeling attraction to someone at a funeral
• Most would exchange contact information for a date after the service
• Respondents avoid approaching immediate family members, citing respect and context

“It’s not a majority,” Hily, the dating app, reported, “but It’s far from rare.”

Granted, many respondents still would not immediately pursue someone they met at a funeral, but for some, it’s not the hangup that others might think.

No, this isn’t a scene from Wedding Crashers where Will Ferrell’s character trolls for hookups at the funerals of strangers. This is honest-to-goodness, searching-for-a-connection dating, and a majority of Gen Z and Millennials say they would “exchange contact information with someone they met at a funeral to set up a date later.”

The survey was conducted among 3,200 Gen Z and Millennial daters. Among other findings:

• A total of 64 percent of Gen Z respondents and 71 percent of Millennials would support a friend who met someone at a funeral.
• Of those who were surveyed, 51 percent of Gen Z and 61 percent of Millennials have felt physically attracted to someone at a funeral but chose not to pursue a relationship.
• A total of 32 percent of Gen Z and 40 percent of Millennials reported thinking about someone they met at a funeral, even if they did not pursue that person.

And between a quarter and a third of Gen Z and Millennial respondents would be willing to whip out their phones to check dating app matches during services. The numbers are higher still when it comes to meeting someone at a cemetery.

Where people draw the line, apparently, is approaching someone in the immediate family. “Context and proximity” matter, the survey found.

Still, a funeral home, church or cemetery isn’t always a deterrent for acting on attraction.

“The setting might be unconventional,” the survey stated. “The willingness to follow up is not.”

The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association is conducting its annual staff audit of member funeral homes to ensure its database remains current and accurate.

An email was sent on August 10, 2026 to all REG 1 members. The email includes an attached audit report listing staff members associated with the funeral home(s), email addresses, member types and status of Choices trust access.

At the discretion of the REG 1 member, funeral home staff may be granted permission to resources such as Claims/Picklist, Preneed Ledgers and access to Online Account Creation, if licensed. REG 1 members can request new access or update existing permissions for the Trust here.

Firms are reminded that, for security purposes, account access should not be shared and that each staff member should have their own login credentials.

The NJSFDA is requesting that REG 1 members respond to the email by Monday, August 17, 2026 with any corrections or additions to the audit report.

Please note that trust access privileges will need to be documented on the Trust Access Authorization form and signed by the REG 1 before changes to trust access are made.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Membership Services at 800.734.3712 or email adminmembershipservices@njsfda.org.