Tara M. Scarponi-Danniballe, President

Being a funeral director is not just a job, it’s a calling. While our work can be draining and often misunderstood, it comes with unique and meaningful benefits.

We serve at the intersection of compassion, tradition and service, playing a critical role in helping families navigate one of the most difficult times in their lives. Despite all the challenges we face, we know that this profession brings us great personal fulfillment.

We often describe our work as emotionally rewarding. Helping people in their time of greatest need gives us a strong sense of meaning. We provide comfort, guidance and stability when families are overwhelmed with grief and uncertainty. Knowing we have made a difference in someone’s life during such a vulnerable moment is a powerful and lasting source of fulfillment.

Being a funeral director is multifaceted. On any given day, we are juggling numerous tasks that require a wide range of skills–from interpersonal communication and grief counseling to event planning. 

One of the strongest aspects of being a funeral director is how deeply rooted we are in our communities. We all build long-standing relationships with local families, religious leaders, healthcare providers and other service professionals. We are trusted figures. When families are at the lowest of lows in their life, they consistently turn to us for guidance and support. This position of trust and respect allows us all to have such a positive impact on every community we serve. 

I also think that our profession furthers our emotional intelligence. Supporting grieving families requires calmness, compassion and listening skills, all of which contribute to personal growth. I always say, our ability to listen is crucial, especially at arrangements. 

The funerals of today are no longer “one size fits all.” Families want services that reflect the life, values and personality of their loved one. And they all want it instantaneously. This gives us the chance to be creative–helping design ceremonies with unique themes, music, rituals and details.

Being a funeral director is much more than doing an embalming and coordinating services; it’s about guiding people through their most fragile moments with respect, grace and compassion. We all know this profession offers stability, growth and the profound reward of helping others when they need it most.

Out of love, many families would probably take care of their loved ones if they could and if they had the ability.  We provide facilities, expertise and knowledge that are invaluable. This path that we have chosen isn’t an easy path, but it is a deeply human one.  A path that allows us all to be trusted pillars in our community.

Green burials are becoming more popular in Hong Kong, according to government statistics. A funeral director in Idaho pleaded guilty to several charges after decaying remains were found in his funeral home. And the funeral for a business owner in Michigan featured a helicopter that showered money on mourners. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

Former Owner of Idaho Funeral Home Officially Pleads Guilty as Part of Plea Deal
By Daniel V. Ramirez (KSL)
The former owner of Downard Funeral Home in Pocatello, ID, has changed his plea to guilty after accepting an agreement from prosecutors in May 2025. Lance Peck changed his original not guilty plea to guilty as per the agreement. A decaying body, altered paperwork and other irregularities were found during an investigation in Peck’s practices. Read more here.

Mother Sues Funeral Home over Son’s Body Allegedly Riddled with Maggots During Viewing
By Peta Rasien (The Nightly)
A grieving mother is suing a Virginia funeral home for negligence after her son’s body was allegedly “consumed by clumps of maggots” during an open-casket viewing held for family and friends. Read more here.

Generous Man Arranges for Money to be Dropped from Helicopter at His Funeral
By CNN
A Detroit, MI, man known for giving back to his community wanted to do that one last time after he died. Darrell Thomas’ sons arranged to have a helicopter fly over the funeral home, then money and rose petals were dropped from the chopper. Crystal Perry, Thomas’ niece, said the helicopter drop was how her uncle wanted to thank the community. Read more here.

Black Burial Grounds Across the U.S. Threatened by New Construction and Neglect
By Jasmine Browley (BET)
Advocates throughout the country are rallying to preserve Black cemeteries from being built over, destroyed and effectively disrespected. Read more here.

Record Increase in Green Burials Signals Shift in Hong Kong
By Hong Kong News
Moving away from traditional funeral customs is no easy transition. However, the Hong Kong government stated that green burial, as a sustainable method of remains, accounted for a record-high 18.2 percent of disposals last year. Read more here.

“People's Remains Removed to Bury My Husband”
By Ben Godfrey (BBC)
A woman has said she wants justice for her dead husband after hundreds of human bones were seen dumped from his burial plot a day after his funeral. Dawn Cotterell's husband, Roger, died in 2022 after collapsing while playing football, following complications from a blood clot. But a day after the funeral at Tipton Cemetery in the West Midlands, England, a skip of soil littered with bones and even a skull was spotted near the grave. Read more here.

The bill to legalize natural organic reduction in New Jersey is now under consideration by Governor Phil Murphy.

The measure, S-3007, moved quickly through its last stages in the Senate, clearing the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee with minor technical amendments on Thursday, June 26 and passing a vote of the full Senate by a vote of 37-2 on Monday, June 30.

The bill gained broad bipartisan support in both the Assembly and the Senate indicating the state’s willingness to bring this new industry to New Jersey, offering consumers a new alternative when it comes to their end-of-life care.

The bill will now head to the governor’s desk for consideration where he has 45 days to take action on the legislation. If approved, New Jersey will become the 14th state to legalize natural organic reduction.

This is the second major piece of legislation to head to the governor’s desk this year pertaining to the modernization of the funeral industry in New Jersey. Murphy signed the funeral licensing bill on May 8. If signed by the governor, the natural organic reduction law will go into effect 10 months following Murphy’s action.

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.

June 27, 2025

Members Present

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

Executive Staff Present

Quin Archer, Executive Director; Maria Rojas Letchford, Deputy Attorney General; Nicole Parelli, Regulatory Analyst.

Public

George R. Kelder Jr. and Samantha L. Link, New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, and 18 other members of the public were present.

Approval of Meeting Minutes

The Board approved the minutes of the April 10, 2025 meeting.

Total number of complaints received in April/May: 9
Total number of complaints received in 2025: 23

Old Business

Ewing Cemetery Association (CA #020) – At the April meeting of the Board, the Board reviewed a request for guidance from Ewing Cemetery Association regarding the merger of two religious organization bulk-sale grave owners. The Board voted to request more information regarding the actual merger of the two synagogues to determine if it truly is a merger, a dissolution or a liquidation of one organization. The Board determined it was a merger, and the transfer took place on June 1, 2025. 

New Business

West Amwell Cemetery Association (CA #0283): The cemetery trustees sent a letter to the Board stating that they are looking to retire and asked if the state will take over the cemetery. The board stated that no, they do not take over cemeteries and will send a letter advising the volunteers to hold a lot owners meeting to find new trustees. They also recommended that the trustees reach out to Judith Welshons of the New Jersey Cemetery Association for guidance on proper process.

Assembly Bill 5165: The bill would allocate $10 million annually for three years to DCA to alleviate backlog of pending applications and licensure renewals and require the board to file an annual report on the spending of the allocated funds. After discussion, the Board voted to support the bill.

Assembly Bill 5572: The bill would set a quorum standard for licensing boards that would require a quorum for approval of applications and sales. The Board voted to support this measure.

Assembly Bill 5624: The bill would require boards to create and maintain a data portal that would allow for public access to statistical data including license applications, complaints, processing times and other relevant data for transparency purposes. The Board voted in favor of supporting the bill.

Senate Bill 4406: The bill would change how data is gathered during the licensure process, further establishing whether an applicant owes child support. While there is already a question on the application regarding child support, this legislation would add a separate form to be completed by the applicant to determine if they are currently in arrears for child support payments.

Jeff Kasko stated that this was “highly personal information” and that he wasn’t comfortable supporting the measure until they knew how the data would be used or why it was being collected. Executive Director Quin Archer stated that the applicant owing child support wouldn’t necessarily preclude their application being approved and matters would be handled on a case-by-case basis with due process. A motion was made and passed to take a neutral position on this bill.

All bulk sales were moved to executive session for advice of counsel.

• Greenwood Cemetery Association (CA#028) to International Muslim Brotherhood Inc. (100 plots)
• Laurel Grove Cemetery (CA #030) to Mohammad Abdur Rauf and Rashel H. Jumed (20 plots)
• Laurel Grove Cemetery (CA #030) to Mohammad Abdue Rauf and Rashel H. Jumed (52 plots)
• Laurel Grove Cemetery (CA #030) to St. Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church (54 plots)
• Restland Memorial Park t/d/b/a Eternal Sunset Memorial Park and Cemetery (CA #117) to Islamic Center Tewheed (114 plots)
• Restland Memorial Park t/d/b/a Eternal Sunset Memorial Park and Cemetery (CA #117) to Islamic Unity and Culture Center of Plav-Gusinnje Inc. (1,191 plots)

Public Comment

Steve Walrond of Union Cemetery in Lebanon was following up on a letter he had submitted to the board questioning what happens if volunteers can no longer afford to maintain and run a cemetery. He stated that several years ago he along with several others took over the cemetery that was not being run properly, stating that they had no maintenance and preservation fund and the cemetery was not being kept up. They have been unable to find new trustees and need to determine what to do with the records.

Chairman Desbiens stated that there are no set systems in place for this situation and recommended he speak with Judith Welshons, “guard the records with your life” and put up signs to garner interest in finding new trustees.

Jason Malatesta asked that the Board classify their reasoning for moving all the bulk sales discussions to executive session. Executive Director Archer indicated that they were moved so to obtain advice of counsel.

There being no further public business, the Board adjourned its public session until August 14, 2025 and entered executive session.

Funeral directors working with the NJ Sharing Network will no longer receive a copy of the network’s reimbursement form when remains are returned to the funeral home following donation.

The network is discontinuing the inclusion of the paper form and instead relying entirely on its existing funeral directors web page, which houses electronic versions of the reimbursement paperwork, along with other important documents.

Funeral directors can access the web page here. Funeral directors can log on by using the password Donor691.

In addition to filling out the reimbursement form, funeral directors supply a copy of the Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected or final bill on company letterhead, along with any other supporting documents. All information, including the reimbursement form, can be emailed to accountspayable@njsharingnetwork.org. No “transfer of remains to the funeral home” charge should be listed on the bill if the network transported the donor’s remains to the funeral home.

Those wishing to mail the form and supporting documents to the network can still do so by printing out the information and using this address:

NJ Sharing Network
ATTN: Accounts Payable
691 Central Avenue
New Providence, NJ 08974

The NJ Sharing Network unveiled the resource page in 2024. The page contains links to vital information needed by funeral directors working with the network on organ donations, including reimbursement guidelines and paperwork, tips on speaking with families about the process and even obituary suggestions.

In addition to the reimbursement paperwork, the page also contains a vendor ACH authorization form and a W-9 form.

A California community college has become the latest school with a funeral service education program to open its own fully operational mortuary on campus.

American River College, located in Sacramento, CA, recently unveiled the facility, capping a 10-year effort to build a place where students could learn the funeral service profession in a hands-on setting, according to an article in The Sacramento Bee.

“You come out job-ready,” Valarie Rose, chair of the college’s funeral service program, told the Bee. “You haven’t just listened to somebody talk about it. You’ve done it.”

The campus mortuary features state-of-the-art tools and well-equipped spaces where students can practice embalming and facial reconstruction, as well as a chapel for funeral services, according to the Bee.

Eventually, the program’s leaders hope to serve indigent decedents and families, providing a full range of funeral services and grief counseling. The college plans to pay for cremations and return the cremated remains to the families, the Bee reported.

American River College joins several other funeral service education schools that have recently opened on-campus mortuaries. In 2024, the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science opened a full operational mortuary. Also in 2024, San Antonio College unveiled its mortuary, featuring a 60-seat chapel, meeting rooms, offices and other mortuary services. The college already had a separate embalming facility.