The Nelson Funeral Home has been operating out of Andersonville since 1929 when a Swedish funeral director named August Nelson started it. Ever since then, the business has been passed down the family as it serviced locals. Now the family business is forced to close its Andersonville branch in order to save on costs. There are fewer clients now each year and that is set to go down even further. In the article by Adeshina Emmanuel for DNAinfo, “Back in the day,” Nelson said, the funeral home expected to serve at least 300 clients a year. In recent years, the number is closer to 100, something she thinks is influenced by Andersonville being a younger, hipper neighborhood with fewer elderly people. She also said more clients are cutting costs by choosing cremation and avoiding traditional funerals and burials, which can

A new funeral business in Britain involves hiring people to mourn at a funeral service. For £45 an hour, the fake mourners can be rented to cry for the duration of a funeral service in order to swell the numbers at funerals. Ian Robertson, the founder of Rent-a-Mourner, in Braintree, Essex, says that although this idea may be strange and new to the British, it is a popular custom in other parts of the world like Asia and the Middle East. He says they were inspired by the market growth in China and the Middle Eastern practice of hiring “crying ladies”. “Our staff will meet with the client beforehand and agree ‘the story’, so our staff will either have known the deceased professionally or socially. They will be informed of the deceased’s background, achievements, failures etc. so they can converse with

The proposal of a funeral home to build a crematorium in Bucks County has been rejected by a county judge. This comes after the proposal has also failed to receive the green light from Tullytown. The county judge rejected the proposal after oral arguments were made. The funeral home wants to build the crematorium on an area that has been designated as light industrial. They are arguing whether operating a crematorium should be permissible there. Here is a portion of an article by Vic Monaco for Phillyburbs.com: “Judge Albert Cepparulo rejected the land use appeal from Louis Galzerano on March 12, after accepting written briefs and hearing oral arguments. His ruling simply affirmed borough decisions in November and January. Galzerano wanted to open a crematorium at 71 Fox Drive in the Lucisano Brothers Industrial Park. The zoning there, light industrial, allows

When dressing for a funeral, your choice of attire should convey mourning and respect for the deceased person. It must express recognition that this is indeed a solemn occasion in honor of the person who has passed away. To help women in their choice of garb, here are some general tips that may be used as guidelines: Choose Black – Choosing a black dress or suit will send the message that you are reverent in honoring of the deceased. This is definitely not a time for you to wear loud or splashy colors. If you don’t want to wear black, other great color options include navy blue and grey. Think Conservative – Take care to dress and behave in a conservative manner that reflects a reverent attitude. Conservative dress might include a nice business suit or a simple dress. Take care to cover

The community presented the amount of $5000 to the family of a teenager who died tragically to help cover her funeral costs. Karley Rees’ family was given the amount as a response to the teenager’s tragic death which happened more than a week ago. A fundraiser was organized by Mark and Sarah Vakauta of the Rumaz Niteclub that was meant to help in covering the funeral costs of Karley. The fundraiser was able to raise the amount of $4371.80 on Friday night, according to Ms. Vakauta as the public made donations. And then she and her husband Mark added to the amount to reach the total of $5000. Ms Vakauta presented the amount to the Rees falimy last Saturday and she also gave thanks to the public for providing support to the family during a very difficult time. Read the

InvoCare is one of the leading names in the funeral industry and it has even been described as the Coca-Cola of funerals. Owner of some of the leading brands such as Simplicity and White Lady, it has grown larger in the last few years through its acquisition of other brands. Now the largest operator of funeral and crematorium services in the Asia Pacific, it has certainly made a considerable mark in the industry. InvoCare’s presence can be felt through its operations in Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. The growth of the company has been through acquisitions and the reality of an ageing population. However, it is also because of pre-paid funerals, which is basically about pre-selling funerals to an ageing group of people, baby boomers in particular. It actually accounts for about 13.7 percent of its business today. For the

A funeral home is denying charges made by its former director that it practiced body swapping. This rather grisly accusation has been leveled against  Alpha Funeral Services.  The former director of the funeral home alleged that he was told to switch remains by the owner of the company. The owner who was named in the complaint has denied the accusation. Together with lawyers, the owner has said that the accusations are frivolous. Here is a part of an article by Yvonne Man for Fox59.com: “Eckert claims he was pressured to resign, and is asking for financial damages. The owner and operator of Alpha Funeral Service, Anthony Edwards, is named in the suit. Edwards has close ties there as well as with Edwards Family Mortuaries, Lynhurst Neighborhood Funeral Home and Fountain Square Funeral Services, according to state records. This is not the first