FUNERAL

Ean and Crystal Sinn are no strangers to navigating major decisions. Since the pandemic, they’ve successfully managed a 2,000-mile long-distance relationship, married and had two beautiful boys, relocated across state lines (twice), and launched three locations of Sinn Family Celebration of Life Centers from scratch. But as Ean explained in a recent conversation with The Group, it's the small choices he and Crystal have made as they’ve built their funeral homes that have, pe

Thank goodness it’s Friday! The NFDA Convention and Halloween are both behind us, but (and I hate to be the bearer of bad news here) ... we have a few more holidays coming up before we can all rest up (as if that's a thing in your profession!). As we approach the season, The Group will keep you up-to-date on all the important things you need to know, and give you a few items to make your days just a little bit lighter. Still looking to hear from funeral homes with veteran con

When it comes to hotspots for potential “hauntings,” cemeteries and abandoned funeral homes tend to rank right up there with asylums, penitentiaries, and Civil War battlefields. At this time of year, especially, certain folks love to host pop-up events to cash in on the public’s strange yearning to experience an encounter with the dearly-dead-but-not-yet-departed — and for these crafty entrepreneurs, shuttered funeral establishments and creepy old cemeteries become prime real

Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer – Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes & Cremation CenterSomerville & Oakland, Tennessee | Full-Time For more than 140 years, Peebles has served the families of Fayette County. We’re family-owned, we use current technology, and we look after the people who work here. We’re looking for a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer to join our team. What we’re looking for Current Tennessee Funeral Director and Embalmer licenses (or eligible for l

Thank goodness it’s Friday! If you joined us in Charlotte for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Annual Convention and Expo, chances are you’re especially glad to see the word “Friday” on your calendar. It’s always a worthwhile experience, but whew … it’s a LOT! So let’s take a moment to simmer down and enjoy a few other newsworthy items and upcoming events — and please check out my special request to our readers! ATTN: Funeral homes with veteran connections Yo

The proliferation of true-crime channels and documentaries may prove that Americans are obsessed with “ripped from the headlines” content. As someone who goes to sleep every night watching “The First 48” or “Forensic Files,” I can’t honestly say that there’s anything wrong with consuming this kind of entertainment. However, treatment and timing matter. An authentic retelling of a horrific event from 10 years ago is much different than a tacky parody of an atrocious type of tr

The Independent Funeral Group Executive Director Dr. Brad Kuchnicki and Associate Executive Director Christi Moon Robbins Maryville, TN - Although The Independent Funeral Group has championed, educated, and supported independently-owned and -operated funeral homes since 1995, the executive team responsible for day-to-day operations, managing relationships with members and partners, and furthering The Group’s initiatives have worked quietly, inconspicuously, and relatively unr

The Group thanks our friend Terry Cain of Messenger for this guest post. Terry is a product specialist, thought leader, and trusted advisor to funeral home owners. After 20 years with a Fortune 500 company, he came home to funeral service and purchased the family business. For almost 20 years he has represented the Messenger family of brands to the industry. Kara was only 50 when she quietly drew her last breath. Knowing her time was close did not take away the sting, but t

Deathcare has seen its fair share of bad things. Evil has somehow infiltrated a profession that prides itself on care, compassion, and integrity, and a handful of bad actors have managed to cast consumer dispersions on the countless practitioners just trying to help families through some of their hardest days. There’s no easy explanation for how or why this happens. Other than the standard motives of greed, power, stupidity, or carelessness, we don’t know the bigger reasons t

There’s no doubt that funeral directors see their fair share of unusual and/or complicated causes of death; even small-town firms will deal with the occasional case of Legionnaires’ Disease or poisoning from household chemicals or foraged plants. But deaths from Dengue fever? Hantavirus? The plague? Deaths from these diseases are so rare that they make the national news. And, sadly, each of these CODs and several others have been reported since May 2026, alarming the public