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

Maryville, TN - The Independent Funeral Group, a growing network of independently-owned and -operated funeral homes from across the U.S., celebrated an incredibly successful year with a record number of members and partners at The Group’s annual Fall Conference at Cloudland at McLemore resort in Rising Fawn, Georgia from September 22-24, 2026. Members of the group and their families enjoyed presentations by Brittany Godfrey, Public Education Specialist at the DeKalb County, G

This is the second in a special series that takes a deep dive into the benefits and logistics of offering witnessed cremation services to families when appropriate facilities are available — and when families are open to it. Next week, we’ll cover the flip side of last week’s closure argument, and what unwitnessed direct cremation can quietly cost a family. “I went to my Nana’s cremation, and after she went behind the curtain, there was a slight gap, and all we could see is f

He will be deeply missed, and he will be remembered with tremendous gratitude and affection. Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with the entire Hightower family.

Our Jobs Board and Member forum are going live today!

Thank goodness it’s Friday! We’re just days away from our favorite event of the year — The Group’s Fall Conference. We can’t wait! Until then, here are some of this past week’s happenings and what’s coming up next in the world of deathcare — plus a little good news, because who doesn’t need that? Highlights and headlines ↪ Good news for Tennessee: Last week, Comfort Zone Camp, a weekend grief camp that hosts up to 60 kids who have lost a parent, held a fundraiser in Nashville

This is the first in a special series that takes a deep dive into the benefits and logistics of offering witnessed cremation services to families when appropriate facilities are available — and when families are open to it. Next week, we’ll debunk the long-held myths surrounding witnessed cremation. About six years ago, deathcare publications were all abuzz with articles about Solace Cremation, a startup that remotely facilitated “all-inclusive” direct cremation arrangements

Maryville, TN - The Independent Funeral Group, a growing network of independently-owned and -operated funeral homes from across the U.S., has added Patricia Hartley to its administrative team as Head Content Creator. Hartley has created content to support and inform deathcare professionals for more than seven years as the Managing Editor of Connecting Directors, a leading online publication dedicated to funeral service. “I’m thrilled to join The Independent Funeral Group team

Thank goodness it’s Friday! It’s been a big, busy week for The Group as we gear up for the Fall Conference (So. Much. Swag!), and we can only imagine what you’ve been up to. Hopefully, this weekly feature will help you get caught up on some of the week’s happenings and what’s coming up next in the world of deathcare — plus a little good news, because who doesn’t need that? Highlights and headlines ↪ A 2019 investigation by a North Carolina news outlet has now resulted in a cl