Stories Covered in This Episode

* Illinois Regulatory Changes: Representative Anthony DeLuca is working to give the Illinois Comptroller’s Office more oversight power.

* Colorado Coroner Conflicts: The Wilson Funeral Home in Colorado faced scrutiny for storing bodies for the county coroner while its own license was expired.

* Hearse Manufacturer Bankruptcy: UK-based Eagle Specialist Vehicles Limited, which trades as Wilcox Limousines, has filed for administration. This process is a reorganization plan similar to Chapter 11 in the United States.

* Pennsylvania Funeral Home Struggles: Pitts Funeral Home in Erie, Pennsylvania, filed for Chapter 11 protection. The business is also facing a lawsuit regarding a poor embalming job.

* The Downsizing Trend: W.F. Gormley and Sons in Sacramento, California, is selling its large historic building to move into a smaller facility. Tony compares this to a similar move in Maine, noting that high property taxes make smaller storefronts more efficient.

* Human Composting Backlash: The San Joaquin Parkway Trust has parted ways with Earth Funeral following a cease and desist from a family who donated land to the San Joaquin River Ranch.

* Funeral Women Lead: Erin Wilson has been named the Senior Director of Education and Program Strategy for Funeral Women Lead. The organization offers an 18-month program to help prepare women to move into management and ownership roles.

In this episode, Tony Russo sits down with Erin Wilson to discuss her new role at Funeral Women Lead and the launch of the Women’s Leadership Academy. Erin shares her journey from high school educator to funeral service professional.

Erin explains how the Women’s Leadership Academy aims to help professionals by providing 18-month curriculum pathways for management and ownership, focusing on the life skills, financial valuations, and conflict management strategies that aren't taught in a classroom.

Key Timestamps:

00:12 – Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of Funeral Women Lead.

01:35 – Why a former algebra teacher chose funeral service to "help people."

04:10 – Reflecting on the "upsetting" restructure at Pierce Mortuary Colleges.

09:45 – Identifying the "big disconnect" in funeral service education.

18:20 – Breaking down the Women’s Leadership Academy: Management vs. Ownership.

25:50 – Why ownership is achievable: Providing the roadmap for women.

This week we look at a shift in strategy from SCI, the “homogenization” of funeral service, “disruptor” startups, green tech in Detroit, and legislative wins for death care modernization in Michigan.

Key Takeaways

* SCI’s Shift in Focus: SCI is moving away from massive real estate acquisitions and toward aggressive preneed sales and “Celebration of Life” centers.

* The “Chick-fil-A” Model: Tony discusses the “re-homogenization” of funeral service, offering a consistent, unremarkable, but dependable experience that consumers seem to crave.

* The Rise of the Disruptors: A look at Meadow, a direct cremation and venue-booking app that recently raised $9 million despite offering services that many funeral professionals argue aren’t actually “novel.”

* AI in Death Care: Exploring Tukios’ new AI music beta and AI photo generators that help funeral homes avoid “off-puttingly generic” website imagery.

* Green Innovation: Dr. Noni Green introduces one of the first electric pet cremators in the U.S. (Detroit), aiming for a net-zero carbon footprint.

* Michigan Legislation: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bipartisan bill to digitize death certificates and allow regular physicians to sign off, streamlining a traditionally slow process.

In this episode of The Rest, Tony Russo tackles the mental health and retention crisis facing funeral professionals, highlighting a new survey aimed at understanding the emotional costs of the industry. Tony also dives into a strange $1.3 million debt situation involving the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner and local funeral homes, discusses a new Connecticut bill targeting funeral fraud, and explores the latest updates on Natural Organic Reduction.

Show Notes

* Mental Health & Retention: Exploring the need for specialized peer support and therapy for funeral directors.

* Milwaukee Debt Crisis: Investigating the $1.3 million owed to the Medical Examiner’s office by local funeral homes.

* Connecticut Fraud Legislation: A new bill introduced to establish a compensation account for victims of funeral service fraud.

* Natural Organic Reduction (NOR): Updates on The Life We Leave documentary and controversies surrounding unauthorized human composting scattering in California.

* SCI scores with earned media.

* New Section: Announcement of The Doula Desk on the On Deathcare newsletter.

In this episode, Tony Russo sits down with Tanya Marsh to deconstruct the 2025 Consumer Preferences in Death Care report. They dive deep into the "Cremation Paradox," the surprising return of the casket among Gen Z, and why the "green" movement in death care is more complicated than it looks.

Key Discussion Points:

The 2025 Survey Design: Expanding the data pool to 1,500 respondents to mirror the US Census and track regional trends.

The Gen Z Factor: Why 52% of young adults are leaning back toward burial despite record-high cremation rates.

Defaulting to Cremation: How cost and logistics force consumers into their "second choice" disposition.

The Ethics of Innovation: A look at Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) and the "naked protectionism" blocking alkaline hydrolysis in states like Indiana.

Death et seq: Tanya discusses her student-led podcast exploring legal issues around deathcare.

In this week’s roundup, Tony Russo explores the disconnect between the death care industry and consumer media. From factually incorrect editorial cartoons in Ohio to “Boil-in-a-Bag” headlines in the UK, the episode dives into why funeral directors need to step up as educators to combat misinformation about green burials and alkaline hydrolysis. Tony also covers significant industry news, including the arrest of a fugitive funeral director and a historic investigation into a Maryland veterans cemetery.

In This Episode

* The Media Disconnect: Why recent reporting on natural organic reduction and alkaline hydrolysis is more salacious than informative.

* Educator vs. Director: The importance of providing accurate information before families reach the arrangement room.

* Industry News: The arrest of Zalo Wilson in Maine regarding a 64-count indictment.

* A $3,000 judgment against Davis Mortuary owners following the discovery of decaying remains in Colorado.

* Parklawn’s recent acquisition of South Mississippi Funeral Services’ assets.

* Regulatory & Social Issues: The struggle of Alaska Natural Burial to open a site near Anchorage due to environmental concerns.

* New Maryland legislation to investigate a burial site of Black youth at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery.

Resources & Links Mentioned

* On Death Care Newsletter: Subscribe for free industry updates.

* Study: 2025 Consumer Preference for Disposition Study (Wake Forest and CANA).

* Book Recommendation: Into the Night.

* Substack: Jess Wakefield on the complexities of green funerals.

This week’s review covers significant regulatory shifts in Maryland, ongoing controversies at the Texas Funeral Service Commission, and the weekly news roundup.

Links to all of these stories (and more deathcare news) can be found here.

Regulatory Updates: Maryland vs. Texas

* Maryland’s Turnaround: Under new leadership, the Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors has cleared a 300-case backlog. The state has seen recent arrests related to the mishandling of remains at Heaven Bound cremation services.

* Texas Oversight Concerns: An exposé in the Houston Chronicle highlighted significant issues within the Texas Funeral Service Commission, including an average of 150 open consumer complaints per quarter—well above the target of 26.

* Accountability Gap: Leadership in Texas has reportedly lobbied to reduce damages for losing or misidentifying bodies.

Green Burial & Innovation

* Natural Organic Reduction in Ohio: The Ohio legislature is currently considering a bill to legalize natural organic reduction (human composting). While not yet law, it presents an opportunity for funeral directors to educate the public on eco-friendly options.

* Monarch Care Centers: Foundation Partners has launched “Monarch,” a brand consisting of centralized care centers across 10 states. These facilities offer specialized services like witness cremation.

Industry News & Legal Watch

* Breaking Barriers in Embalming: A long-time English embalmer is stepping back from day-to-day duties; notably, she was only the sixth woman in England to receive an embalming license, a field closed to women until 1977.

* Arizona Graveside Dispute: A Jewish family is suing an Arizona cemetery group over a policy that prohibits families from staying to witness the lowering of the casket, a practice that conflicts with certain religious rituals.

* Liability & Training: A recent lawsuit involving a body mistakenly buried in a body bag alleges “negligent hiring, training, and supervision,” suggesting that high staff turnover and poor training may be becoming a major legal liability for owners.

In Memoriam

* Mack Williamson Stevens: A farewell to the beloved comfort dog of Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, who served from 2018 to early 2026.

This week’s industry roundup examines the artificial intelligence platforms into the deathcare sector. Central to the discussion is Impart, an all-in-one, AI-enabled business solution launched by the parent company Manifest. Manifest, which operates similar platforms in other industries like veterinary care, has positioned TikTok personality and funeral director Melissa Jo Schmidt as the face of the brand.

* Cremation and Infrastructure: In Texas, a viral video of a smoking crematory prompted a discussion on the technical failures of aging equipment and the friction caused by cremation bans in cities like Seattle.

* Operational Errors: Two high-profile body mishandling cases surfaced. In Tacoma, a funeral home took public ownership of an 18-year-old oversight regarding unclaimed cremated remains. Conversely, a Rhode Island facility is under investigation for burying an individual inside an unopened body bag, only to later discover it was the wrong person.

* Real Estate and Independence: At the NFDA Leadership and Enrichment Summit, independent directors discussed the rising threat of development corporations and high real estate costs that force community funeral homes to close or relocate.

* Historic Relocations: In Indiana, a Catholic high school has begun the process of exhuming Civil War veterans and pioneers from an on-site cemetery to make way for a football stadium expansion.