Funeral directorsFuneral practices and rites vary greatly among cultures and religions. Among the many diverse groups in the United States, funeral practices usually share some common elements—removing the deceased to a mortuary, preparing the remains, performing a ceremony that honors the deceased and addresses the spiritual needs of the family, and final disposition of the remains. Funeral directors arrange and direct these tasks for grieving families. Funeral directors also are called morticians or undertakers. This career may not appeal to everyone, but those who work as funeral directors take great pride in their ability to provide efficient and appropriate services. They also comfort the family and friends of the deceased. Funeral directors arrange the details and handle the logistics of funerals. They interview the family to learn what family members desire with regard to the nature of the funeral, the clergy members or other persons who will officiate, and the final disposition of the remains. Sometimes, the deceased leaves detailed instructions for his or her own funeral. Together with the family, funeral directors establish the location, dates, and times of wakes, memorial services, and burials. They arrange for a hearse to carry the body to the funeral home or mortuary. Funeral directors also prepare obituary notices and have them placed in newspapers, arrange for pallbearers and clergy, schedule the opening and closing of a grave with a representative of the cemetery, decorate and prepare the sites of all services, and provide transportation for the remains, mourners, and flowers between sites. They also direct preparation and shipment of remains for out-of-State burial. Most funeral directors also are trained, licensed, and practicing embalmers. Embalming is a sanitary, cosmetic, and preservative process through which the body is prepared for interment. If more than 24 hours elapses between death and interment, State laws usually require that the remains be refrigerated or embalmed. When embalming a body, funeral directors wash the body with germicidal soap and replace the blood with embalming fluid to preserve the tissues. They may reshape and reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies using materials, such as clay, cotton, plaster of paris, and wax. They also may apply cosmetics to provide a natural appearance, and then dress the body and place it in a casket. Funeral directors maintain records such as embalming reports, and itemized lists of clothing or valuables delivered with the body. In large funeral homes, an embalming staff of two or more, plus several apprentices may be employed. Funeral services may take place in a home, house of worship, or funeral home, or at the gravesite or crematory. Services may be nonreligious, but often they reflect the religion of the family, so funeral directors must be familiar with the funeral and burial customs of many faiths, ethnic groups, and fraternal organizations. For example, members of some religions seldom have the bodies of the deceased embalmed or cremated. Burial in a casket is the most common method of disposing of remains in this country, although entombment also occurs. Cremation, which is the burning of the body in a special furnace, is increasingly selected because it can be less expensive, and is becoming more appealing. Memorial services can be held anywhere, and at any time, sometimes months later when all relatives and friends can get together. Even when the remains are cremated, many people still want a funeral service. A funeral service followed by cremation need not be any different from a funeral service followed by a burial. Usually cremated remains are placed in some type of permanent receptacle, or urn, before being committed to a final resting place. The urn may be buried, placed in an indoor or outdoor mausoleum or columbarium, or interred in a special urn garden that many cemeteries provide for cremated remains. Funeral directors handle the paperwork involved with the person�s death, such as submitting papers to State authorities so that a formal certificate of death may be issued and copies distributed to the heirs. They may help family members apply for veterans� burial benefits, and notify the Social Security Administration of the death. Also, funeral directors may apply for the transfer of any pensions, insurance policies, or annuities on behalf of survivors. Funeral directors also prearrange funerals. Increasingly, they arrange funerals in advance of need to provide peace of mind by ensuring that the client�s wishes will be taken care of in a way that is satisfying to the person and to those who will survive. Most funeral homes are small, family-run businesses, and the funeral directors are either owner-operators or employees of the operation. Funeral directors, therefore, are responsible for the success and the profitability of their businesses. Directors keep records of expenses, purchases, and services rendered; prepare and send invoices for services; prepare and submit reports for unemployment insurance; prepare Federal, State, and local tax forms; and prepare itemized bills for customers. Funeral directors increasingly are using computers for billing, bookkeeping, and marketing. Some are beginning to use the Internet to communicate with clients who are preplanning their funerals, or to assist clients by developing electronic obituaries and guestbooks. Directors strive to foster a cooperative spirit and friendly attitude among employees and a compassionate demeanor towards the families. A growing number of funeral directors also are involved in helping individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through aftercare services or support group activities. Most funeral homes have a chapel, one or more viewing rooms, a casket-selection room, and a preparation room. An increasing number also have a crematory on the premises. Equipment may include a hearse, a flower car, limousines, and, sometimes, an ambulance. Funeral homes usually stock a selection of caskets and urns for families to purchase or rent. Related news articles Funeral Director Uses Locks of Hair to Create Heirloom LifeGem ... - 16 Oct 2006 Business Wire (press release),PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LifeGem Memorials, the world’s first purveyor of diamond memorials, announced today at the 125 th National Funeral Directors ... Carlisle funeral director serves the living by caring for the dead - Oct 9, 2006 Carlisle Sentinel,...to Lynn A. Ronan. The Carlisle area funeral director's response remains the same: “How could I not?�?. Ronan deals with life's ... Anne Beatrice Corrigan, funeral director - Oct 11, 2006 Cleveland Plain Dealer,Bay Village- Anne Beatrice Corrigan, who defied gender restrictions to become an embalmer and funeral director more than 60 years ago, died Sunday at her home ... Ivan Thompson, Modesto funeral director, 70 - Oct 12, 2006 Modesto Bee,...years. He was a funeral director and embalmer for Franklin & Downs Funeral Home, and former owner of Thompson Memorial Chapel. In ... Stephen Scillieri, funeral director - Oct 9, 2006 NorthJersey.com,By DANIEL GALIOTO. PATERSON -- Stephen Scillieri, owner of Scillieri Funeral Home and Scillieri Hawthorne Memorial Home, died Sunday. He was 84. ... Treasurer's son beats up funeral home director - Oct 3, 2006 St. Clair Record,Jacob Bathon, the son of Madison County Treasurer Fred Bathon, was arrested for battery Monday after pushing and punching funeral director Mike Weber of Weber ... Funeral director since the 1950s - Oct 3, 2006 Miami Herald,...place. While in Chicago, Boyd took a test that concluded that he had the aptitude to be funeral director or similar occupation. ... Funeral director injured in robbery bid - Sep 27, 2006 The Herald,A FUNERAL director was struck over the head with a bottle during a foiled robbery attempt while he was preparing a coffin for a bereaved family. ... Funeral director's royal movie role - Sep 15, 2006 Basingstoke Gazette,However, Eastleigh funeral director Paul Capper will never forget the emotion-charged moment when he took centre stage in the film of the royal story that ... Tampa funeral director arrested - Sep 21, 2006 Tampa Bay Business Journal,A funeral home director has been charged with selling a pre-need funeral services contract without a license to a woman he met at church and then pocketing the ... Final arrangements - Oct 15, 2006 Modesto Bee,..."It's up to a funeral director to ask about those things," he said. "The customer needs to know that there are more options than just selecting a casket.". ... Most complaints on funerals stem from personalities - Oct 14, 2006 Houston Chronicle,The coffin was crooked. The obituary was late. The girlfriend was listed as wife on the death certificate. The funeral director was mean. ... Why would anyone want to be a funeral director? - Sep 23, 2006 Chicago Daily Herald (subscription),...want to think about. She certainly wouldn't consider dating a funeral director. And she could never be one. Lisa was happily working ... Funeral director admits to theft and fraud - Sep 26, 2006 Eastern Arizona Courier,A local funeral director is accusing former employees of theft after admitting to fraudulent practices when her insurance license was revoked in June. ... Funeral director earned respect, trust - Sep 19, 2006 Hamilton Spectator,...heart problems Sunday evening. He was 84, and believed to be the oldest active funeral director in Ontario. Friscolanti, the father ... Ex-funeral director dies at age 101 - Sep 20, 2006 Allentown Messenger Press,8. At age 14, when he just completed 10th grade, Bob Peppler said his father went to work with his uncle, George Flemming, who was the funeral director of the ... Funeral director charged with grand theft - Sep 20, 2006 Tampa Bay's 10,Tampa, Florida - State authorities say a funeral home director sold a pre-need funeral services contract without a license. Tebbie ... Camden County News in Brief - Oct 15, 2006 Philadelphia Inquirer,The awards recognize their dedication to Samaritan and the hospice field as a whole. Bradley will receive the Spirit of Hospice Funeral Director Award. ... Funeral director given 15 years for soliciting boy - Sep 29, 2006 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription),By DAN BENSON. West Bend - Prominent local funeral home director Curtis J. Schmidt, 68, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison ... More information on Funeral directors from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Funeral directors occupation Number of Funeral directors in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Funeral directors Working conditions for Funeral directors Significant points for Funeral directors Training requirements for Funeral directors Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |