2022 Pursuit of Excellence Award honorees will be recognized during the NFDA International Convention & Expo
Brookfield, WI — The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) congratulates the funeral businesses that earned a 2022 Pursuit of Excellence Award. This award is presented by NFDA annually to firms that have demonstrated a commitment to raising the bar on funeral service excellence by adhering to strict ethical and professional standards and providing outstanding service to families and communities.
“Every year, I am astounded by the extraordinary ways in which our members are providing meaningful support to grieving families and communities,” said NFDA Director of Public Relations Jessica Koth, who manages the Pursuit of Excellence Award program. “The Pursuit of Excellence Task Force was captivated by this year’s entries and very much enjoyed reviewing each and every one. The task force applauds all of our honorees for their hard work and dedication to providing a superior level of service to families and communities. We are proud to have these firms as part of our NFDA family.”
The 2022 Pursuit of Excellence Award honorees will be formally recognized by the association at the All-Star Recognition Ceremony on Monday, October 10 during the NFDA International Convention & Expo (October 9-12 in Baltimore, Maryland).
To earn a NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, including compliance with state and federal regulations; staff participation in ongoing education and professional development; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement in the community; active participation in and service to the funeral service profession; and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs. Participants are also required to adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices.
Information about the NFDA Pursuit of Excellence program can be found by visiting www.nfda.org/pursuitofexcellence. Registration and application materials for 2023 will be available in mid-October 2023.
Richard Myers Pinnacle Award
NFDA is pleased to confer the Richard Myers Pinnacle Award on Holman-Howe Funeral Homes in Lebanon, Missouri, for the annual study group organized by the firm’s staff.
As part of their Pursuit of Excellence entry, funeral homes must submit an essay describing the development and execution of a program or service that had a positive impact on those served. To recognize funeral homes that develop an extraordinary program or service, as described in their essay, that far surpasses the definition of funeral service excellence, NFDA established the Richard Myers Pinnacle Award. This award is conferred at the discretion of the Pursuit of Excellence Task Force and only when it encounters a remarkable example of excellence in the profession. The award is named in honor of the founder of the Pursuit of Excellence Award NFDA Past President Richard Myers of Utah.
The Holman-Howe study group is comprised of a wide range of funeral professionals who are not satisfied with the status quo and want to grow, learn and evolve to be better than their competitors. Attendees hail from 16 states and range in age from their 20s to their 80s.
The goal of the group is to not only provide information by the leaders of the profession nationally but to establish personal relationships within the group that lead to year-round networking opportunities with like-minded professionals.
Holman-Howe Funeral Homes is only the third funeral home to be honored since the Richard Myers Pinnacle Award was established in 2018. Previous winners include Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory in New Castle, Delaware (2018), and Arrington Funeral Directors in Jackson, Tennessee (2021).
Best of the Best Award Recipients
All Pursuit of Excellence applicants submitted an essay describing the development and execution of a program or service that had a positive impact on the families they serve or their community, qualifying them for the Best of the Best Award, which recognizes the most novel and innovative programs and services in the profession.
Essays are judged on the uniqueness of the idea on a national and international level, quality of implementation, benefit to those served, benefit to the funeral home and how easily the idea could be replicated or modified by another funeral home. After a thorough review, the Pursuit of Excellence Task Force selected three funeral homes to receive the Best of the Best Award:
- J. García López Casa Prim, Mexico City, Mexico
- Return Home, Auburn, Washington
- Waitt Funeral Home & Cremation Service and Company, Morganville, New Jersey
As they reviewed the essays to select the Best of the Best honorees, the Pursuit of Excellence Task Force noted a number of programs and services that were very well-executed and yielded positive results for the community served by the funeral home. The Task Force recognized these funeral homes with a Certificate of Honorable Mention:
- Arnett and Steele Funeral Home, Inc., Pineville, Kentucky
- Arrington Funeral Directors & Crematory, Jackson, Tennessee
- Bailey Family Funeral Homes and Company, Wallingford, Connecticut
- Chambers and James Funeral, Pet and Cremation Services, LLC, and Company, Wellsburg, West Virginia
- Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, Inc., and Company, Albion, New York
- Copeland Funeral Service, Inc., Beaufort, South Carolina
- Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Missouri
- Hughes Family Tribute Center, Dallas, Texas
- Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory, and Company, Villa Rica, Georgia
- Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tennessee
- Oliverie Funeral Home and Company, Manchester, New Jersey
- Posey Funeral Directors, North Augusta, South Carolina
- Pray Funeral Home, Inc., Charlotte, Michigan
- Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes and Company, Coal City, Illinois
- Smith Family Funeral Homes and Company, North Little Rock, Arkansas
- Twiford Funeral Home, LLC, and Company, Elizabeth City, North Carolina
- Weeks’ Funeral Home, and Company, Buckley, Washington
NFDA Hall of Excellence Inductees
NFDA-member funeral homes are inducted into the Hall of Excellence upon receiving their 10th Pursuit of Excellence Award. In recognition of their consistent display of professional and ethical excellence, three funeral homes have been inducted into the NFDA Hall of Excellence in 2022:
- C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers, Massachusetts
- Heath Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Lakeland, Florida
- Morrissett Funeral & Cremation Service, North Chesterfield, Virginia
Several funeral homes have achieved milestones in their participation in the Pursuit of Excellence Award program in 2022. NFDA salutes the following funeral homes for their ongoing commitment to excellence:
15th Pursuit of Excellence Award
- Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, Greenville, South Carolina, and Company
20th Pursuit of Excellence Award
- Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Missouri
- Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory, Villa Rica, Georgia, and Company
- Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge, Minnesota, and Company
- Kerrville Funeral Home, Kerrville, Texas, and Company
25th Pursuit of Excellence Award
- Carmon Community Funeral Homes, Windsor, Connecticut, and Company
35th Pursuit of Excellence Award
- Twiford Funeral Home, LLC, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Company
2022 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award Recipients
A Sacred Choice, Houston, Texas
A.J. Desmond & Son Funeral Directors, Troy, Michigan (A.J. Desmond & Sons – Rochester Road, Troy; A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors – Vasu, Rodgers & Connell Chapel, Royal Oak)
Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes, Inc., Cheshire, Connecticut (Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes, Inc., Waterbury; Alderson-Ford Funeral Homes, Inc., Naugatuck)
Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors, Singapore
Arlington Memorial Chapels, Inc., Quezon City, Philippines
Arnett and Steele Funeral Home, Inc., Pineville, Kentucky
Arrington Funeral Directors & Crematory, Jackson, Tennessee
Bailey Family Funeral Homes, Wallingford, Connecticut (Bailey Funeral Home, Plainville; Carpino and Bailey Funeral Home, Southbury; Waterbury Funeral Home, Waterbury)
Baird Funeral Home, Troy, Ohio
Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Homes, Hammond, Louisiana (Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home, Ponchatoula; Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home, Denham Springs)
Brunswick Memorial Funeral Home, East Brunswick, New Jersey (Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick)
Capillas Señoriales Casa de Homenajes, Merida, Mexico
Carmon Community Funeral Homes, Windsor, Connecticut (Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center of Avon, Avon; Hayes-Huling & Carmon Funeral Home, Granby; Ladd-Turkington & Carmon Funeral Home, Vernon; Nicholson & Carmon Chapel, Suffield; Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home, South Windsor; South Green Memorial Home, Hartford)
Chambers and James Funeral, Pet and Cremation Services, LLC, Wellsburg, West Virginia (Chambers & James Funeral, Pet & Cremation Services, Follansbee)
Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, Inc., Albion, New York (Bates Wallace & Heath Funeral Home, Middleport; Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home, Inc., Holley; Kenneth H. Sherrie Funeral Home, Gasport; Sherrie Bream Funeral Home, Gasport)
Copeland Funeral Service, Inc., Beaufort, South Carolina
Cozean Memorial Chapel & Crematory, Farmington, Missouri
C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers, Massachusetts
David C. Brown Funeral Home, Belleville, Michigan (Higgerson & Neal Funeral Home, Belleville)
Duksa Family Funeral Homes, Newington, Connecticut (Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Burritt Hill, New Britain)
Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Homes and Crematory, Canal Winchester, Ohio (Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Home, Inc., Pickerington)
Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Homes, Pennsauken, New Jersey (Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, Camden)
Finch & Finch Funeral & Cremation Service, Altavista, Virginia (Finch & Finch, Inc., Gladys)
Flanner Buchanan Funeral and Cremation Services, Indianapolis, Indiana (Flanner and Buchanan – Geist, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Broad Ripple, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Carmel, Carmel; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Decatur Township, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Floral Park, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Hamilton Memorial Park, Westfield; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Memorial Park, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Speedway, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Washington Park East, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Washington Park North, Indianapolis; Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center Zionsville, Zionsville)
Funeraria Del Hogar de Cristo Limitada, Independencia, Santiago, Chile (Funeraria Del Hogar de Cristo, Viña Del Mar; Funeraria del Hogar de Cristo, Concepcion; Funeraria del Hogar de Cristo, Temuco)
Funeraria San Vicente S.A., Medellin, Colombia
Funeraria y Camposanto Santa Ana, Cuenca, Ecuador
Funeza, Mexico City, Mexico (Funeza Azcapotzalo, Mexico City; Funeza C7 Nezahualcoytl, Nezahualcoyotl; Funeza La Raza, Mexico City; Funeza Los Reyes, Los Reyes Acaquilpan; Funeza Zaragoza, Mexico City)
G.H. Herrmann Funeral Homes, Indianapolis, Indiana (G.H. Herrmann Madison Ave Funeral Home, Indianapolis)
Gamble Funeral Service, Savannah, Georgia
Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, Lansing, Michigan (Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing; Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes, Mason; Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes, Williamston; Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes Dewitt Chapel, Dewitt; Tiffany Funeral Home, Lansing)
Granby’s Funeral Service, Inc., Bronx, New York
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care, Madison, Wisconsin
Hantge-McBride Hughes Funeral Chapels, Hutchinson, Minnesota
Hazel Green Funeral Home, Hazel Green, Alabama
Heath Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Lakeland, Florida
Hightower Family Funeral Homes, Carrollton, GA (Hightower Funeral Home, Bremen; Hightower’s Memorial Chapel, Douglasville)
Hill, Brown and Reigle Funeral Homes, Grand Blanc, Michigan (Brown Funeral Home Hill Road Chapel, Grand Blanc; Reigle Funeral Home/Sunset Chapel, Flushing)
Holman-Howe Funeral Homes, Lebanon, Missouri
Hughes Family Tribute Center, Dallas, Texas
J. García López Casa Prim, Mexico City, Mexico
James Funeral Home & Northlake Memorial Gardens, Huntersville, North Carolina
Jennings-Calvey Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc., Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania (Scranton Area Cremation Care, Clarks Summit)
Johnston & Williams Funeral Home & Crematory, Ellensburg, Washington (Johnston & Williams Funeral Home, Cle Elum)
Jones & Son Funeral Home, Richton, Mississippi (Jones & Son Funeral Home, Beaumont; Jones & Son Funeral Home, Hattiesburg; Jones & Son Funeral Home, Moselle)
Jones-Wynn Funeral Homes & Crematory, Villa Rica, Georgia (Jones-Wynn Funeral Home & Crematory, Douglasville)
Joseph Vertin & Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge, Minnesota (Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton)
Kemp Funeral Home and Cremation Services, LLC, Southfield, Michigan
Kerrville Funeral Home, Kerrville, Texas (Kimble Funeral Home, Junction; Krestridge Funeral Homes, Levelland)
Lakeshore Memorial Services, Holland, Michigan
Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., Hamburg, New York (Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., West Seneca)
Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Stamford, Connecticut (Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Greenwich; Spadaccino and Leo P Gallagher & Son Community Funeral Home, Monroe)
Lord & Stephens Funeral Homes, Athens, Georgia (Lord & Stephens – Madison Chapel, Danielsville; Lord & Stephens Funeral Home West, Watkinsville)
Macz Funeral Homes, Centralia, Illinois
Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services, Mt. Morris, Michigan (Detroit Cremation Society, Grand Blanc)
Memorial Funeral Home – Edinburg, Edinburg, Texas
Memorial Funeral Home – San Juan, San Juan, Texas
Memorial Vera Cruz, Passo Fundo, Brazil
Mercer-Adams Funeral Service, Bethany, Oklahoma
Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes, Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Milward Funeral Directors, Lexington, Kentucky (Milward Funeral & Cremation Service – Man O’ War, Lexington; Milward Funeral Directors – Southland, Lexington)
Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
Moments Funeral Home, Lucedale, Mississippi (Moments Funeral Home, Leakesville)
Morada da Paz, Parnamirim, Brazil
Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, Madison, Indiana (Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre – Hanover Chapel, Hanover)
Morris Family Services, Hartford, Kentucky (A.F. Crow & Son Funeral Home, Glasgow; Butler Funeral Home, Edmonton; Caneyville Memorial Chapel, Caneyville; Haley-McGinnis Funeral Home, Owensboro; Holders Funeral Home, Owensville; Gardner-Brockman Funeral Home, Vincennes; Goodwin Sievers-Vincennes Broadway, Vincennes; Goodwin-Sievers Washington, Washington; Watson & Hunt Funeral Directors, Leitchfield)
Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Johnson City, Tennessee
Morrissett Funeral & Cremation Service, North Chesterfield, Virginia
Myers Mortuary, Inc., Ogden, Utah (Myers Mortuary of Brigham City, Brigham City; Myers Mortuary of Layton, Layton; Myers Mortuary of Roy, Roy)
Nie Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan (Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services – Liberty Chapel, Ann Arbor)
Oliverie Funeral Home, Manchester, New Jersey (Oliverie Funeral Home, Jackson)
Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Patrick T Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Turtle Creek)
Pedersen Funeral & Cremation Service, Morris, Minnesota (Starbuck Funeral Home, Starbuck)
Pollock-Randall Funeral Home, Port Huron, Michigan (Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home, Port Huron; Marysville Funeral Home, Marysville)
Posey Funeral Directors, North Augusta, South Carolina
Pray Funeral Home, Inc., Charlotte, Michigan
Primaveras, Guarulhos, Brazil
Radney Funeral Home, Alexander City, Alabama (Langley Funeral Home, Camp Hill)
Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes, Coal City, Illinois (Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes, Morris; Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes, Gardner; Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes, Wilmington)
Return Home, Auburn, Washington
Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Traverse City, Michigan
Robinson Funeral Homes, Easley, South Carolina (Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central; Robinson Funeral Home & Crematory – Powdersville Rd., Easley)
Roller Funeral Homes, Little Rock, Arkansas (Roller Burns Funeral Home, Yellville; Roller Funeral Home, Mountain Home; Roller Funeral Homes, Paris; Roller-Alcoa Funeral Home, Benton; Roller-Christeson Funeral Home, Harrison; Roller-Citizens Funeral Home, West Memphis; Roller-Citizens Funeral Home, West Helena; Roller-Coffman Funeral Home, Marshall; Roller-Coffman-Crouch Funeral Home, Mountain View; Roller-Cox Funeral Home, Clarksville; Roller-Crouch Funeral Home, Batesville; Roller-Daniel Funeral Home, Searcy; Roller-England Funeral Home, England; Roller-Farmers Union Funeral Home, Jonesboro; Roller-McNutt Funeral Home, Clinton; Roller-McNutt Funeral Home, Conway; Roller-Owens Funeral Home, North Little Rock; Roller-Swift Funeral Home, Osceola)
Señoriales Corporación de Servicio. Guatemala City, Guatemala
Shain Family Funeral Service, Hugo, Oklahoma (Affordable Cremation Service, Oklahoma City; Community Funeral Home, Guthrie; Cremation Care Plus, Tulsa; Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home, Durant; Rice Funeral Service, Claremore; Roden-Pryor Funeral Directors, Paris; Smith Funeral Home, Inc., Sapulpa)
Smith Family Funeral Homes, North Little Rock, Arkansas (Smith Little Rock Funeral Home, Little Rock; Smith Sherwood Funeral Home, Sherwood; Smith-Benton Funeral Home, Benton; Smith-Ruggles Wilcox Funeral Home, Arkadelphia; Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe)
Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes and Crematory, New Castle, Delaware (Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home & Crematory, Delaware City; Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home & Crematory, Newark; Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory, Middletown)
St. Peter Chapels, Quezon City, Philippines
Tetrick Funeral Services, Johnson City, Tennessee (Oakley-Cook Funeral Home, Bristol)
Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, Greenville, South Carolina (Thomas McAfee Funeral Home – Northwest Chapel, Greenville; Thomas McAfee Funeral Home Southeast Chapel, Simpsonville)
Twiford Funeral Home, LLC, Elizabeth City, North Carolina (Twiford Funeral Homes, LLC, Manteo)
Vila Memorial – Centro de Velório São José, Natal, Brazil
Waitt Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Morganville, New Jersey (Old Bridge Funeral Home, Old Bridge)
Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, Salt Lake City, Utah (Valley View Memorial Park and Funeral Home, West Valley City; Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park South Valley, Riverton)
Weeks’ Funeral Home, Buckley, Washington (Edline-Yahn & Covington Funeral Chapel, Kent; Weeks’ Dryer Mortuary, Tacoma; Weeks’ Enumclaw Funeral Home, Enumclaw)
Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Royal Oak, Michigan (Wm Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Utica)
About NFDA
NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.
