Have you ever wondered why costs differ, sometimes dramatically, from provider to provider in the death-care industry? Perhaps it’s because while multiple companies are in the same “industry,” the type of company they are and the level of experience they provide simply aren’t the same across the board. What we know for certain is that the average cost for a funeral in the United States is $6,500, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. This does not include cemetery costs. So why, then, can you walk in one door and spend literally thousands more than another?

First, I think it’s important to remember that every market and every individual provider faces its own demands and needs. Regionally, and by individual family, what is expected from a Funeral provider differs wildly. The Federal Trade Commission, under the Funeral Rule, has established what specific price categories and disclaimers must be included on a Funeral Home’s General Price List. However, the actual price is determined by the needs and desires of the organization to grow, expand, add services, and oh … make a profit. These are, after all, businesses with considerable risk and overhead incurred by the owners.

Perhaps we can find some clarity by looking at other industries. Emotions aside, you don’t have to look far to find that experiences and prices vary significantly within lots of other types of businesses. The Hampton Inn is a hotel. So is the Ritz-Carlton. However, in one, you are expecting a clean place to sleep for the night and decent service, whereas in the other you are expecting unparalleled attention to detail and the experience of a lifetime. Golden Corral serves steak – actually pretty good steak. So does Ruth’s Chris. At the Corral, you expect to serve yourself, enjoy a soda, and leave full. But, at Ruth’s, you expect a wait staff attentive to your every need, a sizzling plate with perfectly cooked, hand-cut, aged USDA prime beef, fine wines, and a uniquely high end atmosphere.

So maybe the difference in cost is less about the provider and more about the expectations of the consumer…what we call the client-family. Is it possible that each of us has to make a decision about the moments in life that most deserve a high level of care, a personal and meaningful experience, and even a little bit of extravagance? My best advice … is to ask.

Growing up in the Funeral Service profession and serving in various capacities has taught me that typically, there is a difference in experience that goes with the difference in cost. But the provider should be expected to defend the price and the experience that accompanies it.
Will there be enough staff? Are any services contracted out to “unknown” third party providers? Can the provider plan and provide an event that is meaningful to friends and family? What services and bereavement care programs are available AFTER the funeral? Does the provider offer merchandise options that meet my needs, personally? What about catering? How about the size, condition, and capabilities of the facility? Don’t be afraid to find out what the differences are. And don’t confuse what is “efficient” with what is “effective.” Remember that you have to be the judge as to what experiences deserve the attention to detail and service excellence that a middle or higher cost provider may provide.

A life well-lived is worth remembering … well.

Justin Baxley

BIO: Justin Baxley is a 6th generation Floridian and 2nd generation Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. He is the President of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Marion County, Florida’s oldest business of record in continuous operation since 1885. Justin is a past Board-Member of the Florida Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services, and currently serves on the Board’s Probable Cause Panel and Continuing Education Committee. He enjoys motorcycling, hunting, fishing, singing, and spending time with his wife, Charity, and sons, Jacob and Joshua.

The moment I learned my daughter had an incurable disease….her funeral that took place some two years later…I will never forget either of those events. Beyond my control I ended up with a title I never wanted…bereaved parent. That’s a group that no one wants to belong to. I remember thinking… “I don’t know if I can ever recover from this.”

Over these last few blogs we have been reviewing the emotional pain that can grip us at the beginning of our grief journey – when the sting of death is open and raw. All of our senses are completely assaulted. But then somehow, in some way that is later hard to explain, we begin to release and heal.

With my daughter’s passing, it took several months before equilibrium resumed in my life. Besides the exhaustion from having zero down time for more than two years, as a caregiver it was hard to accept that I should now rest and take care of myself – there was no care giving to be done…except of self. This was a big lesson for me, maybe for you as well. I’m so thankful for friends who push and press, who care enough to see to it that you’re eating and sleeping…who make the time to invite you into their lives so that you know…you are not alone.

As was my experience, you may, at this point, be feeling a combination of guilt and relief that you’re still here on this earth but your loved one is not. That thought process is temporary; you will eventually work through it. As one familiar saying goes…this too shall pass.

It was a significant turning moment when I realized my daughter would never have to face the threat of cancer again. That was a significant turning moment for me. It was a significant turning moment because I realized she was “eternally protected” – not only from sickness, but from a multitude of cares that this life can hold. Call it consolation, call it “a mother’s love”, and call it what you will, however, that was for me, the springboard to emotional release.

One poet said it this way…“We need in love to practice only this: letting each other go. For holding on comes easily–we do not need to learn it.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“Letting go” is the springboard to emotional release. Here’s one thing that can help us in the process of emotional release: as you go through your day, write down your feelings. Research shows that writing down your deepest feelings can have tangible health benefits. There is something therapeutic about “putting it down on paper.” Writing out our thoughts and feelings will help us release and heal. Try it today. No one has to see what you’ve written – unless, of course, you want to share. Your “writings” will become a part of your grief journey and they will become precious to you when one day you look back and see just how “far” you’ve come. Then you will be able to reach out to someone else and say, “no matter what you’ve been through, however dismal, however dark, there is healing for your heart – you will make it through.”

Beverly Brown
Community Care Director
Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services & Highland Memorial Park
in addition…
Author of the book, God Speaks…a true story
(www.godspeaksthebook.com)

The funeral is behind you now, family and friends have gone back to their regular, everyday lives and you are now…alone. This next phase of your grief journey is so emotional but…you can get through it.

The most painful thing you have ever experienced in your life has happened, pain greater than you have ever imagined resides deep down in your core. It’s not enough that your loved one died. Now, it’s morning time again, a brand new day has arrived; the sun is bright, the world around you continues to live. You may feel so grieved and sickened to see a new day dawning that you may consider simply giving up yourself. You cannot give up now. It is not your time to go to the other side…this is your reason to fight.

The good news, right now, is that God loves you, Christ died for you and if you will open your heart to Him, you can begin to receive a special support that only He can give…a strength and comfort within to help you get through each new day from this point forward.

There’s a scripture in the Bible, in the book of Isaiah, that says it like this, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (43:19)

Below is something I learned from my own personal grief journey experience:
In order to get through your day, consider this: don’t think of the long 24 hrs ahead as a whole, think of moving through it in sections. Allow yourself to make progress in small doses. Determine to make it through the next five minutes; and then, determine to make it through the next hour. It’s more tolerable to consider that you don’t have to face all the “new” that is in front of you all at once. “Facing the new” – hmmm…. maybe we will touch on that topic next time.

Finally, know that emotional healing is coming for you, it is right around the corner and you are likely going to improve day-by-day. Your heart will feel better in the future, I promise. There is no “getting over it” but there is an acceptance coming that will “bring you through it.” Remember that your loved one was on this earth for a certain amount of time and absolutely nothing that you could have done or said would have changed that – absolutely nothing.

Strive to take good care of yourself. Eating may be difficult. If you cannot eat, you must, at least, drink healthy shakes. According to my Dietician friend, Carmen, mixing Carnation Instant Breakfast with low fat milk is by far healthier than the prepackaged, preservative-filled health drinks you can buy.

Until next time….hold your head up. There is hope for tomorrow. You are loved and you are here on this earth for a purpose.

Beverly Brown
Community Care Director
Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services & Highland Memorial Park
in addition…
Author of the book, God Speaks…a true story
(www.godspeaksthebook.com)

Trying to deal with anxiety after loss is a challenge.  You may look at the days ahead with fear, wondering what they hold.  At times, don’t we all? 

The memories of that fateful day we lost our loved one are painfully vivid.  Is it possible to go on without the “love of our life?”….which by the way, isn’t always a spouse.  The person closest to our heart could have been a long-time companion, parent, brother, sister, friend or, maybe even your precious son or daughter.  Regardless of their role in our lives, the emptiness in our heart can feel like a tremendous sinkhole, never to be filled by anyone or anything again. 

So, we begin to cherish their memory all the more.  Precious memories… of which no one can steal, they linger on, they live…in our minds and hearts.  Revisit the good times as often as possible; it will be medicine to your soul.  One day at a time and you’ll get there.  That’s how to survive.  Determine to cherish your loved one’s memory and they will live on.  I share in your determination to cherish their memory. 

But “what else” can we cling to besides memories when our heart feels heavy and undone…when fear of the future seems to grip our heart?  There have been times in my own life when I feared “tomorrow” and what it might hold.  And then these words from scripture make their way to my heart…”what time I am afraid, I will trust in thee…”  Psalm 56:3.  Thank you, God…for reminding me that I can trust you for “tomorrow.”

Another way I have found comfort is through true stories of God working in the lives of children.  I believe God is using children, perhaps now more than ever, to tell the world that He is real and that there really is a “Heaven” to look forward to.  Children in their innocence don’t question and analyze like adults do.  Even more than that, they don’t have to figure everything out, they simply trust and so God can use a child mightily to open our eyes to the unseen world.  It’s just mind blowing!  Take a trip to the book store or your local library; these days there is story after story out there of God speaking to children about the Holy Scriptures and about eternity in Heaven and all its glory.  I cannot even describe what I can see in my mind thinking about this….Heaven with its “gates of pearl” and “streets of gold.”  It’s stories like that that make thinking about the future bearable.

I would like to end by thanking God for His eternal mercy.

Beverly Brown

Community Care Director

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services & Highland Memorial Park

in addition…

Author of the book, God Speaks…a true story

www.godspeaksthebook.com

The content in this blog is a reflection of one coping with grief stages and the mental fog that sometimes shatters us emotionally during those first few months.   It is a culmination of thoughts and emotions and is written in hopes of helping people to better understand that we are each individuals in our grief journey, there is no perfect way to recover from loss, but it certainly does “take time.”

When you’ve lost someone you love, if feels like time should stand still; the world should pause and morn along with you; laughter should cease…for awhile, anyway – but not so.   The day-to-day events that flow with each passing second seem to completely ignore the devastation of our loss.  Why is that?  How is that?  The world is going on out there.  Time is marching on, whether we feel up to it or not.  The sun keeps setting and coming up again and again, it never fails.  Somehow this life seems so unfair.  Catch my breath, hold my thoughts… I can’t, the world is moving too fast and I am still not sure why what happened, happened.  Did you die, really?  Or, did I simply dream it? Are you just away for a time?  Did I forget?  Will you be back?  No, I remember now.  I was there when you passed from this life.  I remember now…you really did leave this world.   Am I alone?  No, I am not alone.  God is with me.  He is my one True Friend, my Rock and Deliverer, the Restorer of my broken soul.  Will I ever be happy again? Of course, I will.  Time…it just takes time.  That’s what I’ve heard.  And while time keeps marching on, I must press on…to live, to breathe, to remember your face and your laughter, to know that all is not lost…because of eternity.   Oh yes, eternity…where “time” is no more.  Blissful eternity in Heaven…that place where all is peace and perfect love.  Yes, that’s what I’ll think on tonight as my thoughts hold me captive.  That will be my choice…the good, the great, the wonder and beauty that lies ahead…while time marches on.

Beverly Brown

Community Care Director

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services & Highland Memorial Park

in addition…

Author of the book, God Speaks…a true story

(www.godspeaksthebook.com)

It is no secret that Cremation has grown and continues to grow in preference for families who have either experienced the death of a loved one or who are planning ahead for their own final arrangements. In fact, according to the Cremation Association of North America, final arrangements nationwide in 2007 included cremation 34% of the time and in Florida specifically, 49% of the time.

As Licensed Funeral Directors and Professional Advance-Planning Advisors, the reasons we hear for selecting cremation are numerous. A few of them are “we want to take up less space,” “cremation is less expensive,” “it’s easier to take an urn back up North than a casket,” “my neighbor did it so I will too,” and “I want to have more time to decide on what to do at the cemetery.” And if the reasons are varied, so too are the myths and misunderstandings about cremation. It is the purpose of this blog to address a few of those:

- “All cremations are basically the same, right?” – wrong. Aside from the differences in ceremony or merchandise preferences, death care providers do differ in how they approach the cremation service offering. First, some organizations, such as Hiers-Baxley, own their own Private Crematory, while other, many times cheaper, companies have not made that investment and must rely on a third-party sub-contractor. This can become an issue with scheduling and peace-of-mind. Another consideration is that while some providers are licensed to offer Remembrance or Memorial Ceremonies in addition to the cremation, some are not, and this can effect whether or not a family will be able to have their wishes carried out. Other important questions when you consider the differences (and I encourage you to ask them) are “Who do I call when a death occurs?”, “Where will my loved-one’s remains be kept?”, “Who will come to receive my loved-one’s remains?” (Many companies rely on a third-party for this as well), and “Can you provide me with options for final placement of the cremated remains?”

- “If you choose cremation, then you can’t have a funeral.” – On the contrary, choosing cremation doesn’t limit a family’s choices at all. Many families choose to have a time of visitation as well as a Remembrance Ceremony or Funeral Mass prior to cremation, while other families opt to have a Memorial Ceremony with the urn present, rather than a casket.

- “With cremation you don’t need a cemetery.” – All throughout the year, families come to our cemetery, Highland Memorial Park, wondering what to do with the Cremated Human Remains of a relative that they have somehow “inherited” and don’t know what to do with. Having a permanent place of remembrance in a perpetual care cemetery is an important part of the funeral process and gives a sense of finality and closure. Plus, refusing to make a decision on where to place the remains only leaves a problem unsolved for a future family member.

Scattering is certainly another option, but I always remind people that scattering cannot be undone, and not having a place to put a rose or to visit on holidays and anniversaries can become an emotional stumbling block in the future. Throughout history, humankind has had a desire to remember and be remembered as well as to connect with where we’ve come from. Besides, today’s modern cemeteries have many unique and creative options for placing the cremated human remains of a loved one, and most of those options do cost significantly less than casketed ground burial.

- “How do I know if the cremated remains are really those of my loved-one?” – This is a VERY important question, and I encourage you to ask it of whichever company you may consider using. Most states require a system for identification in the cremation process. At Hiers-Baxley, we call ours the Positive Identification Procedure. It works as follows:

• Human Remains are fitted with an ankle identification bracelet BEFORE leaving the place of death and logged into our secure facility using a log sheet and information form.
• When we know that cremation has been chosen by the legally authorized next of kin, a Cremation ID Number is assigned.
• The Cremation ID Number is placed on all crematory documents relating to the deceased.
• The number is further assigned as it is imprinted on a Stainless Steel Identification Disc.
• Following the state-required 48-hour waiting period, the completion of all necessary paperwork including medical certification, Medical Examiner approval, Permitting, and a signed Cremation Authorization, a Fail Safe Phone Call to the Funeral Home location serving the family takes place.
• The Stainless Steel Identification Disc is placed into the crematory for the cremation process and is placed with the Cremated Human Remains in the urn, at the crematory, following cremation. The urn is also further identified.
• Should the Cremated Human Remains need to be identified, the Stainless Steel Identification Disc can be removed from inside the urn and the Cremation ID Number matched with all crematory paperwork, establishing the identity of the Cremated Human Remains.

It is expected that by the year 2015, cremation will be a part of final arrangements 44% of the time, nationwide, and much more in states like California and Florida. In the end, cremation is a personal choice for personal reasons, but, as with any major decision, being better-informed leads to making better decisions. Making better decisions increases something we desperately need at a time of loss…Peace-of-Mind.

Justin Baxley, President

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services

Every Life is Honored with Excellence

We certainly wouldn’t be the only company to have a Core Value related to providing Excellence in the level of service. But, I would venture to say that we have to be near the top of the list when it comes to the purpose of that goal. Providing excellent care and service is about more than just making sure today’s family returns to us in the future.  It is about having one chance to celebrate a life and provide healing opportunities for a family which has lost their dear loved one.

To be excellent in the moments when it counts the most, we have to create a culture in which the commitment to excellence exists at every level and in every task – no matter how seemingly mundane.  Foundational goals enable higher goals. If the phone isn’t answered with excellence, then it will be difficult to have excellent communication, internally or externally.  If our vehicles and facilities are not cared for with extreme focus on detail, than it will be unlikely that we can have that focus in the design and set-up of a ceremony. When the details are right and in-line, then the bigger picture comes into focus more clearly and in a way that meets our standard of excellence.

So then HOW do we achieve excellence and HOW do we know we’ve achieved it?  Excellence begins and ends with people.  We serve in an industry that is hands-on, that relies on technology for efficiencies but could never deliver the end “product” to the families we serve without dedicated hands and compassionate hearts.  Thus, we are extremely intentional in who we bring in to be a part of our team.  Our families can count on the fact that beyond drug-screening and criminal background checks, we seek to assure alignment with all of our Core Values.  Skills are important, but many times, can be trained.  Core beliefs and ideals are typically inherent – either someone is or isn’t a fit for the standards we set for ourselves as we serve families. Please visit our Staff page to learn more about many of our team-members.

Feedback is another important part of the equation, with every family we serve receiving a survey to solicit their opinions and impressions about us.  This process includes families who have experienced a loss as well as those who have made the important step of planning ahead by completing their final arrangements in advance of need. Doug Gober, a respected speaker and consultant to our industry says, “Your brand is not your name on a sign.  Your brand is what goes through a person’s mind when they see your name on a sign.”  We believe that, and our survey process helps us understand “who” we are in the eyes of the communities we serve.

Finally, no commitment to Excellence would be complete without a commitment to ACTION.  As a local, family-owned company, we are not hamstrung with the red-tape of a large corporation.  When we are confronted with a procedure or event that does not align with the commitment to Excellence, we can move quickly to make necessary changes and to satisfy a family’s needs and concerns. And a commitment to action also means that we are never satisfied.  We believe that as family’s needs change, we must change.  We also believe that there is ALWAYS room for improvement – opportunities to care for families and create meaningful experiences which surpass expectations and exemplify . . . Excellence.

Justin Baxley, President

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services

As we make our way through the holiday season, for those of us who have experienced loss, the holidays can be a painful and lonely time.  Things have changed and they’re never going to be the same.  As a result, emotions can really get out of hand.  On top of your own grief, the hurry and stress that just naturally come from this time of year can be nearly debilitating.

When your heart feels empty…

‘Tis the season to be jolly” – that holiday spirit is so prevalent this time of year.  But what do you do when you’re just not up to it?

Grief Experts say that loss of a one-on-one relationship is one of the top distresses in human life.  Losing that close bond of husband and wife, parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, companion to companion – it’s deep and indescribable.  You may not feel like celebrating the holidays this year, you may even feel like you don’t want to go on living.

I saw this played out in my own life.  My only child died in 2004.  Living with the reality that my daughter had passed away, life seemed so pointless.  My days as her mother were concluded.   Those were days that felt like there was nothing worth getting out of bed for.  Food had lost its’ taste.  Color seemed dull.  I, too, felt dead, dead inside, which seemed to give me a reason to quit myself.  The only thing that kept me going was that there was no other option.  The holidays were most certainly not a happy time for me.  But over time, my heart healed, my spirit strengthened.  My life is different now; it’s a good life and it’s fulfilled, but all that took time.  Please know that healing from the grief of loss is a series of steps.

Give yourself time and go at your own pace…

The good news is that we’re designed to adapt.  Even though you may feel heartbroken and heartsick right now, you will improve over time.  However, you do need someone to walk through your grief with you, to come along side with an arm around your shoulder.  Half the time it’s just being quiet and listening that is necessary.

How to move through the grief…

• Express your heartfelt feelings on paper.  Buy a card for the loved one you’ve lost and write a note to them inside.  No one has to see it.  Expressing your feelings in writing can be very healing.
• Visit a Bereavement Group.  Try it at least once, if you don’t like it, don’t go back, but definitely move on to a different form of grief support.
• Visit our Grief Support page to see the many options that Hiers-Baxley offers to, not only individuals and families they have served, but the community in general.  These support services are offered at no charge and are a tremendous help to those who take part.  Visit:  http://www.hiers-baxley.com/grief-and-healing/

What’s normal?

• It’s okay if you’re not up to the Company Christmas Party this year. 
• It’s okay not to buy gifts. 
• It’s okay if you choose not to decorate. 

In time, you will feel like getting back to some of those regular routines and traditions.  In the meantime, keeping your own pace is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself.

The life after this life ends

Recently, I heard a Minister say these words concerning the race of this life, “God has given each one of us a measure of time.  Some of us are in a 90-year marathon; others are in a 40-year dash.  None of us know exactly how many days we have here on earth.  But we all have the choice to stay focused on making a difference day-by-day in the lives of others”

I really love that.  It builds my faith when I hear statements like that..words that are comforting and encouraging…they push me forward and help me not to be so consumed with my own grief.

I love the way Emily Dickinson put the challenge into poetry.  The words of this are incredible.
I MEASURE EVERY GRIEF…

I measure every grief I meet
with analytic eyes;
I wonder if it weighs like mine,
or has an easier size.

I wonder if they bore it long,
or did it just begin?
I could not tell the date of mine,
it feels so old a pain.

I wonder if it hurts to live,
and if they have to try,
and whether, could they choose between,
they would not rather die.

I wonder if when years have piled–
some thousands–on the cause
of early hurt, if such a lapse
could give them any pause;

Or would they go on aching still
through centuries above,
enlightened to a larger pain
by contrast with the love.

The grieved are many, I am told;
the reason deeper lies,–
death is but one and comes but once
and only nails the eyes.

There’s grief of want, and grief of cold,–
a sort they call ‘despair,’
There’s banishment from native eyes,
in sight of native air.

And though I may not guess the kind
correctly yet to me
a piercing comfort it affords
in passing Calvary,

To note the fashions of the cross
of those that stand alone
still fascinated to presume
That some are like my own- Emily Dickinson

Wishing you peace and comfort through the holidays.

Beverly Brown, Community Care Director

Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services

In the last couple of blogs, I have had the distinct privilege of exploring and explaining the Core Values of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services.  In this update, we’re focused on our third Core Value – “We Serve with Compassion.”

We Serve with Compassion

Compassion is itself, a very over-used word – particularly in the Funeral Home and Cemetery industries. We all agree that we should be compassionate.  We all agree that compassion is a great attribute.  But carrying out this core value involves a lot more than a cursory acceptance of those ideas. Compassion wells up from the heart of a person who is truly passionate about serving people and about building relationships.  When you realize that few other things in life are as important as the bonds we make or break with other human beings, then you have a start on true compassion.  

Compassion is measured in the toughest of moments, when we encounter those times, places, and people that test the limit of who we are and what our humility will allow us to endure.  Grieving people experience and express grief in different ways.  Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s accepted stages of grief include Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.  While we don’t have the time to flesh out each stage, it’s safe to say that a person struggling with any one of these stages, other than Acceptance, could test our ability to show Compassion.  A person in Denial can be resistant to any heartfelt concern, struggling to accept the truth of a loss. Anger makes a grieving person especially challenging to help. Bargaining sometimes causes a grieving person to turn inward with blame, making it difficult to form a connection. Depression builds walls that shut out help and concern.

And so, when we consider the core value of being compassionate, we realize that compassion goes well beyond an emotion or intention.  Being compassionate means persistently seeking opportunities to help, to care, and to show concern, even in the face of rejection, frustration, and distancing behavior.  I’m certainly not a Psychiatric professional, but my experience as a Funeral Director, and the wisdom of our many experienced team members, tells me that the ability to be compassionate comes from the design of your heart.  The rightness of being compassionate persists, regardless of the strain of the situation.  And in the end, Serving with Compassion, is worth the expense, the stress, and the sacrifice.

Justin Baxley, President
Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services

In our last Blog, we introduced the four Core Values of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services. Though they are posted in all of our locations, our staff will tell you it’s not uncommon to hear me say, “Our Core Values are not just words on a wall.” I believe that. In your own life, organization, or business, remember that these Values must be instilled, a part of the culture. Our Values, drafted by a committee of our staff members several years ago, resemble that. Speaker/Author Thomas Winninger says that if you ask 10 people in your organization what is most important and get 10 different answers, then you don’t have a “culture” at all. Our Core Values serve as the guiding principles that keep our level of service and attention to detail constant and consistent, while the actual services and ceremonies we provide adapt to the needs of client-families.

- We Value Life
- We Earn Trust
- We Serve with Compassion
- Every Life is Honored with Excellence

We Earn Trust
Earning Trust in the business of Celebrating Life, Caring for the Deceased, and Advance-Planning of Final Arrangements is not so different from any other situation in that garnering the Trust of others takes years to accomplish and seconds to destroy. However, in the operation of Funeral Homes and Cemeteries, much of what we do is unknown to the public. The families we serve want to know that we will provide compassionate care and that we have their best interests at heart.

For these reasons, We Earn Trust. Practically, for our staff of caring professionals, this means that details matter and that Trust is earned in those moments that seem insignificant, when no one may be watching. Many firms in our industry contract details such as the Transfer of the Deceased into the Funeral Home’s care to sub-contractors; WE DON’T. Actually, we can’t, because our Core Values don’t allow it. How can we Earn Trust when someone we may not even know is carrying out one of the most sacred services we provide to families?

Earning Trust also means that when we make a mistake, we own up to it – promptly and directly. It seems like common sense, really, but it’s amazing how many people, businesses, and organizations find themselves in hot water by trying to “cover up” rather than “owning up”. For our staff, this means if we make a mistake on an obituary, or flowers fail to be delivered timely, or any number of potential human errors, we admit it, correct it, and retool the procedure, if necessary.

This Core Value is why families come to us “When Trust Matters Most”sm. Honesty and integrity are part of our DNA. Doing the right thing by our families and each other is a non-negotiable. And we truly believe that for 125 years, the families we serve have appreciated the difference that makes.

Justin Baxley, President
Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services