March 2017

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Page A4 MARCH 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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By Nancy Weil
Would You
Rather?
There is a party game called “Would you rather?” In
it you pose a question with two options from which to
choose. It allows for interesting insights and answers and
laughter from all. Here are some examples of “Would
you rather…?” questions:
They may be silly: Would you rather your only mode of
transportation be a donkey or a giraffe?
They may be deep: Would you rather be famous when you
are alive and forgotten when you die or unknown when you
are alive but famous after you die?
They may be thought provoking: Would you rather be
able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes
into the future of anyone but yourself?
Or just fun to consider: Would you rather be completely
invisible for one day or be able to fly for one day?
This game got me thinking about a version for people
who work in the funeral industry.
Would you rather follow the rules or go out of your way to
help a family?
I had a sign on my desk that said, “People over poli-
cies.” I always did what I could to satisfy a family. It may
require a meeting with the president of the cemetery, but
I advocated for the family and tried to find a way around
Random
Musings
WithcertificationsasaGriefServicesProviderandGriefManagement
Specialist, Funeral Celebrant, as well as Laughter Leader, Nancy Weil
is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet
the needs of the families you serve. A professional speaker, Nancy
travels the country bringing effective tools to reduce stress, combat
compassion fatigue and handle grief to companies, associations and
conferences large and small. With a passionate interest in the healing
qualities of laughter, she is known for her energetic, entertaining and
content rich programs. In addition to talks geared to the general
public, she has also been brought in by funeral directors to offer
(CEU) programs to funeral staff, nurses, chaplains and social work-
ers in their communities.
Nancy has developed the most comprehensive aftercare program
of any cemetery or funeral home in the country and is currently di-
recting aftercare programs, community outreach and marketing at
Veterans Funeral Care. She consults with industry professionals in
how they can develop or grow their own grief support program in
order to maintain contact with the families they serve and develop
stronger relationships within their community.
Her book, If Stress Doesn’t Kill You, Your Family Might, is filled with
tools that work to reduce stress and find your “inner happy.” For
more information on how Nancy can help you and your business
grow, visit her website: or by email at:
.
the rules and regs when they just didn’t make sense for the
situation.
Would you rather stay up until midnight writing a special
service for a family or watch TV, go to bed early and offer them
the same prayers you always do?
This is a tough one to answer. Most funeral directors are
already sleep deprived from working long hours and taking
death calls during the night. Most families are happy with
a simple service that sounds new to them. They appreci-
ate any effort you make on their loved one’s behalf. Yet as a
celebrant I have spent many evenings at my computer re-
searching and writing a service that may only last 20 min-
utes, but took me six hours to complete.
Would you rather stay late at the office catching up on your
workload or go home for dinner knowing the to-do list will just
build the next day?
Again, an impossible quandary. It seems you can get a lot
done when the office is quiet and the staff has left for the
day. Yet your spouse has forgotten what you look like and
you can’t imagine one more drive through meal to eat at
your desk.
Would you rather attend your child’s baseball game or staff a
client’s calling hours?
Some of these questions have the answer you want to give,
but you know you will still do the one that is required of
your job. How many concerts, games and events have you
missed because a family you serve needs you more at that
moment than your own family?
Would you rather take care of a family’s needs or send them to
a competitor because you just don’t offer what they are asking?
This actually happened to someone I know. They got a
call from a family that wanted a “thumbie” piece of jewelry,
but their funeral home did not offer this product. So they
were told to call another funeral home and ask them to go
over, take the thumbprint and order the jewelry for them.
The original funeral home may have gotten this family’s fu-
neral, but I am pretty sure all future ones will be with the
company that went out of their way to help them.
By now I am sure you are forming all kinds of ques-
tions in your head. Write them down, pose them to
your staff and share them with me. Every day we have
a “Would you rather” moment where we must do the
difficult right over the easy answer (not wrong, just
easy.) And so I leave you with more question to ponder:
Would you rather work long hours where you can leave a
lasting positive impact on someone or barely work but help
no one?
I know my choice. What’s yours?
Financing Your Way Introduces New Financing
Option to Funeral Homes
Pittsburgh’s Historic Cemeteries Name Olesinski as
New Vice President
PITTSBURGH,PA— David J. Michener, president and
CEO of Allegheny Cemetery, The Homewood Ceme-
tery, Smithfield East End Cemetery and The Rapp Fu-
neral Home, all of Pittsburgh, along with their board
of directors, have appointed Daniel J. Olesinski as vice
president of operations.
“I’ve worked closely with Dan over the last seven years
and I’ve personally seen the affect of his leadership on the
success of each of our organizations. He has earned the
respect and admiration of every member of our team as
well as our board of directors and the families we serve.
We couldn’t have found a more capable, qualified candi-
date to tackle the unique challenges of this dynamic new
position,” says Michener.
Olesinski is a Pittsburgh native raised in the cemetery
business, getting his start in 1993 helping his father, su-
perintendent, Daniel W. Olesinski, at St. Peter’s Cem-
etery after school. Inspired by this experience, Dan pur-
sued an Associate Degree from the Pittsburgh Institute of
Mortuary Science, was promoted to superintendent of St.
Peter’s, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree
from Point Park University after graduating from Central
Catholic High School. Olesinski is also a licensed funeral
director as well as a CANA certified Crematory Opera-
tor. In 2014, he joined the executive board of the Western
Pennsylvania Cemetery Association and currently serves as
its vice president.
Dan joined the maintenance staff at Allegheny Cem-
etery in 2001 and was promoted to supervisor in 2004.
Since that time he has been instrumental in all phases of
the cemetery’s operations. His achievements at Alleghe-
ny most recently include the Allegheny Memorial Trail,
a stunning cremation garden carved into one of Allegh-
eny’s most formidable hillsides. Dan directly oversaw this
project from inception to completion and was involved
in every detail from pricing, layout/design and landscap-
ing. This project attracted widespread publicity as the
only such garden of its kind in the greater tri-state re-
gion, and it was featured in the Pittsburgh Post–Gazette,
ICCFA Magazine and the American Cemetery Magazine
among several others.
Dan resides in Verona, PA with his wife, Christine, and
their daughter. He enjoys spending time with his family
and rooting for the Penguins in his free time.
ATLANTA,GA— Looking to help
families who are seeking an alter-
native payment option for funer-
al home services, Financing Your
Way offers a new program to assist in
these costs. The financing program is
quick, easy, and sure to help out fam-
ilies in need.
When it comes to financing in the
funeral home industry, there are not
a lot of options that are readily avail-
able to families. Financing Your Way
saw this problem and is now offering
a solution to give families another pay-
ment option during these tough times.
“Funerals are already hard enough
on families, but having to worry
about the costs of funeral home ser-
vices only adds to the stress. We want
to help relieve some of that stress-
the new financing option is a great
program for families seeking funds
to help cover funeral home services,”
said Donald Lee.
With 0 percent merchant rates
for middle and top tier individuals,
loan amounts between $1,000 and
$35,000, loan terms up to 60 months
with no prepayment penalties, a high
approval rating, and no interest for 6
months, this program has a lot to of-
fer. The application process is quick
and easy, and can be done all online.
“We want to help lessen the finan-
cial burdens that so often come with
funeral homes services,” says employ-
ee Erica Wright. “By providing this
program to families when times are
tough, we can give them some peace
of mind.”
With over fifty years of experience
in the retail market place, Financing
Your Way proudly stands behind its
promise to provide the best financing
solutions possible to meet the needs
of your business. Working to take
the headache out of your business’s
financing program, Financing Your
Way has established partnerships
with financial lenders all across the
country so that they can pair your
business with the right lenders.
Financing Your Way offers single
and multiple lender platforms, as
well as customizable in-store financ-
ing options. Besides matching the
right lenders with the business, Fi-
nancing Your Way’s goal is to help
families maximize their financing
program’s potential through person-
alized training and access to effective
marketing tools. For more informa-
tion about Financing Your Way, vis-
it or
follow them on Facebook and on
LinkedIn.