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NEWS MARCH 2020 Fam i l y Own e d a n d Ope r a t ed S i nce 1974 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY P O B o x 5 1 5 9 Yo u n g s t o w n O H 4 4 5 1 4 1 - 8 0 0 - 3 2 1 - 7 4 7 9 O n l i n e a t www . n o m i s p u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m P r e v i o u s l y P u b l i s h e d a s t h e Y B N e w s • S t i l l t h e P l a c e f o r Yo u r N e w s ! Register now at iccfaconvention.com 2020 ICCFA AnnuAl ConventIon & exposItIon March 30–april 2 henry B. González convention center San antonio, texaS Creating Legacies McKenzie Mortuary Services Marks 25 Years Kenneth J. McKenzie LONG BEACH,CA— Kenneth McKenzie opened Long Beach’s McKenzie Mortuary Services in 1994. To cut overhead the 2,000 square foot location was located in a business park in an industrial area. If you don’t know the story behind Kenneth J. McKen- zie’s career as founder, owner and operator of McKenzie Mortuary Services, well, you’re probably six feet under. The story familiar to many is that McKenzie found his calling as a mortician after his father committed suicide when he was only 12 years old. McKenzie formed a bond with the mortician who handled his father’s burial and services, the mortician had dated McKenzie’s father when she was in high school and gave an invaluable talk to fam- ily members about what his dad was like as a youth. “At the time of my father’s death I was thinking, this isn’t supposed to happen to me. This happens to peo- ple down the street,” McKenzie said. But the experience planted a seed. “I told people this is what I want to do for a living. When I told my mother she said, ‘Oh God.’” McKenzie enrolled in the mortuary science program at Cy- press Junior College, served an apprenticeship in Modesto, continued it at a Lakewood funeral home and then landed his first professional job at the same business, working there for eight years after becoming a licensed mortician. Continued on Page A2 Pre-Convention Highl ights Begin on Page A19 #1084 www.nomispublications.com L ike Us On Facebook! Classified Ads Shipping Directory Index of Advertisers