April 2017

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Page A4 APRI L 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
IN THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY
Dedicated and focused, Bill’s knowledge and experience of the
death care industry provides you with value added services
in connection with audited financial statements, trust fund
compliance audits, multi-state taxation and much more.
Bill Newman, CPA
Partner
By Nancy Weil
Slow Down
to Do More
Yes, it sounds oxymoronic to state that slowing
down will allow busy professionals to be more pro-
ductive, but it’s true. Funeral Directors report that
they cannot get it all done in a day. Calls come in,
paperwork needs to be filled out and filed, calling
hours, services and more fill your day. You feel like
you can’t plan your schedule and don’t count on
a day off meaning your phone won’t ring. Unless
you’re hiking the El Camino de Santiago or out to
sea on a cruise ship, business remains in the front of
your mind.
While cemeterians have hours that are a bit more
reliable, tasks still overwhelm each day. Burials, ser-
vice requests, weather issues, phone calls, sales….so
much to do and so little time to do it in.
All of this may lead you to feel like the Red Queen
from Alice in Wonderland who said, “Here we must
run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if
you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast
as that.” In all of the running, mistakes get made,
steps get overlooked, calls are forgotten and paper-
work gets piled higher and higher. All of this leads
to more work to straighten it all out, more time to
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:
.
locate that form you need, more stress, more worry,
more need for a time out.
What can you do when you are on overwhelm and
the Camino Trail is starting to look like a good idea?
Try one of these five simple tools when overwhelm
strikes:
• Take a breath. A deep breath - a slow, deep, breath
that fills the lungs and brings oxygen to your brain.
Even 30 seconds of this can restore you to balance.
• Take a walk. Go outside and wander for 5 or 10
minutes. Leave your phone on your desk, inform
the staff that you will be right back and put one
foot in front of the other out in the fresh air.
• Take a play break. Get out the slinky, squish your
stress ball, watch a funny video clip or just laugh.
• Take time to smell the roses…or tulips or any
other flowers. Have fresh flowers (from the florist,
not someone’s funeral spray!) on your desk and
surround yourself with beauty. Spend a moment
looking at them, smelling their fragrance, contem-
plating their colors and shapes – a type of medita-
tion that is sure to release your stress.
• Take your favorite people out for coffee. Spend
time with those you love. Work has its place in
your life, but so do they. Carve out time to have
fun hanging out with friends and family.
It is easy to get lost in the busy-ness of the work day.
Reminding yourself why you do what you do allows
you to focus on the important stuff and then move
on to the details. Making a difference and taking care
of other people is an amazing feeling. Taking care of
yourself first is essential if you want to be effective at
the rest.
P.S. Here’s a movie recommendation to get you
ready to plan your adventure and still feel like you are
doing research for work. It’s a movie starring Mar-
tin Sheen called The Way. Here is the description:
A father heads overseas to recover the body of his es-
tranged son who died while traveling the “El cami-
no de Santiago,” and decides to take the pilgrimage
himself. Get the popcorn ready, Snuggie on and
enjoy movie night!
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Maxey Funeral Home celebrates 100th Anniversary
Maxey Funeral Home celebrates its 100th year in Paris this year. Sally Boswell / The Paris News
Maxey Funeral Home employees are, from left, Ray McGuire,
Dorothy Smith, Simone Hines and Joan Mathis, with owner Leon
Williams, right. Sally Boswell / The Paris News
WilliamMaxey founded Maxey
Funeral Home in 1917 in Paris.
The chapel of Maxey Funeral Home Sally Boswell / The Paris News
PARIS,TX— Maxey Fu-
neral Home in Paris, TX,
is celebrating its 100th an-
niversary this year. Found-
ed in 1917, it is the oldest
continuously black-owned
business in the area.
Founder William Max-
ey began as a teacher, and
also owned and operat-
ed a pharmacy and a taxi
service in Paris. In 1914
he decided on a career in
mortuary science, and left
Texas to attend Worsham
Training School in Illi-
nois, graduating in 1916.
Returning to Paris, he
opened his funeral home
on Tudor Street along
with his wife, Ruth , and
his sister, Anne, who were
both also teachers. With-
in a few years the business
as well as the building had
expanded, and the firm
was moved to its current
location on 3rd Street.
In 1966, William Max-
ey died, and Ruth Maxey
continued to own and op-
erate the business. Leon
Williams joined the firm
in 1965 as the managing
funeral director. When
Ruth died in 1994, Wil-
liams inherited the busi-
ness, which he owns today.
A licensed funeral direc-
tor for over 50 years, Wil-