Page A16 JUNE 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com Most of us have experienced the arduous task of overcoming issues left from physical conditions of the body or from embalming complications or shortcuts taken during the actual embalming. Regardless of how and why it happened, we are left to correct the problem. Our goal is to present a pleasant looking, problem free body for family and friends to say their goodbyes and have a lasting positive memory picture. Many times, I have spent hours attempting to overcome problem bodies. A situation comes to mind involving a jaundiced body that was in the care of my funeral home. I was out of town and engaged a trade embalmer to cover this case. When I returned home the next evening, I was disappointed in the color and fixation. I was hoping for more color and firming. I decided to re-embalm using a high index fluid and as much dye as needed. I employed the RCI with restricted drainage, using high pressure with very low rate of flow. Patience wins in situations like this. I first injected down from the right carotid with a gallon of arterial solution at 4% solution strength with 6 ounces of dye. I closely observed the hands as I injected downward. I could see by the flow rate of the machine’s gauge that this body was taking fluid and I didn’t notice any swelling. I quickly saw the hands and palms of the hands showing signs of pink. I shut the petcock and added 4 more ounces of dye, allowing it to thoroughly mix, and continued to inject downward. I encountered great color change and fixation of the arms and hands by just this one gallon of solution. For the head, I mixed a half gallon of arterial solution at 3% solution strength with six ounces of dye. At the time I had a manual high pressure machine. I set the pressure at 60 lbs. with 1-2 ounce ROF. It took a significant amount of time, but I could slowly see the color appearing and no swelling, as I had hoped. I left that evening feeling like I’d won a battle. Unfortunately, the next morning, much of the color had dissipated. However, I achieved the fixation I desired. By Wally Hooker, CFSP, MBIE The words of this gentleman’s wife from the pre-arrangement were ringing in my head: “Please don’t use a lot of makeup…he’s so handsome and I don’t want him to look like a clown, like I’ve seen in other places.” I considered using my airbrush, tints, opaque cosmetics, and powders. I tested all of the above, but I didn’t like what I was seeing. It would be a church visitation/mass 100 miles away, then two days later an evening visitation, with a funeral the next day at our funeral home. I was sweating this one, trying to figure out what direction to head. I was about to throw in the towel and just do my best with cosmetics. I’m not sure if it was divine intervention or my farm upbringing and thinking outside the box, but I devised a plan using the dye topically! I first degreased the area and tried straight dye, but it was too bright. Then I mixed an ounce of dye with a half cup of lukewarmwater in an aluminum bowl. I tested it on a shoulder, using a soft bristle brush, but it was taking too long to dry and would run easily. I tried another application, using a blow dryer in an attempt dry it more quickly. It still wasn’t satisfactory. I thought the issue was getting the water to dry. What could I use that would carry the dye and dry quickly? I was frustrated, so I took a break and went to lunch at the local diner. I needed time to think. Before I began eating, I used my hand sanitizer, but I squeezed too hard and a glob fell to my pant leg. I rubbed it off my pants and rubbed my hands together and in no time, the spot on my leg was gone. It had evaporated almost immediately. I looked at the bottle of sanitizer and realized it was 70% alcohol. It hit me! I needed to try using alcohol with the dye! I ate my lunch quickly so I could go back and give it a try. I mixed a half cup of alcohol with two ounces of medium red dye. With very small amounts, I gently brushed (stippled) it on and continued brushing until that area dried. Then I gently dabbed the area with a buff of Webril cotton. This was what the doctor ordered! It took about three applications before I was satisfied with the color. His shortcropped hair made it easier to color the scalp, than if he’d Embalming 101 had longer hair. I followed up with a light application of setting powder, highlighted the eyelashes and eyebrows with dark mascara, then mixed lip color to a natural appearance. In my mind I had overcome the battle, because I knew what I started with…but what would the family think? This 50ish gentleman had died slowly, as a result of pancreatic cancer. He was a handsome man in life. I dressed him in a white shirt, black suit and the tie the family had sent and he looked like a million bucks! His family was astounded he looked so natural and at peace. His mother and wife even remarked how nice his hands looked. Remember earlier we discussed re-injecting down with dye? His hands had absolutely no cosmetic and they looked natural, right down to the nail beds. This is not about me boasting. It is an example of not throwing in the towel It is about thinking outside the box, not giving up and going the extra mile. I remind you all: if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT! If what we do was easy, everyone would want to do it. Go out there and make a difference! Next month we’ll share more examples of overcoming challenges. Stay safe! Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral director and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife, Janet designed, established and built their funeral home in 2004. Wally is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, where he serves on the Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and board member of North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. In addition, he has served as chief deputy coroner/investigator of Fountain County, IN for the last 24 years. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at Overcoming Post Embalming Complications & Shortcomings Carriage Services Announces First Quarter Results Service Corporation International Announces First Quarter Financial Results and Quarterly Dividend HOUSTON,TX— Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE: CSV) announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. Carlos Quezada, President and Chief Operating Officer, stated, “We started our new five-year timeframe with a record first-quarter performance even after a very high comparable performance last year influenced by the peak of COVID-19 cases in January of 2021. Total Revenue was $98.2 million, an increase of $1.5 million or 1.6%, driven entirely by a $3.3 million or 4.9% increase in our funeral home portfolio. The good news in the first quarter against last year’s difficult COVID-19 lift performance is that our Adjusted Diluted EPS was up 13.6%, and GAAP Diluted EPS was up 40.8%.” Mel Payne, Chairman and CEO, stated, “I highly recommend that anyone interested in Carriage for any reason read my most recent 2021 Shareholder Letter, co-written by the three other members of our Strategic Vision and Principles Group (SVPG), Carlos Quezada, Ben Brink and Steve Metzger, together with our Proxy Statement for our Annual Meeting of stockholders on May 17, 2022. In particular, you hopefully will find unique value and maybe a little surprise wisdom in my “Introduction To Shareholder Letter” and concluding pages with the heading, P.S. A Personal Note From Mel Payne.” Carriage Services has also announced that its Board of Directors on April 21, 2022 declared a quarterly dividend of 11.25¢ per share payable on June 1, 2022 to common share record holders as of May 9, 2022. Carriage Services operates 168 funeral homes in 26 states and 31 cemeteries in 11 states. For full results and more information, visit www.carriageservices.com. HOUSTON,TX— Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) reported results for the first quarter of 2022. Tom Ryan, the Company’s Chairman and CEO, commented: “Today we are pleased to report a solid start to 2022 with adjusted earnings per share of $1.34, a $0.02 increase over the prior year quarter. We continued to experience elevated levels of funeral services, burials, and preneed sales against a robust customer spend. Both preneed funeral and cemetery sales production grew at double-digit percentages and we were able to generate $34 million of revenue growth against a strong first quarter 2021. “I would like to thank each and every one of our associates for continuing to do what you do best, which is helping our client families gain closure and healing through the process of grieving, remembrance, and celebration.” SCI also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of twenty-five cents per share of common stock. The quarterly cash dividend is payable on June 30, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2022. The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has increased the authorized level of repurchases of its common stock by approximately $394 million. Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, is North America’s leading provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, as well as final-arrangement planning in advance, serving more than 600,000 families each year. At March 31, 2022, they owned and operated 1,467 funeral service locations and 488 cemeteries (of which 300 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For quarterly results, visit www.sci-corp.com. CLOSEOUTPRICING! ON THE 2022 EDITIONS 1-800-321-7479 www.NomisPublications.com
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