July 2017

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Page A26 JULY 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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Homesteaders Certificate
in Strategic Business
Management Class
Mount Ida College
honors Sarah Stopyra
with Excellence in
Teaching Award
PIMS Deans List
NEWS Educational
NEWTON,MA— Mount Ida
College in Newton present-
ed Funeral Service Educa-
tion Instructor Sarah Sto-
pyra with the prestigious
Ronald J. Lettieri Award for
Excellence in Teaching at
commencement ceremonies
held Saturday May 13.
Stopyra accepted the annu-
al award from Provost Ron-
ald Akie and will present a
speech to the class of 2021
during the Fall Convocation.
With more than a decade of
experience in funeral service
in the capacities of funeral di-
rector, embalmer and insur-
ance agent conducting pre-
need sales, Stopyra brings her
passion for her work to her
students. As one of the first
licensed female funeral direc-
tors without family ties to fu-
neral service in her area, she
feels fortunate to have had
the ability to work autono-
mously, gain practical, hands
on experience in most every
aspect of the field.
“I am a funeral director be-
cause it is what I love. I am
teacher because it is my pas-
sion. I feel like the luckiest
person in the world to get to
do what I do. The opportu-
nity to pass along my passion
for this industry to my stu-
dents is something I have al-
ways dreamed of doing. I feel
I am doing as much, if not
more for my industry in this
position by helping to culti-
vate compassion, humility
and knowledge in future fu-
neral professionals.”
Stopyra finds it an exciting
time for her vocation. “Every
day I am discovering a new
service offering, a new way
of doing something or a new
product that can enhance the
way we serve families. I chal-
lenge my students every day
to embrace these changes as
opportunities.”
Stopyra holds a Bachelor of
Arts from Framingham State
University and is pursuing
her ., from Framing-
ham State. In 2015, she was
one of 50 funeral directors
nationwide selected to par-
ticipate in the National Fu-
neral Directors Association’s
“Meet the Mentors” pro-
gram, supported by the Fu-
neral Service Foundation.
Stopyra is a licensed fu-
neral director and embalmer
in Massachusetts and New
Hampshire. She is certified
by both the National Funer-
al Directors Association and
the Crematory Association of
North America as a Cremato-
ry Operator and Provider and
is a Certified Funeral Service
Practitioner and a Certified
Preplanning Consultant.
Stopyra currently teaches
Funeral Service Pathology,
Funeral Service Merchandis-
ing and Management, Social
Foundations of Funeral Ser-
vice, Restorative Art and Fu-
neral Directing I and II.
“Many people go through
the motions to become a fu-
neral director, whether they
think it’s something unique
to try out or their family con-
nection is pushing them in
that direction. To truly BE a
funeral director, however, can
only come from the heart.”
PITTSBURGH,PA— Pitts-
burgh Institute of Mor-
tuary Science (PIMS) is
pleased to recognize the fol-
lowing students who have
been placed on the Dean’s
List for the spring trimester
ending May 12, 2017.
This academic honor goes
to those full-time students
who have achieved a grade
point average of 3.50 or bet-
ter in this trimester of studies.
From the Associate in Spe-
cialized Business Degree class:
Daniel Davenport of Amity,
PA; Maria Koontz of Eliza-
bethville, PA and Alexandra
Natale of Reading, PA.
From Class #155: Chel-
sea Cush of Pittsburgh,
PA; Taylor Evans of Street,
MD; Juliana Fortuna-
to of Pittsburgh, PA; Lon-
dyn Hutson of Harrington,
DE; Adrienne Kloecker of
Erie, PA; Cierra Personius
of Somerset, PA and Holly
Stavarski of Pittsburgh, PA.
From Class #156: Joseph
Greenfield of Chattanooga,
TN and Jessie Townsend of
Parkersburg, WV.
Congratulations to PIMS
honor students on their aca-
demic achievement.
WEST DES MOINES,IA— Homesteaders Life Company has
once again partnered with Drake University to offer the third
annual Certificate in Strategic Business Management course
for funeral professionals. The class will take place September
19-21, 2017, in Des Moines, IA.
The three-day course is designed to help funeral home own-
ers, managers and candidates for succession adopt the most in-
novative business practices. Topics that will be covered include
strategy and business processes, financial and legal strategies
and marketing for the future. The upcoming course also fea-
tures a new section on succession planning and valuating your
funeral home led by Homesteaders Chief Operating Officer
Steve Shaffer. Attendees will gain experience from case studies
and interactive, application-oriented learning exercises.
“We are excited to be partnering with Drake University to
offer new strategies and best practices to funeral professionals,”
said Judy Ralston-Hansen, Homesteaders Executive VP-HR
& Administration. “We strongly believe in the value of help-
ing professionals develop business skills to become successful
leaders in funeral service.”
The faculty of Drake’s College of Business and Public Admin-
istration has worked withHomesteaders to discover the unique
business opportunities and challenges of the funeral profession.
“I had a business partner who passed away a few years ago,
and it all kind of fell on my shoulders,” said Vincent Fried-
erich, owner and funeral director at Barnes Friederich Funer-
al Home in Midwest City, OK, and a graduate of the 2016
Strategic Business Management course. “I always struggled
with wondering if I’m doing things right. This class gave me
tools to help me do things better and it confirmed some things
that I had been doing right.”
Homesteaders is offering a limited number of discounted
rates for early registrants. Students who register before Septem-
ber 2 will receive a significant discount. Plus, a limited number
of firms that enroll two funeral professionals will only pay the
cost of one registrant and may still qualify for the discount.
more about it at or at www.home-