August 2019

Page A28 AUGUST 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A www.PlotExchange . com Free Ad Offer Buy - Sell - Trade No Sales Commissions No Broker Fees America’s Internet Publication to Buy or Sell Cemetery Plots and Graves ONLINE SERVICE SINCE 1999 email: office@plotexchange.com (949) 443-0905 Understanding Cremation Growth News Association HARRISBURG,PA— The Pennsylvania Fu- neral Directors Association (PFDA) held their 2019 convention in Pocono Manor, PA. Organized in 1881, PFDA is one of the largest state funeral director associations in the nation. DavidV. Peake, Jr. was installed as the 138th president of the PFDA. A graduate of the Pitts- burgh Institute of Mortuary Science, he served his apprenticeship with the Givinsh Family Funeral Homes before joining the Robert L. Mannal Funeral Home in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. In 2012, Mannal acquired Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association elects Officers at Annual Convention David V. Peake, Jr. Frank Kapr Bruce Parthemore Craft Funeral Home of Erdenheim, where Peake Jr serves as supervisor. He served the Philadelphia Local Funeral Directors Association as a board member (2010-2013), vice president (2013-2015), and president (2015-2017). Over the last three years Peake Jr represented the Philadelphia Funeral Directors Association as their District Governor for District 8. David lives with his wife Abbey and their three children Greyson, Olivia and Sawyer in Flourtown. Frank Kapr, CFSP was installed as the 2019-2020 Pres- ident-Elect. A lifelong native of Scottdale, Kapr is a gradu- ate PIMS and received his Associates Degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. He is the president and owner of Frank Kapr Funeral Home, Inc., in Scottdale, which re- ceived is the five-time recipient of the National Funeral Di- rectors Associations Eagle Award and recently the Golden Ea- gle Award for outstanding services by the funeral home and its staff. Kapr is a member of the Westmoreland, Indiana and Armstrong Counties Funeral Directors Association, Pennsylvania State and the National Funeral Directors Associations. He was the recipient of the Tribune Review “Quest For The Best” in Funeral Homes in the Scottdale, Mt. Pleasant areas and re- cently was awarded the “Silver and Bronze” awards for the best Funeral Home in Westmoreland County, PA through its subscribers. Kapr is married to Rhenee Gadd Kapr and re- sides above the funeral home with their pet Yorkie, Rylee. Kapr assisted in the recovery and identification process of the devastating crash of United States Air Flight #427, in Hopewell Township, near the Pittsburgh Internation- al Airport, September 8, 1994 and the terrorist crash of United Airlines Flight #93 in Shanksville, PA., Somerset County, September 11, 2001. Frank has been a member of the Glenn Gelder Foundation for Mass Fatality Prepared- ness since June 2003. Bruce Parthemore was installed as the 2019-2020 Sec- retary-Treasurer. A licensed funeral director and Certified Preplanning Consultant, he attended West Virginia Uni- versity and the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and holds a Pennsylvania Insurance license in life, annui- ties, accident and health. In addition to PFDA, Parthemore is amember of Capital City Funeral Directors Association, NFDA and OGR. Along with be- ing active in his local church, he is also a member of the Har- risburg Kiwanis Club, the NewCumberland OldeTown Asso- ciation, Caring Hearts Pet Therapy and Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Parthemore, with his certified therapy dogs Jasper and Maggie, visit the Penn State Children’s Hospital weekly. He is married, has two adult children and a grandson. WHEELING,IL— The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) has just released its latest Annual Sta- tistics Report featuring final 2017 cremation data, newly released 2018 data, and projections to 2023. Using figures primarily obtained through state and provincial govern- ments in the United States and Canada, CANA has deter- mined the annual percentage of cremations to deaths and forecasts future cremation percentages. CANA is commit- ted to gathering accurate and comprehensive cremation statistics to serve the needs of the death care industry and consumers. Their statistics on cremation are regarded as the most reliable and current available today. CANA has conducted extensive research on the growth rate of cremation (The Cremationist, v. 53, no. 2). The re- search, originally published in 2017, revealed that when the cremation growth rate over time is measured, an inter- esting pattern develops. While previous research indicated that cremation rates would continue to rise, the speed of that growth in 2018 was somewhat surprising. As the cre- mation rate climbs to or exceeds 50 percent in individual states, the national rate grows more quickly. While CANA has traditionally been conservative in its projections, this difference is greater than usual. They antici- pate this trend to continue until the national rate exceeds 60 percent, when the cremation rate growth is expected to start showing signs of tapering downward. At 53.4 percent, the United States is squarely in the rapid growth period. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) has been tracking national cremation statistics in the Unit- ed States and Canada since their founding in 1913. Based on this data, CANA creates annual statistics reports to document consumer preferences and measure the steady growth of cremation rates across North America. CANA research is often used by the media to shape their articles and by CANA’s members to guide their future business plans. For more information on CANA’s statistics, visit www.cremationassociation.org/IndustryStatistics. CANA members can read the full report in the most recent edition of The Cremationist or log in to www.cremationassociation.org/CremationistMagazine. Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,300 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for me- morialization.