September 2021

Page A22 SEPTEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A overconfident Dr. Bliss. Alexander Graham Bell was even brought in to try to locate the bullet using a kind of metal detector that he had in- vented. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Dr. Bliss was so confi- dent of Garfield’s recovery, that he allowed the President to make the trip to Elberon to be with his family. Once in Elber- on, however, Garfield’s condition quickly deteriorated. In the end, he was covered with infected boils and suffered a horribly distressing death. President Garfield died on September 19, 1881. The county coroner and local undertaker William H. Morris, Jr . from Long Branch was called immediately. Af- ter Mr. Morris had concluded his coroner duties, he noti- fied another undertaker by the name of Charles A. Bene- dict in New York City. Mr. Benedict secured the services of James W. Walsh , who was a trade embalmer in New York City, and these two men traveled to Elberon to meet up with Mr. Morris. President Garfield’s remains were embalmed at 4:00 PM on the day of his death. Garfield, who weighed 200 pounds when shot, weighed 130 pounds when he was em- balmed. While he was being embalmed, Benedict returned to New York City to select the casket. The family left this de- cision up to the undertaker. Benedict returned with a cas- ket that was described as plain and unostentatious, but rich and elegant in its appointments. Garfield was dressed in the same frock coat he had worn when inaugurated. On the morning of September 21st, Garfield’s remains were taken back to Washington. Funeral director Willis Reed Speare was waiting at the station to transfer the President to the Capitol. As a lad, Speare had worked for Harvey & Marr and participated in the burials of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, By Todd Van Beck At 9:30 AM on Saturday, July 2, 1881, James A. Gar- field, the 20th President of the United States, was shot as he walked through the main reception room of the Balti- more and Potomac station. He was about to take a train to Elberon, New Jersey to spend the summer with his family. One bullet tore through his right arm; the other pierced his back and lodged on the left side beneath his heart. The assassin was Charles Guiteau, a man who wanted a government job and had haunted the White House for weeks. Guiteau blamed President Garfield for his failure in getting a consular position. Seriously wounded, the President was taken back to the White House in an ambulance. His physicians proclaimed that because of Garfield’s rugged constitution, he was des- tined to recover. One aggressive physician by the name of Dr. D. Wil- lard Bliss was obsessed with finding the bullet. He made one attempt after another with unsterilized hands and in- struments to probe the wound. Unbeknownst to Dr. Bliss, a fatal case of septicemia had begun which would prove deadly to Garfield. In fact, the American proverb “igno- rance is bliss” originated as a mocking statement about the J ames A bram G arfield the twentieth President of the United States of America Rest in Peace, Mr. President. That was the hope...that our presidents would rest in peace, but that has not always happened. For example, between 1865 and 1901 Lincoln’s remains were moved 18 times. Funerals are a reflection of how people live their lives, and this remains true for the funerals of our U.S. presi- dents. This series offers a glimpse into the deaths and fu- nerals of our presidents, while offering overdue recogni- tion to the scores of funeral professionals who labored ceaselessly to carry out the wishes of the presidents, their families, and in some cases, the wishes of the United States government. Each account tells an interesting story. —TVB Todd W. Van Beck is associated with John A. Gupton College in Nashville, and has been an author, teacher, practitioner, and speak- er for over 40 years. On May 30, 2018 Van Beck celebrated 50 years in funeral service. You can reach Todd at 615-327-3927. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at Rest In Peace, Mr. President and Mrs. Mary Surratt. It was estimated that 80,000 people viewed Garfield’s remains. On September 23rd, Garfield’s remains were returned to Cleveland, Ohio, which was near his hometown of Mentor, Ohio. Hogan & Harris Undertakers were in charge of the funeral in Cleveland. For three days, Garfield’s remains were on public view at Monument Square in Cleveland. Formal fu- neral services were begun on the morning of September 26th. The funeral procession traveling to Lake View Cemetery was long and impressive, but the center focus was the funer- al car created by Hogan & Harris Undertakers. The wheeled catafalque was drawn by twelve black horses and made its way down Euclid Avenue to the gates of Lake View. Twice dur- ing the long march, sudden rain storms broke up the procession; both times it was reformed and the march resumed. W.R. Speare, the Washington funeral director who was hired by the govern- ment, sent his itemized bill. According to the Congressional record, he fur- nished a total of 93 carriages, 118 white sashes, 12 black sashes, 30 pairs of white kid gloves, 14 pairs of black kid gloves, and a hearse with 6 white hors- es and groom attendants. Speare repeat- edly sent the bill, which was $1,890.50, to the government. Fifty-five thousand dollars had been voted by Congress for Garfield’s funeral, but Mr. Speare, who did his work so faithfully, never received a penny. Willis Reed Speare Time may be only a moment so keep a memory Necklace Urn Pendants for an Everlasting Keepsake. Urns hold a portion of the cremains. Sterling Silver and Gold pieces in stock. orders or catalog : www.cremationkeepsakes.com cremationkeepsakes@comcast.net 877-303-3144 CREMATION KEEPSAKES ©adfinity ® Independently owned by licensed funeral director Dave McComb, Inman Shipping Worldwide offers unmatched integrity and expertise. We have more than 40 years of experience bringing loved ones home for ceremony. We offer: • International & domestic ship-in services • Unsurpassed attention to detail • State-of-the-art tracking software • 24/7 call center staffed by Inman employees WE GIVE YOU MORE TIME TO SERVE your families Contact us today to learn more. (800) 321-0566 • ShipInman.com NORFOLK,NE— Premier Preneed Marketing is excited to announce the company has recently de- veloped a strategic partnership with Craig Stewart, a licensed funeral director and funeral sales trainer. Stewart will partner with Premier and serve as a key sales training consultant to provide Premier and its funeral homes and counselors with exclusive sales training, coaching, and mentoring. “Craig will play a critical role for Premier as a key partner to our customers,” commented Jeff Wright, vice president of preneed at Premier Preneed Mar- keting. “He will serve as a valuable resource in work- ing with agents, family service advisors, and pre-need counselors to assist with training, coaching, and men- toring in the preneed arena.” Premier Preneed Marketing Announces Partnership with Craig Stewart Craig Stewart Stewart has been in the funeral profession for 25 years, primarily in the pre-planning sales are- na. He has held senior sales management po- sitions at Alderwoods, Carriage Services, and Service Corporation International. Most re- cently, he was nation- al accounts and train- ing manager for Great Western Insurance Company. In addition, Stewart spent a number of years in personal production funeral sales, where he was a perennial million-dollar producer. “I look forward to helping with the continued growth of Premier, and more importantly, the many customers who rely on Premier for operational and marketing support in the area of preneed,” stated Stewart. “I’m excited to put my expertise in sales training, coaching, and mentoring to work for the many firms who have partnered with Premier.” “Our mission at Premier is to provide innovative sales and marketing assets for our customers – re- sources that our competition does not offer,” added Wright. “I’m confident our partnership with Craig will bring a vast array of sales training offerings that will prove beneficial for every Premier customer!” Premier Preneed Marketing has been providing support, training, and leading life insurance solu- tions to funeral homes throughout the country for more than fifty years. The company connects fu- neral homes with multiple carriers from which to choose and offers single pay, multi-pay, and pre- need annuity options as well as standard and guar- antee issue plans. More information is available at www.premierpreneed.com.