November 2021

Page B6 NOVEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B I have always been fascinated with cemeteries. Not out of morbid curiosity, but because of how serene and calming they can be. I grew up in a small town, and as a teenager there wasn’t much to do. Scouring the town for something to do, my friends and I stumbled upon a cem- etery. There were, and are, several cemeteries in town, so this by itself was not unusual. Like today, most of the cemeteries were large, flat, open, spaces with few trees, not particularly inviting to a teenager. This cemetery was different. It was isolated and completely surrounded by trees. To get to it you had to drive down a narrow wind- ing lane. This was before we could drive, so we had to walk down the lane. When you were in the cemetery the only thing you could hear was birds and the wind blow- ing through the trees. In its time this was quite a cem- etery. We never did happen upon a funeral, so I am not even sure if this was even an active cemetery or not. In the middle of this cemetery was a cement gazebo. Once we found it, my friends and I used to go there quite often, not to vandalize or cause mischief, but in- stead it was a quiet place where we could get away from the stress of middle school and not knowing who or what you were at that point. It was a place where we could just talk. Since there wasn’t anyone else around, you didn’t have to try to impress anyone or try to live up to someone, or something, you were not. You could just be you. Many of my fondest memories are sitting in the gazebo with my friends just talking. All good things must come to an end and it did. Once we got to high school and started driving, we didn’t go to the cemetery much. There were other things to do, more places to go and of course there were girls. The cemetery, much like innocence, was not lost, it was abandoned. I wish I had the vocabulary and writing skills needed to adequately describe what that cemetery meant to me. I still have a great fondness for cemeteries, not every cem- etery, you can keep the wide-open flat cemeteries that have little if any character. And it is not out of charac- ter that when driving though small, off the beaten path, town for me to look for the cemetery, often at my wife’s suggestion. Although we have never really discussed it and think she has the same fascination and fondness for cemeteries that I have. By Mike Jamar Your Source for High Quality Funeral Vehicles elaborate monuments and taking pictures. I still look at the pictures and marvel at the sculptures. Sculptures that should, by all rights, be in a place where they could be more readily seen and admired by the public like a church or public building. As I was looking at them, I was thinking what a shame that they are stuck away in this small, old cemetery unavailable to much of the gen- eral public. But as I spent more time in the cemetery, I realized they are exactly where they should be. It just seems right for them to be there, to be out of the way, to be alone, surrounded by nature. They could not have been in a better place. I selected the image above because I think it illustrates my point. This is of a person kneeling before a cross. It is a very personal and private moment. As I stood there taking pictures I really felt as if I were in- truding on that moment. It is in the exact right place. When I made the decision to view this cemetery and not the other, I was concerned that I may have selected the wrong one. After all, it was considerably smaller and not anywhere as well known as the other. The minute we drove through the gate to the cemetery, I knew I had made the right decision, but I didn’t know why I felt that way at the time. There was no one else in the cemetery. It was filled with beautiful old trees, with moss hanging down. As mentioned, the monuments were incredible. And it was serene. I didn’t know it at the time, but all the things I loved about the cemetery in my hometown were here. For that hour I was back in that cemetery, reliving a very fond and very precious memory of a time gone by. By now you are wondering what does this have to do with the Colonial Park Cemetery ? Good question. In August my wife and I were in Savannah, Georgia on va- cation. There are two significant cemeteries in that city, the Bonaventure Cemetery and Colonial Park Cemetery. The Bonaventure became a public cemetery in 1907, is over 100 acres and has the reputation of being a world-famous desti- nation. The Colonial Park was established in 1750, is only 6 acres and has been closed to interments since 1853. We were in Savannah for a short time and we decided to pick one cemetery to see while we were there. Because it would most likely end up as a column for HearseHub, she let me choose. It was a tough decision, but I finally picked the Colonial Park Cemetery. A big reason why I picked it is because it stopped being an active cemetery in 1853. That fact alone intrigued me. The day we were there, there was no one else in the cem- etery. We must have spent a good hour there looking at the Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah Geo rgia Mike Jamar is founder and co-owner of Advanced Integration Technology. Mike has been working with computers since the early 80s and started Advanced Integration in 1994. Advanced Integration specializes in Internet inventories designed for spe- cialty vehicles and equipment. HearseHub was created through a collaboration between Advanced Integration and Nomis Publications, and is now in its fifth year of service. HearseHub brings together funeral vehicles from a number of dealerships that specialize in high quality funeral vehicles. HearseHub of- fers funeral directors a large, and easy to shop inventory, of fu- neral vehicles. You can reach him at Mike@AITAdvantage.com. 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 Columns online at DESIGN l PRODUCTS l VENTILATION 7 2 0 . 5 8 3 . 1 8 8 6 l V I S I T OU R I D E A G A L L E RY l D U N C A N S T UA R T TOD D . COM Homesteaders Life honored as a Top Iowa Workplace WEST DES MOINES,IA— Homesteaders Life Com- pany has been named a Top Iowa Workplace for the sev- enth consecutive year. “I’m proud that Homesteaders has once again been recog- nized as a Top Iowa Workplace,” said Steve Shaffer, Home- steaders president, CEO and board chair. “Our team’s dedi- cation and our strong company culture influence everything we do, helping us provide exceptional service and innovative solutions for our policy owners and partners. The ability to again be selected as a 2021 Top Iowa Workplace, even in the face of a worldwide pandemic, exemplifies the excellence and commitment we have in our team.” The Top Iowa Workplace award recognizes companies that demonstrate strong employee satisfaction and overall organizational health. Recipients are chosen based on the results of an employee feedback survey conducted by The Des Moines Register in conjunction with Energage, LLC. “Our recognition as a Top Iowa Workplace is truly a reflection of how our employees bring their best every day,” said Judy Ralston-Hansen, Homesteaders Execu- tive vice president of human resources. “We know the work we do here makes a difference and have cultivated a caring and flexible workplace to help support it.” Homesteaders employs 171 employees at its home office in West Des Moines and a team of 35 sales staff in the field. In addition to its people-first culture, the company offers competitive compensation and benefits, professional development opportunities, a success-sharing program, an incentive award program and commitments to employee health, inclusion and community outreach. To learn more about Homesteaders and the Top Iowa Workplace desig- nation, visit www.homesteaderslife.com/careers. Homesteaders Life Company is a national leader pro- viding products and services to promote and support the funding of advance funeral planning and end-of-life ex- penses. Visit www.homesteaderslife.com to learn more. Gather releases Websites by Gather at NFDA Convention BOISE,ID— Gather, an innovative technology and software company dedicated to helping funeral directors and families, announced the release of Websites by Gather at the 2021 NFDA International Convention and Expo. Websites by Gather is a first of its kind premium website solution, of- fering a mobile first website that will work on any device. Gather makes getting a new website simple, they mi- grate all of their existing website pag- es and information over for them and work with them to create a uniquely theirs website that directly integrates with Gather’s Case Management so- lution; offering one-click publish- ing, integrated LiveStreaming, cus- tom Remember Page, and more. It is the first of its kind – a comprehensive Case Management, LiveStream, and Website solution that works on any device. Gather is the easy button for their funeral home. More than just a website, Websites by Gather is a solution their fami- lies will love as much as they do. This digital keepsake enables their funeral home to share an interactive and cus- tomizable memorial experience that the families they serve can cherish forever. Each obituary they publish creates a growing community of fam- ily and friends who will thank them for years to come. Continued on page B9