January 2021

Page A24 JANUARY 2021 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 800-331-9093 For over thirty years Rick and Elizabeth Roberts have been supplying the funeral industry with superior quality handcrafted hardwood chapel furniture, still handcrafted by Rick & his craftsmen on a custom built to order basis. Large Baby Bier/Cremation Altar as the base of the Urn Carrier, offers multi-purpose functionality. Guaranteed 1 Unit in Stock on the 1 st of Each month! Urn Carrier Provincial Large Baby Bier/Cremation Altar RD/129 Cherry Queen Anne Formal Altar pictured with optional lighted Urn Riser Queen Anne Collection Introducing the Formal Altar Web Special! 15% Discount on all Furniture Extended through 02/28/2021 robertsanddowney.com Pictured with Urn Carrier and Flag/Bible Holder William L. Russo By E lleanor S tarks B easley , cfsp Founder and Executive Director 100 B lack W omen of F uneral S ervice , I nc . Funeral Service is a privileged calling to serve the grieving and the bereaved. For Funeral Directors, the meaning of death is service. It is our responsibility to take the mystery out of it and help those who are overwhelmed with emotions. Those in the new generation of Living Legends have lifted the spirits of millions of families through their education, training, service, professionalism and compassion. Their leadership and success have broken down barriers and made them trailblazers, mentors and role models to many funeral colleagues. As we share family heritage and achievements, we recognize that every journey is different. Most importantly, their journeys are not finished yet! Please use them as mentors, ask questions, visit with them, and share their stories with others. Congratulations to the 2021 100BWFS Living Legends of Funeral Service. The 100 Black Women of Funeral Service want to make their profession the go-to career for those who know the importance of compassion, commitment and excellence in service. Email us at 100BWFS@gmail.com. Celebrating a New Generation of L iving L egends of F uneral S ervice and their Contributions to the Industry A F uneral D irector ’ s J ourney The Making of a Legend S acred H ope F uneral H ome Houston, Texas A native Houstonian, William L. Russo is a third- generation funeral director and embalmer at Sacred Funeral Home, which was established by Florence Katy Johnson and her son, James W. Russo in 1937. Russo operates the firm alongside his brothers, Patsy R. Russo, Jerome Russo and Joseph Russo as fu- neral director in charge, a position he has held since the early 1980’s. A 1973 graduate of the Commonwealth School of Mortuary Science, he is past president of the Houston Funeral Direc- tors and Morticians Asso- ciation, Houston Metro- politan Funeral Directors Association, Independent Funeral Directors Associa- tion of Texas and the Na- tional Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. In recognition of his outstanding service to his pro- fession, Russo has received two honorary recognitions at the state level. He is a board member of the Alumni Association of Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Ser- vice, a member of the Epsilon Nu Delta Mortuary Fra- ternity and the Pi Sigma Eta Mortuary Fraternity. The 100 Black Women of Funeral Service congrat- ulates William L. Russo for being a 2021 National Presidential Leadership Awardee and Living Legend of Funeral Service honoree. Black Ensemble Theater our community with dig- nity through this CO- VID-19 pandemic. And while we’re celebrating our business, we are also focused on tackling many deep-rooted injustices that have existed in our country for far too long.” Because of the unprec- edented situation this country currently fac- es, the Brookins Funer- al Home has put in place guidelines set forth by the CDC and the NFDA. The Brookins have al- ways believed in the mot- to “cherish life,” and they continue to do so even during this pandemic. They’ve implemented protocols like social dis- tancing and sanitizing surfaces of the facility be- tween the planning visits in addition to homego- ing and visitation servic- es as a means to maintain CDC rules and lessen the concerns of the commu- nity. Andrea is married to the Rev. Dr. Norval I. Brown and together they are the parents of Ar- ifa L. Brookins Hin- ton and Gregory H. Brookins Hinton, Crys- tal E. Brown and Chris- topher E. Brown. Andrea services her community through involvement in many organizations and committees including the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, Illinois Se- lected Mortician Associa- tion, Cook County Funeral Home Owners Association, and the National Selected Morticians Association. “We are blessed to see three generations of our family active in the busi- ness working to continue the foundation of serving our community one cel- ebration at a time,” said Andrea. Continued from Page A15 Brookins 50 Years Legacy.com Again Helps Raise $45,000 to Support Funeral Service CHICAGO,IL— Legacy.com is pleased to announce the successful completion of its annual matching dona- tion campaign with the Funeral Service Foundation. This is the fifth year the company has sponsored a dol- lar-for-dollar match, driving a total of $225,000 in direct and matched gifts to the Foundation. “Legacy’s partnership has been key in getting the fi- nancial resources we need to keep our mission going,” says Foundation executive director Lee Wiensch, CFRE. “We’re thankful for their friendship and we’re looking forward to working together to support funeral service for generations to come.” Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the philanthropic voice of the funeral profession, with a mission of investing in people and programs to strength- en funeral service and lift up grieving communities. The Foundation’s impact is seen throughout funeral service, with free grief and service guides, educational opportuni- ties, and critical pandemic resources like PPE grants. “Funeral directors have faced challenges in 2020 like no other. They have risen to the occasion, helping fami- lies during unprecedented times, and we are grateful for their service,” says John Heald, Legacy.com ’s senior vice president of channel development. “The Funeral Service Foundation is giving funeral directors invaluable resourc- es so they can safely care for their families and connect their communities. We’re honored to support their mis- sion in any way we can, and our annual contribution to the Foundation is one of our ways of saying thank you for all the hard work funeral directors do every day.” In honor of Giving Tuesday, the first $5,000 in FSF donations received on December 1st were matched by anonymous donor. Legacy.com is the global leader in online obituaries with over 40 million visitors each month. The company pro- vides support and obituary-related services to more than 1,500 newspapers and 3,500 funeral homes in the Unit- ed States, Canada, New Zealand, and the United King- dom to help people express condolences and share re- membrances of loved ones. Legacy.com partners benefit from unparalleled scale and expertise that delivers indus- try-leading products, innovative e-commerce solutions, and award-winning customer service. Visit Legacy.com for more information. Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the philanthropic voice of the funeral profession and has identified as the charitable arm of the National Funer- al Directors Association since 1997. Donors and volunteer leaders profession-wide support the Foundation in its mission of investing in people and programs to strength- en funeral service and lift up grieving communities. Visit www.funeralservicefoundation.org to learn more. Send Us Your News! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 Email info@nomispublications.com FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS