October 2021

Page B10 OCTOBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B Unique Approach Propels the Team Growth of Sympathy Brands MIAMI,FL— Over the past few months, Sympathy Brands, parent company of eCondolence.com ™ , shi- va.com ™ and Cemetery.com ™ , have been growing their team. Recognizing and appreciating the sensitivities in the industry, expansion comes with maintaining a com- mitment to a team of dedicated, passionate, caring, pro- fessional and reliable people. As the industry recognizes the value of increased touch- points and follow-up with families with Aftercare, ex- panded inclusion with Viewneral® and many other ser- vices, Sympathy Brands continues to innovate. Martin Kvasnicka, has been named Channel Territo- ry Sales Manager. “We are delighted Martin is joining the Sympathy Brands team. His deep industry knowl- edge and strong appreciation for technology is an incred- ibly valuable asset for funeral homes, cemeteries and the families they serve,” says Michael Schimmel, CEO. Kvasnicka’s focus is on strengthening and expanding re- lationships with the many independent funeral homes across the country, providing them the training and sup- port to successfully introduce many of the Sympathy Brands programs such as Viewneral® and Aftercare. These services allow funeral homes to extend their support net- Martin Kvasnicka Katie Ash Jenny Mehlman Daniela Nelke Marc Sigismondo works and spend more time focused on the family in need rather than on the logistics of the event itself. From his tenure as a well-established Account Executive at Hillenbrand/Batesville Casket Company to serving as a licensed funeral director for many years, Kvasnicka relates to all aspects of the industry and how important every family is. In addition, his unique background in- cludes time spent with a software company growing spe- cialized relationships allowing Kvasnicka to appreciate the training and time clients deserve. customer’s questions are answered seamlessly and with genuine care. Newly appointed Marketing Senior Director, Jenny Mehlman’s passion and expertise is removing barriers and bringing people together. Leveraging her extensive experi- ence engaging with consumers, customers and broader in- dustry experts alike, she brings a balanced perspective of business, strategy and communication to Sympathy Brands with the intention of creating stronger community. Focused on creating an intuitive user experience, Prod- uct Manager, Daniela Nelke designs, enhances and builds great solutions for Sympathy Brands customers. She pieces together all aspects of an individual’s digital journey to develop technology and features that anyone can easily navigate and feel confident using. A leader in communications, Client Experience Man- ager Marc Sigismondo will ensure Sympathy Brands customers have a best-in-class experience each time they contact the company. His ability to listen and understand people, advocate for them and effectively converse in all forms guides Sympathy Brands in bringing the best of human engagement to its customers. Schimmel founded Sympathy Brands on a single sim- ple belief, during the toughest of times, there had to be a way to make it easier to support those in need. Based on the intersection of modernization and per- sonalization, respecting the traditions and roots of the industry, Sympathy Brands set out to help consum- ers and industry experts alike as end-of-life matters im- pact us all. To learn more, visit www.Cemetery.com, www.eCondolence.com, and www.shiva.com. FOUNTAIN INN,SC— One of the great challeng- es serving veterans and their families is understanding military awards, their medals and ribbons. It is a challenge! The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard all have their own unique medals and ribbons in ad- dition to the standard De- partment of Defense awards (and then there is the Mer- chant Marine). Making it even more chal- lenging is the different medals and ribbons for World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Global War on Terror. Oh, and to make it inter- esting there are more than 100 new med- als and ribbons issued since World War II. How in the world is one supposed to learn how to recognize a veteran’s military awards and display them in the correct order? Well, you do not have to! With the publication of the new all color 10th Edition of Military Medals of America there is an illustrated his- tory and guide to all United States military medals, ribbons and commonly present- ed foreign medals awarded during the 200 plus years of the republic. The medals for every conflict are illustrated complete with examples on how to display them for each branch of the service. A great feature of the book are the complete rib- bon charts for the medals and ribbons of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines with another sec- tion providing the criteria and background for each medal along with color pictures of both the front and back of the medal. Special sections tell how to read veteran’s DD214 (discharge certificate) and what the mili- tary abbreviations stand for. The addresses and procedures for how families can obtain a veteran’s medal is a valuable addition. Military Medals of America is avail- able on Amazon in both hardcover and softcover or at www.moapress.com. The site allows visitors the option of flipping through the 232 full color pages of the all- new 10th Edition and also lets them look into all the new Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force awards books. It’s a super valu- able reference and tool when dealing with veterans’ awards and their families. Tenth Edition of the Military Medals of America Book now Available Facing Death with Peace: Richard S. Cohen publishes The Smooth River Author Richard S. Cohen was by his wife Marcia’ s side when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic can- cer, one of the world’s most lethal diseases, on Septem- ber 3, 2019. And he stayed by her side for 160 days un- til she passed away. During that time, Cohen coordi- nated every step of her care, navigating medical resourc- es at four different hospitals while also conferring with leading pancreatic oncologists elsewhere. More importantly, he enveloped the medi- cal plan with a far more encompassing Life Plan, which the couple aptly named “The Smooth River,” actualizing Marcia’s wishes for clarity and practicality so that her life would be defined by fullness, gratitude, hu- mor and love, not cancer or tragedy. The couple’s approach was so uplifting and useable that Cohen wrote a book to help others touched by serious illness or other problems -- The Smooth River: Find- ing Inspiration and Exquisite Beauty During Terminal Illness . The Smooth River unpacks how Richard and Marcia, who was a well- known crisis public relations expert, tackled cancer head-on. With vigor and strength, they deployed all they and medicine had to offer. But in contrast to narrow conven- tional approaches, the couple developed a far more expansive view of what strength means in response to a crisis for which there is no medical cure. This clear-eyed tran- scendent perspective was so vital that they wouldn’t let anything disrupt it — not can- cer’s lethal march, not the strongest chemos and their failures to work, not the frequent episodes of severe pain, not how society ex- pected them to think or act, not even the process of dying. The Smooth River demon- strates how to treat one’s life as bigger—and far more im- portant— than any medical condition, any tragedy, any setback of any kind. With effusive warmth, refreshing candor and practical detail, it describes how to personalize Medical and Life Plans that affirm the value of a patient’s being and guide their loved ones. Its invaluable lessons show how to face the possi- bility of dying with sanctity and comfort, to view it as an opportunity for personal growth, finding inspiration and intense beauty in the experience—in life itself. There are lessons in the Smooth River approach for everyone. Trained as a corporate lawyer, Richard Co- hen is a merger and acquisition advisor for medical technology companies. He is an ex- pert in navigating complex transactions, de- veloping grounded creative solutions, and managing many professionals and personal- ities during stressful conditions. All of these skills, plus years of being a leader in inter- cultural relations, were put to work in find- ing sanctuary, beauty, humor, and spiritual- ity within cancer’s decay. Unencumbered by medical convention but having a deep re- spect for it and the clinicians who cared for her, Richard has translated Marcia’s ethos into a creative, personalized, and inspiring approach for dealing with terminal illness. He writes this book not as a medical or “art of dying well” expert but as a peer of the read- er, a peer of those touched by serious illness or other major condition. Learn more at www.thesmoothriver.org. The Smooth River: Finding Inspiration and Exquisite Beauty During Terminal Illness will be available on Amazon beginning October 26, 2021. Security National Financial Corporation Financial Results, Completes New Corporate Headquarters SALT LAKE CITY,UT— Security Nation- al Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: SN- FCA) announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Scott M. Quist , President of the Company, said, “I think we have to be pleased with the operational performance of our company. Q2 2021 represents the Company’s second best second quarter performance and Q1 and Q2 2021 represent our best first half performance. Many thanks to the hard work of our teams. “Our Memorial segment delivered a very exceptional first half, with operational in- come increasing 200% over 2020. Our ded- icated staffs provided, and continue to pro- vide, excellent customer service in difficult working environments, which we believe has led to our increased market share.” SNFC announced the impending comple- tion of a second, new, 6-story Class A office building within its 19-acre office campus. This latest addition, located at 433 Ascen- sion Way, Murray, Utah will become Secu- rity National’s corporate headquarters. Secu- rity National’s office campus is located at the center of the Salt Lake metropolitan area and for many years has been the home of Security National and its subsidiaries. The Company will relocate many of its Utah-based operational functions to this new building, thereby improving efficiency by consolidating several retail mortgage and other subsidiary offices. With the impressive economic expan- sion occurring along the Wasatch front, the Company considers the office campus’ val- ley-center location and proximity to both downtown Salt Lake City and Lehi, Utah’s “Silicone Slopes” to be very advantageous and of great benefit in recruiting employees. Scott Quist stated: “We have been pleased with the changes in the Company this year. In addition, the Company distributed a 5% stock dividend to stockholders on July 16th, 2021. This is the 33rd consecutive year in which the Company has declared a stock div- idend of 5% or more. The Company’s gains are also reflected in its book value which has increased to $14.25 per common share.With the recent rise in stock value we are pleased with the stock dividends and the options they afford for long-term appreciation or for cash flow to those stockholders choosing to sell shares.” For more information, visit their website www.securitynational.com . The addition of Kvasnic- ka only further strengthens the Channel Development team, led by Andrea Resn- ick, a licensed funeral direc- tor and fourth-generation family member in the end- of-life industry, further em- bedding Sympathy Brands in the industry. Kvasnicka received his degree from the Worsham College of Mortu- ary Science in Wheeling, IL. Client Experience Asso- ciate Katie Ash’s warmth and compassion shine when assisting Sympa- thy Brand customers. Her keen ability to listen and hear everyone’s needs and wants to ensure that every