Coworkers of the three first responders spoke at the memorial, recounting memories of their fallen friends.
Officer Pete Mueller, who began his career at the Burnsville Police Department alongside Matthew Ruge, described their early days at the department together. They started in 2020, during a pandemic and unrest, and worked the same shift.
“His sense of humor and unwavering desire to make a difference immediately earned my respect,” Mueller said.
Ruge had a lot of nicknames —”Roguie” and “the Book,” among others — because of his tendency to go rogue and self-assign calls outside of his area, yet stick to procedure. He wanted to respond to difficult calls, Mueller recalled, including the one on Feb. 18.
“He was extraordinarily heroic that morning,” Mueller said. Ruge negotiated for several hours and bought his fellow officers time to manage the situation. Mueller noted how Ruge worked to bring his partner Paul Elmstrand to safety, even though he had been shot himself.
“At the same time, it is also true that Ruge left us with remarkable gifts. For example, I noticed I’m saying ‘I love you’ a lot more this past week and a half. And I’m hearing ‘I love you’ a lot too,” he said.
WCCO
Deputy Chief Matt Smith with the Burnsville Police Department spoke next, recounting Elmstrand’s sense of humor and love for his family.
“He had a laugh that was infectious,” Smith said, joking that Elmstrand sometimes liked to laugh at his own jokes. He was an avid watcher and re-watcher of The Office, and had memorabilia from the television show strewn across his desk at work.
Elmstrand was also dedicated to honoring other fallen first responders, he said. He had recently been selected to be a member of the Law Enforcement Memorial Association’s honor guard, and he liked to practice formations in his living room.
WCCO
Burnsville Fire Captain Brandon Johannsen then described firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth’s quiet courage, genuine concern for the wellbeing of others, and boundless compassion.
“He possessed an innate ability to put others’ well-being above his own, always ensuring that everyone around him felt seen, heard, and cared for,” Johannsen said.
At the same time, Finseth was a jokester, who helped lighten the mood at work with his witty remarks, Johannsen added. And while he was committed to his work, he was most of all, committed to his wife and two children.
“He talked about you every day at work, when he was not with you,” Johannsen said to Finseth’s children. “We can talk about him and remember the good times whenever you want.”
The eulogies concluded with speeches from Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz and Burnsville Fire Chief BJ Jungmann.
“To our fallen heroes. Thank you. We miss you,” Schwartz said.
“It feels cruel. There are no words to provide sufficient comfort. All we can do is promise you our support. And we assure you that we will forever be by your side,” she said to the families of Ruge and Elmstrand.
Jungmann highlighted Finseth’s dedication, honor and integrity.
“Adam was always working to improve himself. Being a firefighter-paramedic was not enough for him,” he said. Finseth always wanted to serve others, and he did so honorably, he said.
Funeral homes have been warned to comply with federal regulations after the Federal Trade Commission conducted its first undercover phone sweep and found multiple violations of the agency’s so-called “Funeral Rule.”
The rule is meant to allow bereaved customers to compare prices between funeral homes and select only the desired arrangements. As part of the rule, funeral directors must give consumers price information over the phone if it is requested. Consumers can also request a written, itemized price list at a funeral home and see a written casket price list before viewing caskets. The rule also states that customers can use their own casket or container at a funeral home.
The phone sweep conducted by the FTC found that 39 funeral homes were violating the rule, including some that were failing to provide accurate price information or any price information at all, according to a news release from the agency.
Warning letters were sent to the 39 funeral homes, the FTC said. The letters reiterate the funeral rule and warn that failing to comply with it can result in penalties of up to $51,744 per violation.
The phone sweep was the first such operation conducted by the FTC. Throughout 2023, investigators and other FTC staff from across the country placed undercover calls to more than 250 funeral homes in the United States. On the calls, FTC employees asked for price information.
On 38 of the calls, funeral homes either refused to answer questions about price or provided inconsistent pricing, the FTC said. On one call, the funeral home also misrepresented a local health code, telling investigators that remains had to be embalmed. Part of the FTC funeral rule is that consumers can make funeral arrangements without embalming. On another call, the list sent by the funeral home did not meet funeral rule requirements.
The full list of the funeral homes who received warning letters is available on the FTC’s website.
Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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Arlington, Virginia — The horse-drawn caisson for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery is one of this nation’s most solemn and majestic rituals.
But back at the stable, a 10-second video of a horse named George collapsing to the ground painted a different picture.
“When I touched George’s neck, he fell to his knees, which is a very abnormal response in any horse,” Maj. Beth Byles, a veterinarian for the horses, told CBS News. “And I’ve never encountered such a painful horse.”
Byles said he just buckled under the pain.
“He did, yeah, it was shocking,” Byles said.
CBS News obtained photos of other horses with scars from wearing ill-fitting harnesses and saddles while pulling a 2,600-pound caisson.
“They were all suffering from severe musculoskeletal injuries, neck pain,” Byles said.
A burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, with a coffin carried on horse-drawn caisson. March 26, 2018.
Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The horses were supposed to work for two weeks and then take two weeks off. But some ended up working six weeks straight. Soldiers with limited training didn’t recognize the problem, and higher-ups didn’t listen.
“Educating the chain of command on how to take the appropriate steps was a challenge,” Byles said.
In February 2022, the deaths of two horses within 96 hours prompted an Army investigation that determined conditions were “unsafe.”
In May, the Army paused the use of horses leading caissons for 45 days. In June, it extended that suspension for a full year to give the horses time to recover.
At rehab, the horses received therapies like cold water soaks for their aching limbs.
“There was a lot of work to be done,” said Monique Hovey, who was brought in as a new herd manager.
She said she started getting rid of saddles whose designs dated back to World War I.
“Not only can it cause pain along their spine because from how narrow it is, but there was a rub happening on this horse,” Hovey explained.
Now there are new saddles and some new horses. Back in June, the Army said it would test out caissons that are 20% lighter, which would reduce their weight down to 2,000 pounds.
Hovey calls the horses “soldiers without voices,” but George said it all in that 10-second video. A year later, he continues to get treatment at a rehabilitation center.
“George is a case of a success story,” Hovey said.
George will never go back to pulling a caisson, but horse-drawn funerals are scheduled to resume next year.
“I do not ever want to bring the horses back if they can’t be taken care of appropriately,” Byles said. “I do fear that we might revert back to where we were.”
Dubai has announced the construction of a 3D-printed concrete mosque to accommodate 600 worshippers and cover 2,000 square meters over two floors, with construction planned to begin by the end of year and completed in the first quarter of 2025. What do you think?
“How many slaves will that technology put out of jobs?”
Kathy Ursache, Deputy Secretary
High School Student, Teacher Applying For Same Summer Waitressing Job
“I always thought Dubai leaned more Presbyterian.”
Andy Harmon, Funeral Singer
“Finally, a viable technology for constructing buildings.”
In the United States two manufacturers control 85% of casket production, with the average casket costing more than $2,000, sold exclusively to funeral homes. Titan Casket is looking to disrupt the industry by selling its products more cheaply, directly to consumers. Correspondent Luke Burbank looks at how thousands are now finding their loved ones’ final resting places on the internet.
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Christo Ayoub was the kind of person who believed his treasures were stored in Heaven. “His main concern was to just bring light to people that were not aware of God,” said his daughter, Carol Sfeir.
But that also meant, according to Sfeir, that here on Earth, in Orange, California, finances were tight when it came time for Christo’s funeral. So, she turned to the place so many of us do to try to find a deal.
Burbank asked, “Did anybody in your family initially think that you had lost your mind when you said I found a casket on the Internet, and it’s more affordable? Did they think, ‘Oh wait, Carol’s losing it?’”
“Yeah, a little bit!”
Facing mounting costs, Sfeir learned that she didn’t have to buy the casket from the funeral home: “I asked, because the price was so, you know, outrageous. You can only save in so many areas, so you just have to cut corners where you can.”
And her search for savings led her to Josh and Liz Siegel’s company, Titan Casket. The Siegels are looking to, as they say, “disrupt” the casket industry by changing how people buy them, and what they pay.
Titan says they now sell thousands of caskets a year direct to consumers online.
CBS News
“There are two large casket manufacturers that control 85% of production, and they only sell to funeral homes,” said Josh. “And when a family walks into a funeral home, they’re often not shopping around. They don’t know what things should cost. Those dynamics over time have meant that there’s massive markups on caskets.”
The average American funeral costs about $10,000; the average casket more than $2,000.
Titan’s caskets average around $1,000. “We see ourselves more as providing a service and an education for people who contact us,” said Liz. “We want everybody ultimately to feel like they have had a choice.”
Consumers now have a greater choice when purchasing coffins, thanks to Titan Casket’s online sales. You can even “design our own,” choosing from 20 colors.
Titan Casket
And that choice is due to an obscure Federal Trade Commission ruling from 1984, called the “Funeral Rule,” which says, basically, that funeral homes must provide customers with a list of prices for their services, and allow them to buy a casket from wherever they choose – including, these days, from Amazon, where Titan co-founder Scott Ginsberg got his start.
He said, “As technology has changed, this industry hasn’t changed in over a hundred years. Why not?”
“Is the real difference, you’re just not marking these up as much?” asked Burbank.
“That’s correct. We’re not marking them up, and we still have a great company, and we’re not, you know, taking advantage of the consumer.”
Residential deliveries are available.
CBS News
Titan says they now sell thousands of caskets a year direct to consumers. But even with that success, they may be trying to grow in an industry that is, pardon the pun, dying.
Caitlin Doughty is a mortician and writer who says Americans should really reconsider the funeral. “Cremation right now is the dominant method of disposing of a dead human body in the United States; almost 60 percent of people are cremated, and not all those people need a casket,” she said. “And so, when you take away the embalming and you take away the casket, it’s kind of like, what is the role of the funeral director?”
Doughty said the sooner we get comfortable talking about death and dying, the better decisions we’ll be able to make. “I absolutely think what Titan is doing to offer lower prices is important, because everybody should be able to make really informed choices,” she said.
And Carol Sfeir would agree. She said an informed choice (and a little internet clicking) helped her honor her beloved dad. “It was really the only casket that suited him,” she said. “So, I believe he would be happy with that.”
For more info:
Story produced by Amol Mhatre. Editor: Remington Korper.
A funeral was held Wednesday for teacher Katherine Koonce, one of six people killed in a massacre at a private school in Nashville last week. It came as students across the nation staged walkouts to demand gun reform. Mark Strassmann reports.
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A funeral was held Friday for a 9-year-old girl, one of six people killed in a shooting earlier this week at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. Evelyn Dieckhaus was described as a “shining beacon of joy.” Mark Strassman has more.
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A funeral was held Wednesday for Irvo Otieno, a Virginia man who died earlier this month while he was in police custody at a state hospital. Ten people, including seven deputies, have been charged with second-degree murder in his death.
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Police officers from across the U.S. gathered in Philadelphia on Friday for a final salute to a fallen Temple University police officer. Officer Chris Fitzgerald was shot and killed after chasing a robbery suspect near campus on Saturday. Lilia Luciano has more.
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Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the funeral service for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten at a traffic stop by several Memphis police officers last month. “This violent act was not in pursuit of public safety,” Harris said. Watch her remarks.
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ROME — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at his home in the Vatican at 95, Vatican officials announced.
“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.Further information will be provided as soon as possible,” said the Director of the Holy See press office Matteo Bruni’s statement.
The Vatican press office has said that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for the faithful to pay their respects.
No further details have been announced.
After his surprise resignation in February 2013 at the age of 85, he was only known to have left the tiny sovereign state briefly and was rarely seen in public.
Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican after being elected by the conclave of cardinals, April 19, 2005, Vatican City, Vatican.
Arturo Mari/Getty Images
Election and papacy
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was named the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005, at the age of 78, and chose the name of Benedict XVI. He was the first German pope in several centuries, the second consecutive non-Italian pope and the oldest pope elected since Clement XII in 1730, according to church records.
He was elected in four ballots, which is considered relatively quick for the Church.
During his nearly eight years as pope, the Catholic Church was the subject of several major scandals. A growing number of sexual abuse cases involving the clergy was perhaps the most damaging and revealed a repeat-pattern of how the church had dealt with these cases in the past; leaving the abusers and their superiors, who covered up for them, to go unpunished by law enforcement.
Some Vatican watchers considered the revelations to be the greatest crisis the church has faced since the Reformation. First as cardinal in his doctrinal post in the Vatican and later as Pope, Benedict acted to develop a unified church response to stop this increasingly public clerical sex abuse crisis.
Benedict reiterated the Church’s traditional conservative positions on important doctrinal issues like abortion, contraception, homosexuality, euthanasia and the priesthood.
He angered some Muslims with his 2006 speech in Regensberg, Germany, which was interpreted by some as anti-Islam. Afterwards, he worked to build more bridges between the two faiths.
Pope Benedict XVI listens to a speech during his welcome ceremony at the airport in Silao, Mexico, March 23, 2012.
Gregorio Borgia/AP, FILE
Many Catholics loved and respected him until his death. His successor, Pope Francis, frequently spoke fondly of him and during his trip to Malta in April 2022 described him as a “prophet” for predicting that the Catholic church of the future would become “smaller” but more “spiritual, poorer and less political.”
Benedict’s snow-white hair, soft-spoken manner and love for cats and classical music — especially piano — helped endear him to many.
Although his papacy was relatively brief, Pope Benedict XVI made 24 foreign trips visiting every habitable continent. His first visit was in August 2005 to Cologne, in his native Germany, for the Church’s 20th World Youth Day. He made a trip to the U.S. in 2008, during which he delivered a speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
A prolific writer throughout his life, he penned speeches, encyclicals, exhortations and a three-book biography, “Jesus of Nazareth,” while pope.
He beatified 322 people and canonized 45, including two Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint, and Marianne Cope, who spent the last 30 years of her life ministering to the sick on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
Bavarian boyhood and WWII
Joseph Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn, part of Germany’s southern region, on April 16, 1927. His father was a policeman and his mother was a former cook. He had a brother and sister.
He followed his older brother, Georg, into the seminary in 1939 at the age of 12, per his autobiography. When he was 14, Ratzinger was enrolled in Hitler’s Nazi youth movement; at the time, membership was compulsory. In 1943 he was drafted into a Nazi anti-aircraft unit, but his unit never saw combat.
At the end of WWII, in April 1945, he deserted and returned home. He was sent to a U.S. prisoner of war camp in May 1945, as a former soldier, but was released after a few months.
Following the war, which ended when he was 18, the two brothers returned to the seminary. Joseph and Georg were ordained priests and celebrated their first mass on June 29, 1951.
Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, April 19, 2005, soon after his election.
Domenico Stinellis/AP, FILE
Before becoming pope
After being ordained, Ratzinger pursued a successful university career teaching a dogmatic and fundamental theology at a number of German universities. In 1977, Ratzinger was appointed archbishop of Munich and Freising. Three months later, he was elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
Three years after his election, Pope John Paul II called Cardinal Ratzinger to Rome to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, in charge of all the Church’s doctrinal matters.
As John Paul II’s health declined, Ratzinger took on a more important role at the Vatican and in 2002, he became dean of the College of Cardinals. As dean, he had an important role in the period between the death of John Paul II and the election of the new pope, which included summoning the conclave to elect the new pope.
His long service to Pope John Paul II in the Vatican meant he was known and respected by most of the cardinals who elected him. His stature grew after he presided over John Paul’s funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Electing Benedict, the cardinals hoped he would clean up the church — which was still in the throes of the clerical sex abuse scandals — because of his deep knowledge of its workings after twenty-four years at his job at the Vatican, alongside his predecessor.
Retirement
Pope Benedict’s surprise retirement announcement was delivered in Latin to a roomful of cardinals in the Vatican on Feb. 11, 2013. With his retirement, many Vatican watchers suddenly saw him in a modern and revolutionary light, no longer a “conservative,” which is how he had been mostly labelled throughout his pontificate.
He was succeeded by Pope Francis, from Argentina, who was elected on March 13, 2013.
Only six other popes are believed to have resigned in 2,000 years of church history; the more recent was Gregory XII in 1415. Some speculated that scandals had led Benedict to resign, but he said in a 2016 interview it was his “duty” because his health was declining and he couldn’t keep up with the travel demanded in the job.
Although frail in his later years, Benedict continued to write, read, pray and take walks in the Vatican gardens, according to Vatican officials. He also had occasional visits from Pope Francis, cardinals, his brother and friends.
In 2020, at the age of 93, when already frail, Benedict returned to Bavaria, Germany for four days to visit Georg, who was seriously ill, and with whom he had been very close throughout his life. It was the first time since his resignation, more than seven years earlier, that Benedict was known to have left his residence at the Vatican — and Italy.
In 2022, the infirm, retired pope asked forgiveness in a written statement for any “grievous faults” in his past handling of sex abuse cases in the church but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing. He was responding to a German independent report on clerical sex abuse, issued in January of the same year, which had criticized how Benedict had dealt with four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany from 1977 to 1982.
Victim groups and some experts said the report’s findings had tarnished the former pope’s legacy as one of the most renown Catholic theologians, while other conservative supporters, critical of the present pope’s style, defended his actions.
Giovanna Chirri, the Vatican reporter, who scored a worldwide scoop as she immediately understood the Latin of Benedict’s surprise announcement, told ABC News “he was not very understood as pope and was a victim of rather radicalized prejudices which made him disliked by many.”
However, she added, “people’s perception of him changed with his resignation and his symbolic and dramatic temporary departure by helicopter from the Vatican on Feb. 28, 2013, the day of his resignation.”
The scene was broadcast live to millions around the world.
ABC News’ Bianca Seidman and Alexandra Svokos contributed to this report.
Six people were injured in a shooting outside of a Pittsburgh church where a funeral was being held for a 20-year-old man who had recently been shot and killed, Pittsburgh Police Commander Richard Ford said. Two people, including one teenager, have been charged with attempted murder in connection with Friday’s shooting, authorities announced Saturday.
All six of the victims were in stable condition after the attack that Ford called a “targeted shooting.”
Ford initially reported that six people were shot. However, the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department later clarified that only five people suffered gunshot wounds, and the sixth person was wounded while trying to escape the scene.
Just after 12 p.m. Friday, police received a ShotSpotter tip that five shots were fired in the area of the Destiny of Faith Church, Ford said. Another alert came in shortly after about an additional 15 shots fired.
Police responded to the church, where a funeral was ongoing for John Hornezes, who was one of the three killed in a shooting in the city on Oct. 15, according to CBS Pittsburgh. The Friday shooting happened outside of the church, Ford said.
The latest on the shooting on Brighton Road from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Acting Police Chief Thomas Stangrecki and Commander of Major Crimes Richard Ford:
Four victims self-transported to the hospital, according to Ford. One person was transported from the scene in critical condition. A sixth victim had left the scene and was then transported to the hospital. One victim was taken to Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital while the others went to Allegheny General Hospital, Ford said. Their ages were not released.
The victim who was in critical condition was upgraded to stable condition, police said later Friday afternoon.
Police do not yet have a motive for the shooting, but Ford said “there’s reason to believe there was obviously specific people targeted.”
Ford added that there were “multiple” suspects and that police had “good video” of the incident.
Late Friday night, Pittsburgh Public Safety reported that two people of interest had been detained. On Saturday, the department announced that 19-year-old Shawn Davis and a 16-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the shooting on charges of criminal attempted homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault and firearms charges.
“This is probably, in my pastoral ministry that I have been doing over 30 years, this has been one of the most devastating days of my life, I would say,” Rev. Brenda Gregg, the pastor at the Destiny of Faith Church, said during a Friday afternoon press conference.
At least six people were shot in Pittsburgh early Friday afternoon while attending a funeral for a 20-year-old man who had recently been shot and killed, Police Commander Richard Ford. Two people have been detained in connection with the shooting, authorities said late Friday night.
All six of the victims are in stable condition after the attack that Ford called a “targeted shooting.”
Just after 12 p.m. Friday, police received a ShotSpotter tip that five shots were fired in the area of the Destiny of Faith Church, Ford said. Another alert came in shortly after about an additional 15 shots fired.
Police responded to the church, where a funeral was ongoing for John Hornezes, who was one of the three killed in a shooting in the city on Oct. 15, according to CBS Pittsburgh. The Friday shooting happened outside of the church, Ford said.
The latest on the shooting on Brighton Road from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Acting Police Chief Thomas Stangrecki and Commander of Major Crimes Richard Ford:
Four victims self-transported to the hospital, according to Ford. One person was transported from the scene in critical condition. A sixth victim had left the scene and was then transported to the hospital. One victim was taken to Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital while the others went to Allegheny General Hospital, Ford said. Their ages were not released.
The victim who was in critical condition was upgraded to stable condition, police said later Friday afternoon.
Police do not yet have a motive for the shooting, but Ford said “there’s reason to believe there was obviously specific people targeted.”
Ford added that there were “multiple” suspects and that police had “good video” of the incident. Late Friday night, the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department reported that two people of interest had been detained in connection with the shooting. Their names were not released.
“This is probably, in my pastoral ministry that I have been doing over 30 years, this has been one of the most devastating days of my life, I would say,” Rev. Brenda Gregg, the pastor at the Destiny of Faith Church, said during a Friday afternoon press conference.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Springfield Police are warning people about a “potential scam.”
Officers contacted several people wearing traffic vests at a busy intersection in Springfield, asking for donations for a teenager’s funeral. Springfield police say it violates city ordinances. Police say the panhandlers even walked into traffic to get money wearing bright vests. Police say they are seeing this in other nearby cities too.
“These people were just being more aggressive and getting up all in your face and everything,” said Connie Pugh, a driver who witnessed it. “They were asking for a funeral for a 15-year-old child.”
Officers received calls about the group. Pugh says she knew they weren’t from the area because panhandling like this violates a city ordinance. A similar group was spotted in Buffalo, Missouri. The sign had a different name for the teen’s funeral.
Buffalo police also sent out a warning about this group.
”There was this picture of this woman, and look like the same woman I had seen down on Sunshine and West Bypass,” said Pugh. “When you got people that are walking the intersections impeding traffic really, then you know that is dangerous for everybody.”
Drivers spotted the same people along Glenstone and Sunshine. And SPD says intersections along Kearney as well.
”It’s a violation of our city ordinance, and for whatever reason that they are giving. It may not be a legitimate purpose,” said Lt. Steve Schwind, Springfield Police. “It’s not only a violation for the pedestrian to approach vehicles to solicit money and take any type of donations from the roadway, but it’s also a violation of the ordinance for the motorists to stop and give money to the pedestrian.”
Pugh says panhandling in Springfield is getting out of hand and hopes the city starts cracking down on the problem.
”If that is a scam that they were doing over the weekend, I hope these people get caught,” said Pugh.
COVID-19 caught business owners by surprise in 2020. However, when a business owner passes away, his/her executor doesn’t have to be surprised or overwhelmed with post-funeral tasks. Business succession consultant, Jack Veale, walks us through that stage of grief and transition.
Press Release –
updated: Oct 26, 2020
HARTFORD, Conn., October 26, 2020 (Newswire.com)
– The sudden death of a business owner has the potential of throwing both his/her family and business into chaos. Unfortunately, because of their age, many business owners across the nation are in the COVID-19 high-risk group, and sadly, some have succumbed to the disease. In addition to COVID-19, there are common causes of illness and death still at work.
In his most recent podcast, Jack Veale helps the executors and trustees of the business owner’s estate understand their role and the tasks involved in the post-funeral stage of this challenging process.
There are hundreds of details that must be addressed in this post-funeral stage in coordination with family, advisors, and senior business employees.
Jack Veale said, “The post-funeral time is critical for both the business and the family. If there isn’t a detailed plan and pre-arranged resources in place going into this stage, the family experiences more pain, and the business is put at risk.”
· The business owner’s wishes regarding the disposition of the company
· Access for the family and business to passwords and social media logins
· Considerations for long-time or mission-critical employees
· Will and trust documents
· Probate
· Estate and trust distributions
· Financial reporting and tax filings
· Outstanding claims, litigation, court filings
· Outstanding company debts and liabilities
This podcast covers the materials and comprehensive checklists found in Section 2, pages 10,11,12, and 14 of Jack Veale’s Sudden Death Checklist workbook.
The workbook is intended to be used by business owners, trustees, and executors in conjunction with their key advisors (such as the family/corporate lawyers and wealth advisors) and their spouses/partners. It guides them in the process of working through the gathering the information that is required in the case of the business owner’s sudden death.
About Jack Veale
Jack Veale, CMC, is an internationally recognized consultant, who advises closely held, family-owned companies, including ESOPs, on business succession, ownership strategy, and leadership development. Jack uses many tools to assess the organization on culture, leadership, and operating performance. Over the last 25 plus years, Jack has assisted hundreds of companies in many industries and countries, offering solutions covering strategic planning, succession planning, corporate governance, team training, and crisis management.
Jack has authored or co-authored several books, including “Creating Strategic Innovation,” “Don’t Do That!” and “Sudden Death Checklist.”
Contact the “Sudden Death Checklist” Launch Team at:
PTCFO, Inc. 48 Walkley Road, West Hartford, CT 06119-1345 Phone: 860.232.9858
A lot of attention is being paid in the media to COVID-19’s epidemiology and economic impact, but Jack Veale brings to light the human cost of waiting too long to organize for what happens after the funeral of a business leader.
Press Release –
updated: Oct 22, 2020
HARTFORD, Conn., October 22, 2020 (Newswire.com)
– When a business leader passes away (whether as a result of the recent pandemic or as a result of more common causes) there are hundreds of details that must be addressed. In the fourth section of Jack Veale’s Sudden Death Checklist, the internationally-recognized author and business succession consultant demonstrates the critical nature of getting the post-funeral details right.
Jack Veale said, “The post-funeral time is critical for both the business and the family. If there isn’t a detailed plan and pre-arranged resources in place going into this stage, the family experiences more pain, and the business is put at risk.”
The post-funeral section of the Sudden Death Checklist workbook enables families, key business associates, and trusted advisors to work with the business leader well in advance of his/her death. Getting all the essential information down on paper allows the parties involved to address the hard questions to build a plan that the business and family can execute in the unfortunate circumstance of the business owner’s untimely death.
A few of the dozens of subjects addressed in the fourth section of the Sudden Death Checklist Podcast are:
· The business owner’s wishes regarding the disposition of the company
· Access for the family and business to passwords and social media logins
· Considerations for long-time or mission-critical employees
· Will and trust documents
· Probate
· Estate and trust distributions
· Financial reporting and tax filings
· Outstanding claims, litigation, court filings
· Outstanding company debts and liabilities
About the Sudden Death Checklist:
The workbook is intended to be used by business owners, trustees, and executors in conjunction with their key advisors (such as the family/corporate lawyers and wealth advisors) and their spouses/partners. It guides them in the process of working through the gathering the information that is required in the case of the business owner’s sudden death.
About Jack Veale
Jack Veale, CMC, is an internationally recognized consultant, who advises closely held, family-owned companies, including ESOPs, on business succession, ownership strategy, and leadership development. Jack uses many tools to assess the organization on culture, leadership, and operating performance. Over the last 25 plus years, Jack has assisted hundreds of companies in many industries and countries, offering solutions covering strategic planning, succession planning, corporate governance, team training, and crisis management.
Jack has authored or co-authored several books, including “Creating Strategic Innovation,” “Don’t Do That!” and “Sudden Death Checklist.”
To learn more about the “Sudden Death Checklist,” please contact
A new website lets users send notes after they die. MyAfterNotes.com allows people to create notes to be delivered to friends and family upon their passing.
Press Release –
updated: Dec 18, 2018
BURLESON, Texas, December 18, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– MyAfterNotes.com announces the completion and launch of a new web service that allows people to create notes to be delivered when they die. This could be used to deliver final words of encouragement, last wishes, living wills, safe combinations, computer passwords, important instructions, notes, or anything else someone would need to send once they have died.
“Creator Tommy Owen said the idea came to mind after his cousin was unexpectedly killed while on the job. He was there one day and gone the next,” says company spokesperson Kyp Shillam. “What were his passwords for his banking information? Where was the life insurance information? Did anyone know where the key to the safe was or where his funeral arrangements were stored? Were there any last wishes or words of encouragement for his family and friends? All these questions added such chaos and confusion to an already heartbreaking time for their family.”
After his cousin died, Tommy thought about his own life. If he could tell his wife and kids anything, what would it be? Would his wife know important information?
Kyp Shillam, company spokesperson
A professional web designer, Owen originally created MyAfterNotes.com for his own personal use. “He wanted to make his last words count – to leave his family with peace of mind knowing how much they were loved,” Shillam said of Owen’s intent with this groundbreaking web service.
But Owen quickly found there were many who shared the same concerns and wanted access to this revolutionary site. Born of tragedy, “His hope was for MyAfterNotes.com to take some of the sting out of death by giving people the opportunity to communicate with their loved ones even after they are gone,” Shillam said.
How does it work?
Subscribers choose 2-5 trusted Key Bearers with a code to open their notes upon their death. Owen says it’s important to note the Key Bearers have absolutely no access to the notes while the subscriber is alive – none. Once the subscriber dies and at least two Key Bearers activate their code, the notes will be released within three days unless the account holder stops the process.
How does the website know when the user dies?
Simple. Because there is no way to access real-time death records from across the nation or the world, the responsibility to activate the delivery of the notes is on the Key Bearers. Their only function and capability is submitting their special code when the time comes.
What if the Key Bearers are mistaken?
When two or more Key Bearers enter the special code, there is a 3-day hold before the notes are released via email and SMS notification. During that time, the subscriber will be notified by email and SMS that their codes have been activated. There is a three-day window to stop the process. If the subscriber does not stop the process, the notes will be released.
What does it cost?
The service is easy and affordable – an $18 one-time charge.
What kind of notes can be sent?
“After his cousin died, Tommy thought about his own life. If he could tell his wife and kids anything, what would it be? Would his wife know important information? He thought there had to be a way to tell her he loved her and the kids even after he was gone. MyAfterNotes.com is the best way he could think of to do that,” Shillam said, noting possible uses for MyAfterNotes.com:
Love notes, encouragement and advice for loved ones
Instructions for co-workers and family
Locations of important documents, keys, belongings
Usernames, passwords, safe combinations
Last wishes of any kind
“Tommy’s passion is to give those left behind one last memory, one last word, from the person they lost. It is something he knows he would treasure for the rest of his life. He hopes others feel the same and see the value in leaving their friends and family with one last word,” said Shillam.
Owen is available for media interviews at support@myafternotes.com.
LOS ANGELES, August 9, 2017 (Newswire.com)
– Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is proud to announce the introduction of Certified Celebrant Services. Certified Celebrants are officiants who conduct custom services tailored to each family’s unique traditions and wishes. Working together with each family, Hillside’s Certified Celebrants are able to customize every aspect of the funeral service, unveiling service or cremation memorial, with or without the participation of clergy.
For many families, traditional services do not resonate with their spiritual values. Our Certified Celebrants are here to serve families who consider themselves “spiritual” or “non-religious.” Selecting from one of Hillside’s many service options will ensure that the funeral is a true memorialization of your loved one, whether or not Hillside Memorial Park is chosen as the final resting place.
Certified Celebrant Services also provide a unique opportunity for each family to honor and celebrate the life of their loved one during the unveiling service — a longstanding Jewish tradition that occurs when the memorial marker is put in place. Celebrants can help each family create a tribute for their loved one at the time of the unveiling service. Family and friends who were not able to attend the funeral can commemorate the life and legacy of their loved one at the time of the unveiling.
Custom options may include personalized invitations, musical arrangements, song tributes, written stories, video montages, memorial releases, and receptions. Hillside’s Certified Celebrants work alongside families to create unique and meaningful celebrations of one’s life and legacy.
Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a community service of Temple Israel of Hollywood. For over 75 years, Hillside has provided members of the community the means to honor and remember their loved ones in beauty, tranquility and the comfort of Jewish traditions. For more information, visit www.hillsidememorial.org.
Media Contact:
Paul Goldstein Phone: (310) 641-0707 Email: pgoldstein@hillsidememorial.org
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