The Independent® is a benefit of membership in the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), a not-for-profit organization tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal ID No. 43-1828432. Send address changes to OGR, Attn: Mailing List, 3502 Woodview Trace, Ste. 300 Indianapolis, IN 46268. © 2021 International Order of the Golden Rule. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. — BOARD of DIRECTORS — President President-elect Founded in 1928, OGR is composed of independently owned and operated funeral homes located throughout North America and overseas. Published articles reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association. OGR reserves the right to edit all submitted materials and does not assume responsibility for unsolicited materials. For author guidelines, contact the editor at (800) 637-8030 or www.OGR.org. Advertisers Index Access Financial Group ...................................................................... 23 Chris Chigas, (800) 487-8220, ext. 8233 cc@afinancial.com | www.afinancial.com Answering Service for Directors .......................................................... 32 Kevin Czachor, (800) 868-9950 sales@myasd.com | www.myasd.com Cremation Consulting ......................................................................... 39 Andrew Loos, (816) 808-6828 andrew@cremationconsulting.com The Dodge Company ........................................................................... 27 Timothy Collison, (800) 443-6343 tcollison@dodgeco.com | www.dodgeco.com Express Funeral Funding ..................................................................... 11 John Goebel, (812) 949-9011 john@expff.com | www.expressfuneralfunding.com The Foresight Companies ................................................................... 15 Catherine Belliveau, (602) 274-6464 catherine@f4sight.com | www.f4sight.com.com Matthews Aurora™ Funeral Solutions ................................................. 17 Marty Strohofer, (812) 926-5673 mstrohofer@matw.com | www.matw.com Medi Air Purifier ................................................................................ 13 Iam Hedendal, (800) 699-0960 belimee@gmail.com | www.mediairpurifier.com Nomis Publications ............................................................................ 29 Peggy Rouzzo peggy@nomispublications.com | www.nomispublications.com OpusXenta ........................................................................................... 7 Michelle Imam Bakhsh, (971) 900-7875 michelleb@opusxenta.com | www.opusxenta.com Skyways Media .................................................................................. 28 Garry Wayne, (289) 290-4409 garry@skyways-media.com | www.skyways-media.com Starmark ........................................................................................... 10 Arie Elder, (765) 966-7676 arie.elder@starmarkcp.com | www.starmarkcp.com Thumbies .......................................................................................... 38 Michael McCormick, (815) 880-5203 mmccormick@thumbies.com | www.thumbies.com 2 www.ogr.org | Winter 2021 Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. The advertisement of any product or service in The Independent® does not represent an endorsement of such product or service by OGR. Call the communications department to reserve space or to request a rate card and mechanical specifications. OGR does not accept ads that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability or any other federally protected class. Publisher International Order of the Golden Rule 3502 Woodview Trace, Ste. 300 Indianapolis, IN 46268 (800) 637-8030 Fax: (512) 334-5514 Email: info@ogr.org Website: www.ogr.org Secretary-Treasurer Immediate Past President Directors Mary F. Steele Evan J. Strong Paul A. Hummel, III Tom L. Hemmerle Kim R. Hunter Raffy S. Jose Chris B. Miller Peter A. Urban, Jr. Jamie L. Wieting — STAFF — Executive Director/CEO Membership Director Education & Events Director Communications Director Meetings & Mem. Coord. Communications Coord. Wendy King Nancy Weil Emilie Perkins, CAE, CMP Evan Hoffmeyer Alyssa Castille Adeline Border The Independent® | Winter 2021 | Volume 26 | Issue 1
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