Inside the Power of Community: Why Funeral Home Leaders Are Leaning Into Peer Groups

“There’s a lot of money in death”: Funeral home consolidation hits western Mass

When Sue Adelson’s husband Steve was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2019, the couple knew it was a death sentence. “I’m a planner,” Adelson said. So that year, she and her husband visited Drozdal Funeral Home in Northampton, she told The Shoestring.While the couple did not make a deposit on Steve’s funeral ahead of time, they wanted to get a sense for their options. They quickly realized that the costs of laying a loved one to rest — fune…

Inside the Power of Community: Why Funeral Home Leaders Are Leaning Into Peer Groups

Barbara Welch didn’t hesitate when I asked her about the value of being part of Selected Independent Funeral Homes. “I wish I had found Selected earlier,” she said. “There isn’t a problem I have that someone else can’t solve.” That sentence hit like a hammer. In an industry where owners and directors often operate in their own silos—head down, phones glued to their ears, living in the grind—that kind of support is rare. And powerful. This Is Mor…