May 25, 2021 4 min read

DO NOT PUBLISH As a licensed funeral director for 57 years and president of our statewide association, the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, I was shocked and saddened by the article regarding Wilbert Funeral Services (“Greene man charged with stealing van with three cadavers inside,” May 19). I wish to share some thoughts from one of our longtime members. It is my hope that the members of the public understand the importance of licensure and professional standards and the value of choosing licensed providers when the need arises.

The majority of crematories in our state, and nationwide, are operated through or by licensed funeral homes and administered and run by licensed funeral directors. This licensure brings with it a code, literally in Pennsylvania the Funeral Directors Code, of ethical, professional, and healthful conduct. This code is not just an abstract set of rules to memorize for an exam or to put into a frame behind our desks. They are the parameters of how we do our jobs and how we plan our days. As a crematory operator who is also a funeral director, if an issue comes up as to what befell this crematory, I can adjust my hours, my staff, or even call on the assistance of peers in the profession to make sure I comply with the code. I act to prevent the scenario that caused this unfortunate event because, if I don’t, I can face consequences by my actions, even if they aren’t discovered by the public. As an unlicensed provider, the only check on their conduct is if something completely unheard of and tragic happens. This event proves that just that sort of tragedy can and did happen. The victims have to deal with something shameful on top of their grief and loss, and we in the funeral-directing profession catch side-eye glances and sneers.

Having the word “funeral” in the name of a company doesn’t make a company a licensed funeral home. In fact, the code that we operate under is designed to prevent this sort of thing from happening. The danger of loosening professional licensure in our field is the danger of more things like this occurring. The code puts control on our businesses and our work surely, and although that’s a negative term in some circles these days, the control it exerts is, by design, a quality control. The code demands quality work.

We directors have to answer for any story revolving around the industry, even if it does not involve our specific profession. The taboo of the funeral industry is enticing for any content creator to write about, and I am not blaming the Observer-Reporter for writing about it or anyone for reading it. But, although what is salacious to the public is commonplace to us, that familiarity does not breed complacency nor lack of pride in our profession. And to my earlier point about quality work, all it takes from that is a loss of someone you love. We had a death in our family recently, and our staff – not doing anything different from what they do for all of our clients – allowed us to completely deal with our grief and be together as a family. We were taken care of from the day he passed until the day he was laid to rest. It reinvigorated my pride in our profession; it was important and valuable to have their help. I ask any writer or reader seeing the article: if it were someone you loved, would you want professional standards in the people working with your mom or dad or spouse or sibling?

It seems old-fashioned and rote, but look at and for professional licenses. The whole reason they’re in place is so you as the public get quality work from the licensee. We condemn what happened in this case, but we are not looking to pass any buck. We promise that having an incident in our industry like this in our state will serve as a reinforcement example of what can happen when we lose our professional diligence and our professional pride.

Thanks to Dan Bekavac, F.D., Esquire, Bekavac Funeral Home, for his contribution and commitment to ethical and professional standards.

Frank Kapr Jr., president

Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association

Frank Kapr Funeral Home Inc., Scottdale