Foresight on Written by Jen Graziano, Esq/LOF
The 19th century British Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, most eloquently captured the symbiosis of life and death through his famous words, ”Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”
These words echo in the minds, or at least they should, of every proprietor of a funeral establishment. Truth be told, they are memorialized in a bronze plaque outside one of mine. These words remind us that life and death are but reflective mirrors. They are separated by a thin veil, a most fragile thread. Our human reactions to death often follow suit to our values in life. Those who truly honor the dead must have respected the living. Gladstone’s words resonate two centuries later. Although in a world unrecognizable from his day, the concept of societal values exerting influence in death is ever-present.
Funerals have long reflected a culture, a value system. The concept of a “wake”, itself, derived from Old English word wacan, meaning “to watch” or “be awake”. In days that predated modern medicine, families would keep vigil around the deceased, fearful, and somewhat hopeful, of a death called prematurely. Over the years, that tradition would evolve into families gathered around the deceased to honor them. Having a wake was an acknowledgement that a person lived, and their passing was deserving of time pausing, if but for a moment. A moment
where the bustle of life stopped, people refrained from work or school, or preplanned trips or events, to mourn the loss of life. This long-standing custom was also reflective of a society where the nuclear family often remained in close proximity, divorce and fractured families were the exception, not the norm, and traditional family values, Judeo-Christian values, if you will, were sacred.
Fast forward. Look where we are today. Statistics tell a story that in 1970, nearly 70% of American adults ages 25 to 49 were living with a spouse and at least one child. In 2021, that fallen to 37% . Americans are getting married later, if at all. They are opting for less children, if opting to have them at all. These statistics have undoubtedly grown sizably greater in the past five years. And we, leaders of death care, can not ignore them. Funeral home owners and directors can not turn a blind eye to the culture around them. What goes on in the outside eventually makes its way inside our doors. A society that does not value family in life, will not look to honor them in death. A world that equivocates and justifies physical and emotional distance amongst the living, will do the same for the dead.
Leaders in death care must be cognizant of society and prepare the industry with an adequate response. We are faced with blatant examples of moral decline daily., perhaps no more evidenced by the infamous Lindsay Clancy trial. A woman, admitting to viciously murdering her three innocent children, is being touted as the victim of the story. 25 years ago there was a similar story. A mother, Andrea Yates, who like Clancy, claimed the mental and emotional hardship, of motherhood caused her to take the lives of her children. The difference between these cases; back then there was an abundance of rightful outrage. The moral compass is indeed broken, and that will have undoubtedly have rippling effects on our industry.
So what is the takeaway for us as death care professionals? Hopefully, an awareness to the nexus between social mores and our industry. Where there is love in life, there is honor in death. Our industry which was built upon tradition and the human need to say a proper farewell, is facing unprecedented losses. A recent study forecasted, “industry revenue for funeral services is estimated to drop to $23.9 billion over five years with a CAGR of 3.3%”.
These declining figures are offered despite the increase in human population, thus eventually the death rate. While this inversion might be puzzling to those on the outside, to industry insiders, it makes complete, rational sense…cremation, cremation, cremation! And while there are arguably less funeral homes today than existed 10 years ago, the increased market share can’t make up for the revenue decline from the absence of traditional service.
For years, we were the envy of the foolish. Those who labeled us “recession proof” or others who wrongfully viewed COVID as our shining moment in time. It was in that era, arguably, that we were catapulted into this downward trajectory. It was an era that stripped us of key service revenue as consumer behavior dramatically shifted.
We, as leaders in death care, must protect our bottom lines in this colder, less familiar world. I’ve long argued that we must band together rather than engage in a race to the bottom. We have to stop worrying about undercutting the price of our competitor down the street, but rather, unite to raise the bar for the industry. Our overheads are not decreasing in proportion to our declining revenue. Quite the opposite, rather. There will come a day when our non-declinable will be the only source of income. We must all get on board, as no one wins in the race to the bottom. We lose revenue, the family loses value, and more importantly, the industry loses morale and purpose.
Death care leaders need to take note of the world around them. We can not be bystanders or passersby in a world that is deemphasizing the value of human connection. The stage is being set before our eyes and the curtain is about to close on us. We need a measured, united response that will protect our revenue and show our relevance. There should be a price tag to a funeral, regardless of burial or cremation, casket or cardboard, traditional services or lack thereof. Those firm owners who think they’ve cracked the code by opening a low cost provider firm within their walls are doing irreparable damage to the industry. They are devaluing funeral service faster than the consumer. The low figures that they charge are not sustainable business models. Their capture of the market share will never be enough to keep up with inflation and operating expenses. We need to charge more not less. The collective future of our industry depends on our willingness to fight for it.
Pay attention to the next news story with gripping headlines. Pay attention to the reaction of the masses, or lack thereof. We must be ready to respond to the new world with a confidence in the vital services we provide, and recognizing the need to base our fees accordingly. In the words of Marc Benioff, American billionaire businessman, internet entrepreneur, and the co- founder, chairman, and CEO of Salesforce, “You must always be able to predict what’s next and then have the flexibility to evolve.” Let us evolve, collectively, and show the consumer that there is a deserved and justified price tag to all aspects of death care. When the world stops caring, let us remind them that we, funeral directors, still do.
https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2026/jun/29/how-funeral-service-providers-are-adapting-to-changing-population-needs/
Citing IBIS world 2026 study