Five months after an Ohio funeral home was forced to shut down, the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors has announced meetings to help 150 people who prepaid for their funeral arrangements there.
State inspectors visited the Routson Funeral Chapel in Findlay back in June. Gregory Routson's license was, and remains suspended after a number of violations were found including unprofessional embalming and inappropriate condition of a corpse.
“I think it's important for anyone to realize that there are probably less than stellar people in every profession,” says Randy Schoedinger, CEO of Schoedinger Funeral Services. However, he likes to think they're among the best. For more than 150 years, Schoedinger Funeral Services has been helping central Ohioans prepare for the inevitable. While he says it's rare, he isn't surprised about the debacle in Findlay that's left the Routson Funeral Chapel closed and 150 people scrambling to re-make their funeral arrangements.
“We don't have any indication the money is not properly trusted or properly placed with the insurance,” said Jennifer Baugess with the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. She says that’s good; meaning those contracts will be able to be transferred to other area funeral homes.
However, that wasn't the case nearly four years ago. In 2007, 128 people lost their money and pre-need arrangements after the funeral director at Mader-Peters Funeral Home in Circleville misappropriated more than $700,000 over a ten year period.
Baugess says one of the most important things you can do when making arrangements is to ask plenty of questions. “Where's my money going? In Ohio, there are currently two choices; you give your money to the funeral director he either has to put it into a trust or he can purchase an insurance policy in your name,” said Baugess.
"Make sure you have a signed contract that is either with an insurance company or going into a trust, and you keep records of all those things,” said Schoedinger.
Baugess says these situations are very unique and hopes this does not turn people away from making pre-need plans.
To avoid being caught in a situation like the one in Findlay, Schoedinger says look for two things in a funeral home; reputation and trust.
Five months after an Ohio funeral home was forced to shut down, the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors has announced meetings to help 150 people who prepaid for their funeral arrangements there.
State inspectors visited the Routson Funeral Chapel in Findlay back in June. Gregory Routson's license was, and remains suspended after a number of violations were found including unprofessional embalming and inappropriate condition of a corpse.
“I think it's important for anyone to realize that there are probably less than stellar people in every profession,” says Randy Schoedinger, CEO of Schoedinger Funeral Services. However, he likes to think they're among the best. For more than 150 years, Schoedinger Funeral Services has been helping central Ohioans prepare for the inevitable. While he says it's rare, he isn't surprised about the debacle in Findlay that's left the Routson Funeral Chapel closed and 150 people scrambling to re-make their funeral arrangements.
“We don't have any indication the money is not properly trusted or properly placed with the insurance,” said Jennifer Baugess with the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. She says that’s good; meaning those contracts will be able to be transferred to other area funeral homes.
However, that wasn't the case nearly four years ago. In 2007, 128 people lost their money and pre-need arrangements after the funeral director at Mader-Peters Funeral Home in Circleville misappropriated more than $700,000 over a ten year period.
Baugess says one of the most important things you can do when making arrangements is to ask plenty of questions. “Where's my money going? In Ohio, there are currently two choices; you give your money to the funeral director he either has to put it into a trust or he can purchase an insurance policy in your name,” said Baugess.
"Make sure you have a signed contract that is either with an insurance company or going into a trust, and you keep records of all those things,” said Schoedinger.
Baugess says these situations are very unique and hopes this does not turn people away from making pre-need plans.
To avoid being caught in a situation like the one in Findlay, Schoedinger says look for two things in a funeral home; reputation and trust.
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