DANIEL B. “DAN” BROWN
Sep 15, 2023
DANIEL B. “DAN” BROWN of Mifflintown, PA died September 15, 2023 at the age of 64. A fifth-generation funeral director, he owned and operated the Brown Funeral Home in Mifflintown, having taken over the business in 1989 from his father, R. Bradford Brown, Jr. In 2001, he and his wife, Kathy, purchased the Ronald C. Sheaffer Funeral Home in...
JOHN THEODORE LAFFERTY
Sep 12, 2023
JOHN THEODORE LAFFERTY of West Union, OH died September 12, 2023 at the age of 82. A fifth-generation funeral director, he owned and operated Lafferty Funeral Home, which was established in 1848 by his great-great grandfather, W.V. Lafferty. A 1962 graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was honored by the Ohio Funeral Directors Association in 2013...
RICHARD H. WEDEKINDT
Sep 9, 2023
RICHARD H. WEDEKINDT of Amherst, NY died September 9, 2023 at the age of 81. A fourth-generation funeral director, he worked alongside his father, Harry and twin brother, Raymond in owning and operating the Harry A. Wedekindt Funeral Home in Amherst. Richard and his brother also managed Amherst Funeral/Cremation Service from 1971-1993. He was a member of the Erie-Niagara...
DEWEY SMITH HASTINGS
Sep 7, 2023
DEWEY SMITH HASTINGS of Morgantown, WV died September 7, 2023 at the age of 97. A funeral director and embalmer, he served his apprenticeship at a local funeral home in Morgantown before establishing the Hastings Funeral Home in 1952 alongside his wife, Mary. A 1949 graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Hastings served as a past president...
RICHARD M. “DICK” GAREE
Sep 6, 2023
RICHARD M. “DICK” GAREE of Centerburg, OH formerly of Sunbury, OH died September 6, 2023 at the age of 84. He dedicated his entire career in the funeral industry, having served the Jerry Spears Funeral Home, DeVore Funeral Home, and Clark Grave Vault Co, where he was the national sales manager. Garee was currently working as a funeral director...
RAYMOND OMAR WRIGHT
Sep 5, 2023
RAYMOND OMAR WRIGHT of Grand Rapids, OH died September 5, 2023 at the age of 81. He was a licensed funeral director and embalmer. A 1962 graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Wright was a member and served on the education committee for the Ohio Funeral Directors Association, which honored him in 2013 for being a licensed...
GEORGE J. KINNICK
Sep 1, 2023
GEORGE J. KINNICK of Austintown, OH died September 1, 2023 at the age of 87. A licensed funeral director and embalmer since 1962, he began his career working at the former Schultz and Son Funeral Home. In 1973, George founded Kinnick Funeral Home at its current location in Youngstown. In 2014 he oversaw the expansion of the business to...
REX T. SMITH
Aug 24, 2023
REX T. SMITH of McCandless Township, PA died August 24, 2023 at the age of 89. He was a North Side community funeral director for over 50 years, having served the Rex T. Smith Funeral Home until his retirement in 2018. Smith was a member of the Allegheny County Funeral Directors Association.
MICHAEL B. HAKEMAN
Aug 23, 2023
MICHAEL B. HAKEMAN of Fairview Park, OH died August 23, 2023 at the age of 61. He began his career in the funeral industry by working at his family’s funeral home. Hakeman then joined the Champion Chemical Company in 1996 and, in a very short period, was recognized as the top sales executive from 1998 until 2000. After joining...
JAMES EMERSON HENLINE
Aug 20, 2023
JAMES EMERSON HENLINE of Bakersville, NC died August 20, 2023 at the age of 96. He and his wife, Eloise Hughes Henline, founded the Henline-Hughes Funeral Home in 1949.