Troy Lovingood, Homesteaders’ senior account executive for funeral service professionals in western North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, was recognized with one of the company’s top awards at Homesteaders’ recent semiannual national sales meeting in Savannah, Ga. Lovingood was named the company’s Southeastern Region Territory Development Award winner, an honor given to the Homesteaders account executive who has the greatest increase in territory growth between 2006 and 2007.  Lovingood works with customers to support their success in providing pre-need funeral services to families. He joined Homesteaders as an account executive in 2004. 

Suzanne Lundin, Homesteaders’ senior account executive for funeral service professionals in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina, received two of the company’s top sales awards at Homesteaders’ recent semiannual national sales meeting in Savannah, Ga. She was named the company’s Southeastern Region Account Executive of the Year for her sales achievement and delivering top level customer support. In addition, Lundin received her region’s Territory Development Award for having the greatest increase in territory growth between 2006 and 2007. She also received the S3 Territory Sales Award, given to sales executives for their outstanding sales growth in their respective territories among current customers. Lundin works with North Carolina and South Carolina customers to support their success in providing pre-need funeral services to families. She joined Homesteaders as an account executive in 1996.

Peaceful Pets was founded by three very committed pet loving funeral service professionals. Carolyn Williams and Harris High, long-time licensed funeral directors and co-owners of Heritage Funeral Home and Karen Reardon, funeral director and director of marketing for Heritage Funeral Home. Peaceful Pets was started after hearing time and again from our traditional funeral and cremation customers that they wished there was a place that would take care of pets the way funeral homes take care of humans. We embarked on the idea after visiting with vets and pet lovers throughout the Charlotte area and determined there was a need for our type of service.

A brief update on Rev. Susan Norman Vickers, wife of NCFDA Staff Chaplain, Mark M. Norman Vickers. Susan suffered a stroke back in late October and shortly after underwent extensive open heart surgery and abdominal surgery at UNC- Chapel Hill Hospital. This past Sunday, February 3, 2008 Susan preached three services to an overwhelming crowd of parishioners who came to welcome her back to the pulpit of Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. Susan has made a miraculous recovery, and is walking several miles a week and will be back to playing her regular games of weekly tennis before the end of February.  She was informed yesterday by her doctors in Chapel Hill that she will be the subject of several large articles and research papers presented to the American Medical Association and to the British Health Alliance. Most of all, Mark, Susan, and their son Thompson wish to say THANK YOU!!! To all of the NCFDA members and associates who called, visited, sent cards and e-mails, and especially offered prayers on Susan’s behalf.  The NCFDA is certainly a family of caring people and without your support it would have been a lonely journey.  Thank you again for all you did for all of us!!

Amy Nash, a FTCC summer 2007 graduate from Pleasant Garden, NC will be honored at the annual banquet of the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards on Friday, February 28, 2008 in San Antonio, TX. Amy will be recognized for having the highest score in the Arts portion of the National Board in 2007. In fact two students tied for the highest score in the Science section and two students tied for the highest score in the Arts section and all four graduates will be recognized. Amy will be joined by graduates of Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, IL; Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville, IN; and Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ronald Shoffner has been named Manager of the Forbis & Dick Guilford Chapel as well as Guilford Cremation Service following the retirement of Gary Stevens. Todd Harmon, Manager of the Forbis & Dick Brooke Chapel in Stokesdale, has been elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the Stokesdale Fire District, Inc. In addition, he is currently serving as president of the Northwest Guilford Kiwanis Club.

Adams Funeral Home in Taylorsville will host a reception for Office Manager and Treasurer of Adams Funeral Home Dorothy Bebber to celebrate her 50 years of employment with Adams Funeral Home. Dorothy began her duties with Adams Funeral Home on February 10, 1958. The reception will take place on Friday, February 8, 2008, from 1:00 - 4:00 PM at Adams Funeral Home in Taylorsville. Light refreshments will be served. Mark Odom, Manager of Adams Funeral Home would like to invite all to come by and thank Dorothy for 50 years of dedicated service to the funeral service. Note she is not retiring.

Stephen Aldridge. III , president of Stanly Funeral Service of Albemarle, is the new chairman of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President and CEO Tom Ramseur, along with the organization’s new chairman, W. Stephen Aldridge III, not only look forward to gaining strength in membership this year, but also  to implementing new ideas while sustaining local tradition. Mr. Aldridge's position at the Chamber became effective Tuesday and will be officially recognized during the changing-of-gavel ceremony at the Chamber’s annual meeting in February.“In 2007, the Chamber’s greatest milestone was the West Stanly office addition, and stemming from that, this year we plan to focus on how we will solidify our position as a county-wide Chamber,” Aldridge said. That office opened in September in the new Locust Town Center and is housed in donated space at the Beane, Swaringen CPA office.