Taking his expertise on the road, Calvary Caretaker Terry Miller delivered presentations to assemblies in Rochester and Slayton recently.
Over 100 people gathered at these locations to hear about innovative cemetery management, including information on:
- Ground maintenance (mowing, spraying, etc.)
- Excavating for internment
- Monument and marker rules and regulations
- Designing cremation gardens
- Fundraising
- Pricing
For the most part, the audiences consisted of parish cemetery committee members.
“I really enjoy the pricing part, encouraging them to get out of the 1980s price format,” said Terry. “The customer service has to be there, but you can’t deliver perpetual care without the money to back it up.”
Financial issues are important with any endeavor, so information was also shared regarding fundraising using Christmas wreath programs.
Terry found that the audiences were keenly interested in cremation topics as well – a topic that Calvary Cemetery has aggressively advanced because of upward trends in customer demand. Calvary’s innovative Resurrection Garden and Rosary layouts were reviewed.
“It felt good when a lady came up to me and thanked me for the wreath information she received from me when I spoke in Adrian four years ago,” Terry said.
Terry’s Powerpoint presentation also included the video developed to help distant customers get a firm feel for Calvary’s different burial venues and quality care.
Terry noted that these presentations wrapped up his speaking tour for the year as winter is approaching and lots of prep work at Calvary awaits.
“I’m grateful to the parishes that hosted the events and to Larry Dose and Ann Ringlen for organizing,” said Terry.
Calvary Cemetery 