By Tippi Rasp

Staff Writer



The owner of a local funeral home says he is offended by a state lawmaker who says the way funeral directors do business is “un-American.”

Brian Hinson, co-owner of Henninger-Allen Funeral Home, said he doesn’t take issue necessarily with a proposal written by state Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore, that would open casket sales to private businesses other than funeral homes. Hinson’s problem, he said, is with the lawmaker spreading misinformation about his profession.



“He’s saying we’re taking advantage of everybody that has a debt, and we’re not,” Hinson said. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years, I don’t think we’ve ever turned anybody away for inability to pay. We never refuse anybody.”

Joe Cummings, of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home, said his business has served the community for 80 years, and the core of the business never has been about “casket sales.”

“Our focus has always been on personal service to the family,” Cummings said.

And, Cummings said they always serve everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Wesselhoft said Oklahoma is one of just a handful of states that won’t allow private businesses other than funeral homes to sell caskets. Some states have the same law on the books but don’t enforce it, Hinson said.

Wesselhoft plans to introduce legislation to lawmakers during the next session, which begins in February.

But Wesselhoft says the Oklahoma law giving funeral directors the sole right to sell caskets is “shameful” and that the businesses take advantage of vulnerable families “in their time of grief by selling them a casket that could easily be bought online for a dramatically lower cost.”

Oklahomans are free to purchase caskets out of state or on the Internet and, by law, funeral homes must accept them.

Hinson said recently Henninger-Allen accepted a casket from out of state without issue.

“Henninger-Allen has no problem with people buying caskets from third parties,” Hinson said. “The only problem I see is that these companies that start up thinking they’re going to make a bunch of money, they don’t always stay in business long.”

Cummings said after being in business 80 years, he understands change is part of life.

But families still must be serviced by licensed funeral homes, Hinson said.

“What money they might save, they might save by dealing with their local funeral home,” Hinson said.

Wesselhoft cited a magazine article as he accused funeral homes of financially penalizing the poor, and especially blacks, because they favor casket funerals, compared to less expensive cremations.

Hinson said it bothers him legislators are getting involved in the issue because funeral directors and workers go through extensive training and licensing.

Anderson-Burris Funeral Home and Crematory officials directed calls seeking comment to the director of a state funeral directors group. No one answered the line at Oklahoma Funeral Director’s Association.