Episode 52: A Conversation with Funeral Director Tim Schramm

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you’ve heard from a lot of what I’ll characterize as “progressive” or “new” entrants in the death care space. We’ve had episodes on green burial, death doulas, natural organic reduction, home funerals, and more. The conventional wisdom that I hear a lot from critics of the funeral industry is that “traditional” funeral directors are rigid and uninterested in change. That’s certainly true of some folks in the industry – they’re hanging on to the way they’ve always done things until they retire. But I’ve also found that some people that you assume will be super conservative are actually really open to giving funeral families what they need, whether that fits the traditional model or not. One case in point is today’s guest, Tim Schramm, Owner and CEO of Howe-Peterson Funeral Home & Cremation Services with locations in Dearborn and Taylor, Michigan. Tim is also a spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association.