Two Pines Funeral Home

The Two Pines Funeral Home had been a respected part of a small, rural community for many years before it was abandoned. That changed when the owner was cited for nefarious and shady business practices, forcing the state to intervene and permanently close this establishment. In 2017, the state board was notified regarding prepaid burial expenses from family members of the deceased. These complaints led to an unannounced visit to audit the funeral home. When the board examined the funeral home’s records and bank account, it discovered that they were inconsistent. Instead of allocating funds for future burials as they should have, the money was spent on their benefits. The funeral home was placed on probation for three years, and part of the sanctions included additional classes for the owner regarding prepaid burials.

Several months later, in 2018, an inspector for the state board examined all the prepaid burials that had the funeral home listed as a trustee. The inspector discovered that more than two dozen contracts had not been properly filed with the state board or missing paperwork. In response, in January 2019, the state board suspended the funeral home’s permits and licenses for prepaid burials for two years until January 2021. Suspension conditions included a $3,000 fine due within 30 days, a $500 fine for the owner, and prepaid burial classes for the owner by 2021.

In July 2021, a state board inspector once again examined all the prepaid burial contracts that listed Two Pines as the trustee. The inspection uncovered a handful of contracts that were either improperly filed or not filed at all. These results led to a disciplinary hearing for the funeral home owner. At the hearing, the state board voted to send a warning letter to the owner allowing him to fix his mistakes.

A follow-up examination was done in December 2021 by a state board inspector. The follow-up showed that the issues discovered in July 2021 had not been rectified. In March 2022, the state board sent a letter to the funeral home stating that the owner could take classes to satisfy the claims against him. The owner never responded to the letter. A second letter was mailed to the funeral home in September 2022, with the same stipulations. If the owner attended classes, the disciplinary cases would be dropped.

Although the funeral director attended some classes in October 2022, he did not complete them as required. After the state board scheduled a hearing in July 2023, the owner completed the required courses. However, the owner failed to comply with the 2019 suspension order, and with more violations in 2021, the funeral home was forced to voluntarily surrender its prepaid burial permit in August 2023. This is one of the deciding factors that led to the subsequent closure of the facility and its abandonment by the owner who moved his business to a neighboring town where he continues to practice today.

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