March 2, 2018

HERE IS CHARLIE and our wonderful Office Manager Angela. 

Since 1941………75 Years!

July 2016

Wow, 75 years, 4 generations and a lot of changes!  For the last 33 years I have felt so blessed to serve others and be the third generation owner and operator of Baker-Hazel & Snider Funeral Home & Crematory.  More than a job, I have felt honored to be chosen by those in need, to help guide and direct them down the path of transition, by honoring and commemorating their loved ones life with dignity and respect.   For me personally, it is truly gratifying to minister to others through one of the hardest experiences we all will go through in life, the death of a family member.  

Thirty five years ago, when I was nineteen, my best friend died tragically.  A month later my grandmother died unexpectedly.  As a result of these two significant deaths,  I decided that I could help others by being available and assisting them during this difficult time.  Mr. Eugene Baker, my wife’s grandfather, started our business and was truly devoted to growing his business by providing ambulance service to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office and expectant mothers that needed transportation to the hospital.  He and his wife, Helen Baker, were passionate about doing for others and being available whenever someone needed them.  Mr. and Mrs. Baker moved their business from N. Main St. at Parkwood to Philadelphia Dr. at N. Main St. in 1954.  His work ethic was then carried on by my father-in-law, Neil Hazel (2^nd generation owner and operator), who grew the business by also being available and compassionate and supporting the community by volunteering with local service clubs and fraternities.  Mr. Hazel began his career in 1959 and retired in 2003. My daughter, Abby Snider-Robinson (4^th generation), began with our firm in 2011 as a Funeral Director.  She is the great-granddaughter of our founder, Gene Baker.   Her devotion and compassion for those we serve has truly been a blessing to our firm.  She is very instrumental in our development of social media, marketing and progressive insight of our future.  She is currently training a therapy dog which will provide comfort to our families.   

     

In 2001, we enhanced our commitment to the community and our client families by adding a crematory which still sits on our campus.  By then cremation was almost 25% of our business and we felt it necessary to embrace this option by operating our own crematory and not relying on others to complete this important task.  All of our families have felt better about knowing that their loved one’s care is completed by us here at our crematory.  We then realized that there was another need our customer was requesting and that was to care for their entire family.  So in 2007, we opened Snider Pet Crematory, which is operated by Abby’s husband and my son-in-law, Brett Robinson, who is are crematory specialist.  Pets can sometimes be just as important as their family members and we filled that void by extending our services and level of care by opening our 2^nd crematory which is devoted only to pets.   

We have come a long way, from rotary phones and pagers to fax machines and cell phones and computers.  From earth burials to cremation to natural “green” burials.  We have always been about serving others the way we would want to be served. And for 75 years we have been doing it.   We have embraced change and the desires of our customers and are excited about the next 75 years.  Thanks to all of you that have entrusted your loved ones to us.      

-Rick Snider

photo taken in 1955, shortly after we moved to N. Main St. 

WE NEED A NAME, not just any name, a good, concrete, name !

June, 2016

BAKER-HAZEL & SNIDER IS GETTING A PUPPY!

We have decided to slightly transform our blog into a puppy-blog! Yes we will still be adding blog posts about funeral related topics, but maybe more about our new addition.

We lost a very special person/friend/employee a few weeks ago. She decided to change jobs + change states. Yes, we might hire a new director/embalmer later on.... but for now........ this little thing will do. She is a mini golden doodle, F1B. 

We have been thinking for awhile about adding a therapy dog to our staff. As you all know, we strive to be unique and proactive. We also care for the whole family. That being said , our pets are our family.

We need help coming up with a name for this little one. She is going to be so special for our grieving families. The importance of love and touch is crucial in our lives + that is exactly what she will help provide. 

We will bring her home on July 7 and she will be with us every day here at the funeral home. We encourage you to stop by and meet and greet her. You will fall in love. 

We will start her training at around 5 months, at our favorite dog trainer. Then around the 12 month mark, she will be involved with Miami Valley Pet Therapy Association !! 

We know this will be a lot of work, but we also know that this will really help our families start this process. 

If you have a name, email it to me: abby@bakerhazelsnider.com 

Selected Independent Funeral Homes Educational Trust Names Recipient of Leadership Academy Scholarship

DEERFIELD, ILL. — February 24, 2016 — Selected Independent Funeral Homes Educational Trust has chosen Abby Snider-Robinson as its third recipient of the Selected Leadership Academy Scholarship. Snider-Robinson, funeral director at Baker-Hazel & Snider Funeral Home & Crematory in Dayton, Ohio was selected from a notable field of candidates to participate in the Selected Leadership Academy, a two-year structured program offered exclusively to members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes.

Snider-Robinson comes from a family with a history in funeral service. She is a fourth generation funeral director, and the first female in her family.  The firm was started 75 years ago by her great-grandfather Eugene Baker in 1941. 

“Since age twelve, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” said Snider-Robinson.  “I wanted to be just like my dad.”

She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Leadership Communications and Art Studio and worked at the firm on summers and weekends. She officially began working full time in 2010 and earned her funeral director’s license in May of 2013. 

“I grew up in the funeral business and I could not image myself in any other profession,” said Snider-Robinson. “I am blessed to have the role models and co-workers that I have around me.

The scholarship will cover Snider-Robinson’s registration fee for the two-year enrollment of the 2016 Leadership Academy class. She will also receive a reimbursement payment each year to waive the cost of books. The total estimated value of this scholarship is $4,890.

Any individual currently employed full-time (and not a majority owner) at a firm maintaining full membership in Selected Independent Funeral Homes is eligible to apply.

 Information about the program, including application deadlines as well as the application can be accessed on the official website at http://www.selectedtrust.org/leadership-academy-scholarship.

The Leadership Academy Scholarship is one of several programs of the Selected Educational Trust which was founded by Selected Independent Funeral Homes, a worldwide professional association of independent, locally-owned funeral homes founded in 1917. By creating the program, the Trust hopes to encourage involvement in the Leadership Academy, fostering more leaders within the funeral service profession.

About the Trust:  Established in 1982, the Selected Independent Funeral Homes’ Educational Trust strives to enrich the professionalism of the independent funeral practitioner through lifelong learning and is dedicated to funding the development and administration of research initiatives, assistance grants, award programs and the presentation of educational programs dealing with business management, counseling, personnel management and other topics of importance and interest to the members of Selected and independently owned and operated funeral home professionals. More information on the Selected Educational Trust and its activities can be found at www.selectedtrust.org.

Organ Donor

"Organ donation is not a tragedy but it can be a beautiful light in the midst of one.” - Anonymous

My son and I live in Brookville, which is a small community.  The second week of school on Friday, August 28th four teenagers were involved in a car accident.  One young lady died at the scene the other three were sent to hospitals.  Two of the three in critical condition.  On Sunday, August 30th another one of the young ladies died from her injuries. She was a classmate of my son.  On Monday the school held a prayer vigil in the evening for the community.  More than 500 people attended.  The parents of the young lady that died on Sunday were there.  They shared with all in attendance the pain of losing of their daughter.  They begged all the teenagers there to not speed.  To stop and think when they are driving. They also shared that they had donated Emily's organs to save other lives.  It was the only moment in the evening when everyone clapped and cheered. Not only will she live on in the hearts and minds of her family and friends, she has now brought hope to others.  Because of their selfless act of organ donation several lives were touched. 

When someone is an organ donor the funeral home and the family will receive a letter from the Tissue Bank.  It will list the information about where the organs went.  Not specific names but it will say something like her lungs went to a 28 year old female in Michigan who has two children.  It will list all of the people who have been helped and even saved by this gift.  I have to believe that the families of the donor will read this letter over and over.  I hope that they can gain some kind of peace in their time of loss. 

Organ donation saves lives.  1 Organ donor can save up to 8 lives and heal up to 50.  22 people will die each day waiting for an organ. How can you help?  You can register to be a donor.   If you would like further information on organ donation or how to register visit www.organdonor.gov.  In the state of Ohio you can go to http://www.donatelifeohio.org/. 

Organ donation is a personal decision that everyone has to make for themselves.  If you’re a donor make sure that your family and friends know your wishes.  I hope through the gift of her donation that Emily's family can begin to heal.  Just like the healing that her gift brought to all who received her organs. 

"Without the organ donor, there is no story, no hope, and no transplant.  But when there is an organ donor, life springs from death, sorrow turns to hope and a terrible loss becomes a gift."  - UNOS

 By Angela Garrett

SOCIAL MEDIA IN A FUNERAL HOME?

SOCIAL MEDIA IN A FUNERAL HOME?

”Tag, you’re it!”

“Tag me!”

“Let’s take a selfie”

“Friend me”

Are you on social media?

WE ARE! Technology is moving faster than me typing these words.

Did you know that people are getting a college degree in Social Media Marketing?

We at Baker/Hazel & Snider are on board. We tweet, we pin, we tag, we share, we swipe…

We think it is so important to be relevant to what is going on in the clouds. Yes, we serve an older generation, but more importantly we care for the whole family. We want all of our families to be relevant in their loved one’s end of life planning. Families are split up and live all over the world. So here at our funeral home, we want people to know that even though you can’t be right here physically, you are here and we are connected to you.

We have a google account, facebook page, a pinterest account, a twitter. We take photos and share them.

How many of you google the company’s name before you try their food, or buy their clothes, or use their services? MOST EVERYONE! How many of you moms read reviews on Amazon before buying that new double stroller for your two young ones? I DO.

“Seventy-two percent of Millennials research and shop their options online before going to a store or the mall.” –www.cmo.com

How many of you give your email address out more than my cell phone number. – I DO

My point?
I wouldn’t use a company if they didn’t have an up-to-date website, or a Facebook account.

We need transparency.
www.bakerhazelsnider.com 

 By: Abby Snider-Robinson, Funeral Director 

By Rick Snider

“Just Cremate Me”

Currently, less than 30% of the population goes to a house of worship on a regular basis.  Some 30 years ago most families attended a church or house of worship, and religion was an important part of their life.  The church also provided a place for dealing with a death.  Grieving provides comfort for those who fear the unknown and questions, “What happens when a person dies? “.   The increase in technology has encouraged people to become detached from the human experience, including the experience of losing someone through death. 

Cremation is not a funeral; it’s a disposition of the human remains.  When a person dies, there is still an emotional connection and relationship that was nurtured over time.  Funeral directing is not about burial or cremation, it’s about helping people grieve and separate from their loved one by creating a meaningful service. 

To experience the reality of death and begin this grief process, it is very important for mourners to view the body in a setting that is peaceful and provides a time to say good-bye.  30% of the families we serve choose to accomplish this by asking us to prepare the remains for viewing and placing the body in a rental casket, prior to the cremation, so that family and friends may share in this together. 

Our value statement at Baker-Hazel & Snider Funeral Home & Crematory is to serve by providing a time and place for Recognizing, Honoring & Commemorating a Life.  For 73 years and 4 generations we have been privileged and honored to serve those in need. You get one chance when it comes to a funeral; make sure it’s discussed and planned for everyone to benefit and participate.