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Six Questions with Patty Neuswanger of Funeral Women Lead
Patty Neuswanger recently made a big and bold move.
After several years as the vice president of education and meetings at the National Funeral Directors Association, she left her post to take a new challenge as the senior director of operations of Funeral Women Lead, which is dedicated to advancing women’s leadership in the funeral profession, recognizing that their presence is vital to its future.
Ring Ring Marketing recently caught up with her to learn more about what she’ll be doing at the organization and why she felt it was the right time to make a change.
How tough was it to leave the National Funeral Directors Association?
It’s never easy to leave a role, because there are always both challenges and opportunities in every position. I had a wonderful experience at NFDA and deeply respect the organization and the people I was fortunate to work alongside. What ultimately drew me to Funeral Women Lead was the chance to take on something entirely new. Any startup requires you to push yourself to new limits, to use different skills, and even to dust off some strengths you may not have flexed in a while. For me, the opportunity to help build and shape an organization with such a focused mission, supporting and advancing women in funeral service, felt like the right calling at the right time. It’s a way to carry forward everything I’ve learned while stretching myself in exciting new ways.
What will be your role at Funeral Women Lead?
I serve as the senior director of operations, which means I’m helping build the internal structure of the organization while also ensuring our programs and events have the systems, budgets, and support they need to succeed. I collaborate closely with Lisa Baue and our board, manage our upcoming Leadership Academy and Wellness Summit, and make sure that everything from partnerships to communications is aligned with our mission. My role is really about creating a solid foundation, so the vision of Funeral Women Lead can continue to grow and thrive long term. We’ll be having a strategic planning session in November, ahead of our Wellness Summit, which will help chart our course for the future. I’m really looking forward to that.
Have you known Lisa Baue for a long time? What impresses you the most about her?
I’ve known Lisa professionally for about ten years. Our paths crossed back when I was working for Selected Independent Funeral Homes. She was both a member and a member of the board of directors, so I got to know her really well then. We also worked together with Selected’s Women in Funeral Services community, and we hosted one of our events at her St. Charles, Missouri location. I got the opportunity to tour her amazing operation and meet many on her team.
What impresses me most is her unwavering commitment and desire to support women. Through her own personal experience, she can truly relate to the challenges of female funeral professionals. She sees the gaps that exist for women in the profession and has the courage to do something about it. Not just talking about change but building the structures and programs to make it happen. Her ability to combine business acumen with compassion is rare, and it’s part of what makes this movement so powerful. She has just published her book, “Wake-Up Calls: A Journey of Learning to Lead and Succeed in the Funeral and Deathcare Profession”, which is her inspirational story. She’ll be signing copies at the NFDA Convention & Expo in the Funeral Women Lead booth. Stop by and see us there!
Why does Funeral Women Lead’s message and mission resonate with you?
Because I’ve seen the need firsthand. Throughout my career I’ve visited more than 300 funeral homes across the U.S. and spoken with countless professionals, and it’s clear that women are the future of this profession, but they aren’t always supported with the tools, mentorship and culture that allow them to thrive. Funeral Women Lead is addressing that head-on. The mission resonates with me because it’s not just about women’s advancement, it’s about creating a healthier, more inclusive profession for everyone. When women succeed, the entire profession benefits.
In addition to Lisa’s book, is there another one you’d recommend funeral professionals read?
I would recommend “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen” by David Brooks. Funeral service is, at its core, about human connection and being able to truly see, hear, and support people during some of the most difficult times in their lives. Brooks’ book is about developing the art of understanding others more deeply, moving past surface interactions to authentic connection. For funeral professionals, that’s invaluable. It’s not just about serving families, but also about knowing and supporting colleagues, teams and communities in a more intentional and meaningful way. This book has impacted me both professionally and personally.
What’s something about you that would surprise most people?
I’m not sure, because I’m a pretty open book and a heavy user of social media. I love to travel and have been a lot of places, and these adventures are often shared on Facebook (yes, I admit it, I’m part of that “older” demographic still keeping Facebook alive LOL). Maybe that I love Pilates and own my own Pilates reformer that I’ve named “Bernice,” have a motorcycle license and I’m 100% Swiss, love fondue but cannot yodel. Is that surprising?
Funeral Directors to Add $9 NYC Congestion Toll to Families’ Bills
New York’s new congestion pricing plan isn’t sparing the funeral industry — or grieving families, according to a report in the New York Post.
The $9 daily fee, which took effect Jan. 5 for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street, applies to hearses, limousines, and other funeral home vehicles. With no exemption for those transporting the deceased, funeral directors say the cost will likely be folded into the overall price of funeral arrangements.
Funeral homes rely heavily on their vehicle fleets to move between hospitals, morgues, cemeteries, and crematories. Since public transit is not an option for transporting bodies, operators say they have little choice but to absorb the new tolls as part of their operating expenses. Many are expected to pass the surcharge along to families, though not as a separate line item, in order to avoid appearing insensitive.
One East Village funeral home joined a lawsuit last year challenging the tolling program, arguing that it unfairly penalizes essential services. The suit, filed by New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax, emphasized that funeral directors must frequently drive in and out of the toll zone to complete their work and that the added costs threaten their businesses. That case was unsuccessful, and the program is now in effect.
Critics of the policy call the charge another financial burden for New Yorkers at one of life’s most difficult moments.
Enforcement Action Filed Against Kraft Bros. Funeral Directors and McNary’s Chapel in California
On August 29, 2025, a civil enforcement action was filed by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud Division against Kraft Brothers Funeral Directors and McNary’s Chapel, and their owners Paul and Lailene Wiggins, according to a news release.
The civil complaint alleges the defendants overcharged nearly every family who entrusted Kraft or McNary’s with the final arrangements for their deceased loved ones. The complaint also alleges the defendants engaged in routine misconduct in the sale and administration of preneed insurance.
The investigation originated from consumer complaints, which led to a broader inquiry that revealed pervasive violations of consumer protection laws. Through this enforcement action, the district attorney is seeking restitution for hundreds of consumers who were victims of alleged fraud and misrepresentations, as well as civil penalties and injunctive relief to protect against future abuses.
FTC Orders the Nation’s Largest Pet Cremation Business to Stop Enforcing Noncompetes
On Sept. 4, the Federal Trade Commission ordered pet cremation company Gateway Services, Inc. and its subsidiary to stop enforcing noncompete agreements against its employees.
In a complaint filed against Gateway Services and its subsidiary Gateway US Holdings, Inc., (collectively referred to as Gateway), the FTC alleges that Gateway imposed noncompete agreements on almost all of its employees, which typically prohibited employees from working in the pet cremation service industry anywhere in the U.S. for one year after leaving Gateway, according to a news release.
Under a proposed FTC consent order, Gateway must, among other terms, immediately stop enforcing all existing noncompete agreements. The FTC’s proposed order will free nearly 1,800 employees from these restrictive agreements that limit job mobility and the ability to negotiate better wages and benefits.
“The commission will stand up for workers and ensure that they receive all the benefits that flow from robust competition between employers,” said Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “The antitrust laws protect workers from noncompete agreements that harm competition, including by preventing workers from switching to better-paying jobs or starting their own businesses. We will protect workers by enforcing the laws against anticompetitive noncompetes.”
Gateway’s noncompete agreements are anticompetitive because they unfairly alter the bargaining positions between employees and Gateway, the FTC’s complaint alleges. In addition, these agreements suppress competition as they likely impede the entry or expansion of competing pet cremation services businesses, while also preventing or discouraging Gateway employees from opening competing businesses.
The FTC’s proposed consent order states, among other terms, that:
- Gateway is prohibited from entering into, maintaining, or enforcing noncompete agreements, with limited exceptions, or communicating to an employee or any other person that any former employee is subject to a noncompete agreement.
- Gateway must provide notice to employees that they are no longer subject to a noncompete agreement.
- Gateway cannot prohibit employees in any employment agreement from soliciting any prospective, current, or former customers of Gateway, except with respect to those current or prospective customers with whom the employee had direct contact or personally provided service in the last 12 months of their employment with Gateway.
The commission vote to issue the complaint and accept the proposed consent agreement for public comment was 3-1, with Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter dissenting.
State Probes Orlando Funeral Home Following Disturbing Discovery
Authorities are conducting multiple investigations into a now-closed Orlando funeral home after police discovered the decomposed remains of a woman inside the facility, according to a report by WFTV.com.
According to a heavily redacted police report, officers were called to Foster’s Funeral Home on West Colonial Drive on Aug. 10, where they made the grim discovery.
Just over a week later, cameras captured investigators with the Florida Department of Financial Services entering the property and seizing evidence. The business owner and tenant, Amos Jerome Foster, told reporters he had no prior knowledge of the raid.
When asked about the body and why it had been left inside a building without refrigeration during peak summer heat, Foster declined to answer.
The Orlando Utilities Commission confirmed that power to the funeral home had been disconnected on July 23. In the weeks that followed, the city endured sweltering temperatures—18 days above 90 degrees and nine days above 95 degrees, including back-to-back 98-degree days on July 28 and 29.
Orlando Police initially said their review showed no clear signs of criminal activity, though the case remains open.
Under Florida law, licensed funeral providers must either embalm bodies or keep them in storage at no more than 40 degrees. Violations can result in a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Sydney Booker, spokesperson for the Department of Financial Services, confirmed the agency’s investigation and said it will “explore all disciplinary actions available.” While DFS cannot file criminal charges, it can suspend or revoke licenses in partnership with the state Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services.
Update
A follow-up article reported that a second heavily decomposed body had been found at the funeral home.
The remains were of an unidentified man had three different names listed on a cardboard box and his identification tags — none of which matched any records from the medical examiner’s office.
Welton Hong, the Founder of Ring Ring Marketing,
to Speak at ‘Tech Turbocharge’ in Baltimore
Numerous states have approved “Tech Turbocharge: Digital Tools to Elevate the Deathcare Profession” which will be Dec. 11, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore – BWI Airport, for continuing education units.
Welton Hong, the founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, is one of the speakers at the event. He’ll deliver a presentation titled, “Tech-Savvy Growth: How AI and Digital Marketing Can Elevate Your Business.”
The Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, whose approval is recognized by numerous states, has approved the event for 5 hours of continuing education.
The following states have also approved the event for 5 CEUs: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee.
New Jersey has approved the event for 4 CEUs – and approval from Ohio is pending.
Joining Hong on the program are:
Matthew Bailey is a sixth-generation licensed funeral director and embalmer, certified celebrant, certified crematory operator and celebrant trainer. He owns Connecticut Life Tributes, which includes B.C. Bailey Funeral Home, Bailey Funeral Home and Carpino Funeral Home.
Minh Reid, manager of e-commerce and web strategy at Carriage Services, is a strategic leader in digital merchandising, e-commerce and site optimization, recognized for driving meaningful improvements in user experience and digital performance.
Brent Thomas, head of business development at Dead Ringers, has more than 28 years of experience in the deathcare profession. He began his journey in cemetery and funeral preneed sales before quickly advancing into sales leadership roles.
Cole Waybright is the vice president of sales optimization at Homesteaders Life Company. He formerly was an executive at Foundation Partners Group, serving as vice president of sales operations, director of preneed and as a preneed manager. He will deliver a session titled “Breaking Silos: Maximizing Efficiency with Integrated Technology.”
Reserve Your Seat Early and Save Money!
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore – BWI Airport is 10 minutes from Baltimore/Washington International Airport, with a free 24-hour shuttle both ways.
Its location near I-195 offers easy access to downtown: Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, and the Inner Harbor are eight miles away. Enjoy a warm chocolate chip cookie when you arrive!
Tech Turbocharge would not be possible without our generous sponsors, including our Platinum sponsor, Homesteaders Life Company; and our Gold sponsors, Carriage Services, Celebrate Life Co., ASD – Answering Service for Directors and Ring Ring Marketing.
