Every year, the ICCFA proudly recognizes outstanding members of the deathcare profession through a variety of prestigious awards.
The Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards celebrate cemeteries, funeral homes, pet loss professionals, and suppliers that have gone above and beyond in personalization and memorialization.
The Lasting Impact Award, presented by the ICCFA Educational Foundation, recognizes an individual whose contributions have advanced professional development and lifelong learning within the profession.
The ICCFA’s highest honor, the Hall of Fame Award, pays tribute to individuals whose selfless service and exceptional contributions have left a lasting mark on deathcare. The 40 Under 40 Award, introduced in 2024, honors emerging leaders who are making a meaningful impact on the future of deathcare.
Established in 2024 in memory of Past ICCFA President Scott R. Sells, CCFE, the Scott R. Sells Excellence Award recognizes a funeral service organization that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to supporting veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families.
You can learn more about our award winners and find more information below
ICCFA’s Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards
The Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards were started in 2001 by the ICCFA’s Personalization subcommittee to encourage the sharing of ideas for personalizing services and products to better serve families. The KIP program honors recipients in four categories: Most Personalized Service/Memorial for Funeral Home; Most Personalized Service/Memorial for Cemetery; Most Personalized Pet Service or Memorial; and Innovative Personalized Product, which is only available to supplier members.
You can find information on the 2025 winners below.
Cemetery
Most Personalized Service or Memorial
First Place & Overall Grand Prize Winner
"You Can Always Talk to Possum at Life Forest"
Life Forest | Manchester, New Hampshire
Honorable Mention
Sanctuary of the Sea: A Tribute of Life That Gives Life
Capillas Señoriales Casa de Homenajes | Mérida, Yucatán, México
Funeral Home
Most Personalized Service or Memorial
First Place
Tribute to Luis Roberto “Chowi” Gutierrez Soria – Guatemala City “Flying Beyond Goodbye”
Capillas Señoriales Casa de Homenajes | Gautemala
Honorable Mention
Lanterns of Love
Jefferson Memorial Cemetery & Funeral Home | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Suppliers
Innovative/Personalized Product
First Place
Tending App – Nine Stones at Pilot Knob: Lisa Nicole Collins Family Cemetery Restoration
Tending App by All Funeral Services | New York, New York
Honorable Mention
Tombstone Jack
Tombstone Jack Inc. | Brigham City, Utah
Pet
Most Personalized Pet Service
First Place
Keeper Find Me, Remember Me
Keeper Memorials | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Honorable Mention
Max: A Dignified and Loving Conclusion to the Mission of an Extraordinary Being
Señoriales Corporación de Servicio | Guatemala
ICCFA’s Lasting Impact Award
The Lasting Impact Awards were created by the ICCFA Educational Foundation to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to furthering professional development and lifelong learning in the funeral, cemetery and cremation profession.
The Lasting Impact Award was presented to Ray Frew, CCFE, at the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience in Fort Worth, Texas.
2025 Lasting Impact Awardee
Jay D. Dodds
Currently the chief strategy officer of Park Lawn Corp., Dodds has driven significant growth and innovation, setting industry standards and guiding organizations with compassion and integrity. His tenure includes pivotal roles such as ICCFA past president and trustee emeritus of multiple foundations, where he championed education, safety, and operational resilience, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To watch Jay’s award ceremony, click here.
2026 Lasting Impact Awardee
Ray Frew, CCFE
A past ICCFA President and founder of the ICCFA Educational Foundation, Frew has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s mission to expand access to education, strengthen leadership, and elevate professionalism across the industry. His enduring contributions will be celebrated during the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience on April 29 in Fort Worth, Texas.
To watch Ray’s award ceremony, click here.
2024 Lasting Impact Awardee
Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE
Price, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations at Park Lawn Corporation, has dedicated himself to advancing the deathcare profession’s future. As President and Chairman of the ICCFA Educational Foundation from 2015 to 2023, he led significant growth in donations, scholarships, and initiatives. Now a Trustee, Price also serves on the Government & Legal Affairs and Veterans Committees and was inducted into the ICCFA Hall of Fame in 2022.
To watch Jim’s award ceremony, click here.
ICCFA Hall of Fame Award
The ICCFA’s most prestigious award is entry into our Hall of Fame. Since its creation in 1965, it has been awarded to only 38 individuals. This award recognizes those who have demonstrated unselfish service and outstanding contributions to the ICCFA, to the cemetery, funeral, cremation, and memorialization profession, and, ultimately, to the public.
Darin Drabing was formally inducted into the ICCFA Hall of Fame during the 2026 ICCFA Experience in Fort Worth, Texas.
Darin Drabing
The ICCFA has named Darin Drabing, President and CEO of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, as a recipient of the 2026 ICCFA Hall of Fame Award, the association’s highest honor, recognizing his more than 40 years of leadership, innovation, and service to families and the profession. Drabing, who began his career at Forest Lawn in 1984 and advanced through nearly every level of the organization before becoming CEO in 2011, is widely respected for his ethical, people-centered leadership and deep operational expertise. Under his guidance, Forest Lawn has navigated industry change and the global pandemic while investing in technology, employee experience, education, and long-term sustainability, including the creation of the Forest Lawn Academy of Mortuary Science. A longtime ICCFA leader and past president, Drabing was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame during the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience in Fort Worth, Texas.
To watch Darin’s award ceremony, click here.
ICCFA’s 40 Under 40 Awards
The ICCFA’s 40 Under 40 Awards program recognizes rising stars in deathcare who positively impact the profession. These young leaders significantly contribute to their firms and communities, representing the best in our field. This diverse group includes cemeterians, funeral directors, managers, administrators, crematory operators, maintenance supervisors, and more. Honorees are featured in the Memento Mori magazine, showcased on ICCFA social media and online, and provided a $500 educational scholarship from the ICCFA Educational Foundation to attend the ICCFA Fall Leadership Summit.
Click here to read a full list of the 2024 inaugural winners.
ICCFA’s Scott R. Sells Excellence Award
The Scott R. Sells Excellence Awards were established by the ICCFA Veterans Committee in memory of Past ICCFA President Scott R. Sells, CCFE, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose passion for serving veterans led to the creation of the ICCFA Veterans Committee.
The awards recognize outstanding service and support of the veteran and military community. Three awards rotate annually:
- Outstanding Individual Service Excellence Award – Honors an individual who demonstrates exceptional dedication to veterans and military families.
- Outstanding Supplier Service Excellence Award – Recognizes a supplier company that provides meaningful support, resources, or service to the veteran community.
- Outstanding Firm or Consolidator Service Excellence Award – Celebrates an ICCFA member firm that demonstrates a strong commitment to serving veterans, military families, employees, and local communities.
Awardees
- 2026 Outstanding Firm or Consolidator Service Excellence Award: Young’s Daughters Funeral Home & Bereavement Center
- 2025 Outstanding Individual Service Excellence Award: Scott R. Sells, CCFE
- 2024 Outstanding Supplier Service Excellence Award: Funeral Home Gifts
How to Submit a Nomination
Information for the 2027 Scott R. Sells Excellence Award nominations will be available in Fall 2026.