Every year, the ICCFA is proud to honor members of the deathcare profession for their extraordinary achievement through our awards. The 40 Under 40 Award is new in 2024 and honors young rising stars in deathcare who positively impact the profession. The Keeping It Personal (KIP) awards honor cemeteries, funeral homes, pet-loss professionals, and suppliers who have gone above and beyond in personalization and memorialization efforts. The Lasting Impact Award is selected by the ICCFA Educational Foundation, and honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to furthering professional development and lifelong learning in deathcare. Our highest honor, the Hall of Fame Award, pays tribute to an elite group who have demonstrated selfless service and outstanding contributions.
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. | Bringham City, Utah
Pet
Most Personalized Pet Service
First Place
Keeper Find Me, Remember Me
Keeper Memorials | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Honorable Mention
Pawprints on the Rainbow: A Tribute to Our Eternal Stars
Señoriale 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 will be 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.
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 will be 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 will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame during the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience in Fort Worth, Texas.
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.
How to Submit a Nomination
Nominations for the 2026 40 Under 40 Awards will open in Summer 2026. Please check back for more details.