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 2024 winners below.
Cemetery
Most Personalized Service or Memorial
First Place & Overall Grand Prize Winner
Vinculos de Amor (Remember Me)
El Campanario | Guatemala
Honorable Mention
Tribute: Homenajes de Luz y Vida
Señoriale Corporación de Servicio | Guatemala
Funeral Home
Most Personalized Service or Memorial
First Place
“It Will Be Okay”
Security National Funeral Homes & Cemeteries (Memorial Mortuaries & Cemeteries) | Salt Lake City, Utah
Honorable Mention
Willow Award: Excellence in End-of-Life Care
Smith Family Funeral Homes | North Little Rock, Arkansas
Suppliers
Innovative/Personalized Product
First Place
“Your Story, Your Legacy” Living Veteran Feature of Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM)
Keeper Memorials | Hamilton, Canada
in partnership with the National Cemetery Administration
Honorable Mention
Video Planning Online
Afterword | New York, New York
Pet
Most Personalized Pet Service
First Place
Pet Reef
Memorial Reefs International | Kapolei, Hawaii
Honorable Mention
Pawprints on the Rainbow: A Tribute to Our Eternal Stars
Señoriale Corporación de Servicio | Guatemala
ICCFA’s 40 Under 40 Awards
The ICCFA is excited to announce the 40 Under 40 Awards program to recognize 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 of the 40 Under 40 Award will be featured in the Memento Mori magazine, showcased on ICCFA social media and online, recognized at the 2025 ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo, and provided a $500 educational scholarship from the ICCFA Educational Foundation to attend the 2025 ICCFA Fall Leadership Summit.
Click here to read a full list of the winners.
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 Jay Dodds at the President’s Welcome Banquet on April 30, 2025 at the 2025 ICCFA Experience in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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.
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.
2023 Lasting Impact Awardee
Doug Gober
Gober received the Lasting Impact Award in recognition of his commitment and contributions to the deathcare profession over his 44-year career. During this time, he has logged hundreds of hours as a speaker and educator at deathcare events across the globe and has presented at many ICCFA events. He has earned numerous national awards and has served as a consultant for marketing and merchandising projects on an international scale.
To watch Doug’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 37 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.
The ICCFA inducted Fred Lappin, CCE, during the 2024 ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Tampa, Florida.
I. Frederick Lappin, CCE
Lappin began serving as a volunteer with the ICCFA in 2001 as a member of the Sales and Marketing Committee. His subsequent positions have included multiple terms on the Board of Directors, including three Vice President appointments. He was a co-chair for both the Fall Leadership and Sales & Marketing Conferences and has served on a variety of committees, including the Mission Statement, Strategic Planning, Future Directions, Service Bureau, and more. Lappin has also been selected to serve on numerous Executive Committees and, most notably, was elected ICCFA President for 2014-15. Additionally, he was an original Trustee/Board member of the ICCFA Educational Foundation and was integrally involved with the inclusion of The Jewish Funeral Directors of America, Inc. (JFDA), as well as expanding the relationship between the ICCFA and the Latin American Association of Cemeteries and Funeral Services (ALPAR) by attending their events in Panama, Guatemala, and Spain.