Welcome to the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. online blog. We are dedicated to serving you and your family in the most professional, caring, and respectful manner.

We have developed this blog to give you current information and events in the   funeral industry along with providing a venue for you to ask question and read feedback from others with similar questions. We have also added features to our funeral website that make it easier for your family to explore the legacy of their loved one while aiding to their needs with our E-Aftercare and an elaborate resource page. Below you can find updates on the latest happenings we feel our communities should be concerned with as well as new offerings for your family.

These are the latest trends in the funeral industry.

One of the latest trends in the funeral industry is the green movement.  We have accepted this challenge and are in the process of establishing a “green section” in our existing cemeteries.  We have also established a “green” casket, made of weaved wicker and similiar to basketing weaving.  Oddly enough the wicker casket has its roots deep in funeral tradition.  Over a century ago funeral directors would utilize a wicker casket to assist them in transporting those that died in their homes to the funeral home.

By blending the green movement with our line of “basket caskets” we at Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Funeral Home have accepted the challenge to service families interested in “green” funerals.

I recently held a funeral for a gentleman who had extended family that lived outside the area. We had planned for a viewing and funeral the following day. His granddaughter, who cared deeply for her grandpa, resided in California and was unable to attend the service. In trying to solve the dilemma I came to the realization that many families are in similar situations and that we need to provide everyone the ability to say goodbye. Some may not be able to attend services due to distance, illness, or disability. We immediately installed a camera and now have the ability to broadcast the service to family members and friends through our web page. All that is needed is a password that the family is given in order for other family members to “e-tend” the service. Stop by to find out more about webcasting services exclusively offered by Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Funeral Homes or call 778-0055.

Kirk A. Helfenbein

Children’s Room

I recently had a service for a family that was well known in the Chestertown Community. Several members of the family had children and there was a concern as to whether or not to bring them to the service.A dilemma that many in our community with children share.

I explained to the family that not only do we have childcare for families upon request but also have installed a children’s room. Our “kid’s room” is a recent addition, we have renovated one of our interior rooms and added a television, movies, toys, puzzles, and activities for children as well as baby care stations.

The family that we cared for was able to bring their children and attend both the viewing the night before and funeral for their loved one.

Please keep our children’s room in mind when attending visitations or services and feel welcome to bring your kids.

Who oversees cremation in the State of Maryland and what are the regulations?

 Cremation is regulated by the state board of morticians, the state agency that oversees funeral service.  Maryland’s requirements are coupled with Chesapeake Cremation Center’s requirements and are as follows:

A.      Any scheduled ceremonies or viewings have been completed.

B.      A completed Burial Transit Permit and other state required documents are completed.

C.      At least 12 hours have transpired since death occurred.

D.      Authorization to Cremate Form is duly signed by the person or persons with the authority to order cremation and the funeral director.

Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam also require that an identification bracelet accompanies your loved one and as a secondary identification procedure a metal disc is placed with your loved one.  That disc will be cremated and ultimately be returned to the family with the cremated remains.   

For A Good Cause:

Oyster Recovery Partnership

Over the last century, the Chesapeake Bay has seen a dramatic decline of its native oyster population to 1% of its historical levels. The Eastern oyster used to filter the Bay’s waters in a few days; now it takes years. A healthy oyster reef not only filters the Bay’s dirty waters, but it provides crucial substrate for an underwater community including new oyster spat, barnacles, mussels and other marine life – which in turn furnishes valuable life support for blue crabs and fish.

Since 1994, the non-profit Oyster Recovery Partnership, with its coalition of partners, has been growing hundreds of millions of disease-free oysters and planting them in the Chesapeake Bay. Through its large scale restoration efforts, the Oyster Recovery Partnership has rehabilitated over 1,100 acres of once viable oyster reefs. 

For each family we serve starting in 2009 Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, in partnership with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, is donating funds in memory of your loved one to assist with this critical bay restoration effort that will directly result in thousands of new oysters being planted in the Bay.

Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Fuenral Home represents a monument company which offers monuments, lettering (cutting the date of death in a stone), custom headstones, footstones, and family markers.  Contact your local Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Funeral Home or email to kirk@fhnfuneralhome.com for a custom memorial quote.