the Author
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We're glad you stopped by! First, let me provide
you with some background about Darryl Roberts and Profits of Death:
I have spent my entire life in and around the funeral and cemetery industries. During those 30 years, I met and worked with a number of highly reputable people in the business. Unfortunately, I also encountered an even larger number of less ethical, less consumer-oriented individuals. I retired in the fall of 1994, and began organizing the notes that would eventually lead to the book Profits of Death: An Insider Exposes the Death Care Industries. Neither the book nor this website is designed for any other purpose than to educate the public about the ways many funeral directors and cemetery operators seduce consumers into spending far more than they need to when making final arrangements. I grew up in the business. By the age of 12, I was already helping my father with his West Virginia cemetery business. I received my B.S. Degree in Business from the University in 1967, and continued with post-graduate studies at the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. In the summers during college, I began my professional career as a memorial counselor selling cemetery lots. After I graduated, I became the manager of one of my father's corporate properties in Virginia. After my father passed away in 1980, I became president of the corporation which then consisted of 26 cemeteries and three funeral homes. I served on the board of directors of the West Virginia Cemetery Association from 1970 to 1978, and served as its president from 1974 to 1975. I was elected president emeritus of the organization in 1993. I was also a member of the board of directors of the Pre-Arrangement Association of America from 1972 to 1980, and served as its president from 1975 to 1976. I also served on the board of the Ohio Association of Cemeteries from 1976 to 1978. I was a founding member of the Cemetery Service Council -- an organization designed to assist consumers and cemeteries in the resolution of disputes. I served as president in 1983. It is my hope that this website will become a consumer forum in which people can learn how to provide for their loved ones the final arrangements they need and deserve and which they are willing to pay. I look forward to hearing from you! |
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