History

On December 14, 1881, the Illinois Undertakers Association met and elected its first corps of officers. Led by new president Joseph Rogerson (Chicago), they intended to "organize a state association to which undertakers might belong," according to The Casket (January, 1882), and to "take such action, after its organization as a state society, as it might deem proper for the protection of its members and the business." Another important goal was to "secure state legislation providing for the licensing of undertakers - and to provide that none shall be licensed as undertakers but such as may be duly qualified to perform the many delicate offices of a modern undertaker, one of the most important of which is the embalming of bodies." Annual meetings have been held nearly every year since.


1885convention
1885 Illinois Undertakers' Association at Rouse's Hall, Peoria

 

Mission


Advancing the funeral service profession through advocacy and value.

Vision


Positioning funeral service professionals as vital to the well-being of families and communities.



2023-2024 IFDA Board of Directors, July 2023

About