Gay ciha funeral home iowa city

Iowa City funeral home has a tradition of service that is uniquely caring about the life that you wish to remember. Not about soliciting pre-arrangem. Find obituaries, service information, and funeral plans for Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, IA. See recent and upcoming services, partner details, and contact information. Obituaries from Gay & Ciha Funeral Home in Iowa City, Iowa. Offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial for free.

4 talking about this · were here. "For us it's not about selling. A casket. Discover compassionate funeral and cremation services at Gay And Ciha Funeral Home in Iowa City, IA. View obituaries, order flowers for Gay And Ciha Funera. The nowyear-old has worked at the funeral home for over 40 years, beginning as a year-old after a high school field trip.

His high school class received a tour from the lead funeral director of the establishment, George L. Ciha said his teacher called Gay the next day, who then interviewed Ciha and lined him up for a summer job. Eventually, Ciha was exposed to all the various jobs in the funeral practice and decided to officially enter the profession. Currently, the only certified mortuary science program in Iowa exists at Des Moines Area Community College, which is entirely online.

While many schools offer prerequisite courses like basic biology, including the University of Iowa in its mortuary science preprofessional program, much of the state lacks a direct track to mortuary licensure. In an email to The Daily Iowan , Kevin Patterso n, the program chair of mortuary science at DMACC, wrote that there are currently students enrolled in the virtual program from 25 different states.

During the COVID pandemic, the program switched to an entirely virtual option, which allowed for an increase in students. This instruction includes how to communicate with grieving families. It takes four years to become licensed as a funeral director in Iowa, Patterso n wrote. Licensure must be acquired through a mortuary science program from a school accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.

A one-year internship is also required, as well as passing the national and state board licensing examinations. There are funeral home establishments throughout the state. Ciha noted that licensure requirements vary by state. The state of Iowa abolished the dual licensure system over 60 years ago, combining the two because both were required to practice in Iowa. Other states like Missouri continue to mandate a dual license.

For example, Ciha said, someone in Missouri can graduate high school and immediately become a funeral director, which means they are then licensed to handle the deceased, but not to specifically embalm. In , this difference in education requirements became a topic of discussion in response to a decrease in licensed funeral directors in Iowa. He also noted that the profession ranks among the highest for rates of alcoholism.

Even when someone dies unexpectedly, Ciha must be ready to go, even if in the middle of something like family dinner. In some cases, families may bury up to five generations with the same funeral home, Ciha said. They trust you like a counselor. Ciha said there has been a massive increase in cremations in recent years.

Now, the rate of cremation Ciha sees is almost 70 percent, he said. However, the reasons behind this drastic increase vary. For one, he said younger generations examine everything, including death, in a slightly different way than older generations, including but not limited to religion.

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Lensing Funerals also has a location in Coralville with a pet cremation service. The NFDA expects this percentage could increase to over 80 percent by Cremation has become more acceptable over the years. Most religious denominations have given their approval, however, we find less cremation with Jewish families and no cremation with Muslim families we serve. However, cost still plays a major role for many.

The NFDA reported that Without a cemetery plot, headstone, or embalming, among other burial services, thousands of dollars can be saved in the death care process.