Cam and Kelli Muse How Many Souls Are Really on Earth
8 billion living people can each have his and her own townhouse and all fit within the US State of TEXAS at the present population density of Manhattan / New York City. TEXAS is tiny compared to ‘known’ land area. Overpopu is Total Myth.
“world popu” comes from CIA WORLD FACTBOOK. LOL Why would anyone trust CIA for anything?
EAST GHOST is a COMpany with a deep article into graveyard land-owner. PHANTASM movies go deeply into the harvested shrunken souls as midget workers in higher-gravity other-realm.
Arthur C Clarke wrote something like ‘behind every living person stands 30 ghosts’…or maybe it was EA POE.
There is no single company that is the primary landowner of all graveyards in the USA, but Service Corporation International (SCI) is by far the largest owner and operator of cemeteries and funeral homes in the United States.
Key Facts about SCI:
- Name: Service Corporation International
- Headquarters: Houston, Texas
- Ticker Symbol: NYSE: SCI
- Industry: Deathcare (funeral services, cremations, burials)
- Market Share: Operates over 1,500 funeral homes and over 500 cemeteries in North America.
- Brands Owned: Dignity Memorial, Neptune Society, National Cremation, and more.
SCI acquired many formerly independent cemeteries over the decades, often consolidating them under the Dignity Memorial brand. It’s considered the largest “deathcare” provider in the world.
Other Notable Companies:
- StoneMor Inc. – Previously one of the largest cemetery operators, but recently taken private. Owned ~300 cemeteries and ~70 funeral homes.
- Park Lawn Corporation (Canada-based) – Owns dozens of cemeteries and funeral homes in the U.S.
- Carriage Services Inc. – Owns and operates about 70 cemeteries and funeral homes.
Summary:
Service Corporation International (SCI) is the dominant corporate landholder and operator of cemeteries in the United States, though thousands of cemeteries remain independently owned—by churches, municipalities, families, or non-profit associations.
The largest corporate landowner of cemeteries in the U.S. is Service Corporation International (SCI)—they own and manage more cemetery land than any other company.
📊 SCI at a Glance
Scope of Operations
- SCI operates approximately 1,471 funeral homes and 488 cemeteries across North America (US Funerals Online).
- This gives them the broadest network in the North American death‑care sector under brands like Dignity Memorial, Neptune Society, and others (Wikipedia).
Land Holdings
- SCI manages roughly 35,500–35,800 acres of cemetery land in North America (InvestorRoom).
- Another report estimates SCI oversees up to 63,000 acres of memorial parks/cemeteries (Editable Business Templates).
- Either way, SCI holds tens of thousands of acres, far surpassing any other corporate entity in the sector.
Market Share
- SCI controls around 16% of total industry revenue in funeral and cemetery services in North America (US Funerals Online, Sci Annual Meeting).
🪦 Comparison with Other Owners
Municipal, Religious & Non‑profit Owners
- A large number of U.S. cemeteries are non-corporate, including those owned by:
- Local governments (e.g. municipal or state-run cemeteries)
- The U.S. federal government, particularly the National Cemetery Administration (VA) which oversees 156 national cemeteries, some administered by the Army/Interior Department (VA.gov).
- Churches, fraternal orders, or family-run independent cemeteries—especially older or rural plots.
Notable Independent Cemeteries by Size
- Rose Hills Memorial Park (Whittier, CA) — ~1,400 acres, largest cemetery in North America, affiliated with SCI (memorialsoflife.com).
- Calverton National Cemetery (NY) — ~1,045 acres, largest national cemetery by area (memorialsoflife.com).
- Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum (Cincinnati, OH) — ~733 acres, nonprofit and historic (Wikipedia).
- Arlington National Cemetery (VA) — ~639 acres, major military cemetery (memorialsoflife.com).
- Crown Hill Cemetery (Indianapolis, IN) — ~555 acres, privately owned and one of the largest private cemeteries (Wikipedia).
- Westview Cemetery (Atlanta, GA) — ~582 acres, largest nonprofit cemetery in the Southeast (Wikipedia).
While these standalone sites are massive in acreage, collectively all cemeteries in the U.S. occupy about 2 million acres of land (journals.library.wustl.edu).
✅ Summary Table
| Owner Type | Estimated Land Acreage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCI (corporate giant) | ~35–63 k acres | Largest corporate cemetery landowner |
| Nonprofit & religious (e.g. Spring Grove, Westview) | Hundreds of acres each | Many large standalone cemeteries |
| Federal/National VA cemeteries | ~4,000 acres across 156 sites | Government‑run veterans cemeteries |
| Total U.S. cemetery land | ~2 million acres | Inclusive of all types of burial grounds |
🧾 Final Answer
The primary corporate landowner of cemeteries in the U.S. is Service Corporation International (SCI)—operating nearly 500 cemeteries and managing tens of thousands of acres (estimates range from ~35,000 to ~63,000 acres) (Wikipedia, InvestorRoom, Reference for Business).
That said, independent, nonprofit, religious, and government‑run cemeteries collectively occupy far more land overall, with individual sites often larger than SCI properties—but scattered across many owners.
A breakdown of SCI’s top subsidiaries, landmark cemeteries they own, and a comparison with local municipal cemetery operations —
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the land holdings and ownership structure of Service Corporation International (SCI)—currently the largest corporate cemetery landowner in the U.S.:
🏢 SCI at a Glance
- Service Corporation International (SCI) is the largest funeral and cemetery services provider in North America, with more than 1,900 funeral homes and cemeteries across 44 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada (Wikipedia, Service Corp. International InvestorRoom).
- Previously reported totals include approximately 1,471 funeral homes and 488 cemeteries in the U.S., making up around 16% of the North American funeral and cemetery market (US Funerals Online).
🌳 Land Holdings & Acreage
- According to SCI’s 2022 Sustainability Report, the company owns about 35,500 acres devoted to cemetery and memorial park green space across North America, the majority of which is in the U.S. (InvestorRoom).
- Annual investments reflect continued expansion: in 2024, SCI spent \$62.1 million on land acquisitions for new cemetery or funeral locations and acquired 6 cemeteries as part of broader real estate investments totaling \$181 million (Sci Annual Meeting).
📊 Subsidiaries & Brands
SCI operates under a portfolio of regional and national brands, including:
- Dignity Memorial® – the core North American brand across funeral, cremation, and cemetery services.
- Additional brands include Neptune Society, National Cremation, and Funeraria Del Angel (serving Hispanic markets) (Service Corporation International).
🪦 Comparison with Other Owners
Other cemetery landowners in the U.S. include:
- U.S. National Cemetery System, managed by the U.S. Department of the Army, which owns cemeteries like Arlington National Cemetery (~639 acres with over 400,000 interments) (funeraldirectordaily.com, Wikipedia).
- Municipal and nonprofit cemeteries, which may range from a few dozen to several hundred acres:
- Oakwood Cemetery (City of Richmond): ~176 acres (Wikipedia).
- Loudon Park Cemetery (private/local Baltimore): ~500 acres; it was previously owned by SCI via Stewart Enterprises until 2014 (Wikipedia).
- Smaller private or religious cemeteries like Prospect Hill Cemetery in D.C., at ~9 acres (Wikipedia).
Though some individual cemeteries (e.g., County or nonprofit) exceed SCI’s average per-cemetery acreage, SCI leads corporate ownership by both number of sites and cumulative acreage.
📋 Summary Table
| Category | Land Acreage (Approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCI (Corporate) | ~35,500 acres | Largest corporate cemetery landowner in the U.S. |
| Industry market share (across brands) | ~16% of total U.S. burial services market | Covers 1,900+ locations across North America |
| Largest independent sites | 176–500+ acres | Examples like Oakwood (~176 ac), Loudon Park (~500 ac) |
| Federal (VA National Cemeteries) | ~639 acres at Arlington, plus others | Managed by U.S. Army, ~400,000 interments at Arlington alone |
✅ Final Takeaway
- Service Corporation International (SCI) is the leading corporate landowner of cemetery property in the U.S., with roughly 35,500 acres and nearly 500 cemeteries under its control.
- While independent, non‑profit, local, or federal cemeteries often hold large properties individually, their ownership is distributed across many entities.
- Thus, SCI remains the predominant single corporate owner in the U.S. cemetery landscape.
Deeper insight into SCI’s land portfolio by state, their recent acquisitions, and comparisons with major independent cemeteries nationwide —
A detailed breakdown of SCI’s land holdings, subsidiaries, major cemeteries, and comparisons with independent operators — comprehensive overview:
🏢 SCI Overview & Land Holdings
- Service Corporation International (SCI) operates over 1,900 funeral homes and cemeteries across 44 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada (Wikipedia).
- While there’s no updated public estimate for total acreage in 2025, their 2022 Sustainability Report documented 35,500 acres under SCI’s control—mostly in the U.S. (Service Corp. International InvestorRoom, Service Corporation International).
- In 2024, SCI invested approximately \$181 million in expanding its footprint, acquiring 26 funeral homes and 6 cemeteries, including \$62 million for land acquisitions (PR Newswire).
🧍 Subsidiary & Brand Structure
- SCI operates under multiple corporate entities and brands—including Dignity Memorial®, National Cremation®, Neptune Society®, Advantage®, and Rose Hills® (a 1,400‑acre site in Whittier, CA) (Service Corporation International).
- SEC filings reveal state-level subsidiaries in nearly every major U.S. jurisdiction, usually under SCI Funeral Services, LLC or acquisitions of Alderwoods and Stewart firms (SEC).
- Example acquisitions: Skyline Memorial Park (Monee, IL)—47‑acre facility plus 24 undeveloped acres integrated in 2021 (Partner with SCI).
🌳 Major Cemetery Sites
Corporate-Owned
- Rose Hills Memorial Park (Whittier, CA): ~1,400 acres, one of the largest in North America. Under SCI via the Rose Hills brand (Service Corporation International).
- Skyline Memorial Park (Chicago-area): ~47 acres (with undeveloped land for future use) (Partner with SCI).
Independent or Government-Run
- Arlington National Cemetery (~639 acres): federally operated by the U.S. Department of the Army.
- Calverton National Cemetery (~1,045 acres): largest VA site in the U.S.
- Spring Grove Cemetery, Crown Hill, Westview, etc.: regional non‑profit cemeteries ranging between ~550–1,000 acres.
📊 Summary Table
| Owner Type | Approx. Acres | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| SCI (Corporate) | ~35,500 acres (2022) | Largest corporate cemetery owner; growing through acquisitions |
| Rose Hills (SCI site) | ~1,400 acres | One of the largest individual properties under SCI |
| Selected independent sites | ~500–1,400 acres | Independent/nonprofit or government-administered operators |
| Total U.S. cemetery land | ~2 million+ acres | Spread across many diverse ownership types (laws, churches, municipalities) |
🔍 Insights & Trends
- Scale & Reach: SCI’s network gives it unmatched geographic coverage among corporate owners, but their acreage is eclipsed in aggregate by the combined land held by many independent cemeteries.
- Acquisition Strategy: Recent years show continued growth—2024’s investments reflect SCI’s focus on expanding into larger markets and households via cemetery property acquisition and new site development (SEC, PR Newswire, rosehills.com, Wikipedia).
- Brand Diversity: Through separate regional entities and brands, SCI maintains both national consistency and localized presence—essential for funeral and cemetery service preferences in different markets (SEC, Service Corporation International).
✅ Final Takeaway
- SCI remains the top corporate landowner of cemeteries in the U.S., holding tens of thousands of acres across hundreds of sites.
- They continue to grow via acquisitions, maintain a broad brand portfolio, and own major individual cemeteries like Rose Hills.
- However, independent, nonprofit, and government-managed cemeteries collectively occupy significantly more land overall, even if each is owned by a different entity.
BELOW —
- A state-by-state breakdown of SCI’s cemetery locations and acreage
- A list of SCI’s largest individual properties by acreage
- Comparisons between SCI-owned cemeteries vs. major independent cemetery land holdings
Deep Dive into SCI and Stewart Intnl
Great. I’ll conduct a deep investigation into Service Corporation International (SCI), StoneMor, and Park Lawn Corporation — focusing on their ownership of cemeteries and death care infrastructure in the U.S. I’ll explore their ownership structures, parent companies, founders, executive leadership and board members, financial health, strategic plans, and historical background. I’ll also critically assess any controversies, lawsuits, or questionable business practices that may have surfaced.
I’ll let you know once I’ve gathered the findings.
Stewart Enterprises: Unveiling the Graveyard Giant
Stewart Enterprises – sometimes referred to as Stewart International – was once one of America’s largest owners of cemeteries and funeral homes. Founded over a century ago, this company’s story is entwined with the consolidation of the “death care” industry and raises probing questions about corporate power over our graveyards. Below, we dig into Stewart’s origin, ownership, leadership, financial saga, and how it connects to the other big players like Service Corporation International (SCI), StoneMor (now Everstory), and Park Lawn. As a Harvard-trained, Pulitzer-winning journalist with a conspiratorial eye, I’ll examine the facts with healthy skepticism and critical thinking – questioning everything while citing evidence along the way.
Origins and Family Control
Stewart Enterprises traces its roots to New Orleans in 1910, when founder Albert Stewart acquired several local Catholic cemeteries and a monument shop. This humble real-estate venture into burial grounds planted the seed for what would become a sprawling funeral empire. For decades, the Stewart family quietly ran a local cemetery business. Albert’s sons incorporated the firm as Acme Marble & Granite Co. in 1931, and by 1949 they opened Lake Lawn Park Cemetery with a massive mausoleum holding 31,000 crypts. Notably, Stewart was initially focused on cemeteries – reflecting an industry split where funeral homes and cemetery operators were separate tribes.
A turning point came in 1967, when Albert’s grandson Frank B. Stewart Jr. took the helm at just 31 years old. Frank Jr. was ambitious and began acquiring “heritage” properties, meaning well-established, prestigious cemeteries and funeral homes. In 1969 he bought New Orleans’ famed Metairie Cemetery, signaling Stewart’s first big expansion move. The following decade saw methodical growth: Stewart reached 5 cemeteries and 1 funeral home by 1979, then 33 funeral homes and 26 cemeteries by 1989 across the Southeast. Stewart proved adept at the emerging “preneed” business – selling funeral plans and burial plots in advance. In fact, they’d been doing pre-need since the 1950s, far earlier than most rivals, boosting their cash flow and backlog of future business. By the mid-1990s, Stewart’s backlog of pre-sold funerals was six times its annual service volume – a number that might make a cynic wonder if they were banking on a lot of future deaths.
Rapid Expansion and Industry Consolidation
In the late 20th century, mom-and-pop funeral homes and community cemeteries faced increasing regulation and succession dilemmas, prompting many owners to sell out. A wave of industry consolidation began in the 1960s, led by Houston-based Service Corporation International (SCI) – the first major funeral conglomerate. Stewart Enterprises rode this consolidation wave as the understated contender: rather than splashy hostile takeovers, it grew by steady acquisition of respected family businesses. Stewart’s philosophy, as Frank Jr. described, was that “our business is a community business” – so it made more sense to buy trusted local funeral homes than to start new ones from scratch. By clustering acquisitions in metropolitan areas, Stewart could achieve economies of scale (sharing fleets, staff, embalming facilities) without losing the local touch.
After going public in 1991, Stewart hit the gas. The IPO raised capital to “jump-start” acquisitions, and the company’s footprint exploded from fewer than 60 properties in 1990 to 425 locations by 1996. Stewart even went international: into Puerto Rico (1993), Mexico (1994, buying Mexico’s upscale Gayosso funeral homes), Australia (1995), and New Zealand (1996). Its largest foreign deal was Canada’s Urgel Bourgie in 1996, adding 77 funeral homes and 5 cemeteries in Quebec. By the mid-90s, Stewart had operations in 23 states and 12 countries, reveling in the moniker “Stewart International” in spirit.
During these boom years, Stewart’s financials soared: Revenues tripled from \$130 million in 1991 to \$433 million in 1996, and profits quintupled. The stock climbed 334% from its IPO to 1996. Stewart was outpacing the industry – achieving profit margins nearly double the industry average by the late ‘80s. It even partnered with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1997 to manage several Catholic cemeteries’ funeral operations, an unusual church-corporate alliance that a skeptic might find curious. Throughout, Stewart remained a family-influenced empire: Frank B. Stewart Jr. – the founder’s grandson – still controlled ~40% of voting shares by the 1990s. The Stewart family’s dynastic control undoubtedly shaped the company’s fate (as we’ll see in the sale decades later).
However, expansion wasn’t all smooth. The late 1990s saw storm clouds in the deathcare industry. Rivals like Loewen Group (then #2 in the industry) over-leveraged themselves and hit trouble – Loewen went bankrupt in 1999. Stewart avoided Loewen’s fate by not overbidding in the “feeding frenzy” of the ’90s, keeping a more conservative profile. But Stewart wasn’t immune to sector-wide pressures: by 2000, growth in deaths had slowed, acquisitions were pricier, and both Stewart and SCI were carrying heavy debt. This is where some controversial financial maneuvers came into play.
Financial Strains and Controversies
Even a conspiratorially-minded journalist must concede Stewart Enterprises wasn’t openly embroiled in scandal – but the skeptical eye finds red flags in how the company managed its finances during downturns. A prime example: in 2000, Stewart quietly tapped into its customers’ trust funds. In Florida, Stewart and SCI lobbied regulators for permission to remove \$84 million in cash that 80,000 Floridians had prepaid for funerals, replacing that money with insurance bonds. In a contentious 5-2 vote, the state funeral board (chaired by a man on Stewart’s payroll, no less) approved this request. Florida law explicitly allows such dipping into pre-need trusts – ostensibly the bonds guarantee future services, but as outraged seniors pointed out: “Why do they need our money now if they’re so financially sound?”. Critics warned this “violated the trust” of customers, and an independent funeral directors’ association noted Stewart and SCI were “debt-laden with falling earnings” at the time. In other words, Stewart used consumers’ prepaid burial money as a piggy bank to pay down its debts. A cynic might call that robbing the grave (financially speaking) – legal, perhaps, but certainly controversial.
This episode highlights how precarious the big funeral conglomerates became around the turn of the millennium. Stewart’s aggressive ’90s expansion left it leveraged and needing cash when the growth slowed. The company’s size also led to other issues – for instance, maintaining far-flung cemeteries. (A conspiracist might ask: were all those cemeteries kept in good shape, or were corners cut to improve profits? Indeed, large chains have faced lawsuits over poor cemetery upkeep or desecration in the past, though Stewart itself largely avoided headline-grabbing scandals.)
By the early 2000s, Stewart retrenched. It reduced debt and refocused on core operations. The company remained profitable and continued moderate growth through the 2000s, but the go-go days were over. Then came the next turning point: SCI’s bid to take over Stewart – a move that would reshape the industry’s balance of power and, to some, concentrate an alarming share of America’s cemeteries under one corporate roof.
Ownership, Leadership, and Board of Directors
Before delving into the takeover, let’s examine who really ran Stewart Enterprises. The Stewart family’s imprint was unmistakable: Frank B. Stewart Jr. served as Chairman of the Board for decades, effectively the patriarch of the company. Under him, a series of hired CEOs and presidents handled day-to-day management – for example, Thomas J. Crawford was CEO around 2010, and Thomas M. Kitchen later took the president/CEO role. But Frank Stewart Jr. remained an influential presence until his retirement; even when he stepped back from the CEO role, he stayed as chairman and major shareholder. It was truly a family-controlled firm for three generations.
Yet, the board of directors was not simply a family affair. Stewart Enterprises’ board over the years reads like a who’s who of New Orleans business elite and beyond. For example, circa 2013 the board included Alden McDonald (CEO of Liberty Bank & Trust), Ashton Ryan Jr. (CEO of First NBC Bank), and John Elstrott Jr. (a Tulane business school professor and then-chairman of Whole Foods Market). These figures – a banker who built one of the largest Black-owned banks, another banker (who, intriguingly, would later face legal troubles in a banking scandal unrelated to Stewart), and an academic with corporate ties – brought diverse connections. One can’t help but wonder: why would two bank CEOs sit on a funeral company’s board? Perhaps for their financial acumen, or perhaps indicating close ties between the death care business and local finance. Also on the board was Ronald H. Patron, Stewart’s former CFO turned director, and John Saer, a managing director of private equity firm GI Partners. If one were inclined to conspiracy, you might say the boardroom blended the Stewart family dynasty, Wall Street (or at least Bay Street) money men, and even academia – an interesting network for a company dealing in burials.
This governance mix likely served Stewart’s expansion goals: bankers to advise on financing acquisitions, local dignitaries to lend trust, and family to keep control. And control they kept – Frank Stewart Jr. personally held roughly 35% of the voting stock by 2013. Such a large stake meant that when SCI came knocking, Frank Jr.’s decision would effectively seal the company’s fate. Indeed, concurrently with signing the merger in 2013, Frank Stewart agreed to vote his shares in favor of SCI’s buyout. After 54 years in the business, Frank Jr. said he was “obliged to do what is in the best interests of all shareholders” – a diplomatic way to justify cashing out. (Not incidentally, his 9.9 million shares yielded about \$131 million in the sale. Other executives and directors also walked away with seven-figure payouts based on their stock holdings.) One can almost envision the quiet boardroom calculations: with an aging founder holding a one-third stake, no heirs apparent to run the business, and SCI’s offer nearly 50% above market price, the deal became inevitable.
Acquisition by SCI: Monopoly in the Making?
In May 2013, Service Corporation International (SCI) – the Goliath of funeral services – announced a definitive agreement to acquire Stewart Enterprises for \$1.4 billion in cash. This merger would unite the #1 and #2 players in the industry, triggering antitrust alarms. The Federal Trade Commission intervened, noting that the deal as proposed would “likely substantially lessen competition” in numerous local markets and could enable the merged firm to raise prices on consumers. The FTC’s complaint explicitly warned that eliminating the rivalry between SCI and Stewart would “increase the risk of collusion” among the few remaining competitors in those regions. It doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to see the concern: when one behemoth controls most cemeteries in town, grieving families might face sky-high funeral costs with little alternative. (Cemeteries and funerals are an oddly opaque market – how often do consumers shop around for better deals when a loved one dies? The potential for price-gouging or at least price coordination is very real, as regulators recognized.)
To placate regulators, SCI agreed to a significant divestiture: selling off 53 funeral homes and 38 cemeteries from its combined portfolio, in specific locales, to FTC-approved buyers. This was meant to keep competition alive in those 59 communities that otherwise would become SCI monopolies. The FTC also imposed a 10-year ban (up to 2024) on SCI making further acquisitions in certain markets without approval. Essentially, SCI had to digest Stewart under a watchdog’s eye, lest it swallow any more rivals in the meantime.
Despite these conditions, the deal went through by the end of 2013. Stewart Enterprises was absorbed into SCI, and its New Orleans headquarters was largely downsized. (SCI promised to maintain some “infrastructure presence” in Stewart’s hometown, but inevitably many back-office jobs were eliminated to realize those famous “synergies”.) Indeed, SCI bragged to investors of roughly \$60 million in annual cost savings from the merger – about 11% of Stewart’s revenue – mainly by cutting duplicate corporate overhead and leveraging bigger scale for purchasing. In plain terms, that meant shutting Stewart’s NASDAQ-listed corporate entity, consolidating management, possibly trimming staff (though they claimed field-level employees would be largely unaffected). For SCI, it was a win-win: they eliminate a competitor and boost profits. But a critical observer might ask: what about the customers and communities? Did they win or lose?
From a market standpoint, the SCI-Stewart merger created an elephantine company dwarfing all others. The combined firm in 2014 operated about 1,653 funeral homes and 515 cemeteries across North America – an unparalleled network. Pro forma revenue neared \$3 billion, with a backlog of prepaid funerals over \$9 billion (!). By contrast, the next-largest competitor at that time had under \$300 million in annual revenue. In fact, industry analysts noted that post-merger, SCI would be 15 times larger than its nearest national rival. If that doesn’t set off alarm bells for an inquisitive mind, consider this: even after the forced sell-offs, SCI still owned close to 1,500 funeral homes and 489 cemeteries as of 2023. One company controlling that many burial grounds – it sounds like the setup to a dystopian novel, but it’s reality.
It’s instructive to look at what assets SCI shed. Many of the divested funeral homes and cemeteries were scooped up by smaller firms, including regional players and new startups funded by private equity (for example, Foundation Partners Group emerged after SCI’s earlier purchase of Keystone in 2009 forced some sales). In a sense, SCI’s leftovers became the seeds for the next generation of competitors. But none approach SCI’s dominance. The FTC knew this could be dangerous: it explicitly required SCI to notify regulators for any acquisition in certain areas for 10 years, effectively putting the giant on a short leash. Fast-forward to today: that moratorium expired in 2024, and SCI’s executives have openly expressed excitement about being able to “get back involved” in acquisitions now that the shackles are off. A decade of digestion is over; SCI is hungry again. Industry-watchers (your correspondent included) are bracing for a new consolidation wave – one that could further cement SCI’s grip unless new antitrust challenges arise.
The Remaining Players: StoneMor (Everstory) and Park Lawn
With Stewart gone, the U.S. cemetery/funeral landscape has been dominated by SCI at the top, followed by a few much smaller rivals. Two notable names often come up: StoneMor and Park Lawn Corporation. To understand Stewart’s context (and to see if any shadowy dealings lurk among these firms), let’s look at where StoneMor and Park Lawn stand.
- StoneMor / Everstory Partners: StoneMor was long the #2 or #3 player in cemetery count (even before Stewart’s merger). Circa 2013, StoneMor owned 276 cemeteries and 92 funeral homes across 28 states – actually more cemeteries than Stewart had, but far fewer funeral parlors. StoneMor was structured as a master limited partnership, paying hefty dividends to investors. Some skeptics dubbed it a “death care dividend machine” that wasn’t financially sustainable. Indeed, StoneMor struggled with chronic losses, debt, and maintenance issues at some properties. By 2022, StoneMor’s largest shareholder – private equity firm Axar Capital – swooped in to take it private, buying out remaining stock for a mere \$0.80 per share. Freed from Wall Street scrutiny, StoneMor rebranded in 2023 as “Everstory Partners,” aiming to shed its troubled image. According to an April 2023 release, Everstory (the former StoneMor) operates 389 cemetery and funeral locations across 24 states and Puerto Rico. The CEO, Lilly Donohue, spoke of modernizing and “destigmatizing” death care – a nice PR spin. But behind the rebranding, Everstory is essentially the same vast swath of burial land StoneMor owned. It’s now controlled by a private investment firm, which a cynic might worry prioritizes profit over perpetual care of graves. Why mention StoneMor/Everstory in Stewart’s story? Because StoneMor was a beneficiary of the SCI-Stewart deal in some ways. Regulators forcing SCI to limit growth gave StoneMor breathing room to expand. In fact, in late 2023 Everstory even struck a deal with Park Lawn to buy 83 cemeteries/funeral homes that Park Lawn was shedding (for \$70 million). To an observer, it looks like the big players sometimes swap properties to suit their strategies – almost like carving up territory. Everstory’s purchase of those assets let Park Lawn refocus, while expanding Everstory’s footprint to 385 locations by 2023. One could question if this hints at an unspoken understanding among the major corporations: you take these states, I’ll take those. The FTC’s worry about collusion doesn’t seem far-fetched when two large competitors can amicably trade dozens of cemeteries. Everstory today remains a private entity with significant geographic reach – one of the “few remaining competitors” in SCI’s shadow, and one to watch with a critical eye.
- Park Lawn Corporation (PLC): In stark contrast to StoneMor’s troubled history, Park Lawn emerged from Canada as something of a bright upstart in the industry. Headquartered in Toronto, Park Lawn was a consolidator that grew rapidly in the 2010s by buying funeral homes and cemeteries in the U.S. and Canada. By 2023, Park Lawn owned and operated numerous cemeteries, funeral chapels, and crematoria throughout North America. (For example, in just the first half of 2024, Park Lawn announced acquisitions of funeral homes in Colorado, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina and more – a frenetic expansion pace.) Park Lawn positioned itself as a “fastest growing” death-care company, and for a while, public investors loved it. But even Park Lawn couldn’t escape the gravitational pull of industry giants and private capital: in 2024, Park Lawn agreed to be taken private in a C\$1.2 billion deal by a consortium led by Homesteaders Life Insurance and private equity firm Birch Hill. Homesteaders is a major seller of pre-need funeral insurance, so its interest in Park Lawn hints at a vertical integration play (imagine an insurer owning the funeral providers – a closed loop that might worry those who see conflicts of interest in caring for the deceased versus profiting from death policies). The take-private is expected to close in late 2024, meaning Park Lawn will join Everstory as a privately held giant. It’s notable that just before this, Park Lawn slimmed down by selling those 83 properties to Everstory – effectively exiting four U.S. states entirely to streamline operations. Park Lawn’s CEO framed it as shedding “legacy businesses” that didn’t fit long-term strategy, with a telling comment about getting those properties “outside of the pressures of the public markets”. In other words, as a private company Park Lawn’s buyers can run certain cemeteries with less transparency or lower margin expectations – something a conspiratorial thinker might interpret as hiding the dirty work out of sight. Once private, Park Lawn’s financials will be opaque; consumers and regulators may have less insight into its pricing and practices.
In summary, after Stewart’s absorption, the landscape is thus: SCI remains the colossus, Everstory (StoneMor) and Park Lawn are sizable but now privately controlled entities, and a handful of smaller public firms (like Carriage Services, or regional chains) fill out the rest. This concentration raises the question: Are these companies truly competing, or are they carving up the pie? The FTC’s 2013 action was one bulwark, but as of 2024 that protection is waning. It is precisely the sort of scenario a critical journalist should watch with concern.
Current Status and Outlook
Today, “Stewart International” exists only as part of SCI’s empire – the brand name may linger on a few legacy cemetery signs, but as a company, Stewart Enterprises is history. However, the issues surrounding it remain very much alive. The company’s origin story – a family acquiring cemeteries over 100 years ago – now seems almost quaint compared to the multinational conglomerate controlling funeral services. But understanding Stewart’s rise and fall illuminates how we got here: a heavily consolidated industry where a few corporations own an outsized share of American graveyards and funeral homes.
What’s the plan going forward for these powers that be? If we take them at their word, it’s business as usual: SCI’s CEO talks of being “excited” to resume acquisitions now that the FTC’s 10-year freeze expired, which likely means buying up independent funeral homes in markets they were barred from – further expanding their dominion. Park Lawn’s new owners will probably integrate insurance and funeral offerings, perhaps selling pre-need policies that funnel customers into Park Lawn cemeteries – a synergy that might be efficient, or might steer grieving families into packages that profit the company at every step. Everstory’s private equity backers will seek returns on their investment, perhaps cutting costs or bundling their 300+ cemeteries for resale or merger (one wonders if SCI might even target Everstory in the future now that it’s unshackled – a prospect that would have been unthinkably anticompetitive before, but never say never in the world of big business).
From a consumer perspective, this consolidation and corporatization warrant scrutiny. The FTC’s prediction that SCI with Stewart could raise prices wasn’t idle speculation – funeral costs have continued to rise. Local communities sometimes complain that corporate-owned cemeteries are less responsive or skimp on maintenance. And when errors or scandals happen (such as graves being mismanaged), it’s often at a conglomerate-owned cemetery where profit pressures are highest. The industry argues that scale brings professionalism and consistency, and that even as big companies get bigger, competition still exists (after all, independents still operate the majority of funeral homes nationwide). Yet a Pulitzer-hunting skeptic might ask: how free is that competition when the giants can outbid or outlast the little guys, and perhaps even tacitly avoid stepping on each other’s toes regionally?
In the end, the tale of Stewart Enterprises is a microcosm of the death care business in America. Founded by a family, expanded through acquisitions, reigned as a powerhouse, then subsumed by an even larger fish, Stewart’s trajectory prompts us to question who owns the very ground we bury our loved ones in. When one company (SCI) or a small cartel holds the keys to so many cemeteries, one must wonder about the implications for grieving families’ choices and expenses. Is the somber task of laying the dead to rest being guided by compassion – or by shareholders’ quarterly earnings? Stewart Enterprises’ legacy, for all its claims of caring service, ultimately culminated in a boardroom deal and a big payout.
As a critical observer, I will continue watching this space. The next few years could see further secretive deals – perhaps Everstory merging with another firm, or SCI partnering with insurers, or something entirely unexpected like tech disruptors entering the fray (we already see online memorial startups nibbling at the edges). But whatever comes, it’s clear that the business of death in the U.S. has consolidated into the hands of a skeptical few. Stewart’s story, illuminated here with facts and a dose of doubt, reminds us that even in matters of life and death, we should “trust, but verify.” After all, as the saying (almost) goes: only two things in life are certain – death and corporate mergers.
Sources:
- Stewart Enterprises company profile and history
- Federal Trade Commission case summary on SCI’s acquisition of Stewart (antitrust concerns)
- Funeral industry analysis and statistics (Funeral Director Daily)
- Connecting Directors – commentary on SCI’s bid for Stewart and industry context
- New Orleans CityBusiness – “Who stands to cash in from Stewart sale” (shareholder details)
- Tampa Bay Times – reporting on Stewart and SCI tapping preneed trust funds in Florida
- Press releases: SCI acquisition of Stewart, StoneMor’s rebranding to Everstory, and Park Lawn’s take-private deal.