On July 19, 1989, Iowa and the entire nation were shocked by a devastating event: the United Flight 232 tragedy in Sioux City, which resulted in the loss of 112 lives. On the 35th anniversary of this tragedy, we honor the memory of those lost and the bravery of those who responded.
On that day, emergency services and first responders worked tirelessly to save lives, yet another group rose to the occasion to care for those we lost: funeral directors. Many of them mobilized in Sioux City by stepping up with unwavering resolve and offering dignity and compassion to the victims and their surviving families of this tragedy.
During the Presidential Banquet at the Iowa Funeral Directors Association’s (IFDA) 144th Annual Convention on April 16th, IFDA together with Funeral Directors Life (FDL), paid tribute to the funeral directors and embalmers present on that fateful day by sharing an excerpt of what we hope will be a full-length documentary, directed and produced by FDL (in partnership with IFDA), that honors the work funeral directors do every day.
We are anticipating the completion of the documentary to be this fall, but we need your help to continue the story. By contributing to this documentary, you will help us shed light on the invaluable services funeral directors offer, their dedication to their communities, and the profound impact they have in the aftermath of disasters. Your experiences and unique perspective will enable us to bring this story to life, ensuring that the legacy of those lost on Flight 232 and the heroic efforts of funeral directors are remembered and appreciated for years to come.
Our illustrious members who answered the call:
Doug Carlsen, Lowell Coburn, Cal Corson, Dirk DeJong, Randy Escobedo, Joel Fisch, Paul Fouts, Dana Goodell, Paul Grarup, Seth Johannsen, Mark Kimzey, Dave Kramer, Dale Meyer, Ron Mugge, Ricard Porter, Jim Raddatz, Joe Reiff, Phil Schaefer, Phil Schmitz, John Smith, Terry Smith, Peter Teahen, and Robin Walter.
Contributions:
If you wish to contribute (tax deductible) to the project, please use the link below or reach out to Danielle at IFDA at danielle@iafda.org or Rob Davidson at Funeral Directors Life at rob.davidson@funeraldirectorslife.com. You may view the existing version of the documentary by clicking the thumbnail above.