Respect for the many caring funeral directors

Re: “Colorado finally will license funeral home directors,” May 25 news story

Rep. Matt Soper would have been correct if he’d referred only to the Return to Nature and Sunset Mesa funeral homes as a “dark, dark world.” His mistake was in painting the entire death-care industry with that broad brush.

I have been in the business for more than 15 years at Colorado’s oldest family-owned funeral home. It is a place of light and love, committed to dignity and compassion for the dead and to helping grieving loved ones find a path to walk.

The vast majority of people in my industry are dedicated to these ideals and operate as my co-workers and I do: with true care and empathy both for the dead and for their survivors. The appalling actions taken by the few bad actors who made the news for all the wrong reasons in the past few years should not reflect on the rest of us.

In fact, many of us have been concerned by Colorado’s lack of oversight compared to other states and looked forward to seeing a carefully crafted regulatory program that treats good operators fairly while protecting clients from harm.

It’s easy to make broad, general statements. But people, especially our elected officials, should take care not to group the good in with the bad.

Jamie Sarché, Denver

Editor’s note: Sarché is director of pre-planning at Feldman Mortuary in Denver.

Work to keep children with parents

Re: “Keep kids out of foster care by supporting parents,” May 25 commentary

Shari F. Shink’s article is eye-opening and very thoughtfully worded. It presents evidence that an ounce of prevention creates a pound of cure. What most fail to see is that the rewards from this are not only for the individual children and families but for society as a whole. Remember the “family values” movement? This is what that should have been about. Helping families survive and thrive.

I’m reminded of a dear childhood friend back in the 1960s whose family of five children was scattered to various foster homes when their father died suddenly, and their mom couldn’t provide for them. She spent two years without her family and siblings while her mom got back on her feet. In the end, the sisters were able to reunite with her, but the three younger brothers were not. I’ve often wondered what happened to them all. Shink’s article makes me wonder if receiving aid would have kept them all together.

In election years, we often hear cries about spending, with one group yelling, “Don’t spend any more of my money.” Shink demonstrates that there are those who need assistance to get out of the hole so all can benefit the greater society.

Krista Igoe, Littleton

Electoral College necessary for fair representation

Re: “Our presidents should be popularly elected,” May 22 letter to the editor