Tennessee Funeral Board tables three establishment applications, reinstates one director license

At its April 2 meeting the Tennessee Funeral Board deferred decisions on multiple establishment licenses and approved the reinstatement of an applicant’s funeral director license. The board said applicants must supply additional documentation — including corrected general price lists, signed letters from contracted mortuary partners confirming embalming/cremation and use of viewing rooms, and photographs of viewing rooms — before the board will reconsider the applications at its next meeting.

The board approved reinstatement of an applicant identified in the transcript as Mr. Tucker after reviewing his application packet, continuing‑education proof and an affidavit addressing a prior application question; members voted in favor by voice vote. The transcript shows Mr. Tucker said he had been ill, had lapses related to child‑support enforcement that were later cleared, and that he had taken the Tennessee laws and rules exam and completed required continuing education.

Why it matters: New establishment licenses change local capacity for services; the board emphasized consumer protection and consistency in prior practice when applicants rely on third‑party partners (crematoria or other funeral homes) for viewings, embalming or retort use. The board repeatedly said the general price list must match statements of funeral goods and services and that photos and partner letters are a routine part of its application record.

Applications deferred or tabled

- Choice Cremation (proposed manager Emily Crowe): The board asked the applicant to submit an updated general price list that includes any ID/private viewing fees, a letter on letterhead from Music City Mortuary confirming the contractual relationship for embalming and cremation and explicit permission to use its private viewing room, and photographs of the Music City viewing room. The board voted to table the application and asked staff to accept the revised materials for reconsideration at the May meeting.

- Stevens Funeral and Cremation Services (proposed manager Philip Charlin): The board similarly asked for proof of letters from facilities the applicant intends to use for viewings or embalming and updated price‑list information; the board tabled the application pending those documents.

- Scales Starks Funeral Service Inc. (proposed manager Anne Brandon Starks): The board asked for letters from partner establishments confirming available viewing rooms and photographs of those rooms; the board tabled this application as well but indicated it would not require a reinspection for these documentation items.

License reinstatement approved

- Applicant Mr. Tucker: The board approved reinstatement of the applicant’s funeral director license after staff confirmed the applicant had passed the Tennessee laws and rules test within the permitted window, completed required continuing education (including five in‑person hours), and provided an affidavit explaining a prior application checkbox the applicant said was selected in error. The board discussed the historic child‑support‑related suspensions, noted they were resolved, and voted to reinstate the license.

Board rationale and next steps

Board members emphasized consistency: where applicants rely on third‑party crematories or funeral homes for viewings or embalming, the board requires documentary proof (signed letters and photos) so members can confirm consumer protections and that viewings will not occur adjacent to cremation equipment. Inspectors and staff were instructed to accept corrected materials submitted before the May meeting; the board did not require reinspection in these cases unless applications present ambiguous facility questions.

The board scheduled the next meeting for May 13 and told applicants they may resubmit corrected price lists, partner letters and photographs to the executive director in advance of that meeting for reconsideration.