CLARKS SUMMIT — Funeral director Christopher C. Calvey was honored when he learned his Jennings Calvey Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc. earned the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the National Funeral Directors Association (PFDA) for the fourth year in a row. But he was shocked when his funeral business became one of five funeral homes in the world to earn this year’s Best of the Best Award.
Calvey’s son Christopher J. Calvey, Jr. attended the PFDA International Convention & Expo All-Star Ceremony in Chicago on Oct. 28 to receive the award from NFDA’s past president Charles T. Bowman.
“It was nice to see him (Calvey, Jr.) walk up there in front of several thousands of people in the convention hall to get the award,” said Calvey, Sr.
Calvey, Jr. is a funeral director, soon to be supervisor. This year, he became the district governor of PFDA, serving on the board of directors, a title his father held for four years. The Calveys have many certifications, including CCO (Certified Crematory Operator), CPC (Certified Pre-planned Consultant) and CFSP (Certified Funeral Service Practitioner).
“We always put our best foot forward in trying to do the very best,” said Calvey, Sr.
During viewings, the Calveys’ dog, a white German shepherd named Aspen, is present to comfort mourning friends and family members. Coloring books are also provided for children to color a picture of a grandparent and optionally place it in the casket or take home.
“It helped them (children) to deal with feeling the loss and not just going to a denial that Grandma or Grandpa has left us,” said Calvey, Sr..
In 2014, Calvey, Sr. saw an ad for the Pursuit of Excellence in a magazine. The following year, he decided to go for it. He learned that, in order to be qualified for the international award, strict criteria and requirements must be met, such as continuing education, participation in the community and training.
“What it does, it keeps you in tune with current events, the needs of our community and to stay abreast and current with the profession to best serve families,” said Calvey, Sr.
Fortunately, Calvey’s business already had all those qualifications. Jennings Calvey has been in compliance with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards. Calvey’s funeral home was inspected by the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Director’s designated inspection, which found the premises to be in order.
Calvey, Sr., who also serves on the Lackawanna County Arts, Culture and Education Council, sponsored Good Grief Art, an eight-week program of art lessons and healing for those who have lost a loved one.
“It allows them to feel the loss and to begin to move on to a more livable life,” he said. “On the therapeutic aspect of it, people can express themselves more with their art sometimes than they can verbally or writing. No one is ever going to get over a loss, but there should be days when the sun could shine.”
Good Grief Art was initiated three years ago and resulted in a successful outcome and healing for participants. It was held at the Abington Senior Center where local art instructor Marylou Chibirka taught the program.
Chibirka, Maureen McGuigan, director of the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, and Mary O’Donnell, director of the senior center, have all written letters of recommendation to the PFDA on behalf of Jennings Calvey Funeral and Crematory Services for the Pursuit of Excellence Award.
In her letter, O’Donnell credited Calvey, Jr. with presenting a special program called “The Talk of a Life Time,” in which seniors were presented with box cards that assisted them in their future planning needs.
McGuigan, in her letter, credited Calvey, Sr. with helping design several art programs such as the Butterfly Forest, a program that allows individuals to paint butterflies, which either go on public display or are taken home. The butterflies make participants think of their own transformation in expressing their healing to support others.
Outside the funeral home, the Calveys take part in their hometown. Calvey, Sr. volunteers on the Clarks Summit Fire Co.’s Memorial Committee by placing flags on the graves of deceased family members. He also marches in Clarks Summit’s Memorial Day Parade. Staff members of Jennings Calvey arrange seven memorial wreaths to be placed at area memorials and cemeteries on that day.
Calvey, Jr. is a member of the Rotary Club of the Abingtons, participating in putting up fireworks at the Abington Heights Middle School on the Fourth of July and highway cleanup. This year, he was the chairperson of Taste of the Abingtons.
Calvey, Sr. is a third-generation funeral director. His great-grandfather John J. Jennings had a funeral home in North Scranton in 1900 that provided livery services using horse-drawn carriages. Jennings’ son-in-law, Calvey’s grandfather, started Calvey Motor, providing cars and limousines for the funeral home.
In 1980, Calvey, Sr. joined the family business by running funeral home in West Scranton. During the same year, he opened the Jennings Calvey Funeral and Crematory Services on Colburn Avenue where he and his son practice today.
Jennings Calvey Funeral Home will mark its 120th anniversary in 2020.
