Action Taken by the Georgia State Board of Funeral Service at its May 12 Meeting

Macon, Ga.—The Georgia State Board of Funeral Service met Tuesday, May 12, 2009.

The Board voted to table the case against Hart’s Mortuary at the Cupola in Macon pending legal advice.

The Board ratified cease and desist orders against the following individuals for unlicensed practice:

• Watkins & Sons Funeral Home, Griffin
• Alfonso Dawson Mortuary, Atlanta
• James D. Baugh Jr., Flowery Branch

The Board ratified a order to cease and desist for the following closed facility:

• Dent's Undertaking Establishment of Augusta

The Board approved the following orders to accept fine money for inspection violations:

• Elliott Sons Funeral Home, Augusta: Fines $100 for failure to maintain at least two aneurysm needles and failure to have 24 bottles of arterial fluid and 24 bottles of cavity fluid.
• Mosby-Litman Funeral Home, Alma: Fined $1,350 for failure to maintain the sanitary and clean condition of each embalming room, including all instruments and tables; failure to equip embalming room with a hydro aspirator or electric aspirator;  failure to have a card or brochure in each casket stating the price of the casket; and failure to maintain one operable motor hearse and/or combination hearse/ambulance with current Georgia registration for the transportation of casketed human remains at the establishment.
• Wright Memorial Mortuary, Rome: Fined $100 for failure to maintain a minimum of 8 adult caskets within the display room.
• Simpson And Daughters Mortuary Inc., Douglasville: Fined $300 for failure to maintain a minimum of 8 adult caskets within the display room.
• Bynes-Royall Funeral Home, Inc., Savannah: Fined $50 for failure to equip all embalming rooms with a sink having a drain opening and non-porous sanitary cover into a sewerage or septic tank.
• Y.L.Y. Young Funeral Home, Gainesville: Fined $100 for failure to maintain one operable motor hearse and/or combination hearse/ambulance with current Georgia registration for the transportation of casketed human remains at the establishment.

The Board voted to approve the change of ownership of Tapp-Tim Stewart Funeral Home & Crematory, Buford, to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.  The Board also approved the change of name from Tapp-Tim Stewart Funeral Home & Crematory to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.  The Board approved Thaddeus Lanier Levett as Funeral Director in Full & Continuous Charge of the establishment.

The Board voted to approve the change of ownership of Morningside Crematory, Buford to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.  The Board also approved the change of name from Morningside Crematory to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.  The Board approved Thaddeus Lanier Levett as Funeral Director in Full & Continuous Charge of the establishment.

The Board approved a 90-day grace period for Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home, Decatur, in which to operate with licensed funeral directors until a new Funeral Director in Full & Continuous Charge can be approved by the Board. 

The Board voted to elect Linda Ware of Bremen as chairperson and Lauren McDonald of Cumming as vice-chairman.

The Board voted to waive the stipulation reference to time for agency review in the matter of Georgia State Board of Funeral Service v. Henry Edmond Shelton, Edwin Dewan Shelton, and Hanley Shelton and to set the hearing for Agency Review for June 9, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.

The Georgia State Board of Funeral Service will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Professional Licensing Boards in Macon.