It’s an ages-old tradition to send flowers and plants to honor a loved one after they’ve passed. In our faced-paced world of running and doing, traditions tend to get lost in the hustle. For the Texas State Floral Association (TSFA), this is one tradition they intend to keep!

Recently, the TSFA participated in the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Directors Association Convention (ICCFA) in San Antonio, Texas to promote awareness on the importance and value of flowers in funeral and memorial service settings.

Ms. Dianna Nordman, Executive Director of TSFA, turned to Clay Atchison, TSFA member and Webmaster of www.inlieuofflowers.info, to secure a booth, without cost to TSFA, in the registration area for the event. Their booth neighbors were representatives of the Texas Funeral Directors Association.

Both as a florist, and as Webmaster for Inlieuofflowers.info, Clay is committed to educating funeral service professionals, and the general public, on the true value of flowers in comforting the bereaved and bringing color, life and beauty to the funeral setting.

Funeral directors who attended the ICCFA convention were drawn to the TSFA booth, which was almost the first thing they saw after registration. “Many really enjoyed speaking with us, and quite a few were struck by the visual impact of the center display,” commented Dianna.

“It was a lovely cremation-based presentation, and many directors remarked that it gave them ideas on how to use flowers to highlight the cremation urn. In fact, quite a few said they had never thought of doing it that way – and they took photos to take home to share with their staff members.”
Despite the brevity of the event, everyone involved felt it was quite a success. “I’m pleased TSFA was there, and I want to thank all who helped to make this event come together so smoothly. I’m also pleased that TSFA, through the focused efforts of our members, is reaching beyond the borders of Texas to get the in lieu of flowers message out to funeral service professionals, and the general public. I’m so very proud to be a part of that combined effort.”