The Cemetery Chronicles

Dominic Pierre
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Non-Profit
  • Weekly

The cemetery chronicles is hosted by two friends who manage cemeteries in the Twin Cities. This podcast takes you behind the gates and into the unique world of cemeteries. Join us as we share heartfelt stories, unexpected humor, and the profound moments that come with a career dedicated to honoring life and legacy.

  1. 1h ago

    Caskets That Don't Fit, Funeral Home Relationships, a Crew-Built Cremation Garden & Leaf Season

    Dominic Pierre and Bobby Schoenrock are back in Dominic's office at Union Cemetery this week. The big topic: a casket at Bobby's cemetery that didn't fit the vault, and why a tape measure and better communication between funeral homes and cemeteries could prevent it. They also walk through Union's new crew-built cremation garden, catch up on leaf season at Oakland, and ask listeners how cemetery and funeral home relationships work where they are. Follow-up from last week's CIMS episode: Bobby's Zoom call with CIMS about Oakland's records, and Dominic showing the CIMS team (CEO included) how Union uses the softwareHow technology and Dominic's work order app free up time, and how the grounds crew came on boardUnion's new cremation garden: from bare foundations and "crooked teeth" to a finished garden, with about 90% of the work done by the crewHosting the monthly Twin Cities cemetery managers meeting at UnionContractors vs. doing it yourself: why the crew's own work often comes out betterLeaf season at Oakland: 15–16 grain-truck loads so far, working south to north, and where the leaves end upThe casket that didn't fit at Bobby's cemetery: listed as 29½ inches, handles at 32 inches, and what it means when a family is waiting gravesideWhy someone should measure the casket before the cemetery, and the liability of removing handles or forcing a fitLawsuits that name the cemetery too, because families don't tell the funeral home and cemetery apartCemetery and funeral home relationships in Minnesota vs. other states, including Wisconsin's anti-combination laws"Once you're inside the gates, cemetery rules apply": processions that skip the gate, and planning around multiple funeralsCremation trends: 60–70% of Union's burials are cremation, and most of those have no funeral home presentGetting ready for winter: Christmas wreaths are here, seasonal staff are wrapping up, and the broom gets a rebuilt sealEmail us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at https://paradisepictures.com — Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and get a free sample! CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at https://cimscemeterysoftware.com — They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at https://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Caskets That Don't Fit, Funeral Home Relationships, a Crew-Built Cremation Garden & Leaf Season

  2. 6d ago

    Joined by Brandon Finley from CIMS. AI, GIS mapping, digital deeds, and selling graves online.

    Dominic and Bobby sit down with Brandon Finley from CIMS Cemetery Management Software to talk about how AI and technology are changing cemetery work—from photographing every monument and digitizing old records to digital deed signatures and selling graves online. Bobby also starts looking at bringing Oakland Cemetery onto CIMS. CIMS hits about a thousand cemeteries in the cloud, with remote team members and steady new featuresGIS mapping as the backbone: lot owners, burials, and inventory in one place instead of card files and booksMonument photos, OCR, and AI reading handwriting and old records (still needs a human check)How CIMS staff use AI day to day for code and data-migration scriptsDigital deed signatures and the push toward selling graves online—what cemeteries worry about, and what software has to get rightOakland Cemetery exploring a CIMS partnership, plus the podcast listener discount for BobbyEmail us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at https://paradisepictures.com — Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and get a free sample! CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at https://cimscemeterysoftware.com — They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at https://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Joined by Brandon Finley from CIMS. AI, GIS mapping, digital deeds, and selling graves online.

  3. Oct 30

    Fall Leaf Cleanup, Wreath Season, a New MAC Website & AI in the Cemetery

    Dominic and Bobby are deep in fall cleanup: wet leaves, a warm fall and getting the cemetery ready for winter. They compare how their cemeteries handle wreaths, weeds and crabgrass. Dominic gives a sneak peek at the new Minnesota Association of Cemeteries website and talks about how AI is changing day-to-day cemetery work. Fall leaf cleanup: wet leaves, working with the wind, and new blowers that cut a four-to-six-week job down to about a week and a halfWreath season: when wreaths arrive, when families can put them out, and stands versus tying wreaths on monumentsGetting the grounds ready for winter: pulling trash cans and vases, cutting back hostas, day lilies and shrubs, and blowing out the water linesFall weed control and fertilizer, plus using drone photos to spot-spray crabgrassGIS cemetery mapping with CIMS, and a Paradise Pictures porcelain portrait projectA sneak peek at the new MAC website: an easier member side, a step-by-step tool for title-transfer affidavits, and an updated vendor member sectionAI at work: an ordering app idea for the monument company and an AI assistant that sorts email and textsEmail us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and get a free sample! CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Fall Leaf Cleanup, Wreath Season, a New MAC Website & AI in the Cemetery

  4. Oct 23

    New Cremation Gardens, Rogue Monument Companies & Protecting Your Cemetery

    Bobby is back after a busy stretch of softball, hockey and one nasty migraine. He and Dominic catch up on life before Dominic shows off his cemetery's nearly finished cremation area: individual family columbariums and boulders next to a quiet wetland, with a small fountain, built almost entirely by his own crew. Then they get into a growing headache for cemeteries: new and unfamiliar monument companies. They tell stories about lettering that was never approved, foundations nobody ordered, concrete borders that aren't allowed, and a company that took families' deposits and disappeared. Their advice is to check vendor insurance, require the lot owner's signature on every drawing, and never take on liability for work you aren't being paid for. They finish with fall prep (foundations, leaf season, and shutting off the water) and some talk about future guests. Email us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and get a free sample! CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    New Cremation Gardens, Rogue Monument Companies & Protecting Your Cemetery

  5. Oct 16

    Best Of: Trevor Crean from Heritage Gardens on forward-thinking cemetery ideas

    Bobby is under the weather this week, so we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations. We are joined by Trevor Crean, owner of Heritage Gardens Cemetery in Surrey Canada. He started a cemetery 8 years ago, and has some great insight and ideas for what customers are looking for, and forward thinking ideas about how cemeteries should operate. It is a great conversation. Trevor will be a speaker at the 2026 Minnesota Association of Cemeteries conference in September. Email us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and get a free sample! CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Best Of: Trevor Crean from Heritage Gardens on forward-thinking cemetery ideas

  6. Oct 9

    Construction projects in the big city, and how A.I. is impacting cemeteries!

    Bobby chats about how having a cemetery in the capital city of Minnesota is a pain in the butt when it comes to construction, and then Dominic nerds out in how he is using AI to streamline all the processes at his cemetery. Email us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and ask for information, samples, and a few free trial orders. CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Construction projects in the big city, and how A.I. is impacting cemeteries!

  7. Oct 2

    Listener emails, plus disinterment/reinterment talk! All kinds of fun

    Lets talk about disinterment/reinterment. Especially odd case scenarios. Plus, listener emails! We love it. Email us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and ask for information, samples, and a few free trial orders. CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Listener emails, plus disinterment/reinterment talk! All kinds of fun

  8. Sep 25

    Conference hangover. We survived! So great to meet everyone!

    We talk about the MAC conference we just attended. We had the pleasure of meeting so many great folks. We also talk about coming back to a stacked work load. Email us at info@thecemeterychronicles.com Minnesota Association of Cemeteries https://mncemeteries.org Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574151340561 Please support our sponsors Paradise Pictures 1-800-960-8040 or visit online at paradisepictures.com. Let them know you listen to The Cemetery Chronicles and ask for information, samples, and a few free trial orders. CIMS Cemetery Management Software. Visit online at cimscemeterysoftware.com They will give you a 10% discount on a new software license just for listening to us! Coldspring. Visit them online at http://coldspringusa.com/memorial

    Conference hangover. We survived! So great to meet everyone!
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

The cemetery chronicles is hosted by two friends who manage cemeteries in the Twin Cities. This podcast takes you behind the gates and into the unique world of cemeteries. Join us as we share heartfelt stories, unexpected humor, and the profound moments that come with a career dedicated to honoring life and legacy.

Information

  • Creator
    Dominic Pierre
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    87
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Cemetery Chronicles 2025
  • Show Website
    The Cemetery Chronicles

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