Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes recognized for excellence

For the third year in a row, Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory was named as a recipient of the prestigious Pursuit of Excellence Award by the National Funeral Directors Association. The award is presented annually by the association to funeral homes that have raised the bar on funeral service excellence and provided outstanding service to families and communities, all while adhering to strict ethical and professional standards. Spicer-Mullikin also received the POE Award in 2015 and 2016.

"We are so honored and grateful to receive this type of recognition for the services we provide," said Matthew C. Smith, owner and licensed funeral director of Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory. "We always strive for excellence, every day, in all that we do. Providing compassion and personal attention is the cornerstone of our service." Smith was recently named as a Top 40 Under 40 recipient by Delaware Business Times.

To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, such as: providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement in the community; participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession; promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs; and complying with state and federal regulations. Participants are also required to adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices.

One of the more distinctive segments of the Pursuit of Excellence application was Spicer-Mullikin's online presence and the way the funeral home is able to connect with the community it serves. It's one of the few funeral homes in Delaware to have a strong presence on top social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Google and Pinterest.

"With a community of more than 9,000 followers on the company's Facebook page, the Spicer-Mullikin staff are grateful they can reach out online to the communities we serve," said Anita Reed, director of communications and family support at Spicer-Mullikin. "People grieve in different ways. So, for us to be able to connect with family members online as well as in person means that we can support them in a way that works for them."

Community Outreach

"At Spicer-Mullikin, nothing is more important to us than supporting families - planning a funeral service with them, helping them cope with grief, and enabling the bereaved to move forward with their lives," said Smith. "It's those we serve who inspire us to be the best at what we do. To be a Pursuit of Excellence recipient means that we are serving families in exceptional ways, and we at Spicer-Mullikin pledge to continue to do that."

Spicer-Mullikin is a family-owned funeral home that has been helping Delawareans commemorate and honor their loved ones for more than 100 years. There are three locations in New Castle County to serve families: New Castle, Newark and Delaware City. The fourth location will open in Middletown in 2018 and is currently under construction. For more information, call 302-368-9500 or go to spicermullikin.com.

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. Only 165 funeral homes are selected for the Pursuit of Excellence Award.