Gompf Funeral Service

Photos by LeAnne Gompf Nativity display, Santa and lots of other fun at Christmas in Cardington. Photos by LeAnne Gompf Nativity display, Santa and lots of other fun at Christmas in Cardington. Photos by LeAnne Gompf CARDINGTON — Mild temperatures and a variety of activities and events attracted an estimated 1,700 people to the sixth annual Christmas in Cardington Thursday, Dec. 13.Troy Ruehrmund, spokesperson for the Friends of Cardington, sponsors of the event, said the Cardington library counted over 1,200 visitors. Guest authors at the library were Mindy McGinnis, Tim Maceyko and Doug Brown.There were 300 youngsters visiting Santa Claus (aka Loren Radel) at the fire house where each of them received a bag of candy. The police department distributed another 400 bags to youngsters playing the fishing game.The Nativity scene was portrayed by members of the Upper Room Church and First United Methodist Church. Bart Wilhelm offered rides throughout the village in his horse-drawn wagon.Hosts at the log cabin in the park were Pat and Becky Drouhard where Emily Levings read to youngsters and Ryan Dailey played Christmas music.The Cardington FFA chapter served hot chocolate in the park where Gompf Funeral Service sponsored an inflated hippopotamus. A life-sized snow globe was an added attraction.Every business place offered contests or special events.Winners in the Christmas house decorating contest were Aric Pine, Park Avenue, first place, $100; Luke and Malissa Clark (Center Street) second place, $50; and Brian and Brenda Skipworth, East Main Street, third place, $25..neFileBlock { margin-bottom: 20px;}.neFileBlock p { margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;}.neFileBlock .neFile { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 10px;}.neFileBlock .neCaption { font-size: 85%;}Nat...

To meet this growing need, Gompf Funeral Home has recently enhanced their preplanning services through participation in an advanced training and certification program through the Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins, CO, in partnership with Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company in Abilene, TX. “There is a need for good, solid information for families when it comes to planning ahead for funeral services,” said Gene Gompf, owner of Gompf Funeral Home. “That is why we were excited to have our Prearrangement Specialist, Kim Durbin, participate in this new training program. This training has already enhanced the level of service and education we are able to provide to the families we serve.”Following the course, Kim Durbin went on to meet the additional requirements for becoming a Certified Professional in Funeral Planning through Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s Center for Loss and Life Transition in partnership with Funeral Directors Life.“The training was very eye-opening,” Durbin said. “It helped me understand why funerals are so essential to the human experience and to the grieving process. As a grief counselor, Dr. Alan Wolfelt has seen all too often the pain that comes when a funeral experience is skipped or cut short. He helped us understand how each element of a funeral matches the needs of a family after a loss. So far, I think the families I have helped have been able to plan a more meaningful and healing experience for their families and friends because of this information.”“I am pleased to work on this project with a company that believes in the value of ceremony and desires to help families plan truly transformational funeral experiences,” said Dr. Alan Wolfelt in a press release announcing the new training program. If you would like to learn more about Gompf Funeral Home’s enhanced preplanning services, owner and operator Gene Gompf welcomes you to contact Kim Durbin at kim.durbin@mytributeplanner.com or by calli...