Funeral Chapel in Royal Oak is Now Open After being in Royal Oak for more than a century the funeral home has undergone some big changes. Recently we had a ribbon cutting for our new formal funeral chapel. Our old West chapel which many of you have become accustomed to was compl etely demolished and built back up to offer what we think will be Oakland County's finest facility for memorial and funeral services. Thanks to everyone who took time to attend the ribbon cutting. We will host an open house shortly. Two nice articles ran in local papers. http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20121111/BUSINESS/211110302   Wm. SULLIVAN & SON FUNERAL DIRECTORS RECEIVES  THE  2012 PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD AND RECIEVES INDUCTION INTO THE HALL OF EXCELLENCE     Wm. Sullivan & Son was recognized by the National Funeral Directors Association with the annual Pursuit of Excellence Award, for the 10th year in a row! To achieve the annual award, NFDA member funeral homes must "demonstrate proficiency in key areas of the funeral service profession by fulfilling a set number of criteria in six categories of achievement. They include complying with state and federal regulations, providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff, offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families, maintaining an active level of involvement within the community, participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs. Above John and Judy Sullivan are pictured with NFDA president Randall Earl. They are  receiving induction into The Hall of Excellence. The funeral home was given this honor for 10 consecutive  years of receiving the Pursuit of Excellence. In 2006 we were chosen from the Pursuit of Excellence recipients to receive NFDA's "Best of the Best Award," one of only five businesses nation wide to receive this high honor.      This past Memorial Day some of the  Wm. Sullivan & Son staff along with the Royal Oak Historical Society took part in the annual Memorial day parade in Downtown Royal Oak Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors are once again gold sponsors of the Boys and Girls Club of South Oakland County. On Saturday May 5th we participated in this years Walk for the Future for a morning of fun, exercise and community action to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Oakland County! Henry Ford Hospital Announces Madallion Winners and Tony Viviano Distinguished Achievement Award Congratulations Ray Lope' The 2012 Tony Viviano Distinguished Achievement Award recipient is Ray Lope, who has a passion to help others. His work to improve the health of the Macomb County community through Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals stretches back to the 1970s. “I was asked to be a community representative on an advisory board back in the mid-1970s when the Clinton Township hospital was just a satellite of the original Mt. Clemens hospital,” Ray remembers. Today he is honored with the Tony Viviano Distinguished Achievement Award, which is presented to a person who displays outstanding integrity and generosity. Ray is the third recipient. The first was Tony Viviano himself and in 2011 Dr. Al Lorenzo was honored. Ray is co-owner of Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Homes in Utica and Royal Oak and a well-known business leader in the community. He is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals and Chairperson of the hospital’s Strategy and Growth Committee and the Planning and Mission Effectiveness Committee. Ray is also a member of the hospital’s Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, the Ambassador Club and the Century Club. He was recognized with a Medallion award in 1999 in the citizen category. Outside of Henry Ford Macomb, Ray has a long list of awards and community involvement to his credit, including the 2011 Lil Adams Award from the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is a past president of the Michigan Funeral Directors’ Association District # 6, former member of the Pursuit Of Excellence Committee with the National Funeral Directors Association, a founding member and past president of the Utica Community Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence and a charter member and past president of the Gerald C. Friend Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund. In addition, Ray is a Utica/Shelby Rotary Club past president and Paul Harris Fellow award recipient, and a member of the Pewabic Pottery Society, Trustee and Treasurer of the Macomb Oakland Guardianship and Metro Hosta Society, Sacred Heart Major Seminary Desert Classic, a member at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, St. Lawrence Knights of Columbus Council No. 2950, coached soccer for the Catholic Youth Organization and received the Chamber’s Man of the Year Award in 1987. Ray feels that as a business leader in the community, he has an obligation to help connect and work together with other community leaders to provide leadership and support for important initiatives like quality health care. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to be associated with an organization like the Henry Ford Health System,” he said. “The professionalism, integrity and caring culture at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital is an inspiration to all of us associated with it. It is a privilege to be part of it and I look forward to continuing to work together to bring the best in health care to Macomb County.” “I am humbled and honored to have received this recognition and I will continue to serve the people of our community,” he added.    Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors will now offer more grief support outlets Wm. Sullivan & Son's grief support group in Utica "Walk with me" has been a very comforting place for families to attend and discuss their grief over the years. We are happy to announce we have started another group in the Royal Oak area called "Safe Harbor". This will now give the families we serve in Royal Oak a place to go for grief support. For further information on both of our groups please click below. http://__ROGUETARGET__/     Congratulations Ray Lope The 2011 "Lil" Adams Award Recipient The Award was created in 2009 in honor of the former long serving Executive Director, Lil Adams.The award is given annually to "a deserving Chamber supporter who exemplifies the characteristics Lil embodied: Humbleness, a Caring Spirit, Exemplary Long Term Service to the Chamber, Our Communities and Our Fellow Man."  Ray is co-owner and a Funeral Director with Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors.                                    "Interest growing in Green Funerals" an article which appeared in several local papers We are always happy to have the opportunity to serve families in many different ways. Whatever a family wants for a loved one is what we will try to do..... We have recently become members of the Green Burial Council to give options to the families we serve. Below is a link to an article which describes a little bit of what we can do in regards to "green funerals".  http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/12/07/business/doc4cfee223c67b8661751946.txt