Pat Day, a long-time Frankfort area resident, Frankfort area funeral director and community volunteer, has been elected secretary-treasurer of the 2026–2027 Indiana Funeral Directors Association and is helping launch this year’s Clinton County Senior Olympics. Day & Genda Funeral Home operates in Frankfort, Rossville, Mulberry, Flora, and Logansport.
New Role in State Funeral Association
Day, of Day & Genda Funeral Home, said his new role with the association focuses on overseeing how the profession serves families across Indiana. “I help make sure the money’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing,” Day said of the secretary-treasurer position.
He previously served as a district director for the association in both Spencer and Clinton County, representing local funeral homes at the state level. “That just means I’m helping represent at the state level all the funeral homes and funeral directors in our area and the surrounding counties,” he said.
Day said the association is working to keep Indiana “a leader” in funeral standards and practices. “We’re in the care business. We’re in the love business,” he said. “We provide something to people in their hardest time, and we need to be holding ourselves to a certain standard.”
Raising Standards and Training Young Directors
Day said one of the group’s top priorities is improving how interns and younger funeral directors are trained. “We started an intern mentor program for the state that allows us to…help people find good fits and teach them, you know, this is what funeral directors should be doing,” he said.
He said some interns in the industry are treated like part-time staff and do not get the professional experience they need. The association is also emphasizing that funeral homes are “a service, not a business,” even though they must operate like a business. “People just need to realize in our profession that we are a service,” Day said. “Sometimes we lose sight of what we really do and the importance of what we do.”
Day noted that Indiana is often looked to as an example. “Believe it or not, Indiana is one of the leaders in the funeral profession,” he said. “People are coming to us from states around, saying you guys are doing things right, how do we get better?”
Changing Options in Funeral Care
Day said the profession continues to see new options for handling remains, though not all are yet legal in Indiana. On the West Coast, he said, some states allow human composting, and other states have moved toward alkaline hydrolysis, often called “water cremation.”
“Composting is not [legal] and alkaline hydrolysis is not yet, but we are working on legislation to get that,” Day said. He added that “green burial” — with natural caskets and no vault — is already an option in some cemeteries that set aside specific sections.
Locally, Day & Genda has added its own services in recent years, including a crematory for both people and pets. Day said pet cremations start at 175 dollars and include an urn and a paw print. “Especially in your situation, fourteen years, that’s a family member,” he said of longtime pets. “We just want to celebrate them as well.”
Senior Olympics Return in May
Alongside his state responsibilities, Day is once again organizing the Clinton County Senior Olympics, which run from April 30 through early June. The program is open to anyone age 55 and older and costs 10 dollars, which helps cover the closing dinner.
“We’re kicking off on the 30th of April,” Day said, noting that events run throughout May at locations including Wesley Manor, the Paul Phillippe Resource Center, local parks, and the library. Activities range from trivia, putting contests and tabletop shuffleboard to bocce ball, croquet, pickleball, card games, bingo and walking events. Closing ceremonies will be held June 2 at the Neighborhood Center, with medals awarded to individuals and teams.
Day said the goal is to help older residents stay active and connected. “This is about living. This is about who has the same interests you have,” he said. “As you get older you kind of lose your circle of friends sometimes…we’re trying to find people to connect you with so you can have your circle of friends continue to thrive.”
Anyone interested in registering for the Senior Olympics or learning more about funeral or pet services can contact Day & Genda at 765-659-3356, email office@dayandgenda.com, or visit dayandgenda.com.
