Foundation Partners Group recently announced that Auburndale resident Jennifer Lindell-Roys, funeral director and location leader at Kersey Funeral Home, has been named “2024 Funeral Director of the Year” by American Funeral Director magazine.
Selected from a wide field of nominees submitted by funeral professionals across the nation, Lindell-Roys is being honored for decades of funeral service excellence, mentoring future professionals and providing compassionate care for families throughout Dade & Polk counties. She is featured on the cover of the magazine’s December edition.
“Jennifer’s compassion and care for families in need is unmatched,” said Andrew Clark, Foundation Partner’s senior vice president-strategic operations. “She treats all families as if they were her own. This best-in-class care is rooted in her love of the Auburndale community and our sacred profession. Her selfless approach to funeral service is inspiring and motivational to those who have the honor to work by her side.”
Inspired by the television show “Quincy” at eight-year-old, Lindell-Roys’ interest in forensic pathology evolved into volunteer work at local funeral homes during her high school years. After graduation she enrolled in the funeral service education program at Miami Dade college and worked at a local funeral home to put herself through school. Eleven years later, after being married, giving birth to a daughter and divorced, she graduated from mortuary school and moved to Auburndale. She joined the Kersey Funeral Home team as a funeral director and embalmer in 1996 and has served as location leader for the past five years.
Lindell-Roys is passionate about sharing her love of the profession with young people. She is a regular guest speaker at area high schools, including Davenport High School where she has introduced hundreds of students enrolled in College Success and Career Planning courses to the rewards of a career in funeral service.
Community service is very important to Lindell-Roys, both personally and professionally. She is a past-president of the Tri-County Funeral Directors Association, was a member of Auburndale Chapter 149 of the Order of the Eastern Star, and volunteers at the Community Thanksgiving Outreach, which feeds more than 5,000 people each year. Lindell-Roys is a former Greater Auburndale Chamber of Commerce board member, where she continues to serve as an ambassador and project leader. This past April, Kersey Funeral Home was title sponsor of the Chamber’s Annual Business Expo, where nearly 100 businesses shared information about their products and services with the entire community.
Lindell-Roys also leads the Kersey Funeral Home team in many annual community service events, including a “Hope Illuminates” remembrance service , held on December 8. More than 35 families attended and received ornaments to commemorate loved ones lost this past year.
Tim Pospichal, former mayor of Auburndale, has known Lindell-Roys for more than 20 years and has seen numerous examples of her serving the needs of the Auburndale community. “Whether I am attending an Auburndale Chamber luncheon, the annual Kersey Expo, or the funeral of a friend or colleague, Jennifer is always a role model for kind service and support,” he said.
About Foundation Partners Group
Winter Park, Florida-based Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry’s most innovative providers of funeral services and the second-largest funeral home group in the country based on the number of families served. Foundation Partners owns and operates a network of over 250 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 21 states. Our deep understanding of technology and customer experience-centered approach allows us to deliver truly innovative and compassionate care to the families we serve. Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more.
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