Clarity - courage - commitment
meet the team
Samantha M. Rossi - Northern Territory Funeral Home Consultant
Samantha moved to Illinois in 2005 from Rochester, Minnesota to pursue mortuary school and graduated Worsham College in 2007 at the young age of 20. She did her internship and licensure with Skaja Terrace Funeral Home from 2005-20011. From 2011-2012 she worked for Smith-Corcoran Funeral Homes, both in their Chicago, Glenview, and Palatine locations.
Her true calling happened when she was offered a manager position with Muzyka & Son Funeral Home in Chicago, IL. The owner gave her the freedom and flexibility to run the business as if it were her own.
In 2013, Samantha and her husband opened Rossi Funeral Services, a company that works with multiple funeral homes to assist them with their embalming's, transfers, and any other need they may have. Rossi Funeral Services, holds a strong reputation for being one of the best embalming companies in Illinois.
In 2014, Samantha had her first child Louis and shortly after in 2015 her daughter Marilyn. While juggling being a new mom, having a new business, and still managing a funeral home fulltime - she was on course of funeral home ownership BUT, life took an unfortunate turn when her mother was diagnosed with triple-negative-breast cancer in 2015.
Stepping back from managing Muzyka & Son Funeral Home full-time allowed her to start Funeral Services of Illinois, and Life After Fetch - Pet Cremation Services (www.LifeAfterFetch.com) to give her the freedom to manage her time taking care of her mother and two very young children. Continuing to push through the rollercoaster - she ended up losing her father in 2018 (53 years old), and her mother in 2020 (54 years old).
Though her losses are tragic and she endured them at a young age, her life has allowed her to see things very differently. This strength allowed her to start, Straight Paths, Inc. (www.StraightPathsConsultling.com).
Samantha's motivation and life experiences bring a new light to the funeral home industry, and she is very excited to bring her expertise and knowledge to your funeral home!
Those who have met Samantha - know she will conquer any challenge you give her.
Michael Fitzgerald - Western Territory Funeral Home Consultant
Michael is an experienced Funeral Director with 43 years’ experience in 2 Countries, various large and small markets, almost all religious affiliations.
License in Illinois and Ontario Canada, he brings unique perspective to our client's needs, knowing what has worked well and what has not. Michael has managed large organizations, lectured at Funeral College, Past President of large Funeral Home Association, Represented the industry at various.
Government Levels and co-wrote funeral service legislation on behalf of his constituency.
He continues to have influence with clients in Canada and the USA thru Covid and now the new normal. Michael Specializes in Staffing, Training, and Modern Funerals as an Experienced Funeral Celebrant with a solid record of very meaningful funerals completed for families looking for something different. Now part of our team, we look forward to having Michael be part of your solutions moving forward.
Jeffery Oliver - HR Management Consultant
Jeffery leverages company culture and employee engagement to help clients exceed business objectives.
Authentic and genuine leadership is essential in building strong employee engagement. Jeffery has extensive experience demonstrating the ability to build enduring internal employee and external candidate relationships.
Jeffery leads by example, striving to bring out the best in the people around him through his own behaviors and actions. Jeffery has a solid track record of achievements in process and procedure improvement, employee motivation and loyalty, and organizational culture.
As a key business leader, he enjoys collaborating and providing subject expert insight on enterprise talent strategy, policies and procedures, growth and succession planning, and employee engagement.
About Us
Michelle McDonald - Social Media Specialist & Content Creator
Bio Coming Soon
Gina M. Rossi - Southern Funeral Home Consultant & Content Manager
Bio & Photo Coming Soon
Content Creator - Editor & International Consulting Specialist
Bio Coming Soon
About Us
Philip Flores, Jr. -Alkaline Hydrolysis Cremation Specialist - Green Funerals - KEYNOTE Speaker
Philip is the founder of Cremation by Water and group of companies providing water cremation for both humans and pets. Philip’s educational background consists of several master level degrees, licenses, and certifications. Education was the foundation that greatly benefited him early in his career as a senior executive in global treasury & payment solutions as well as mergers & acquisitions. Philip now finds value in the humanitarian side of life, consulting, advancing culture, and driving transformation. When not working in the specialty of water cremation, Philip serves as an active member of the Cremation Association of North America, Commissioner for the Village of Arlington Heights Environmental Commission, a Trustee for the Wheeling Township Cemetery, and as a Chapter President nominee for the Illinois Continuity of Care.
Philip | 847.414.4414 | Philip@CremationWater.com
Bookkeeper
Accurate book-keeping is essential to every funeral homes success yet it can also be very complicated and time consuming. Straight Paths can help you with these items so you can focus on your funeral homes day to day operations. Our bookkeepers are specialized in QuickBooks online and QuickBooks desktop. We can help you install and setup your new accounts as well as train you and your staff so you can have access to your books at all times.