LAPLACE — Under one name or another, Millet-Guidry Funeral Home has been serving bereaved family members in St. John the Baptist Parish and beyond for more than 100 years.

The longevity serves as a record of quality community service that started with founder Numa Desroche and has continued for generations through moves and partnerships.

Now part of the family firm of L.A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home, Funeral Director Edward L. Muhleisen said Millet-Guidry Funeral Home remains a locally owned family funeral home operated by a talented group of caring professionals.

“We are each experienced at providing information carefully and compassionately throughout each step of the arrangement process, answering every question, offering suggestions, providing help in personalizing the service and giving families the freedom to create the perfect goodbye,” Muhleisen said. “Our offering of quality services at the best value is the cornerstone on which we were founded. I feel honored and privileged each time a family places their trust in Millet-Guidry to care for a loved one.”

Muhleisen is a leader in the industry, having recently been named president of The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards’ 113th annual meeting, which was held this spring in Hilton Head, S.C.

Muhleisen served as vice president of the organization in 2015 and 2016 following his 2014 election as District 7 Director, representing funeral service regulators from Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

He represents the fifth generation of the Muhleisen family in funeral service and presently is the manager of his family firms, L.A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home in Kenner, Millet-Guidry Funeral Home and Magnolia Crematory in Kenner.

His work with the conference and as a member of the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors allows him to give back to the profession and ensure quality service.

The Conference determines qualifications and knowledge required of an entry-level funeral director and embalmer and develops a task-orientated exam used by regulatory agencies during the licensing process.

The collective funeral service regulatory community voice promotes excellence in regulation through the sharing of best practices and the facilitation of open dialogues across all jurisdictions.

“All this in an effort to ensure that the public will have access to competent, safe and ethical funeral director/embalmers,” Muhleisen said, adding families confronted with a death are often unsure of how to proceed.

He said studies show more than 50 percent of the adult population has never been called upon to arrange a funeral, while another 25 percent have only arranged one prior funeral.

This puts three-quarters of the population in an inexperienced position for such an important task.

“This inexperience is exacerbated by the timeframe in which consumers must act and the psychological state of the person making these decisions,” Muhleisen said. “Therefore, it is important to ensure that all funeral directors, including entry level funeral directors, possess the knowledge necessary to assist these families in making informed decisions.”

Muhleisen said he feels most comfortable dealing with community and multigenerational organizations like Millet-Guidry.

“They all take a great deal of pride in what they do, always striving for 100 percent customer satisfaction, thereby building their reputation, their most important asset,” he said.

“Because they live and work here, they are the fabric of our community. This is reflected in their involvement and support of our local recreation department, teams, charitable events, churches and schools. I prefer to do business with other locally owned businesses, because of my expectation that I will receive quality services at the best value from my friends and neighbors.”