By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
CARO — Mark Ransford, who is the owner and funeral director at Ransford Collon Funeral Home, 205 West Sherman Street, Caro, is well-known locally, at the state level, and will now be known internationally.
Ransford was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards.
“’The Conference’ as it is referred to within the funeral profession, is charged with overseeing the examination and national certification of funeral directors across the country and Canada, as well as many state board examinations,” explained Ransford. “I will serve a three-year term on The Conference board, and will represent Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada.”
As a member of the nine person board, Ransford will oversee operations of ‘The Conference’ and the administration of nearly 4,000 examinations for those seeking licensure as a funeral director.
“This means I will have to learn Canadian law,” said Ransford.
He will travel throughout the country twice a year for annual meetings and training to ensure that he and the rest of the board are current on developments in regulation, litigation and enforcement.
“It is an enormous honor to be chosen by my colleagues in the three states and one province that I represent to further the purpose of our profession, which is to serve those people that call on us for help in one of the most difficult times in their lives,” he said.
In order to be eligible for The Conference Board, the person has to be a licensed funeral direction and serve on the state board. Ransford was first appointed by Gov. Snyder to the Michigan Board of Examiners in Mortuary Science in 2012, and he currently serves as vice-chairman of that board.
“The governor’s appointment to the Michigan Board of Examiners, and now the International Conference, really created an opportunity for me to serve my profession and the public at a higher level, and for that I’m extremely grateful,” said Ransford.
“Both boards that I serve seek to protect the public interest through tougher regulation and educational standards. These are not association or lobbyist organizations, but rather, governing bodies.”
Ransford graduated Caro High School in 1998, and in 2002 graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in business administration and psychology. In 2003, he graduated Wayne State University with a Mortuary Science degree, and also a degree in Forensic Investigation.
In 2003, he joined his father in the family business. Richard “Dick” Ransford purchased the Huston Funeral Home in the mid 1970s, and later renamed the business as Ransford Funeral Home. Mark, 25, joined his father in the family business 2003, and he is the fifth general of his family to go into business in Caro.
The Ransford family has had a long an varied history of serving the Caro area. The Ransford legacy started in 1880 when the family patriarch Byron Lord Ransford moved his family here to open a law practice. His son, Frank, owned an operate a laundry service and served as postmaster, a village trustee, and as a secretary of the Tuscola County Fair. Frank’s son, Maurice, practiced law for over 60 years in Caro and was a member of the Caro Community Hospital Board and on the Caro Chamber of Commerce. Maurice’s son, Richard, went into the funeral home business, and now his grandson is operating that business.
Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.