Disciplinary Actions/Decisions
The following is a list of actions/decisions taken against licensees or applicants for licensure by the Kansas State Board of Mortuary Arts since January 1, 2003 (in order by date of action.)
Eric F. Schindler, Paola, Kansas – (#04-11)
Embalmer and funeral director license renewals denied. Individual barred from applying for renewal or reinstatement of an embalmer and funeral director licenses for twelve years (until May 26, 2016.) When applying for renewal or reinstatement following the twelve year period, applicant must provide verification of 72 hours of continuing education which shall include 25 hours of ethics approved by the Board’s Executive Director and must retake and pass the funeral directors' license examination.
Date of Default Order: 5/26/2004
Kelly L. Herdt, Smith Center, Kansas – (#04-18)
Embalmer and funeral director licenses surrendered.
Date licenses surrendered: 9/29/2004
Willie A. “Bill” Schonacher, Jr., Overland Park, Kansas – (#04-41)
Assistant funeral director license approved by the board with the condition of being restricted from any dealings with finance.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 1/21/2005
James L. Schmidt, Wray, Colorado – (#05-43)
Embalmer and funeral director licenses suspended for six months (10/6/05 to 4/6/06.) His Nebraska funeral director license was suspended for six months, and he was fined $1,000 for permitting, aiding, or abetting the practice of a profession or the performance of activities requiring a license, certificate, or registration by a person not licensed, certified or registered to do so. The licensee’s Kansas suspension was based on action taken by the Nebraska State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers.
Date of Final Agency Action: 10/11/2005
Nancy A. Oldham, Pittsburg, Kansas – (#05-30)
Embalmer license suspended for six months with public censor. The suspension was stayed contingent on earning six hours of continuing education in ethics by November 22, 2006. The action was based on the licensee failing to report to the board when renewing her license of a conviction of a misdemeanor crime of moral turpitude/committing a crime of moral turpitude.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: 11/22/2005
Lawrence A. Jones, Jr., Kansas City, Missouri – (#06-38)
Embalmer and funeral director relicensure applications denied based on the revocation of Missouri embalmer and funeral director licenses. The relicensure application fee will be credited toward any future relicensure application. Once Missouri licenses are reinstated to active status, the board encouraged the applicant to reapply for relicensure of Kansas licenses.
Date of Final Agency Action: 10/25/2006
Floyd L. Greenwood, Overbrook, Kansas – (#06-48)
Funeral director license publicly censured with the censure placed on the KSBMA's web site. Failure of licensee to provide the next of kin a signed written price statement as required by K.A.R. 63-3-17(c).
Date of the Consent Agreement and Final Order: 2/23/2007
John A. Ridgeway, Tonkawa, Oklahoma – (#07-18)
Embalmer and funeral director licenses revoked following conviction of a felony.
Date of the Summary Proceeding Order Revoking Licenses: 6/21/2007
Todd M. Beeson, Dumas, Texas – (#07-23)
Fined $100 with public censure for failing to obtain an out-of-state transit permit.
Date of Summary Order: 10/25/2007
Roy L. Rawls, Salina, Kansas – (#08-14 & #08-15)
Fined $250 with public censure for failing to provide a written price statement as is required in K.A.R. 63-3-17(c).
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 8/4/2008
James D. "Lou" Moore, Gladstone, Missouri – (#06-34)
Embalmer and assistant funeral director licenses were revoked following the Missouri Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors denying an application for a Missouri embalmer license.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order Revoking Licenses: 11/12/2008
Don L. Varner, Jr., Russell, Kansas – (#08-33)
Funeral director license publicly censured with the censure placed on the KSBMA's web site and fined $250. Failure of licensee to provide the next of kin a signed written price statement as required by K.A.R. 63-3-17(c).
Date of the Summary Proceeding Order: 2/6/2009
Steven D. Wilson, Independence, Kansas – (#08-26)
Embalmer and funeral director licenses revoked due to felony convictions.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 4/21/2009
Michael Jon Hofman, Paola – (#08-25)
Assistant funeral director license application denied due to a felony conviction.
Date of Final Order: 5/4/2009
Ronald C. Marts, Kansas City, Missouri – (#09-27)
Assistant funeral director license placed on conditional status for so long as his Missouri funeral director and establishment licenses remain on probation (originally for five years) for forging a signature on a Missouri death certificate. Certain conditions are a part of the Order.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order Imposing Conditions on License: 8/3/2009
Lonnie L. Van Arsdale, LeRoy, Kansas – (#09-50)
Funeral director license publicly censured for violating KSA 65-1751(a)(13)--failure to provide a written price statement.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order : 5/5/2010
Patrick S. Post, Derby, Kansas – (#10-16)
Funeral director license revoked for violating KSA 65-1751(a)(3)--felony conviction and unable to demonstrate sufficient rehabilitation to warrant public trust.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 5/5/2010
Larry J. Enfield, II, Norton – (#10-44)
Fined $100 with public censure for failing to obtain an out-of-state transit permit.
Date of the Summary Order: 10/26/2010
Lawrence A. Jones, Jr., Kansas City, Missouri – (#10-57)
The assistant funeral director application of Mr. Jones was denied based on revocation of Missouri funeral director license.
Date of Summary Order Denying Application for Assistant Funeral Director License: 1/19/2011
Daniel J. Oldenettel, Wichita – (#10-23)
Embalmer and funeral director licenses permanently surrendered with the agreement never to apply for them again in the State of Kansas. The surrender of both licenses is entered as a revocation in board records.
Date of Consent Order: 1/13/2011
Ms. Bobby J. Pearson, Kansas City – (#11-02 & #11-03)
Fined $100 and publicly censured for failing to issue an out-of-state transit permit.
Date of Summary Order: 5/16/2011
Douglas L. Watson, Wichita – (#11-04)
Publicly censured, funeral director license suspended for twelve months with the suspension stayed with payment of $500.00 fine, a refund of $937.62 to a family and completion of ten (10) hours of approved continuing education in the area of funeral directing ethics.
Date of Consent agreement: 7/14/2011
Jeffrey T. Simpson, Columbus – (#11-22)
Funeral director license revoked due to the failure to trust $2,100.00 for a casket purchased preneed with a fine of $1,000.00.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 11/10/2011
Rickey A. Furst, Jr., Williamsburg – (#11-31)
Accepted the voluntary surrender of his embalmer and funeral director licenses based on a diversion agreement with the District Court of Woodson County, Kansas, Case No. 11 CR 56.
Date of Board Approval: 10/11/2012
Douglas L. Watson, Wichita – (#13-29)
Embalmer, funeral director, and crematory operator.licenses revoked and fined $1,000.
Date of Summary Order: 12/16/2014
Robert J. Bethea, Jr., Wichita – (#15-03)
Fined $100 and publicly censured for at-need solicitation.
Date of Summary Order: 4/22/2015
Ms. Benji R. Hanks, Wellsville – (#15-07)
Fined $100 and publicly censured for failing to issue an out-of-state transit permit.
Date of Summary Order: 4/22/2015
Patrick S. Post, Derby – (#15-09)
Funeral director re-licensure application denied.
Date of Order: 8/7/2015
Melody Theus, Raytown, Missouri – (#15-16)
Assistant funeral director application granted.
Date of Order: 10/20/2015
Jeffrey T. Simpson, Columbus – (#15-29)
Embalmer-funeral director re-licensure applications denied.
Date of Order: 10/27/2015
Natalie M. Lentz, Topeka – (#15-27)
Crematory operator's license and assistant funeral director application granted with conditions.
Date of Consent Agreement and Order: 11/19/2015
Brandy L. Robson, Hugoton – (#15-12)
Fined $750.00 for violations of KSA 65-1751(a)(20), KAR 63-5-1(b) and KSA 65-2412(a) pertaining to the timely filing of a death certificate.
Date the Order finalized: 11/25/2015.
Rickey D. Yoder, Wichita – (#15-28)
Fined $500 with crematory operator license suspended for nine (9) months for inappropriate handling of human remains. The fine and suspension were stayed upon completion of an additional six (6) hour crematory operator certification program and providing all employed crematory operators with information pertaining to proper storage and handling of human remains.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: 11/5/2015
Robert J. Bethea, Jr., Wichita – (#15-36)
Ordered to complete an additional six (6) hours of continuing education in the area of prefinanced funeral agreements, fined $500 and publicly censured for failing to properly trust a prefinanced funeral agreement.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: 3/17/2016
Tricia Goebel-Jones, Yates Center – (#16-43)
Funeral director license revoked after licensee agreed and was ordered by the Woodson County District Court to participate in a diversion program after she stipulated to violating state law by engaging in acts constituting theft from her employer.
Date of Summary Proceeding Order: 10/28/2016
Robert J. Bethea, Jr. Wichita – (#16-37)
Funeral director licensee disciplined for unprofessional conduct involving failure in the performance of contractual duties and failure to report an adverse judgment or award resulting from the practice of funeral direction. Discipline imposed: ordered to complete an additional six (6 hours of continuing education in the area of ethics; fine totaling $1,500 ($750 per violation); and public censure.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: 3/31/2017
Robert J. Bethea, Jr., Wichita – (#16-37, #17-16, #17-17, #17-18 and #17-35)
Licensee entered into Consent Agreement and Final Order revoking his funeral director license for multiple violations of K.S.A. 16-301 et seq., and amendments thereto, pertaining to prefinanced funeral agreements.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: 1/12/2018
Douglas L. Watson, Wichita – (#17-26)
The application by Mr. Watson for reinstatement of an embalmer license was denied based on the applicant’s failure to meet the standards as set forth in K.S.A. 65-1701 and K.S.A. 2017 Supp. 65-1751 (3) and (13).
Date of the Order denying the reinstatement of the embalmer license: 2/28/2018
Shaun Patrick O’Neal, Wichita – (#19-13)
Assistant Funeral Director and Crematory Operator licenses suspended.
Date of Final Order: 11/29/2019
Brock Baker, Wichita – (#20-07)
Licensee entered into a Consent Agreement and Final Order for failing to submit a supervising apprenticeship report in a timely manner. Fined $500.00 with public censure.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: August 5, 2020
Chris A. Hutton - Topeka, Kansas- (#23-07)
Licensee entered into a Consent Agreement and Final Order for being found in violation of K.S.A.
65-1751(a)(20), as referenced in K.S.A 16-302(a), in that the licensee failed to deposit the funds
received for the pre-financed funeral arrangement into a separate account in the name of the
purchaser of the services. In addition, the licensee was found in violation of K.S.A.
65-1751(a)(20), as referenced in K.S.A 16-302(b)(1), in that the licensee accepted a personal check
made payable to the licensee's businesses, and not the bank, credit union or savings and loan
association where it was to be deposited. Publicly censured and fined $1,000.00.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: March 28, 2024
Susan D. Hutton- Topeka, Kansas - (#23-07-1)
Licensee entered into a Consent Agreement and Final Order for being found in violation of K.S.A.
65-1751(a)(20), as referenced in K.S.A 16-302(a), in that the licensee failed to deposit the funds
received for the pre-financed funeral arrangement into a separate account in the name of the
purchaser of the services. In addition, the licensee was found in violation of K.S.A.
65-1751(a)(20), as referenced in K.S.A. 16-302(b )(1), in that the licensee accepted a personal
check made payable to the licensee's businesses, and not the bank, credit union or savings and loan
association where it was to be deposited. Publicly censured and fined $1,000.00.
Date of Consent Agreement and Final Order: March 28, 2024