On December 14, 1881, the Illinois Undertakers Association met and elected its first corps of officers. Led by new president Joseph Rogerson (Chicago), they intended to "organize a state association to which undertakers might belong," according to The Casket (January, 1882), and to "take such action, after its organization as a state society, as it might deem proper for the protection of its members and the business." Another important goal was to "secure state legislation providing for the licensing of undertakers - and to provide that none shall be licensed as undertakers but such as may be duly qualified to perform the many delicate offices of a modern undertaker, one of the most important of which is the embalming of bodies." Annual meetings have been held nearly every year since. Today, the Illinois Funeral Directors Association represents 650 funeral home and 1,300 funeral director and embalmer members seeking a common voice, a way to share information, ideas, and methods, and to protect themselves and consumers through legislation. We offer a variety of services to our members and to the general public. We invite you to review the information on this website and contact us with any question you may have.