Licenses suspended for Girard funeral home, 2 directors

Staff report

girard

The McClurkin Funeral Home’s license is being suspended along with the licenses of its two funeral directors.

The Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors issued a public notice announcing the suspensions, which it ordered at its Monday meeting.

“There is clear and convincing evidence that the licensee’s continued practice presents a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public,” the group said in an announcement issued Thursday.

The suspensions affect Patrick J. McClurkin’s and Robert J. McClurkin’s funeral director’s and embalmer’s licenses.

The funeral home is at 222 S. State St. in Girard.

The board said Patrick and Robert McClurkin have stolen more than $400,000 from consumers and have “placed the funeral services of these individuals in clear jeopardy.”

The board said it will assist Girard police and the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office as requested.

Patrick and Robert McClurkin could not be reached to comment.

This is the second area funeral home to have its licenses suspended.

In the other case, the Niles funeral director is fighting his revocation.

Former Niles funeral director Robert P. McDermott has filed an appeal of the permanent revocation of his funeral director’s license and funeral home license.

The Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors revoked the licenses July 9 after it found that McDermott had misappropriated more than $150,000 in pre-paid funeral expenses for more than 50 customers at his Robert P. McDermott Memorial Home at 614 Warren Ave., Niles.

McDermott has testified that he intends to honor all of the unfunded prepaid accounts by providing funeral services at no additional cost to the customers.