Graceland Cemetery, Cremation Center & Cemetery is part of the Indiana Memorial Group family of firms. Below, learn more about IMG’s management team. Click here to get to know some of our Valparaiso team members.
David Shipper, Owner
David Shipper is a third generation cemetery owner who has been involved for more than 35 years in owning and managing funeral homes and cemeteries. Internationally known for his expertise in the industry, he has served as President of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (www.iccfa.org)—a 6,000 member organization with members in 23 countries and was inducted into the ICCFA Hall of Fame in 2014.
David owns and operates the Indiana Memorial Group, which currently is comprised of 10 cemeteries and funeral homes in Indiana. David’s previous experience includes Vice President of corporate development for The Loewen Group, Inc., a multi-national, publicly traded funeral and cemetery corporation. While at Loewen, David led cemetery and combination acquisition activities and was involved in the purchase of over 450 locations.
Contact David:
ds@djshipper.com
Chris Lyon, Controller
Chris Lyon joined Indiana Memorial Group in 2009 after serving as Assistant Controller for a Fortune 100 company for ten years. During his time there, he led the accounting and financial analysis team through multiple which saw his Division increase revenues from $700M to over $3B.
Today, Chris oversees and directs all of the finances for Indiana Memorial Group including cash flows, projections, controls, policies, and audit. Chris is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Michigan and earned his Bachelor of Accounting degree from Michigan State University.
Contact Chris:
clyon@indianamemorialgroup.com.
Carrie Phelps
Director of Marketing
Carrie Phelps joined IMG in 2005. She has three decades of public relations, marketing, and strategic planning experience. For IMG, Carrie is responsible for marketing and sales support activities, such as advertising campaigns and creating materials for both television and print, such as our Living Will Kit and Personal Planning Organizer.
She is responsible for maintaining IMG websites as well as continuing a Facebook and social media presence. Additionally, she works with the locations to plan and implement events such as our Christmas, Memorial Day, Veterans and other programs.
A 1986 graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington, Carrie holds BA degrees in both Journalism and Criminal Justice and has earned awards for media, public, and community relations campaigns and projects.
Contact Carrie:
cphelps@indianamemorialgroup.com
Erin Gavaghan
Erin Gavaghan joined Futura Group in March 2001 and manages Indiana Memorial Group’s multi-location administration team. She is a 2011 graduate of LaSalle University (Philadelphia, PA) with a B.A. in Business and Organizational Dynamics, and went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Science in Human Capital Development (2013).
Contact Erin:
egavaghan@futuragroup.com
