In Re Application of Henry County Mutual Burial Ass'n

77 S.W.2d 124, 229 Mo. App. 300, 1934 Mo. App. LEXIS 118
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 3, 1934
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 77 S.W.2d 124 (In Re Application of Henry County Mutual Burial Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Application of Henry County Mutual Burial Ass'n, 77 S.W.2d 124, 229 Mo. App. 300, 1934 Mo. App. LEXIS 118 (Mo. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

BLAND, J.

This is an appeal from a decree refusing to rein-corpórate the Henry County Mutual Burial Association.

The facts show that prior to December 15, 1933, Mr. F. E. Wilkinson attempted to organize a burial association to be known as the Henry 'County Mutual Burial Association, but was unable to obtain 3000 applications for membership and gave up' the effort. , Section 5415, Revised Statutes 1929, requires at least 3000 members in order *301 to form an association of the kind. There was located at Carthage in Jasper County a burial association known- as the Southwest Missouri Burial Association. This association was incorporated under the statute providing for the organization of Benevolent, Religious; Scientific, Fraternal, Educational and Miscellaneous Associations (see Laws 1917, pp: 228, 229, 230; Sections 5014 to 5019, R. S. 1929). It was incorporated in 1917 by the Circuit Court of Lawrence County and proceeded to carry on the business for which it was organized. In December, 1933, a majority of its members was in Henry County. At the time of the trial of this case it had, in all, some 2000 to 2500 members.

Not being1 able to organize a burial association in Henry County Mr. Wilkinson went to Carthage and ■ on December 15, 1933, a meeting was held by the Southwest Missouri Cooperative Burial Association, attended by about fifty members. The officers and directors of said association resigned and F. E. Wilkinson, Grace Lee Wilkinson and C. W. Cordray, were elected trustees, who in turn elected F. E. Wilkinson, President, C. W. Cordray, Secretary and Grace Lee Wilkinson, Treasurer of the association. It was resolved that the name of the association be changed to the Henry County Mutual Burial Association and its location be changed to the city' of Clinton in Henry County.

On January 11, .1934, the charter of .the association was amended’ by a decree of the Circuit Court of Lawrence County changing the1 name to the Henry County Mutual Burial Association and. changing" its charter so as to provide that future -notices of meetings should be published in a newspaper printed in.Clinton, Henry County. On January 24, 1934, the officers filed in the Circuit Court of Henry County the instant proceeding praying that said corporation be? moved to and reincorporated in Henry County. On February 6, 1934,. a decree was entered as prayed.

On March 19, 1934, a number of undertakers and undertaking' firms filed a paper requesting that the court set aside its decree. Thereafter, the court set aside its said decree and on March 20,. 1934, the Honorable W. E. Owen, a member of the Henry County Bar, was appointed amicus curiae, with directions to investigate and report to the court. On March 22, 1934, the said amicus curiae filed, a report, recommending that the petition be denied on various grounds, one being that the membership certificate issued by the association “tends to show that there is a very pronounced element of profit intended to enure to the ■ named Wilkinson Funeral Home, which is in direct opposition to the law and purpose of the incorporation of the society.” The membership certificates issued by the association provide, in part, as follows:

“If a member shall have been in good standing in said association, for six months prior to death, then the full amount of said benefit *302 shall be paid in cash or in funeral services to be provided by the association, at the option of the member’s representative; if deceased shall not have been in good standing in said association for as long a period as six months at the time of his or her death, then the association will, at the option of the deceased member’s representative, pay in cash fifty per cent (50%) of the face value of the certificate or furnish a complete standard funeral service as is furnished other members of the association.
“VI. A standard association funeral service shall consist of embalming, casket, outside box, grave marker, funeral coach and service of funeral director, said merchandise used therein to be at all times on display in the Fred Wilkinson Funeral Home, Inc., of Clinton, Missouri, and subject to inspection; the above service shall be paid for by the association as follows:
“In case of senior member one hundred dollars ($100); in case of junior member fifty dollars ($50).
“VII. If representative of deceased member shall elect a more expensive funeral service than the standard service hereinafter mentioned, from the Fred Wilkinson Funeral Home, Inc., the association will pay the' amount of the certificate in accordance with the terms hereinbefore mentioned, in cash, to be applied on said funeral service, and will procure a ten per cent (10%) discount upon the balance of the cost of said service if paid in cash within ninety days after date of death, subject to approval of Fred Wilkinson Home, Inc.
“Any member of a member’s family will be provided the standard funeral service of the association, same to be paid for by representative of deceased, at ten per cent (10%) discount for such service, if the service selected shall exceed a cost of one hundred dollars ($100). The same provision mentioned in the preceding sentence shall apply to the fune.ral service of any member if the service selected shall exceed the amount of the certificate and if the balance therein be paid in cash within thirty (30) days after date of death.
“VIII. If any member shall die at a distance too great to be conveniently served by the Fred Wilkinson Funeral Home, Inc., representatives of said member may elect to accept the cash amount of the certificate- in full settlement of the certificate or may elect to accept the merchandise for the said funeral, same to be shipped to the nearest railroad point to location of deceased member, express prepaid.
“If death occurs at a-distance from Clinton and burial is to be made in Henry County, the association will furnish the services as hereinbefore provided, representative of deceased to pay for transportation of body; and any member of this association using the Fred Willkinson Funeral Home, Inc., ambulance service shall be entitled to ten per cent (10%) discount on charges of Said services; but'in no event shall the association be liable for any services not authorized by the association.”

*303 The statute providing for the method of changing the location of benevolent, religions, etc., corporations was passed in 1931 (see Laws 1931, p. 176, 3 Mo. Statute Annot., pp. 2289, 2290). This statute provides that a benevolent, religious, etc., corporation may change its location from one county to another in this State by filing a petition and a certified copy of its articles of association in the circuit court of the county to which it desires to change its residence, “asking that the corporation be removed and reincorporated in the county or city to which it wishes to move, with all of its rights, franchises and properties that it then has. After the copy of the articles of association and petition are filed with the circuit court they shall be proceeded with as is provided in filing nevr articles of association and petition as in Section 4997, Revised Statutes 1929.

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Bluebook (online)
77 S.W.2d 124, 229 Mo. App. 300, 1934 Mo. App. LEXIS 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-application-of-henry-county-mutual-burial-assn-moctapp-1934.