11/29/2023

IFDA President-Elect

Thomas Macz

Macz Funeral Homes
Centralia, IL

Tom Macz grew up in Watseka, Illinois, and graduated from Watseka Community High School in 2000. At 17, Tom was blessed with the opportunity to serve his community while working part-time for Baier Funeral Home in Wateska, and it was here he found his passion for helping families during their time of loss. Proud to be the first generation of his family to go to college, Tom enrolled in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Mortuary Science Program. Tom and his wife Traci are “Saluki Sweethearts” that both graduated in 2004 from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale Mortuary Science Program. Working as licensed funeral directors/embalmers since 2005, Tom and Traci took over management of Day Funeral Homes in Sandoval and Patoka in 2012, purchasing the business in 2013 and changing the name to Day Macz Funeral Homes. In 2015, the couple expanded their business, from the estate of the late Larry Irvin, with the purchase of Irvin Funeral Homes in Centralia and Odin, which became Irvin Macz Funeral Homes. Tom and Traci believe owning their funeral homes to be their ministry. They are grateful to continue the legacy of the former owners of Day and Irvin Funeral Homes, resuming the tradition of providing exceptional care to the families in the communities they serve.

Tom is a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, National Funeral Directors Association, and Egyptian Funeral Directors Association. He served as Past Vice President and Co-Chair of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and serves as the current President-Elect. Tom is a lifetime member of the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale Alumni Association, and Tom and Traci Macz are the recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award for Young Alumni Achievement He is active in the Downtown Centralia Business Group, a member of the Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce, serves as Commissioner of the Elmwood Cemetery Board in Centralia, and is the sexton and member of the board for Sandoval City Cemetery. Tom is a lifetime member of the ANSR Shrine, the Masonic Lodge, and the Sons of the American Legion. Tom is a member of the salt and pepper shaker club. He is a member of City Hope Church, volunteers as a youth soccer and baseball coach and Tom is the founder, major sponsor and volunteer for the New Horizon Christian School golf club. He is a multi-year major sponsor of balloons for the Centralia Balloon Fest, crewed for Centralia Balloon Fest, and volunteered to make a boat and race in the Centralia Balloon Fest cardboard boat regatta. Tom sets up a display of a forest of over 100 lighted trees, throughout the holidays for the community’s Festival of Lights, where Tom offers those who’ve lost loved ones in the past year the opportunity to designate a tree in their honor. He earned several distinguished awards for his creatively designed, personally hand built floats in the Annual Centralia Halloween Parade. Tom is the founder, major sponsor, and volunteer for the New Horizon Christian Church golf club. At a young age Tom volunteered for the fire department and after moving south he annually volunteers for Odin Fireman’s Picnic. Tom has chosen to work solely with Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions because they employ local community members as well as partnering with them on the Matthews Aurora Children’s Foundation, allowing them to give back over 12, 000 to local children 501C organizations. Along with financially supporting the Marion County CEO Program, he is a mentor to their next generation of leaders. Tom is an advocate for funeral professionals at a state and national level, attending National Advocacy Summits and educating Marion County CEO Program, Kaskaskia College students and Sandoval and Centralia CNA Programs, annually.

Other distinguished achievements include, South Central Illinois Growth Alliance of Emerging Entrepreneurs, Southern Illinois University Carbondale as Distinguished Alumni, multiple publications in the Directors Magazine, multiple year recipient of the Illinois Award of Funeral Distinction, National Funeral Directors Pursuit of Excellence Honoree, National Funeral Directors Honorable Mention, seven-time National Funeral Directors Pursuit of Excellence winner, and two-time National Funeral Directors Best of the Best Award.