Our Story
For more than five decades, ASD – Answering Service for Directors has been the heartbeat of communication in the funeral profession. Around the clock, across every time zone, ASD has connected funeral directors to families in their moments of deepest need-helping them serve with empathy, precision, and care.
In 2025, the Czachor family, owners of ASD, unveiled Cremation Air, a first-of-its-kind aerial scattering service created exclusively for funeral professionals. Merging ASD’s decades-long relationship with directors and the family’s passion for aviation, Cremation Air offers a dignified, fully trackable way to scatter cremated remains from an aircraft over U.S. coastal waters and other approved waterways and private land.
It’s a natural evolution of ASD’s mission to support funeral homes with innovative tools that strengthen relationships with the families they serve.
“At ASD, we’ve always looked for ways to serve directors beyond the phone line,” says ASD Family- Member Owner Marty Czachor. “With Cremation Air, we’re extending that same trust skyward-helping funeral homes offer families something truly meaningful.”
The Vision Takes Flight
The idea for Cremation Air wasn’t born in a conference room-it began at home. ASD Family-Member Owners Marty, Kathy (Kelley), and Kevin Czachor have long shared an entrepreneurial spirit and a love for aviation. Marty’s private aircraft became a passion project, one he shared with his son Andrew and daughter Jess, both of whom are licensed pilots. Over time, the family began to talk about how their shared love of flying might intersect with the profession that ASD has served for decades. With cremation rates steadily climbing nationwide, (61.8% in 2024) funeral directors are always searching for new ways to offer value, meaning, and modern relevance. The Czachors saw an opportunity to bring their two worlds together. “What if the grace of flight could offer families a new way to say goodbye?” Marty wondered. “What if we could offer a premier scattering option at an affordable cost, helping funeral professionals serve their families – just from a higher elevation?”
From that idea, Cremation Air took shape – a way to blend the technical precision of aviation with the deep compassion that defines funeral service. Supported by ASD’s infrastructure, relationships, and reputation, Cremation Air was built not as a consumer product, but as a professional partner for funeral homes. “Everything about this came from the heart of a family that understands the profession,” says Marty. “Our goal is to help directors offer something extraordinary to the families they serve.”
Meet the Team
Andrew Czachor
Chief Pilot
Andrew Czachor serves as the Chief Pilot of Cremation Air, overseeing flight operations and aerial memorial services across the United States. A commercial pilot with an instrument rating, currently pursuing his multi-engine rating, Andrew began his aviation training in 2023 at Paragon Flight based at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida. He has flown a variety of aircraft including Piper Archers, Cessna 172s and 150s, the Beechcraft Bonanza G36, and the historic Boeing Stearman Model 75. He continues to advance his training through the Baron Bonanza Pilot Training (BBPT) program, reinforcing a strong commitment to safety and professional flight operations.
Andrew grew up closely connected to the funeral profession through his family’s company, Answering Service for Directors (ASD), the largest answering service dedicated exclusively to funeral homes in North America. During three years working as a call specialist, he gained firsthand experience assisting funeral professionals and supporting families during difficult moments. He has also attended numerous national and state funeral service conventions, building relationships with funeral directors and gaining insight into the evolving needs of the profession.
The concept for Cremation Air emerged after Andrew’s father, Marty Czachor, Chief Technology Officer of ASD, recognized an opportunity to create a meaningful memorial option for families choosing cremation. As cremation rates continue to rise nationwide, the goal of Cremation Air is to provide funeral professionals and families with a dignified, seamless, and memorable option through documented aerial scatterings over meaningful locations.
Andrew earned his undergraduate degree in Business Sales while playing Division I baseball at High Point University in North Carolina before shoulder surgery ended his playing career. He later relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, where he earned a Master of Entrepreneurship from Florida Gulf Coast University while beginning flight training. Andrew now lives in Tampa, Florida, where he is pursuing a Juris Master’s degree through Florida State University while continuing to expand Cremation Air’s mission of honoring life through meaningful places.
Patick Kane
Business Development Strategist
Pat serves Cremation Air as its Business Development Strategist, responsible for driving growth and expansion through strategic planning and execution. He works to identify and evaluate potential business opportunities, developing relationships with key stakeholders, and creating strategic partnerships. Pat works closely with ASD leadership discussing short and long-term goals while managing the daily operations and promotes marketing through various pipelines – including social media.
A 1999 graduate of Villanova University with a degree in History and minor in Sociology, Pat was also a scholarship athlete on the Baseball team. After graduation he signed a free-agent contract with the Houston Astros and played in their minor league system.
Over the next 11 years, he worked in sales roles for MetLife, American Medical Security, Xerox, and Prosit Print Solutions before being hired as the Director of Admission at Devon Preparatory School, in Devon PA. He was promoted to Director of External Operations and during his 12 year tenure at Devon Prep, the school experienced unprecedented enrollment and fundraising growth.
Pat grew up in Springfield, Delaware County, where he still resides today with his wife Michele, their twin children Ryan and Maddie, and their good boy Sarge.