Puppies Names Blog

I, like most people, was afraid of going to funerals and being around people who had died. I was able to overcome that in the most direct fashion. I applied for and accepted employment with a funeral home while I was going through high school. Prior to that job, I was not just afraid of funerals but also uncomfortable attending wakes. I was required to work for the money and my parents happened to have a friend who ran a funeral home.

I said, Over my dead body. My mom said there was no time like the present to learn responsibility while at the same time overcoming my fears. She told me who the owner was and I remembered I used to run into him at church and he always made me laugh telling corny jokes. So I reconsidered and decided to pay him a visit.

Seeing a funeral home in the afternoon, when there were no families or mourners there really put it into a different light. Doors and windows were open, people were talking in normal voices and there was even music playing. There just happened to be a dead person in each one of the parlors. I didnt feel weird at all.

The funeral director told me my job would consist of regular duties such as vacuuming the carpets, the placement of pray cards before visitors arrived, proper chair arrangement, along with various washing duties. He also told me I would have special projects. He said he would discuss special projects later but my regular duties were a top priority.

Running the vacuum was probably the most important thing. I had to do it first thing in the morning, later in the day after flower deliveries and again if we had any afternoon visitations. The funeral director was very picky about not having any one see any dirt lying around the floor. It was kind of strange at first running a vacuum while there was a person in coffin next to me.

Another part of my job was to clean every car that the funeral home owned. This included the hearse, delivery vans, and family cars. Each car had to be cleaned after every use. It was a bit tricky operating the hose and not getting myself wet, but I managed. I also had to vacuum inside of the cars. Its an odd feeling crawling into the back of hearse knowing that not two minutes ago there was a dead body in there.

We often received casket deliveries on a particular day of the week. They take a lot of work. After a family purchases a casket for the deceased, it is sent to the rear of the funeral home. If the body was not ready to be put out for viewing in a parlor, it was necessary to lug the casket down the stairs for storage. Often times only two of us moved them downstairs. Because pallbearers carry them from the sides and are different heights and move at different paces, it is actually easier to move them with only 2 people.

Another one of rules that the funeral director was adamant about was that I was to be out of sight when families came in to make arrangements or when we had afternoon visitation hours. He told me respect for the families was a top priority. I would usually spend my time out back during these times washing the cars and vans.

Working for the funeral home turned out to be a tremendous opportunity to grow as a young adult. It enabled me to have empathy for what the families were going through and see the respect and care the funeral director and other employees took to help the families and friends get through such a difficult time. It also showed me how the behind the scenes cleaning and work make the experience for the families seamless. Nevertheless, if the death is a family friend or relative, I still go through the grieving process because the loss still effects me personally and emotionally.