Tyson Moore is a Licensed Funeral Director and General Manager at Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory. He also oversees the day-to-day operations of five Western Montana firms. Tyson has been serving the Missoula community for over 10 years. Before moving to Montana, he lived in Colorado, where he and his family owned and operated a monument sales and manufacturing company serving Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming families. He has also worked on memorial projects throughout the United States. His largest project to date is the Korean War Memorial for the State of New Jersey, located on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. His time away from the funeral home is spent with his wife and five children, along with Frasier, the therapy dog he brings to the funeral home. He is also quite active with his church community. We recently sat down with Tyson and got to know more about him, his work life and his thoughts on the funeral service industry. The following are excerpts from our conversation. We hope you enjoy getting to know him as much as we did. GETTING TO KNOW 2023-2024 MFDA PRESIDENT, Tyson Moore What are the two or three biggest issues facing the funeral industry? I think the biggest issue that the industry is facing is recruitment. It is difficult to attract young talent to an industry with irregular hours that demands so much emotionally. The younger generation likes to have flexibility. With a degree in finance, one can work in retail, banking, etc. Other degree areas are similar, which lends itself to being able to change workplaces and careers over and over. The funeral service industry is a niche space; once one enters the field, it takes a commitment, or they will end up leaving the industry altogether. The second biggest issue is being stuck in the status quo. We need to break away from the traditional thinking of what a funeral experience looks like and meet consumers where they are. As funeral professionals, we sometimes think we know what the consumer needs and we aren’t listening to what they want. We need to listen, be flexible and adapt to a new generation of ideas and values, or we won’t remain relevant. 10 | Montana Funeral Directors Association
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