What do you consider the most significant changes you’ve witnessed in the profession over the past 50 years? Back when I started, traditional funerals and burials were the way people paid their respects to the deceased. Things have really changed lately. I’ve noticed that people are moving away from what I call “traditional funeral services,” and they’re doing what they call a “celebration of life.” It’s just a different way of honoring each person. One thing I’ve noticed is that some ministers and priests do services the way they want to have them conducted, not the way families want them conducted. It’s been hard for me to adjust to that, but you have to go with the flow. It’s not all ministers or priests, but it drives people away from the funerals. Listening to families and honoring their traditions is the way we serve and support families in these difficult times. I’ve also noticed that people don’t attend funerals like they used to. It seems that people are busier, and the atmosphere is changing. To me, the service doesn’t do the deceased any good, but it’s for the family and people to say their last goodbyes. What is your greatest career accomplishment? At my age, I enjoy still being active enough to serve people and serve them the way they need to be served. One example that happened later in my career was when the funeral home I was working at had a funeral director suddenly pass away. We had funerals scheduled that same week as his, and the families wanted to cancel those services. However, myself and one other felt ready to come back and provide the funeral services for those families instead of canceling them, so we did. How has MFDA helped you throughout your career? MFDA makes sure to give us enough opportunities for CE so that we can keep up our certifications. They also help us network very well with the other funeral directors. If you have a question or a problem, they come back with an answer and are always willing to help. I’ve seen other states not do so well and have the mindset that it’s your problem to get your CE taken care of. We don’t want to end up like some of the states where they’re doing away with licenses for funeral directors and morticians. We need to keep those licenses. We run respectable businesses, and I don’t want to be classified as someone who disposes of dead bodies. I want to keep this an honorable profession. What is the best advice you have ever received, and how has it applied in your daily life? Years ago, a funeral director told me to treat people the same way I wanted to be treated, whether it’s in the profession or in everyday life. If you don’t treat people the way you want to be treated, it’s downhill from there. You have to respect everybody if you want to be respected, whether you agree with what they do or not. Any last thoughts? We need to get more people into the profession — people who really want to serve others, not just have a job. This profession is not a regular 8-5, Monday through Friday. It’s 24/7/365. It’s nights, weekends and holidays. You give up a lot of your time, and it’s not an easy profession. But it’s a profession that I’m very proud to be a part of. 10 | Directors Digest
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