Lay Your Fear Of Funerals To Rest
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.
My parents had known this family for a long time, as did I. It never crossed my mind that I would be working for him. But they had heard that I was looking for work and they needed some cheap help. I stopped over one afternoon and talked with the owner.
I peddled my bike over to the funeral home the following day. Looking at the architecture of the building, I thought to myself, this could be somebodys home or a mini-church. There was nothing threatening about it. I stepped inside. My palms were sweating but I told myself to relax, there was nothing to fear. I walked around and noticed there were two parlors, each had a casket with a dead body in it. I walked into each parlor. I heard music in the background but I was the only one there. There was a lot of light coming through the opened windows and a nice breeze coming through. I said, I can do this. The funeral director stepped in, and I introduced myself.
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.
After about two weeks of working in the funeral home, all of my fears had dissipated. I didnt blink when vacuuming next to a dead body. I could climb into the back of hearse with no problem; it was just another car that had to be cleaned. I really started to enjoy my job and the extra money I earned really came in handy later on as I was preparing for college. The experience of working in a funeral parlor actually helped me later on in life in coping with family tragedies; while its never easy, I think it made me stronger.
My parents had known this family for a long time, as did I. It never crossed my mind that I would be working for him. But they had heard that I was looking for work and they needed some cheap help. I stopped over one afternoon and talked with the owner.
I peddled my bike over to the funeral home the following day. Looking at the architecture of the building, I thought to myself, this could be somebodys home or a mini-church. There was nothing threatening about it. I stepped inside. My palms were sweating but I told myself to relax, there was nothing to fear. I walked around and noticed there were two parlors, each had a casket with a dead body in it. I walked into each parlor. I heard music in the background but I was the only one there. There was a lot of light coming through the opened windows and a nice breeze coming through. I said, I can do this. The funeral director stepped in, and I introduced myself.
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.
After about two weeks of working in the funeral home, all of my fears had dissipated. I didnt blink when vacuuming next to a dead body. I could climb into the back of hearse with no problem; it was just another car that had to be cleaned. I really started to enjoy my job and the extra money I earned really came in handy later on as I was preparing for college. The experience of working in a funeral parlor actually helped me later on in life in coping with family tragedies; while its never easy, I think it made me stronger.
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By Dimas Prast
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