For those readers in the United States of America it is the day we cherish.  The day that we get to go to the polls and select who we believe will be the best at managing the public’s interest for the next several years.  In some municipalities you can vote for positions that range from dog catcher to Mayor.  On the national level we are not electing a President this year but all 435 Congressional seats  are up as well as a little over a third of the U.S. Senate seats.  It is always exciting for me as by midnight I will have an idea of what direction the American public wants to move with our national policy.

It is interesting that over time local funeral directors have more than served their communities by serving on many civic boards and commissions.  I noticed this article from the Pilot On-Line from the Virginia Beach, Virginia area.  The article highlights the fact that three funeral directors from Virginia Beach are on the ballot today hoping to be elected to the Virginia Beach City Council.

The article also hits on what they call the “quirky trend” that funeral directors have been serving as  council members for a long time in the region.  The article continues to name the examples of Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander and City Councilman Paul Riddick.  They also highlight the service of former Portsmouth City Councilman E.G. “Tip” Corprew and former Chesapeake Mayor Sid Oman.

One of the candidates, Eric Wray, believes that his interpersonal skills and having to deal with the public at sensitive times is an advantage funeral directors have.

Funeral Director Daily take:  Election day is one of my favorite days.  Maybe I’m old fashioned but I believe in the American way of government that acts on the majority decisions of “One person, One vote”.  I’ll be up late watching the results.

I also continue to look at America as an immigrant nation and, from my point of view, one of the world’s greatest opportunities.  I still consider myself a product of this immigrant nation.  My great-grandfather, with carpenter skills, immigrated to America from Sweden at age 25 in 1872 with his 21 year old young wife and one year old son.  He arrived in Alexandria, Minnesota and set up shop in his trade.

Our funeral business, which survived as a wholly owned family business for 141 years, was started when people would come to him because of his carpenter skills, and ask for a casket to be built.  Four generations later, until 2013, I was still a descendant of his working full-time at that business.

Our old family funeral home still has framed and on the wall in the funeral home my great-grandfather’s citizenship papers which he earned in 1896 so that he could run for Mayor of the small village.  He served as Mayor – as did my funeral director grandfather later.  My funeral director father served on the City Planning Commission and my funeral director brother still serves on the local school board.

Yes — funeral directors, because they meet with all demographics of a community and know the pulse of the community are well positioned and respected to serve their communities when asked.  It’s good for them to serve . . .and it is good for their community.

Oh. . . and that one year old child that immigrated to America with his parents in 1872 . . . .he was elected early in the 20th century to serve in the House of Representatives!!  That is the story of America!!

Related — I’m under the assumption that you don’t see county coroner as elected position too much anymore.  At least in Minnesota we are now used to a medical professional being named a county coroner.  However, in many rural areas of the United States coroners are elected positions and in some states you need not have any medical background to run for election.  In much of the latter half of the 20th century, funeral directors gave of themselves as they picked up this position in counties where many times no one wanted the job.  Here are a couple of races we learned about that has a member of our profession vying for the position.

In El Dorado, Arkansas one of the candidates works part-time for a mortuary and the other candidate is a paramedic.  Here is an article on that race.

And in Cullman County, Alabama, a coroner with training as an EMT is being challenged by funeral director Gary Murphree.  You can read about that election here.

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