You can read a recent article from the Miami Sun Sentinel here that catches up with former Montreal Expo, Chicago Cub, Boston Red Sox, and Miami Marlins outfielder Andre Dawson.  The article explains that when the new ownership group of the Marlins, which includes Derek Jeter, took over the Marlins they jettisoned Dawson from the front office in a money saving move..

Dawson, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, who had previously been involved as an ownership partner in a funeral home, was approached to buy what is now the Paradise Memorial Funeral Home in Richmond Heights, Florida.  After doing so, he began working there full time now that he has the time.  According to the article, he “comforts families, ushers at services, drives the hearse, and makes removals.”  Again according to the article, families are surprised when the Hall of Famer shows up on removal calls.

Funeral Director Daily take:  This is a great article on the positive aspects of funeral service.  Probably  like many of you, our funeral home relies on many non-licensed personnel to carry out tasks that do not need a license to accomplish, but need to be carried out nonetheless.  We rely on many retired people for these positions.

One of the things that I have come to believe, through these employees and now, reading the Andre Dawson article, is that the industry would have more people going into it if they knew of the positive reinforcements you get every day from the families you serve.  It is evident that Andre Dawson has found this element and appreciates it.  In a world where many people begrudgingly go to work every day, it seems, that while the job is not always easy – and has some long hours – people involved in funeral service enjoy going to work everyday.  That should be a very positive statement for our industry.

The part of the article where he says people are “surprised” when he shows up on removals also hit home with me.  In my 33 years of operating our funeral home and working full-time, I always did my share of night call.  I was amazed at the number of people who were surprised when I showed up at a 3 am removal.  Many of them would say, “I thought you were the boss”?  I always told them that the night removal tasks were when I really felt like I “connected” with the community and the act of coming into their home and taking care of their loved one was my favorite aspect of being a funeral director.

The article is not without a little humor.  the article mentions a point where he told Hall of Fame baseball friends Tim Raines and Jim Rice that he was working in the funeral business, Dawson says they stared at him with a universal blank look and said, “You’re doing what?”

By the way, I am a huge baseball fan and coached Little League and Traveling Little League for many years in my community.  I can remember when Andre Dawson was part of the young outfield with the Expos that included Tim Raines and Warren Cromartie.  My guess is that Andre Dawson will prove to be not only a Hall of Fame Baseball player, but a Hall of Fame member of the Richmond Heights community.

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