Proud of our Profession

I’m writing this on Monday morning even though you are receiving it as the Wednesday edition of Funeral Director Daily.  The freedom to do that (write in advance) once in a while is what makes writing a daily article palatable.  I didn’t do a whole lot over the weekend although I did come across this feature article from the Los Angeles Times.

The article, entitled “So many bodies. . . I lost count.  The grim business of moving Latino coronavirus victims as death toll spikes” entails the work of 45 year old Juan Lopez, owner and operator of Elite Transportation of McAllen, Texas.  If you have been in the retail funeral business for any length of time you know someone like Juan Lopez. . . . .an individual that specializes in one aspect of the death care profession to help all others in the profession.  Maybe you know a trade embalmer that will always find time to get your work done when you are busy or it is a special gravedigger you can always count on. . . . Regardless of what it is that person does, they are out there . . . . . and incredibly helpful when necessary.

Well, what Juan Lopez and Elite Transportation do in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to help funeral directors is transport bodies. . . . and he has gone from an average of 15 per week to an average of 22 per day as the COVID-19 crisis has hit his area.  The Los Angeles Times article is a great article telling of his dedication to his colleagues and to society during this time.

And, there are a ton of others, probably including yourself, doing the same thing to help not only America, but the world through this crisis.  Here is an article telling of how hard a New Jersey funeral home worked to make sure that their client families were taken care of.

Now, I don’t want to get political with this article, but I also read other articles about other professions this weekend who seem to be more interested in serving themselves or political interests rather than those they were educated to serve, and doing so made me so proud of what funeral directors and those in our profession stand for. . . .that is “To Serve”.  I look back on my 35 years as an active funeral director and what made it so great is that I got to “Serve those who were in need”.   While some times it was inconvenient and troublesome with my preferred schedule and non-work commitments, and sometimes potentially dangerous — like when embalming meningitis or creutzeld-jakob death cases, at the end of the day and career. . . . . it was incredibly satisfying to serve.

I won’t say anymore at the risk of this becoming a political article.  However, take a moment to look at those in the death care community, the health care community, the retail community, the transportation community. . and other areas. . .and be thankful for the unselfish service that they are giving to those who find themselves in need, without political motivations, at this time.

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