The “Get to Know Them” feature of Funeral Director Daily is meant to get our readers to know of others in the death care profession. . . many whom read our publication loyally.

In learning who some of our readers are, I’ve been fascinated by all of the differing positions our industry comes in contact with.  And, as death care changes over time, we will have more people who find their niche in helping people who have suffered loss.

Today I introduce you to a woman who has death care businesses on both sides of the pond — The Atlantic Ocean.  Ms. Jennifer Muldowney was given the moniker “The Glam Reaper” back in Ireland.  She has used that to establish her line of companies in pet cremation, Irish cremation jewelry,  books, her work as a funeral celebrant, funeral consultant, and funeral planner.

You can see her Irish memorial cremation jewelry at www. celtic-ashes.com and you can find out more about her funeral planning business at www.theglamreaper.com.

Here is Funeral Director Daily’s interview with Jennifer.  I hope you enjoy it.

Q1.  What is your position and company in the Death Care profession/industry at this time?

A1.  My moniker is The Glam Reaper which was given to me by a newspaper back home in Ireland – I am the owner of The Glam Reaper LLC.

The Glam Reaper LLC is the umbrella company for my pet cremation jewelry line (Rainbow Bridge Memorials), my Irish (human) cremation jewelry line (Farewell Celtic Ashes), my books, officiating funerals as a celebrant and my funeral consultancy business. We are THE event planner for memorials in the US and Ireland and currently work with the prestigious Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel in NYC as their in-house event planner.

I work with client families on building unique memorials for their loved ones – a wedding planner but for the funeral side of things. I am not a funeral director but work with directors to help families achieve what they want which is typically outside of a religious or funeral venue. I also often help funeral homes with press, marketing and social media amongst other things. I wear many hats but above all I am here to help – both families and the funeral community see each other clearly.

Q2.  Is this your first employment experience in the Death Care profession/industry?  If so, how did you acquire this position and what do you believe are some of your previous work life experiences that may have qualified you for this position?

A2.  Yes, pretty much. I started my business at home in Ireland – called Farewell Funeral Planners. I have worked in hospitality for over 20 years and now funerals for 10 but I believe it was my experience in the varying degrees of hospitality and ultimately my work as wedding planner in Ireland while experiencing multiple bereavements that brought me to the funeral community.

Q3.  How would you describe what you do in your present position?

A3.  My role within my company requires a lot of different tasks – there is no typical day for me. One day I will be processing jewelry orders and liaising with clients about the progress of their pieces or ordering in supplies for our jewelry as we make everything in house – each piece is unique and handmade.

Another day I will be running around New York City working on a memorial for a family organizing catering for 400 people while on the phone with florists, venues, the AV team etc.

Another day will involve live streaming a funeral or memorial service to 200 people and talking through the logistics with guests.

Another day again will be doing interviews with media, podcasters, influencers, bloggers and the like and finally another day could be just me, alone somewhere, writing another book or article!

Q4.  Do you belong to any professional organizations or associations?  If so, which ones?

A4.  I don’t ‘belong’ to any associations, but I definitely network with and glean knowledge from, lots of different well-known groups both in the marketing and business worlds and the funeral and events worlds. I love my networking opportunities and learning from others and hope they will soon recommence once we sort out COVID19.

Q5.  What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the Death Care community in the next decade?

A5.  I have been in this business for 10 years now so when I look back at what it was like when I began to where it is now, I definitely see more openness, more innovation, more youth, more concierge style offerings within the community.

In the next 10, I want to see more of that, and I think the biggest challenge for the community is to avoid living in the past and not embracing the present moment, opportunities and innovation. You don’t have to agree with something to educate yourself on it and I think many many many members of the funeral community do not. How can you help the public mourn, grieve, bury and care for their deceased loved ones if you are not, at least trying to be an expert in what you do? I spoke with a funeral home one time about ecological options of disposal and they said “no their families only want burial or cremation.” My question to them was – do you offer them a third option? How can they ask for a third option if you don’t offer it in the first instance?

Take for example you go into a cafe – customers in the know might ask for Almond Milk. If the waiter doesn’t know the cafe has it, they might decline the customer, leaving the customer unsatisfied when they could have easily tried to source it and how thrilled would the customer be, think of that review! I know death is not similar to selling coffee’s, but my point is to be widely knowledgeable and non-judgmental in your area of expertise.

My experience of speaking with a multitude of funeral homes in New York City threw me when I realized that many of them did not know what a celebrant was…I was shocked. To me, this is basic knowledge in 2020 if you keep up with industry trends and developments.

I think, in the future and now, our client families want more customization and more ‘meeting them where they’re at’ and if we as a community don’t meet that demand, we will soon just become a disposal service and nothing more.

Q6.  What are the best words of advice you received about working in the Death Care community?

A6.  Be honest and be true but don’t let anyone box you into a corner or convince you that you have nothing to offer because there are plenty of people in the community who will stand with you and shout for you. Every success story will encourage allies and enemies.

Know who is who.

Q7.  What would you advise those thinking about entering the Death Care profession/industry?

A7.  Lead with your heart and when client facing, meet the person you are dealing with where THEY are at and not where you are coming from or what you want to get out of the meeting. And above all, LISTEN, they will tell you what they want.

Q8.  Tell us a little about yourself and what you enjoy doing when away from work.

A8.  Honestly, my work is my life – because it is so varied it keeps me entertained always but I love reading, walking, yoga, chatting to my family back home and of course, I’m Irish so I love a drink too!! If you’re reading this and got this far, then whenever you’re passing through NYC, let me tell you the full story over a drink!