Leave it to a couple of iconic names in the business news world to connect the death care profession with Halloween.  Although you should probably expect it, we came across a couple of articles today that link our livelihoods with the October 31 holiday.

First, from Forbes.  In this article you can read about “13 careers that are not for the faint of heart”.  The first occupation that they write about is that of being a funeral director.  Quite frankly, however — and you should expect this of Forbes — is that get a lot right about the profession.  Here are some things that they say:

• The average pay is $46,084 annually
• Constantly being around death has its rewards — “. . at the end of serving a family after a funeral, you truly made a difference.”
• Funeral directors must be flexible, patient, and have a willingness to serve. . . especially knowing that you work at all times.  “Your schedule belongs to your community” is the way the put it
• They mention that Cemetery Managers make an average of $51,319 annually and that Gravediggers make an annual salary of $27,000.

Halloween Tours – You can also read this article from Reuters where they talk about cemeteries adding to their revenue base by conducting Halloween tours of the cemetery.

Woodlawn Cemetery of New York City was opened in 1863 during the Civil War and is the final resting place of such notable people such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Irving Berlin, Herman Melville, Frank W. Woolworth, and James C. Penney, Jr.  Woodlawn has offered cemetery tours on Halloween since 2016 and, according to the article, sell out each tour of 25o patrons at $25 per person.

And, in Atlanta, Oakland Cemetery offers “Capturing the Spirit of Halloween Tours” that, according to the article, are meant to “enlighten, not frighten”.  These tours sold out in July as soon as tickets became available.

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