I had never heard of Philadelphia funeral director Patricia Quinn until this morning.  However, in my morning search for articles that would be of interest to subscribers of Funeral Director Daily I came across People Magazines People.com story on her.

It turns out that Ms. Quinn is a Philadelphia area based funeral director who back in 2006 founded a non-profit organization, Final Farewell, that helps families, who experience the death of child, find the funds to cover the costs of the final expenses.

Since 2006, Final Farewell has helped over 500 families in this situation.  Here’s what Sylvia Urrate, a former bereavement care coordinator at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, says, “She’s probably the single most dedicated human being I’ve ever met.  She’s never once declined to help with any child I had.”

“It’s just the right thing to do” Quinn says, “I cannot imagine having your child pass away'”

Funeral Director Daily take:  Wow!!  Raise your glass to Patricia Quinn!!

A couple of things come to mind when I read this article.  First of all, how does your firm handle the death of children in a young family where the parents are barely keeping their heads above water financially?  As Ms. Quinn says, “What is the right thing to do?’  As a funeral home owner, can you “Do The Right Thing”, be financially responsible to the business, and build market share and reputation at the same time?  I think you can.

Our firm has always provided free services to infants and children up to about age 15.  It’s not something we advertise, but when a death occurs of this nature, families are very grateful when we tell them our policy.  It only happens a couple times a year so the financial hit we take can be absorbed.  These families then become our greatest advocates in the community.  Everybody has to decide their values, but personally, I believe it is the right thing to do.

The second thing that comes to mind is a community minded funeral director should “Make his mark in the community”.  We all work as funeral directors but I also believe it is important to have an identity outside of that identity.  Ms. Quinn, it certainly can be argued, has an identity as an advocate for funeral costs for young families in her community.  But how about being a Little League coach, a Scout Leader, a school volunteer, or any other thing that fits your personality and skill set to make a difference in your community?

It’s my opinion that many times, this community identity will allow you to fraternize with others outside of the formal funeral home setting and make people in the community more comfortable with you.  Being a funeral director in a small community does not have to be known as a suit and tie guy 24/7/365 any more.  Roll up your sleeves or throw on a tee-shirt and be a real part of the community.  It will be good for your health and it will pay off in other ways.[wpforms id=”436″ title=”true” description=”true”]