September 2000
The Director - Features
A One-at-a-Time Thing
The perils created when funeral service grows "routine"
Many funeral directors have been in this business for many years. In light of that, it is understandable that things such as taking a death call have become routine. After all, making a removal, embalming a body or making funeral arrangements have become second nature to funeral directors and therefore simply "part of a day's work." As funeral directors, however, they must remember the many families they serve and try to genuinely understand the feelings they are experiencing.
A One-at-a-Time Thing discusses the balancing act funeral service professionals must perform—to be genuinely sympathetic for the families they serve while maintaining enough distance to remain in control of their emotions. The article also gives some tips for funeral directors to prevent their job from feeling "routine."
The article was written by Gary Anderson, a licensed funeral director at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Conway, AR.
