Death Isn't a Dying Industry, but Iowa Funeral Directors Are Becoming Harder to Find

[TBoneTX 45,568]

I learned a whole bunch of things from this article.  Genuinely fascinating.

Quote

Death Isn't a Dying Industry, but Iowa Funeral Directors Are Becoming Harder to Find

 

Danny Lawhon, dlawhon@dmreg.com

Published 12:07 p.m. CT May 16, 2018 | Updated 2:33 p.m. CT May 16, 2018

 

Growing up, Richard Slade knew what he didn't want to do with his adult life. It's largely what he's doing now.

 

He has spent almost four decades running Slade-O'Donnell Funeral Home, his family's third-generation venture in the Decatur County seat of Leon. His 86-year-old father and a couple of part-time employees help out, but he and his wife, Connie, are the ones keeping the lights on.

 

At one point in Decatur County's history, Slade said there were seven operating funeral homes, including a satellite location of his in Lamoni that he has since closed down.

 

Now, if someone in the roughly 8,200-person county population dies, Slade's the only one getting the call. From middle-of-the-night pickups to embalming services and funeral arrangements, the 75 or so cases Slade annually receives has made it more than a family business.

 

Death doesn't wait for Christmas Eve dinner to finish or take a rain check for youth baseball games.

 

"It's not as much a livelihood as it is an entire life," sums up Slade, who says he only needs one hand to count the number of off days he's had the past three years. "Your life is dictated by other peoples' lives and deaths."

 

Story continues here: https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2018/05/16/iowa-funeral-homes-burial-cremation-difficult-rural-jobs/602608002/

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by TBoneTX

[charmander 692]

TX what's up with the IA related articles lately? Political signs, poorest towns, now death. Are you investing in a corn business?

[TBoneTX 45,568]

Already flush with investment capital, thanks (early birds got the worm, so apologies).

(Am an important business typhoon already, by the way.)

All 3 subjects apply to anywhere and are put forward to elicit people's own experiences & reactions.

[bcking 3,157]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Already flush with investment capital, thanks (early birds got the worm, so apologies).

(Am an important business typhoon already, by the way.)

All 3 subjects apply to anywhere and are put forward to elicit people's own experiences & reactions.

A business typhoon?

 

Is that like a tropical storm that really means business? As opposed to those lazy "freeloader" typhoons that come every season.

[Dashinka 24,627]

I agree.  I grew up in a smaller Michigan town and my father was a funeral director for over 50 years, and I worked at funeral homes during my school years.  There are still the same number of funeral homes there, but much more consolidation.  My dad never owned his own business, so none of us ever went into the business, but it was an interesting profession.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

3 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

I learned a whole bunch of things from this article.  Genuinely fascinating.

I have always thought ceremonial  burial was way overrated. 

[X Factor 1,112]

Cremation is the way to go

[TBoneTX 45,568]

10 hours ago, bcking said:

A business typhoon?

Is that like a tropical storm that really means business?

Precisely.  Many people confuse this with "tycoon," which of course is the structure from which butterflies emerge.

And remember that half of hurricanes are really himmicanes.

Edited May 18, 2018 by TBoneTX

[TBoneTX 45,568]

10 hours ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

I have always thought ceremonial burial was way overrated. 

But the practice won't stop or even diminish anytime soon.

I'm always mystified by these ornate caskets: why spend so much on something that's shortly going into the ground for eternity?

10 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

my father was a funeral director for over 50 years, and I worked at funeral homes during my school years

I was wondering if anyone reading the thread would have personal experience -- good to hear.

[Boiler 45,715]

I have a friend with a Backhoe who will sort it.

[Unidentified 2,930]

The culture around death in this country is so weird. American's hide death, they have all these ideas about how a dead body is harmful and should not be touched. And the industry here is so bad for the environment with their embalming fluids etc and the funeral homes wants you to believe you HAVE TO embalm. And you don't love your loved ones enough if you don't get the most expensive casket, the flowers etc. 

 

I'm going to have a home funeral and then natural burial. Most environmentally friendly burial. Wrap me in a shroud and put me in the ground to decay and nourish the ground. 

[Dashinka 24,627]

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

I have a friend with a Backhoe who will sort it.

That is how my father started in the business, digging graves but by hand.  He earned the nickname "Digger" in high school.

[Dashinka 24,627]

4 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

But the practice won't stop or even diminish anytime soon.

I'm always mystified by these ornate caskets: why spend so much on something that's shortly going into the ground for eternity?

I was wondering if anyone reading the thread would have personal experience -- good to hear.

I completely agree regarding the casket thing.  I used to unpack the caskets when they arrived and put them in the showroom, and was amazed at the cost of something that was shortly going to be essentially thrown away.  My favorite job at the funeral home was taking care of the cars, my least favorite, there are actually two, getting up at 4:30 am (prior to school) to go and shovel the sidewalks and driveways, and getting up anytime during the night to make a pick-up.

[Boiler 45,715]

2 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

That is how my father started in the business, digging graves but by hand.  He earned the nickname "Digger" in high school.

Welsh usually go for cremation, I fancy something more like this:

 

[TBoneTX 45,568]

3 hours ago, Boiler said:

Welsh usually go for cremation

So do some Irish.  A great-uncle of mine, Seamus McGillicuddy O'Bone, worked at a brewery.  One day, he fell into a vat of whiskey and drowned.  Some coworkers jumped in to save him, but he fought them off bravely.  They cremated the body.  It took 3 days to put out the fire.