Funeral professionals are there for Pulaskians in their most difficult times
By Tricia Neal
Sometimes heroes save lives . But sometimes heroes come in the form of professional yet empathetic assistance after a life has been lost .
Funeral directors are often overlooked when people consider those who could be called “ heroes ” in our communities – and even the funeral directors themselves have a difficult time defining themselves in that way . They prefer terms like “ minister ” and “ facilitator .”
“ It ’ s a ministry . That ’ s how I look at it ,” said Chris Lange , funeral director , embalmer and part owner of Lake Cumberland Funeral Home in Somerset . “ It ’ s a ministry of taking care of people ’ s loved ones .”
“ You have to have a desire to serve people ,” observed Lisa Stephens , funeral director and office manager at Southern Oaks Funeral Home . “ My whole life , I have wanted to do this .”
Stephens had worked at other jobs , but she jumped at the offer to work in a funeral home .
“ I ’ ve never regretted it since . I can ’ t imagine doing anything else . If you aren ’ t meant to do this , you ’ re not going to stay in the business long at all . You have to really want to do this ,” she said .
Alan Stringer , funeral director , embalmer and owner of Somerset Undertaking , feels the same .
“ It ’ s a profession that is not suited for everyone ,” he said .
“ It ’ s actually a calling . You have to have a dedication to this profession because it ’ s very demanding of your time , your energy and your emotions . To me it ’ s not a business , it ’ s a service . Everyone can sell caskets or vaults , but not everyone can provide professional service . It takes years of training and mentoring .”
It ’ s exactly this spirit of service that makes funeral directors heroic .
“ Even though we have a personal life , we make ourselves available to the public - to people that we may not even know or may not have a connection with ,” said Tyler Hibbard , funeral director and embalmer at Morris and Hislope Funeral home in Pulaski County . “ We ’ re available 24 / 7 . We may be at home with our family , but when a need arises , we put our family on
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