The Growth of Women in the Funeral Industry An Interview with Sara Mitchell
Bob Dylan once wrote a song “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. Nowhere is that more true than in the funeral industry. What was once an “old boys” network is no longer. In 1970 only about 5% of all graduates of funeral programs were women. In 2017, according to the American Board of Funeral Services Education, nearly 65% of all graduates were women and that number is only growing.
We spoke with a 20-year veteran of the industry, Sara Mitchell, owner of Corey Funeral Home in Evart, MI. Sara worked for 19 years at Daggett Funeral Home in Barryton, MI before moving to Evart and buying her own funeral home. Her previous employer was the first woman owned, operated and managed funeral home in the state of Michigan.
Ms. Mitchell was drawn to the industry because she liked the idea of helping people in their most trying time of life. She is not only a licensed funeral director, but because she felt that reconstructing the deceased and getting them from the current condition that they are in, to a place that the loved ones can see them as they were at a healthier time, she also became a licensed embalmer.
When Ms. Mitchell decided to become a funeral director there were not as many women in the industry and she remembers that one of the biggest obstacles she faced was having people believe in her and see that she could do everything as well because she was new AND a woman. Today she faces different obstacles, the same ones that women across all industries face, that of balancing family and a career. Ms. Mitchell feels blessed to have been able to raise her children within the funeral home which has helped her maintain that balance.
A big difference between men and women within the industry, according to Sara, is that she feels women are more attentive because they are more nurturing. This plus the pioneering efforts of women, like Sara Mitchell, have created an atmosphere of more acceptance of women and therefore creates more opportunities. Women are no longer looked upon as solely a grief counselor but can perform all tasks that were previously done by men.
Women, such as Ms. Mitchell, do everything from removals, embalming and arrangements to consoling grieving families. Many men still feel that women can’t do the lifting or shouldn’t be around the chemicals that are used while embalming.
Ms. Mitchell, along with many other women, have proved them wrong.
Ms. Mitchell is also a smart businesswoman. She believes in working smarter. One of her early purchases upon buying her own funeral home was a LoadAlone ™ . She and her staff use LoadAlone ™ when doing removals and transporting the deceased to the crematory.
LoadAlone ™ is an automated mortuary cargo system that enables her to load a stretcher or a casket or a cremation box into her removal vehicle without lifting. Simply by pushing a remote control button the stretcher or casket or cremation box are loaded into the vehicle and, when she reaches her destination whether it is the crematory or funeral home, the same remote control allows her to unload without lifting.
Ms. Mitchell says, “LoadAlone ™ is AMAZING, I love it. It saves our backs, our arms, it saves our bodies. I can load a person alone. It saves me time and it saves me money. I no longer need to send additional staff for a large removal. I personally have done a removal of over 400 lbs. The tow board that comes with LoadAlone ™ is such a big help when transporting to the crematory. It makes life easier. I highly recommend LoadAlone ™ to every funeral home.”
When asked what advice she had for women wanting to enter the industry, Ms. Mitchell said, “don’t give up on your dreams, don’t get discouraged by obstacles and get a LoadAlone ™ .
A demo of the LoadAlone™ solution can be seen at https://youtu.be/NAebhtjB-6E or online at www.loadalone.com. The loading system fits most standard SUVs, vans, and Hearses. It is easily installed and removed whenever necessary.
For more information:
David Murphy
President
Mortuary Transport and Trade Supplies