1992 I began Humber College in the Funeral service education program.
I honestly believe out of the 800plus applicants for 127 placements, they had an affirmative action quota for females to be admitted. I could not have been happier to be one of them.
Since then, females in the “funeral profession” has risen exponentially.
I was torn when asked to write this as a female funeral director. I feel like having come this far, in a predominantly male profession, is a definite win. However, without the mentorship of many males, I would never have become the Funeral Director I am today – 26 years later.
Being a Funeral Professional is likely THE most gratifying career out there regardless of gender. It is emotional, frantic, calming, self-satisfying, exciting, dramatic, fun and scary all at the same time- every single day.
We have one chance to celebrate the life of a loved one, no do-overs, no opportunity for error only the chance to tell their story over a period of just a few days. Today, funerals look so different from 26 years ago. The needs of the family are forever changing and as a Funeral Professional, we strive to stay ahead of this evolution.
At the end of the day, we are the last person families actually wish to sit with. We have nothing the family wishes to actually purchase, and the reason they come to us is for the worst possible scenario. As a Funeral Professional, we get to embrace them in all their sadness and anger. We get to be “mama bear” to them and care for their every need. We get to be a guide in their beginning stages of this transcendence through grief and help turn it to healthy mourning. We get to hug them at the cemetery and know at the end of the day, we have helped, if just a tiny bit, to ease their pain and allow others “in” to their hearts to help them through the next days, weeks and years.
A female funeral director, yes. A funeral professional mentored by men who love and care as equally as a female, yes. A person who cares about others and in the end just feel the need to make a difference in this ever-changing world – I believe this to be nothing short of true for most every funeral professional.