Page 48 - Walton Living

Grace learned during her apprenticeship how to embalm,

and interact with grieving families and some of the adminis-

a position at Tim Stewart Funeral Home and, while she has so
much left to learn, said she is “lucky to have myself surround-
ed by incredibly talented and experienced funeral directors.”
But the reality is that Grace has had a few problems being a
woman in the male-dominated profession of funeral director
and embalmer. There are times when she introduces herself
to a family and says she will be taking care of them and their
loved one, and the reaction isn’t always one of immediate
acceptance. But Grace works hard to build trust and show that
she is quite capable of doing her job.

“If anything it helps with me being in a woman in this
business. People tend to trust women more. Women are able
to give more empathy, because we’re naturally more nurturing
and it shows during arrangements. Not to say that men can’t
be compassionate,” Grace said. “I have a lot of families tell
me that they were so happy to have had their funeral arranged
by a woman, because it made them feel more comfortable.
-
fession) because we’re seen as having limitations. Men are
worried that we can’t lift as much or that we’re too ‘sensitive.’
They’re right - we can’t lift as much, because God didn’t de-
sign us that way. And yes, we can be sensitive, but that’s what
makes us good at our jobs. I try to do just as much as the men,
whether it’s having to lift or get my hands dirty.”
The demands of being a funeral director and embalmer
are tough, as there is no typical day and it is not a 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. job. The job may require a person to be called away from
their family on a holiday, the weekend or late at night. There is
also being around death every day, helping those go through
the emotional roller coaster of losing a loved one.
But it is the reality that, when so overcome with grief, the
funeral director plays such an important role in helping the
family heal that makes the job worth it. But there is also an-
other aspect for Grace that makes her profession so important.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of this business is when
someone’s loved one comes into our care and they have been
so sick for so long that they no longer resemble who they once
were,” she said. “In a lot of cases we can take that person and
make them look healthy again. When families see what we can
do, they become really overwhelmed because just for a small
amount of time, we can give them their loved one back.”
Grace enjoys working at Tim Stewart Funeral Home and
has found a wealth of support from her family in choosing her
career path. Her husband, James, is also a licensed funeral
director and embalmer at another funeral home in a neigh-
boring county. When there is a need to forget about things for
a while, Grace turns back to the things she enjoyed during her
childhood: riding horses and playing with her Pembroke Welsh
Corgi named Scout.
And working as a funeral director and embalmer has cer-
tainly affected Grace’s view on death.
“Death is the one thing everyone has in common,” she said.
“Being around death every day makes you very aware of how
short and fragile life is. It makes you value everything more.”
•WLM

48 Walton Living Magazine