Within the Nineteen Fifties, this small family-owned funeral house started out of necessity, catering to African American communities throughout a number of counties in rural Virginia. The spouse earned her PhD and labored as a trainer for greater than 30 years earlier than retiring and turning into a licensed funeral director. The husband was a WW2 veteran and labored as a licensed funeral director for greater than 40 years within the small group turning into the primary African American member of the city council.
After the couple retired, the funeral house was taken over by their nephew, who adopted in his uncle’s footsteps and have become a licensed funeral director. He beforehand labored as a supervisor at one other close by funeral house earlier than taking up his uncle’s enterprise. He renamed the funeral house to mirror its new possession however saved most of the earlier employees. Mr. James, a retired tractor-trailer driver, labored on the funeral house for many years driving the hearse. He was frightened about shedding his job when his nephew took over. Nonetheless, that fear was rapidly put to relaxation when the nephew jokingly informed him that he had come to the funeral house. For the subsequent a number of years, enterprise continued as common. The younger funeral director took delight in his work, and very like his uncle, grew to become well-established within the small group.
Sooner or later in December 1999, every thing modified. Mr. James, who was in his 90s on the time, was driving a van from the funeral house to choose up funeral applications in a neighboring city when a site visitors accident occurred. State Police mentioned a automobile did not yield and crossed in entrance of Mr. James’s van. He died the next day on the hospital. Mr. James may have retired years in the past, however he beloved the funeral enterprise, which was his passion. On his off days, he got here into the workplace and labored across the facility or just positioned the every day newspaper on the desk. He was regarded for retaining the funeral house’s white Cadillac hearse glowing clear. It reached the purpose the place nobody would even take it out of the storage with out first asking Mr. James. Throughout his tenure with the funeral house, he solely missed two funerals and drove roughly 700 folks to their ultimate resting locations. Now it was his flip. In honor of their longtime buddy and coworker, a horse and carriage carried Mr. James to his graveside from the funeral house. The unique proprietor and his spouse each lived to be of their 90s on the time of their deaths. Sadly, their nephew was recognized with most cancers and died the identical 12 months as his uncle. One of many final companies on the funeral house was held for the nephew.
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