K. Scott Whitehead had wanted to be a funeral home director since he was 13-years-old.
While most teenage boys are dreaming up a pro-athlete career or becoming a movie star, young Whitehead said he had set his sights on a career in the funeral home industry.
Whitehead acknowledges, with a laugh, that it was an unusual choice for a teenaged boy – but he explains that the choice came about after a meaningful interaction with a funeral director.
“I met a funeral home director, and he took the time to sit down with me. I got a brief introduction to what this career was like through him,” Whitehead said.
Meanwhile, Aaron Hall says that making a choice to get involved in the funeral home business was slightly less ‘romantic.’
“It was a family business by that point,” said Hall. “I followed that path.”
Whitehead has been in the funeral home business for over 30 years, with his practice sprawling over the North Florida area; Whitehead worked with funeral homes in Quincy and Bainbridge before choosing to open his own – Faith Funeral Home – with his wife, Edna Hall.
Following the opening of the family’s funeral home, Aaron Hall received his license in 2003, and has been with Faith Funeral Home ever since.
Faith Funeral Home, Hall says, offers a full-service spread for its clients – and, Hall boasts, its own crematorium.
“Not every funeral home can say that,” Hall adds. “We are proud to offer cremations on-site.”
According to Hall, the on-site crematorium is quickly becoming a ‘step up’ for funeral homes due to the growing trend for a hybridized burial plan among clients.
Hall says that many clients are choosing to go with what he calls a “Traditional Cremation”, in which the family still opt for the tradition of a viewing service, but follow the service with a cremation for their loved one, rather than a burial.
“We can offer that,” Hall says.
In addition, Hall speaks proudly of Faith Funeral Home’s chapel.
“It rivals any church in the area,” Hall remarks.
With a combined total of over 50 years in funeral home service – Hall and Whitehead both have found their own ways to gain satisfaction in the deeply emotional service that funeral homes provide to their clients.
“Being able to help someone during a difficult time is very meaningful to me,” said Whitehead. “I enjoy getting to know the person that passed through the stories their loved ones tell.”
“For me, it is the satisfaction of knowing that a stranger has called on me in a time of need, and that I can help them look back and know they made the right choice for their loved one’s care,” said Hall.
Faith Funeral Home is located in Havana. For a more information on their services, visit faithfuneralhome.com
Ashley Hunter – editor@prioritynews.net