Funeral directors at funeral homes undergo a lot of professional training before they become funeral directors, and that training continues as funeral practices and technologies emerge. But professional training is just one aspect of what makes an outstanding funeral director. The traits and characteristics that all good funeral directors have are what makes your experience with them in your time of need so comforting and so supportive.
One of the traits that all funeral directors have is empathy. They willingly take upon themselves the pain, the sadness, and the suffering of people who have lost a loved one and offer the shoulder to lean on, the gentle guidance through the storm, and the standing support on the other side.
Reverence is another trait that all funeral directors have. No matter who walks through the doors of their funeral homes, each person, each family, and each deceased loved one is treated with honor, respect, and dignity. Funeral directors, perhaps more most other people, understand the intrinsic value of every human life, and they strive to meet every need that the bereaved have as they say goodbye to a loved one.
Another characteristic that all funeral directors have is dedication. No matter what time of the day or night that they are needed, they answer the call with graciousness and calmness. They are dedicated to the well-being of those they serve, and they will never be anything less than attentive and emotionally engaged with every person.
It is tough emotionally to be around death and that sadness and sorrow that accompanies death all the time. Yet, all funeral directors have the emotional resilience to be able to convey both sympathy and compassion to everyone, while maintaining their own composure in order to get done all the things that need to happen when someone dies.
Another attribute that all funeral directors have is a desire to serve. That’s the driving motivation that leads people into this career. But beyond the desire to simply serve is the desire to serve people when they are most in need and most vulnerable, which is after a loved one has died. There’s a protectiveness about this service that funeral directors offer, which feels at once like both a comfortable blanket and an impenetrable shield.
Funeral directors are especially geared toward altruism throughout their communities. When needs arise within the community, such as people being displaced by storms or fires, funeral directors are often the first ones to open the doors of their funeral home to provide shelter. They can also be seen volunteering to help others in the community, in big ways, sometimes, but mostly in small ways that make a huge impact upon other people’s lives.
A final characteristic (and these are not all of them) that funeral directors have is humility. The funeral business and funeral directors are often mischaracterized by popular entertainment and are poorly understood by the general public. However, in spite of this, funeral directors do a fantastic job serving the needs of others every single day in exemplary ways. Funeral directors aren’t motivated by pride or the need for recognition, but instead by a sense of personal fulfillment by providing the best care, comfort, support, and guidance to families who have lost loved ones.
For additional information about our funeral homes and our funeral directors, our empathetic and knowledgeable staff at Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home can assist you. You can stop by our funeral home at 483 Chenango St., Binghamton, NY 13901, or you can contact us today at (607) 722-4023.