‘URN’ING A LIVING

Engaged couples spends months—even years—planning the perfect wedding. But funeral directors such as Jim Semesco have only a few days to pull off the most important ritual in a person’s life. And he does this hundreds of times each year.

“People have no idea of how many details are involved to plan a good funeral,” says Jim, a third-generation funeral director and area general manager of Page Theus Funeral Home in Leesburg. “In a way, we’re like event planners because a funeral can have as many details as a wedding. But we have to do it all in three days.”

Many people have a deep misunderstanding of a funeral director’s work. Jim is not obsessed with death and corpses, nor does he walk around in a dark suit with a mournful look on his face. And although he has buried many people, he sheds a positive light on his industry by maintaining a genuine sense of satisfaction by helping families cope with their grief.

“People have always been my passion,” he says. “To help people during the most difficult time in their lives is rewarding and meaningful in a way most would not understand. If you do a good job with the funeral, you have made a friend for life. A good funeral director looks at this job as a ministry.”

While Jim loves talking to his clients, he realizes listening is the most important aspect of his job.

“As a funeral director, you have to listen to their needs and anticipate their wants. I always tell people that I’m their guide. Once they tell me what they want, I begin moving forward.”

He must also be willing to adapt, especially considering today’s funerals reflect the particular lifestyle of the deceased.

“Many services are nontraditional. Millennials want a customized and celebratory service where a person’s personality is portrayed. When people walk out of these kinds of services they are smiling because they feel a person’s life has been honored.”