3 minute read
Henry Boulding II | The Lifetime Changemaker
BY JJ SHEFFER | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
For Henry A. Boulding II, a third-generation funeral director, his work is more than a job; he considers it a ministry. His faith and his commitment to lifelong learning and sticking to a plan have guided him throughout his career.
After earning degrees in biology and mortuary science, and work experience in a hospital setting as a medical technologist, Boulding decided to join the family business.
His father established Boulding Mortuary – the only Black-owned funeral home in the City of York – in 1970. His grandfather had a funeral home in Steelton in the 1930s and 40s. Entrepreneurship suits Boulding well; he enjoys running all aspects of his business, from accounting and payroll to customer service.
“There’s also an advantage to having the opportunity to be able to set your own hours. You can determine your own future by doing that.”
Boulding also knows that it’s beneficial to the community to see people of color running businesses and recognize that most businesses are run the same way. As an entrepreneur, he can model what it’s like for someone who happens to be a Black owner of a business to understand how businesses are run. He notes that regardless of industry, most businesses boil down to the same type of foundations.
“Black-owned funeral homes, or businesses in general, should be everywhere,” he says. “It’s important that [people] have somebody they can relate to, who has had similar experiences. At the same time, it’s important to have somebody that gives people here in York a different viewpoint on how to do things.”
His work operating what is still the only Black-owned funeral home in York has been rewarding. “When you’re able to help people get through a stage or time in their life when they’re struggling, if you can move them from that place to a way of getting on with their life again, it goes a long way,” he says.
He’s always got an eye toward future growth, which will include having someone else working with him and branching out from the funeral industry to adjacent services, and maybe expanding to have multiple locations. “You’ve got to have a vision to know where you want to go, where you want to end up being.”
