The Comforts of Visiting a Funeral Home

By Doug Holder

 In the essay by Brian Cable, "The Last Stop," Cable undergoes a transformation.  When he entered the Goodbody Funeral Home, he had the stereotypical idea of what it would be like: dark, gloomy and depressing. But the funeral director showed him that being in a mortuary is supposed to be more comforting than unwelcoming.

Mr. Deaver, the undertaker at Goodbody Funeral Home, was a key player in Cable’s transformation. Cable found him comforting and easy to talk to. Instead of engaging in some morbid talk, Deaver, according to Cable, talked like any man or woman doing business. Cable stated: “His tone was that of a broker conferring about the Dow Jones.” (page) So death was business as usual, and all too common.

Even the décor of the funeral home was comforting. Cable reflected: “The lobby looked more or less like an old hotel… but it had a homey, lived-in look.” (page) Certainly this was the opposite of what Cable probably expected to see.

In conclusion, Brian Cable underwent a profound transformation. He found, much to his surprise, that a funeral home can be a comforting place. And indeed, so did I.