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ij n i h mi np nil i i i economist sun stouffville tribune mr 4 thursday may 32001 helping the by jerome watt special to t i the economist suntribune f dead bodies coffins and crema toriums iy doesnt sound like the type of environment inwhich most people would choose to work eric6tappenden president of chapeliudge funeral home inc in markkamfjs well aware of- the atti- tude toward his profession you would -think- that people would look at a funeral home as something positive he said its nicely kept quiet and clean but because we have a deathdenying culture people dont want a funeral home- in their neighbourhood tappendensaid v the funeral home business defi- nitely doesnt work a ninetofive you cant cut yourself off you have to be involved if you cant handle your emotions you cant be a funeral director tom lalonde funeral director shift death waits for no one t we answer the phone at two in the morning said sean mccloskey a funeral director at roadhouse and rose in newmarket in a matter of min utes youare up in a suit n ttom lalonde funeral director and owner- of marshall funeral home jnriclmond hill agreesf vtts easy totputina6phour work weekhe saidjere be the odd week that you arent very busy f all three say they experience- their busiest period during the christmas season why r i lalonde attributes it to the cold weather being too much for frail people j glenn playter owner and funer- al director at roadhouse and rose says its because clepressipnterids to be a iitde higher during the christinas season tappenden also suggests wintefcoriditibrisoh the roads lead to an increase in fatali i all of this can be very depressing staff photosjoerd witteveen chapel ridge funeral home inc owner and president eric c tappenden takes pride in helping people at his markham business to deal with year after year j 4 ypulljfind half the people new lfunera directofsdropvput at chrisfmasumieicsaid lalonde r most director admit depression affects them but its all part of the job they admit cutting yourself off from the emotion isnt the right thing todo its difficult at times if you have a youngpersonpr someone who has died tragically admitted lalonde you cant cut yourself off yoii have to be involved if you cant handle your emotions you cant be a funeral director y playter seesit as a very unpor- tantattribute a funeral director must have you must develop an immunity to death hesaid there isnt any way to disassociate yourself tappenden remembers a situa- tion where a young intern came to jhim and said she wasnt cut out for the business after she cried in the middle of a funeral fortappenden crying is ok the day that you cant shed a tear at a funeral is the day you shouldnt be funeral director he said for the family to see you shed a tear isnt a bad thing as long as you can do your job things have changed in the business oyer the years all directors agree cremation has become more popular according to tappenden cremations made up 53 per cent of all funerals in the gta last year he cites various reasons for the increase for one thing people are more concerned about the environ ment and dont want to take up green space with plots changes or religious diversity has also lead to an increase in cre mations in 1963 catholics were allowed for the first time to per form cremations society is also becoming more secular he said something which has created other changes in funer al practices as well people are becoming more creative in how they plan funerals tappenden has seen more people wanting to personalize funerals he even had one request from a familyto build a coffin thats ok he said thats a neat way of personalizing a funer al families are also becoming more involved in the eulogies and playing more upbeat popular cul ture songs rather than the tradition al hymns people say i want to do some thing that reflects the way my dad was said tappenden of course another aspect of the funeral business is the handling and preparation of bodies so what happens to a body once a person has been pronounced dead typically die body is picked up by funeral staff after forms have been filled out by a doctor the reaction of the family deter mines the next step said tappenden people often panic he said if they are uncomfortable with the body being there well remove it see accounting page 25 a h 1 1 i i i qac ii no payment conipletely refmished scroll top secretary desk j solid wahuit with mahogany t- finish sale price ikmiir 1930s refinivshed andrew malcolm design solid mahogany corner cabinet sale price visit our showroom antiques refinished beyond compare 158 main street uniomlle 1795 905 4749677