From the Summer 2024 edition of The Independent magazine.
OGR recently caught up with Silas Denlinger, a funeral director from Seymour Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The conversation covered his career in funeral service, his goals and inspirations, his experience attending OGR events, the latest trends in funeral service, and more.
What is your official job title and age?
I am a licensed funeral director and embalmer for Seymour Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Inc. I am 30 years old.
How many years have you worked in funeral service?
I started working in funeral service in May of 2015, so nine years.
Why did you begin working in funeral service?
I was in business school working toward a business degree. I was away from home and not happy. The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, I needed a summer internship/job. I sent out about a dozen resumes to local business in my hometown, with Seymour being one. The only place I heard back from was the funeral home and decided I would give it a shot. I went back to college in the fall semester and worked when I came back home for Christmas break. Then, in the spring semester of my junior year, I remember calling my parents and telling them I wanted to be a funeral director. So, after that semester I came home and enrolled in mortuary school in North Carolina while working full time.
What is the most rewarding part of your occupation?
The most rewarding part of my job is being able to make personal connections with each family I serve. Being in a small town, we see many familiar faces coming back to the funeral home for services, or in the community outside of work. Being able to help people in my community who have experienced grief and loss and make each funeral as personable as possible is definitely the most rewarding part of my job.
What are your professional goals?
A few professional goals I have are expanding my professional network and expand on my embalming room techniques. At the OGR Annual Conference, I was able to meet many funeral professionals who shared many of the same goals as myself. I also think back to the conference and really enjoyed the session with Tim Collison, CEO of The Dodge Company. Being able to learn new techniques that was shown by him is something I have already applied to my approach in the prep room.
Can you share a little bit about your experience attending OGR events?
I truly enjoyed being able to attend the OGR Annual Conference in Savannah. Being able to attend with my wife, Jessica, and meet like-minded people from family-owned funeral homes from all over the world was something I had not experienced before. The conversations and experiences shared is something I was able to take home and implement into my everyday work routine. Whether it be in an arrangement office or in the prep room, ideas and techniques discussed amongst us at OGR is something I will be able to utilize in my career.
What are you proud of that you have achieved so far during your career in funeral service?
Being able to work full time, graduate from mortuary school, become duly licensed, get married, and start a family in my nine years is what I am most proud of.
What are some important/notable trends you have noticed in funeral service?
Having a strong digital footprint in today's day and age is something that is vital for any business to stand out, especially funeral homes. Having an updated, user-friendly website is something that is a must for funeral homes. Having a strong digital footprint is more than just a website. Offering live-streaming services and social media interaction with your local community are also some notable things that funeral homes should engage with in the digital age that we are in.
To read more from this interview with Silas Denlinger, check out the Summer 2024 issue of The Independent magazine.