My death in the cemetery industry

I guess I was raised with a morbid fascination for the death care industry. My uncles worked as pick up men for a local funeral home. They would sit around the kitchen table discussing their stories on people moaning or having muscle reactions, while as children we were eavesdropping on the conversation.
I was a newspaper delivery girl when I was a kid and one of our customers was a local funeral home up the street. One of the few family owned businesses that still exist in my old neighborhood and the place where my mother was laid out in when I was 16.
As an adult I figured that this was an industry that would never die ... haha!
I took my first job as commissioned sales person. The Sales Director said if I was a bartender that was proof that I could talk to anyone, so she welcomed me with open arms and I began my new employment in the cemetery industry, a Family Service Counselor.

My job was to meet with families that just lost loved ones to collect the fees for opening the ground or mausoleum crypt or selling them a vault if they didn't have one. Always try to get them to upgrade, the more they pay the more you make. Also involved was trying to get them to give you the names of friends and family members to gain leads for additional sales to other families of the newly deceased.
I didn't feel comfortable demanding money from people on one of the worst days of their life and asked for a transfer to an administrative position with the same, NOW out of business, corporation that I was working for. The Operations Supervisor happily agreed and I was off to my new location in a beautiful area. My new position was Administrative Assistant.

I enter work on the other side of the fence!
The internal battle between sales and administration exist everywhere!!! The struggle is REAL!
I was answering phones, no different than sales, taking information for incoming burial services, and preparing all of the follow up documentation that comes after the service, so that everyone can locate the deceased person in the future. A month into my position there I found out that my supervisor had a nervous breakdown and wouldn't be returning for awhile, so surprise you are alone until we find someone to fill in.
I was educate how to order bronze markers from a wonderful representative named Sylvia with the biggest memorial company in the world. I was given knowledge of how to design and order granite markers by a gentleman named John that worked at a granite company in Elberton, GA. My knowledge on cemetery operations came from the regulations already in place by the corporation and following law and compliance I had a very patient mentor at the state cemetery oversight office that offered her knowledge to assist me in every way she could.
After completing the correction of many misplaced burials from the superintendent that proceed the one that I worked with and the finalization of a corporate wide inventory project I was rewarded with a promotion to Director of Administration and Operations of a historic cemetery location with an attached funeral home.
I have reached the top!!!

I had the job of my dreams with an excellent staff, fully trained on how to do every position in the office. We helped each other, laughed, ran on budget and always had our work done.
During one of the morning meetings with my staff the General Manager walked in and there was a noticeable difference in everyone's expression. My burial coordinator turned away and pulled herself under her desk. My contract processor suddenly became busy with a contract and my file clerk looked at me with a raised eyebrow and returned to what she was doing before we started talking. After he left the room I asked my burial coordinator to walk with me outside. I asked her why she ignored the meeting when he entered the room and she said "he has been making comments about my legs and ran his hand up my thigh." Enough heard, I asked my burial coordinator to come out and she gives her story that the night before while she was the closing person that he got so close to her that his lips touched her ear while he was talking to her.
After thinking about what to do all day long I finally made a tearful call to my bosses assistant. I explained everything to her and knew that there was already a rumor that I didn't like him. It didn't appear good on my part, but this is happening and I asked what to do. She said to give her a few minutes and she would call me back, but instead the person that called me was my supervisor. The Area Director of Operations was on the phone and I had to explain the story again. The next day we were in a meeting with Human Resources at my location with him admitting and offering an apology to my employees - THAT'S IT!!! No additional punishment.
Two weeks later is was called into a morning meeting with the Funeral Home Director. I walked in, sat down and joked with him the same that we did during every meeting while we were waiting for the boss to arrive. Our supervisor nervously enters the room and quickly closes the door. He turns and faces me and says "This is your last day here." So I look him and simply ask "Why?" to which he replies "Because you no longer work here." I again reply with "Why?" He then says "Because you have been terminated." So I again reply back with "Why?" and he finally says "Because you don't get along with your General Manager." I sat silent for a moment trying not to explode on the outside the way my feelings were doing devastation on the inside and after a moment asked "the same one that admittedly sexually harassed my staff?" He said "Yes" and I calmly stood up and asked my coworker if he was ready to escort me to my desk. I silently walked down the hall with him apologizing behind me and stating that he didn't know that it was going to happen. I walked to my desk and picked up my keys and ripped a couple of pages out of my desk journal and I was out the door.

The Corporation wins and the little man losses
After calling an attorney and requesting information I was told that I was fighting a corporation that they could drag it out for years and to take the petty offer and walk away. So I did and waked away from the corporate world.
I also walked away from the funeral industry and became an office manager for a criminal counseling center, but family and employment don't mix, so after a stent in doing night time cleaning to get away from the world for awhile I applied back in the business.
Now another corporation owns the first cemetery I was working at and they were looking for a Memorial Coordinator. Knowing the location, the job and the requirement the interview was a breeze. The second interview with one of my former managers that lit up when he saw me walk in the room. He said to look in my email for a proposal, accept it and I could start Monday. I was so happy to be back again!!! Then half way home I got a call from a number that looked very familiar upon answering I found out that I wasn't getting the job, because I wasn't RE-hireable. When I asked how that could happen they hung up with no further explanation.
Depression set in!!
A year later I get a message from a friend that is looking to fill a position at a privately owned cemetery on the westside. Low pay, little danger, little oversight from ownership - yeah sounds wonderful to the unemployed.

All things come back around again.
My Sales Director and Superintendent were from my first location and my boss was the assistant that I called for help and now we were working together again.... or NOT!
The Sales Director and Superintendent didn't get along at my former place, all out hated each other. She being a black power, racist, feminist type. Him being an outdoors-man that loves snakes. They didn't get along so much that one day came to the point of screaming and actual physical contact between the two. Her on top of the desk arms flying around and whaling like a child having a temper tantrum. Him jumping into her chair just to instigate the situation. I wish I would have filmed it, but instead I stood there silently watching it all unfold.
My end came when I could no longer tolerate being directly commented at like I was some sort of Trump supporter simply because I am white. One day the Director walked in and told me "You are to have NO opinion in this office!" I laughed and said "Excuse me I'll have an opinion where ever I want and you don't sign my paycheck"
Challenge accepted!
I had already been declared a witch by the Evangelist that preached to me every time I had to file index cards away in the file cabinet. Gifting me with scripture while I work, but when I question things like astrotheology or spelling she immediately laughs in my face and says there's no such thing.
I decided to cut my losses and be done with the hateful stress that was in the office and there was a better job opportunity that came along, but that is another story
to be continued