Nicholas Farenga
Farenga Brothers
“I am a funeral director because helping people makes me feel good, but helping people at one of the worst times in their lives is a challenge that only a few can take on. And if you succeed at it, well there’s no better feeling than that. I can sleep easy at night and know I’m setting a good example for my kids and giving my family something to be proud of.”
Julia Goodman
Hammill Funeral Home
“I put the fun in funeral director. I enjoy helping people and I take pride in my work-ensuring the deceased look the best they can for their grieving family. I felt it was a calling and I honestly don’t know what else I would do.”
Michael J. Gorton, Jr., CFSP
McManus-Lorey Funeral Home
“I was called to be a funeral director. To be able to be there for a family at the worst time in their life; to be able to lift a burden off their shoulders and walk with them, and show them a way through their grief, is an honor. To be trusted with their loved one to carry out their wishes or the family’s wishes is such a rewarding experience; I am proud and humbled to be called upon.”
Sabrina Joynes, CFSP
Granby’s Funeral Service
“I love serving and helping families during the most difficult time of their lives. When a family member tells me I made everything smooth and without stress, it is very rewarding.”
Tyler Kent
Walter J. Kent Funeral Home
“I discovered a passion for serving those in need and performing a beneficial service that is crucial to so many at a point in the human experience.”
Michelle Kinville
Ironside Funeral Home
“I love being a funeral director because I help people at the absolute worst moment in their life. I want to become a part of their family; someone they can rely on and trust with their loved one.”
Marika McMeans, CFSP
Miller Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc.
“Being a Funeral Director is the reason I exist. I am able to spend my days in an interesting environment that utilizes my variety of skills and supports my community through their most trying time. It is an honor to be such a guide and to bear witness to raw humanity.”
Heather Rauch
Whiter-Hendrix Funeral Home
“I took the aptitude test in 11th grade. My result…embalmer. At that point in my life, I hadn’t lost anyone to death, nor had I known a funeral director. I decided to shadow a licensed director in Buffalo on my high school’s career day. She was awesome. It was my very first glimpse into the rest of my life.”