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Keeping local funeral home alive

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“[Corporate] is just a totally different feel for families than having an independent owner,” she said. “It’s not something that I knew would sit well with the community of Columbia County, thats for sure.”

Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 139 February 3, 2021 MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Ownership of Columbia Funeral Home may have changed hands, but the local and personal touch is still there. COLUMBIA CITY Holly Houston, who has • COLUMBIA CITY managed the funeral home GROCERY & GAS for over six years, purchased it from the previous owners. It was important to her RAINIER that the home stay within • ALSTON STORE local ownership, though she • DOLLAR1x9D GENERAL hadn’t always planned11:31 to AM 05-02-12 SootBusters:Layout 1 4/30/12 • GROCERY OUTLET 05-02-12 4/30/12 11:31 one day11become the owner 05-02-12 1x9D 1x9D SootBusters:Layout SootBusters:Layout 4/30/12 11:31 AM AM of a funeral home. “For the longest time I thought that I didn’t want the responsibility, but then as I’ve been in it longer and longer it did kind of become a goal,” she said. “When I found out that people who I was working for were considering selling, that’s when I knew absolutely that I wanted to own this place. I didn’t want corporate Fireplace Shop & to come out to Columbia Fireplace Shop Chimney Fireplace Services Shop & & County.” Chimney Houston has been in Co1370 Col.Services Blvd. Chimney Services lumbia County since 2014, 1370 Col. 503-397-0390 1370 Col. Blvd. Blvd. and managed the funeral 503-397-0390 503-397-0390 WOOD , PELLET, home throughout that time. She has gotten to know the WOOD ,, PELLET WOOD PELLET,, GAS FIREPLACES community well, and wanted GAS FIREPLACES GAS to make sure the home & FIREPLACES INSERTS & INSERTS COMPLETE CHIMNEY would stay in the hands of & INSERTS * CLEANING SERVICES COMPLETE CHIMNEY someone connected to the COMPLETE CHIMNEY * PIPE REPAIRS ** CLEANING SERVICES area already— unlikely to CLEANING SERVICES REPLACEMENT REPAIRS * PIPE * PIPE REPAIRS happen if a large corporate REPLACEMENT REPLACEMENT  chain bought the facility.      DEER ISLAND • DEER ISLAND STORE

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Monique Merrill / The Chronicle

Holly Houston has managed Columbia Funeral Home since 2014 and recently became the owner.

The job When families experience a loss and contact the funeral home, Houston and her team step in to organize each step of the process— including death calls. Staff at Columbia Funeral Home are on call 24/7 to receive bodies from the place Page 1 of death, and then work with Page 1 1 families to help Page arrange services as much as possible following a death. “From the moment the death occurs until that person has either been buried or cremated or had a service, we’re involved the whole way organizing everything and assisting the family,” she said. This involves ordering death certificates, placing obituaries and coordinating with cemeteries, among other services. “Every aspect that it entails is what we help with,” she said. “We try and do as much as we can for our families so they don’t have to worry about doing anything while they’re grieving.” The number of things that need to be processed after a death sometimes surprises people, she said. “I think that a lot of people don’t understand

how much actually needs to be done until they sit down with us and we go through this huge long list of things. We just ask them questions and we do it all for them,” she said. “Just things that they don’t necessarily think about unless they’ve had to deal with it before.” The unexpected nature of death and sheer amount of steps that need to be taken after a death can be overwhelming for families. Putting together a funeral often happens in just one week, but requires as much planning and organization as any other event. Her experience Houston has been in the industry since graduating with a degree in funeral service education from Mt. Hood Community College in 2003. She participated in a job shadow at a funeral home when she was in high school and decided it was the profession for her, especially as someone who experienced the losses of friends and family early in life. “Being able to see how a funeral director helps a family and being able to think about the loss that I had experienced and being able to put myself in their shoes definitely made it click for me,” she said. Providing comfort and easing stress for grieving families is what she likes most about the profession. “There’s always some type of a moment that you

have. I think the biggest thing for me that has really stuck with me is of getting a hug from a family and them telling you how much they appreciate what you’ve done for them to get them through all of it, that’s what gets me through my days,” Houston said. “That was something I struggled with the most when COVID happened— I couldn’t give families hugs anymore.” Working so closely with death hasn’t changed her overall perception of it, she said, but it has made her value each day she has. “I think the one perception that it’s probably changed for me the most is that I really know I just need to appreciate every day that I do have because you never know when it’s going to happen,” she said. “It just really has probably made me appreciate life.” Services during a pandemic With restrictions on inperson gatherings, procedures have had to change at Columbia Funeral Home. At first, Houston said the staff tried to work from home to make arrangements with families over email and the phone, but it wasn’t working. “I struggled with it, honestly probably more than some of my families because it took away what I’m in the job for: that personal, getto-know the family thing,”

she said. The funeral home has worked on holding more outdoor services so larger groups can attend, and in some cases will broadcast the service online for family and friends who can’t make it in person. “We’ve had a couple of services at our chapel, but our capacity is just so low that sometimes immediate family is just bigger than what we can allow inside,” she said. For viewings, staff will rotate people in and out to pay their respects and make sure they are meeting capacity levels. Some families have opted to postpone ceremonies until gathering restrictions are eased and more people can attend, and Houston hopes it will be soon so those families can get closure. “It’s hard, because death is not something that you can stop from happening, like restaurants or things like that,” she said. “We still have people we need to serve no matter what.” Columbia Funeral Home is located at 681 Columbia Boulevard in St. Helens. Holly Houston may be reached at the facility by calling 503-397-1154. If you know of someone, an agency or business, or a group, that is making a positive difference in our community and would like to see them featured in Who We Are, email details to jruark@countrymedia.net.

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