Finding the right fit

Future funeral home director has special set of skills

By Carrie McDermott

Working in the funeral home industry is not what Lauren Klein had planned when she started college in 2020. The University of Minnesota Crookston student graduated in May 2023 with a communications degree and believes that area of expertise will be useful in her chosen profession.

Klein’s university career took a winding path, starting at the University of North Dakota, where she was studying to be an English teacher. She struggled her freshman year, she said, as it was the start of the pandemic and all of her classes were taken online. Klein transferred to the University of Minnesota Crookston about halfway through the year, because she learned the school had recently created an English education program. She thought it would be easier to get her teaching license in the state from which she graduated. She soon discovered education wasn’t the direction she wanted to go, and after taking a communication theory course, switched her major to communication, believing it would give her more options in a variety of professions. She considered journalism, marketing and human resources for a career, but none felt quite right as she got closer to graduation.

Over the summer 2022, she was contacted by the owner of a funeral home in her hometown of Hallock, Minnesota, who was looking for someone to train and eventually take over the business. “He was just putting feelers out there for people and someone mentioned to him that I had an interest in it in the past, so he got in touch with me. He suggested to me I could find an online program and work with him,” Klein said. “That would allow me to return home after I graduate.”

While home over the Christmas break, she worked a funeral with him and it solidified her career choice.

“The field is really seeing a shortage right now, and we’re in a rural area so it’s kind of hard to get folks to come around here anyway,” she said.

Her great-grandfather and great-uncle owned a funeral home together years ago, and Klein thinks that’s what may have initially spurred her interest in the industry.

Prior to graduation, Klein was presented with the Outstanding Communication Student Award by Dr. Megan Bell and Dr. Jacob Bell, her instructors.

“They really advocated for me. The award is presented to someone in the Communication Department who they thought was an outstanding student. They felt I work really hard in the classes and contributed to classroom discussions in a meaningful way,”Klein said. “That was meaningful for me to receive that award.”

Bell said what stands out about Klein is her intellectual curiosity and her commitment to learning and growth.

“Rarely have I worked with a student so engaged with such a desire to learn; her work goes beyond meeting assignment and class requirements. During class discussions, she finds the balance between leading and participating with her peers. She is a leader in the classroom in both online and in-person learning environments,” Bell said. “Lauren is truly an outstanding student and one I feel honored to have worked with on her academic journey.”

The next step in Klein’s career plan is to take a home-based mortuary science course from an accredited community college in Iowa. As part of that, she will work alongside the funeral director in her hometown of Hallock, Minnesota, starting in the fall with the intent of running a funeral home someday.