AUGUSTA
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FREE T AKE-H OME C OPY!
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AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 2006
OCTOBER 17, 2014
A matter of life and death F
or most of us, death is something to be avoided. We certainly don’t want to die; we don’t even want to hear that someone we know, however casually, has died. But for Linda Ashley and thousands of people like her, death is literally an everyday event. She is a funeral director at Augusta’s Kinsey & Walton Funeral Home on Peach Orchard Road. Death is part of her life. How does a nice girl like her end up in a place like this? As a child, she says, “I was afraid of dead people. A classmate was killed and taken home, as people did back then. I wouldn’t even walk on that side of the street.” When her parents died, she became curious about the funeral business and asked a funeral home if she could volunteer her services. “This is not a job for women,” she was told, even though the man who said that employed his wife and daughter at the funeral home he owned. Eventually she discovered the nearest place for vocational training in funeral service, which is in Statesboro at Ogeechee Technical College. The training is rigorous: it includes courses in legal and ethical matters; anatomy, pathology; chemistry; business management; as well as what is called “restorative art,” which includes everything from simple hair-dos to rebuilding shattered faces “It’s a hands-on apprenticeship that goes along with the classes,”
says Ashley. “The apprenticeship is 3,240 hours - all unpaid and you have to have done 50 embalmings to graduate.” Obviously, people who get this kind of extensive training, followed by passing a National Board Examination as a another requirement for graduation, are dedicated individuals. For Linda Ashley, that motivation came when funerals became personal, when family members died, her father in particular. When he died, she says, there were elements of the services provided and the funeral itself that showed her how things should not be done. That became the driving force behind her education and the services she provides today. “The biggest misconception about the funeral industry may be that it’s all about the money,” she says. After all, funerals are expensive. “But really it’s about serving people.” And that isn’t easy. You’re routinely dealing with people at the worst moments in their lives. It can get complicated. For example, a man may die who was divorced twice. Three wives and multiple hostile divisions of the same family may all have their own separate wishes and instructions, and all may be in the same room for the first time ever. Yes, it can get complicated in a hurry. “Funerals and weddings,” says Ashley with a smile, “There’s always drama. You have to be the
As Linda Ashley demonstrates, it is possible to work at a funeral home and still have a smile on your face. But it isn’t always easy. (h+d photo) strong one in the room,” she says, whether the issue is animosity and anger or grief. Another place where you have to be strong is in the embalming room, which in normal circumstances is never occupied by anyone other than funeral home personnel and the
deceased. Occasionally, however, a family member will insist on being present during embalming. If they can’t be dissuaded, says Ashley, they have to sign a waiver. Even then, “some of them are still in counseling to this day.” What happens in that room? Please see FUNERAL page 3
THIS IS OUR
200
th
ISSUE!
THE SKINNY ON COFFEE MAKERS Just last week, courtesy of Huffington Post, we ran across a 2011 study conducted by microbiologists employed by NSF, the National Sanitary Foundation. They went in search of household germs. We’ll spare you all the gory details, but at #5, right in the middle of the Top 10 list of germiest places in the average home, were these three words: “coffee maker reservoir.” (For the record, #6 was “bathroom faucet handle” and #4 was “pet bowl.”) It makes sense: coffee maker reservoirs are a warm, dark, perpetually moist area - in short, paradise for mold and bacteria. What is the solution? Well, there’s either a.) quit drinking coffee, or b.) follow the instructions below, provided by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, which sanitizes and decalcifies the coffee maker. 1. Fill the reservoir with a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar mix. Brew (with a coffee filter in place) until the chamber is half empty. 2. Turn off the coffee maker and let it sit for 30 minutes, then turn it back on and finish brewing. 3. Empty the pot and refill the reservoir with clean water and brew (using a filter). Do this twice. Repeat the steps above monthly for areas with hard water, every two to three months in soft water areas like we have here. Wash the carafe and filter basket with soap and water daily. +
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