Growing up, kids dream of being an astronaut, a president, a doctor, or a vet, but there are many other jobs in the world. One unusual but essential job field is working in the funeral industry. There is a wide variety of positions from funeral directors, removal technicians, embalmers, book keepers, managers, and many others. But how does one get interested and excited about a field that is marked with death and grief.

 

Sydney Buckles, 25, has been a funeral director since 2023. She secured her position 4 months before graduating with her mortuary science degree from Arapahoe Community College, in Littleton, Colorado. 

 

She is Mortuary Service Practicionar #41 out of 134 in the state of Colorado. This position means she can be a funeral director and she can embalm a decedent. In the past, Colorado did not have a specific licensing for funeral directors as they thought the industry could be self regulated. “After funeral homes in Penrose, Littleton and Las Animas County were found to have mishandled remains” by improperly storing 190 bodies, it was time for change (Tingley, 2025).

 

When Sydney was 16 her father unexpectedly passed away in 2017. Alongside the usual mourning of the loss, Sydney became fascinated with the  funeral process and witnessed the special moments funeral directors make to help a family in a time of need. The appeal was “to have a purpose in my everyday life to help people and not waste away at a boring desk job,” explained Sydney.

 

As her education continued into secondary education, she received a job offer to become a removal technician at Stoddard Funeral Home in Greeley, Colorado. It was a hard job, but a great start to enter the funeral industry. “It was funny because I started when I was 20 years old, and people don't typically expect a 20-year-old girl to go pick up a recently deceased loved one. People would tend to ask me and my female counterpart, "Where are the men in the truck?”

 

Traditionally, funeral directors and funeral homes are male-dominated industries. Over the past few years, the world has progressed to give women more opportunities. Sydney dove deeper into what it is like to be a woman in the funeral industry. 

 

“As a woman in the field, I constantly have to prove myself that I can do the same job as a man. Not only proving that to coworkers but to the families I serve. This past week, I got asked who would be the funeral director or the person at the service running it because she was assuming the person in charge would be a man.” she shared. It's common for an encounter like this, but it happens less frequently as the industry becomes more progressive over time. 

 

There is a funeral home in Fort Collins, Colorado, Allnutt Funeral Service, that is primarily run by women. They have a few male employees, but it is a women-dominated office. Sadie Brennan, Sydney's close friend and coworker, expressed her gratitude for a growing female industry, “I have actually been really fortunate to have always had women management and higher-ups. I think we are all starting to see the change.” 

 

Having more women in the job field has reflected positively on the employees as a whole. They are able to support each other as working in the funeral industry can be an emotional job. 

 

When surrounded by death all day long, some challenges can come with the job. A struggle people in the funeral industry have is cases of traumatic events or any death involving young people or children. Sadie shared her experience, “it’s hard to leave this job at the door and I tend to take a lot of things home.” 

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However, building connections in the office is a great outlet to decompress and have people understand the experience that they all share. Some of the ladies in the office have created a little book club to have a different type of outlet. “It’s a way to escape from our world and job and dive into some random fictional world,” shared Sydney. 

 

Sydney explained one of her first experiences with a tough case, she was an intern under a funeral director and they had a 2 year old in their care. She explained that the cold feeling of the baby's hands were unreal because babies hands are supposed to be warm and full of life. 

 

“We had him wrapped up in his favorite blanket and I held him. Later on when he was laying down, we surrounded him with his favorite toys and stuffed animals to bring him comfort. This case made everything so surreal, but made me feel special to take care of this moment.” 

 

Young children are always emotional to take care of, but Sadie shared another surreal moment that has stood out to her. She explained that it was a traumatic case involving a girl her same age. “I will never forget her, her family, what she lived for, and how devastating it was.” The funeral was lively with all the family members speaking so highly of her. “I am proud and honored that we were able to take care of her in her last moments on earth.” 

 

Working in an industry such as this one, there are many times when people can look from a different perspective and understand life in a different way. No matter how someone has passed away, there is a team at the funeral home to take care of the loved ones. Sydney expressed her gratitude for her job, “I feel more thankful for the life I live because I've seen so many lives cut too short.”

 

“This is 100% my calling. I'm good at it, I find it extremely rewarding, everyone says it takes a special person to do this job and I fit that.” Sydney has been interested in becoming a funeral director for so long motivating her to work hard to get to where she is today. “Yes, days can be hard and draining, but you can make a difference with everything that you do and have that purpose in life,” said Sydney.

 

Though working in the funeral industry can be a hard job, to help a family in the most vulnerable time with such a particular process can be rewarding. Sydney is blessed everyday for the opportunities she had to get started in this field of work. She put in time and dedication that has gotten her many places. 

 

“In this field, it starts to feel like home with our coworkers. We are the only ones that really know what we are dealing with on an everyday basis.” When families share their appreciation, it fills Sydney's heart, “hearing the feedback from families saying that I'm meant to do this, or you made this easy for me, makes it all worth it.” 

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Sources:

Tingley, C. (2025, December 8). Can funeral directors operate without licenses in Colorado?. The Colorado Sun. https://coloradosun.com/2025/12/08/can-funeral-directors-operate-without-licenses-in-colorado/#:~:text=Yes.,professions%20in%20the%20mortuary%20field.