January the busiest month in nearly 100 years for an Asheville-area funeral home business
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Groce Funeral Home, an Asheville-area funeral service provider, saw its busiest month on record in January.
Manager Scott Groce said the business served nearly 100 families across its three locations.
"It was a time when all of us needed a big of a break, a bit of a rest, turn the calendar over, 2020's done, 2021's here. We were kind of hoping for a new start, and then it continued to be busy. The busiest month we've had in the history of our company, which is almost 100 years at this point," Groce said.
He said in a normal month, the business typically serves 65-70 families. The last 11 months have been anything but normal for anyone.
Groce said the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed how they serve families experiencing loss.
Although Gov. Roy Cooper is not imposing a limit on indoor funeral services, Groce said he decided restricting capacity in chapels was important in keeping guests and staff safe.
Right now, the chapels are at 50% maximum capacity, masks are mandatory and hand sanitizing stations are spread throughout the buildings.
"It's hard for families to go through a really tough time without being able to be with their family and friends and have support groups around them. It was primarily our staff there with services and a minister and a very small group of family, so that was hard," he said.
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The pandemic funeral experience has been different for many families, needless to say. It's also been especially difficult in many ways, Groce said.
"We've had a couple of families that have lost more than one person to COVID," he said.
He added, for some families, the funeral isn't just the last time someone is seeing their loved one, but it's also the first time they've seen them in months because of restricted visitation at nursing homes.
"We've had several times where families have come here for a viewing after someone has died and it's been the first time they've been in a room with that person for six to eight months, and that's to see them here at the funeral home, and that's really heartbreaking," he said.
Groce said many families are also opting for smaller funeral services now in the hopes of hosting a bigger celebration of life later. However, with the pandemic raging on, some families are giving up on that idea.
"The pandemic continued on and on, and we heard back from some families that actually said, 'So much time has elapsed. We feel like we've celebrated mom or dad on our own privately with friends, so we won't need to have a service. We don't want to revisit those memories,'" he said.
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Groce said first responders are undoubtedly vital during this pandemic, but so are last responders -- a nickname for funeral service providers that he said they're really growing into.
"What we're doing is important to be able to help a family in the final times of their process. That last responder nickname has really made its way through the funeral industry," he said. "A lot of funeral providers have taken a lot of pride in being a part of that grouping, to be able to say, 'We're providing a service to a family through these tough times, that is kind of overlooked sometimes.'"
Though the pandemic may seem endless at times, Groce said funeral providers are starting to breathe a sigh of relief. He said February's numbers are starting to look closer to normal. He hopes it's a sign of brighter days -- and fewer grieving families -- ahead.
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