I Hate To Write But Love Having Written: His Calling

If a man love the labour of any trade apart from any question of

success or fame, the gods have called him.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

My husband Ernie began working in the funeral business on January 3, 1968 when he was only 18 years old. (Little did he know that eight years later on that very same date his first child would be born.) For as long as he can remember he was interested in that line of work. He firmly believes that the interest, which became a passion, all started when he was just a child and accompanied his parents to a funeral in his small hometown of Pembroke, Virginia. That experience made a lasting impression on him, giving him the notion that he wanted to be a funeral director when he grew up. That’s all he ever wanted to do and thankfully, he accomplished his dream. How many people are fortunate enough to do that?

With high school graduation just seven months behind him, Ernie became an employee at the Joseph W. Bliley Funeral Home on 3^rd & Marshall St. in Richmond, Virginia. He was hired by Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. and worked under the direction of Les Morgan, the shift leader. In no time at all his application was approved by the state and he became an official apprentice. His salary as employee/apprentice was $65 per week before taxes.

While in Richmond he lived with a distant cousin, Nina Lipes, and her husband Lonnie and their three sons Greg, Mike, and Jimmy. $15 a week got him room and board, not to mention a loving family to watch out for him. When he first moved there their home was on Antler Rd., then about a year and a half later they moved to 6014 Mann Ave., just a couple blocks off Broad Street. Ernie claims he “bought” the house for them – he found it advertised in a newspaper, called the realtor involved and with one look, told him they would take it. True to his word, Nina and Lonnie looked over the property and as the saying goes, it was a done deal!

Two years later in February of 1970 his apprenticeship had been completed. By then his salary had increased to $90 per week and he had been accepted at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, 3200 Redding Road, Cincinnati, Ohio. He bid a fond farewell to the Lipes family and Bliley’s, packed up his worldly goods, and headed north. The program of study would last one full year and he was anxious to get underway.

Once in Cincinnati, he moved into Swifton Village Apartments where he shared a one-bedroom unit with classmate Fred Blair (from Pittsylvania County, Virginia). For whatever reason, Fred didn’t last and returned home. For a few weeks Ernie lived solo, but soon another classmate moved in to take Fred’s place. That was Bill “JR” Shorts from Ravenna, Ohio. His father owned a funeral home and JR was studying to go into the business with his dad. During his year at CCMS Ernie worked part time at the National Shirt Shop, a men’s clothing store. He also participated in the various (and sundry) activities of Pi Sigma Eta, the national morticians’ fraternity.

Ernie’s school year came to a close in March of 1971. With the national boards behind him, he packed his ’67 white mustang and headed back to Virginia and Bliley’s. While back at work he anticipated taking the state board exams in Richmond, a two day affair which involved both written and oral testing. Part I covered funeral directing and Part II covered embalming. With both tests passed, he received his two licenses. As a side note, today funeral directing and embalming are covered with just one license. In April of 1971, at age 21, he was the youngest licensee in the state. With his new salary of $135 per week he got his own apartment off Chamberlain Ave. at a cost of $100 per month.

In no time at all, he received a call from fellow classmate Gary Totman who lived and worked up in Arlington, Virginia at Arlington Funeral Home. “Ernie, you interested in moving? We have a job opening up here and I thought of you.” “Nope,” Ernie replied. “Not interested.” Gary, however, was persistent and after the fourth phone conversation relented. “Okay. I’m off tomorrow and I’ll drive up to take a look.” He had never spent any time in Northern Virginia so he was ready for a little adventure. He says he remembers driving up I-95, seeing all the buildings near Falls Church and Arlington, and thinking to himself, “Wow, this is the big city for sure!”

He stopped by Arlington Funeral home to see Gary and ended up being interviewed by the manager Mac Morris. He offered him $175 per week and Ernie took the job right on the spot. Wow! $40 more than he made at Bliley’s! As Ernie says, $120 more per month was a big deal back then. True, Ernie, true.

After giving his two week notice at Bliley’s Ernie relocated and moved in with Gary in a small basement apartment off Lee Hwy in Arlington. Needing more room, the two found a larger apartment at Ravenwood Towers off Rt. 7 in Falls Church, in the Seven Corners area. Shortly after I met him, he got his own place but still in the same neck of the woods which was convenient to work.

In 1972 the funeral home’s assistant manager, Ben Rogers, left to manage Lotz Funeral Home in Roanoke, Virginia. Ernie was promoted to co-assistant manager along with Jackie Boggs. Arlington Funeral Home did a lot of business, so it was a great place to gain experience. That served Ernie well, for in 1974 he received a call from James B. Lockwood, Jr., part owner of Colonial Funeral Home in the Seven Corners area. He and another attorney, Robert C. Watson, were looking for a new manager. A casket salesman named Bill Simpson, who Ernie knew from Cincinnati, had recommended him. Ernie was indeed interested in the $15,000 yearly salary they offered. He now had a wife and family of his own, so that was a lucrative move for him. There he stayed until 1982 when he left and returned to Arlington Funeral Home.

Once back there for a while, Mac Morris retired and Ernie was made assistant manager to work alongside the new manager, Richard Fitzgerald. Six years later another offer came knocking. He was approached by Letha Masters Crickenberger, owner of Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, Virginia. She knew nothing about the business but nevertheless inherited it upon the death of her sister, Edith Masters King. Letha knew of Ernie because of the close association he and his family had at church with her brother and sister in law, Horace and Lois Masters. I’m sure they spoke highly of Ernie which spurred Letha’s interest in him. He was manager there for almost 18 years when he resigned in 2005.

After the long and exhausting time at Money & King, Ernie took a little time off to explore some options, and even considered buying his own business for a time. That did not work out so he began job hunting. He became an employee at Pierce Funeral Home in Manassas, Virginia where he has been until now. For a while he was assistant manager and since March of 2010 has been named manager.

Ernie has served hundreds of people over the years and has quite a faithful following in Northern Virginia that seeks him out. He often receives very kind and sincere thank you notes from people he has served. When he was at Money & King his own family teased that he was the unofficial mayor of Vienna because he knew people everywhere he went. Now that he is in Manassas the same thing is happening and it’s fun to watch. It’s good to know that Bob Pierce, the owner of the funeral home, trusts him explicitly. From where I sit, the employees respect him, his ability to run a successful business, and his personal code of ethics. I know without a doubt he is one of the most honorable men in the funeral business in Northern Virginia. When he leaves his own family vacation to return home and serve bereaved friends, you know he is dedicated. When he plans, organizes and speaks tenderly at a yearly service of remembrance for families the business has served, you know he reaches out into the community. When he agrees to preach at a funeral because a family has no one else, you know he goes the extra mile. When he gives a new employee a couple of his old suits because he has no work clothes, you know he is caring. Indeed, he comforts the sad and weary; his profession is his calling. He has chosen an occupation he would do even if he did not need the money. His family is proud of him.