We had a red light on top of the hearse and it was used not only as a hearse for the dead but it was the sick wagon for the sick in those days. We were not trained at that time to take care of the sick or the injured, but we hauled people all the time with red lights flashing to get them to a doctor. It was just a part of being in the funeral business in Reynolds, GA.
The challenge this night was that daddy was out of town. Daddy had a friend by the name of Russell Tomlinson who was an embalmer who covered for him sometimes when he was out of town.
Having no idea what I was going to do, I told Mrs. Winnie we would be right over. I called Russell and asked him if he could drive me in the hearse to the Breazeale’s house so I could take him to the hospital. I was not old enough to drive.
Russell and I arrived at their residence about 30 minutes later. I had watched my dad enough in these situations so I knew what to do.
I put my arm around a very upset lady and told her everything would be fine and we were going to take care of her husband.
I had no idea if that would be true but I had seen daddy do that and say that so I figured it was the thing to do.
Dr. Whatley had asked us to bring Breezy by the office on the way to Macon. We did that and Dr. Whatley started an IV on him and gave him some other medicine.
We took off to the Macon hospital with the red light flashing. Russell was driving and I was in the back with Mr. and Mrs. Breazeale.
I held the IV bottle the entire trip to Macon. I kept saying reassuring things I had heard my dad say so many times. Remember I was 14 years old.
We made it to the hospital and Mrs. Winnie could not thank me enough. She kept going on and on to the doctor in the emergency room in Macon about how I had kept her husband alive.
I had done nothing but hold the bottle (my arm got really tired) and say things I thought would be good to say.
I did however feel pretty good about myself on the way back to Reynolds that night. I had actually taken an emergency call and got the person to the hospital and made a new friend in the process. Not bad for 14.
We got home about midnight and I went to bed. About 3AM I took another call from Mrs. Winnie. Her husband had died and she wanted our funeral services.
Again, I said all the right things to her. I called Russell and off we went back to Macon in the same hearse.
On our trip back to Reynolds, I rode in the back of the hearse with Mr. and Mrs. Breazeale. But now Breezy was dead.
I don’t ever remember riding in the back of the hearse with someone that was dead except that one time. Mrs. Winnie wanted to ride with him so I joined her. I didn’t know any better.
And I continued to say all the right things that I had heard my daddy say to others in that situation.
Daddy got back in town in time for the funeral and I assisted on that funeral.
During that process I made a friend for life.
In the last few years before she died, Mrs. Winnie worked for me as a receptionist at the funeral home. She was old by then and sometimes she would not get the telephone message right. She would make a few other mistakes along the way.
But that never bothered me.
She thought I hung the moon because of what she thought I did for her as a boy.
I think the experience I had with her riding in the back of that hearse was when I realized that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I now knew I could do it and I now knew the personal fulfillment from taking care of someone in the most difficult time of their life.
I began that night to have a passion for the business that would eventually be the conduit through which I would feed my family.
I am writing this today from Oklahoma City. Today I will have the opportunity to spread that passion I’ve had since a young boy to funeral directors in a city that happens to be a long way from Reynolds, GA.
And I pretty much get to do this every day of my life.
For me it all began the night I helped Mrs. Winnie through the most difficult time of her life.
Mrs. Winnie never forgot that night.
Neither have I.
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