Answers to questions you were dying to ask

Kenneth McKenzie
Columnist

Last month I opened the floor for anyone that had questions or comments about my monthly column. You really surprised me with some interesting issues.  

Sandy P.  Why do you funeral directors all seem to be tall? 
This question actually made me LOL.  It seems most any funeral director that is depicted on TV or in movies is tall and very lean. In actuality most (not all) funeral directors that I see at conventions are short and overweight.
 
Steven E.  I knew a guy in college, and his family owned and operated a funeral home. I once went home with him over a holiday weekend. I never met such a group of fantastically funny people. Is there something in the formaldehyde that makes you guys so funny?    
I think dealing with death every day and some of the horrific scenes we come across make us see life in a different way. If you notice a person that most people find funny, it is usually a person that is able to make fun of themselves. No laughing gas within the formaldehyde solution. If that were true, I would be at work more often.
 
No Name  Why do you have to wear a suit every day? 
Most every funeral director dresses in full funeral garb. Since I am privately owned, I do not have adhere to anyone else’s ideas of what a funeral director should wear. I do not wear a suit when I meet with a family initially. I wear slacks and dress shirt with no tie, I want the family to feel relaxed with me, so I tend to dress down when I first meet with them. When I arrive at the funeral is the only time you will ever catch this guy in full funeral attire.

Kenneth McKenzie is the owner of McKenzie Mortuary in Long Beach.