YP Spotlight YP Spotlight Young Professional Spotlight: Candace Hawkins Candace Hawkins is a 35-year-old funeral director and care center supervisor at Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. in Hamburg, New York. She also serves as the location manager for one of their offices. How many years have you worked in funeral service? I have worked in the industry for 13 years, 10 in California and three in New York. Why did you begin working in funeral service? I fell into this business a little bit by accident when offered a job by the owner of the local funeral home where I lived in California. It wasn’t really in my career plan, but I was immediately interested and quickly grew to enjoy it. Now I can’t see myself doing anything else. What is the most rewarding part of your occupation? Getting feedback from families that they appreciate the work I do and that I made their grief process easier is always the best – whether it’s because I prepared their loved one, handled the arrangement process or directed the funeral. What are your professional goals? I don’t really have any above and beyond serving my families and seeing where this path leads me. What are you proud of that you have achieved so far during your career in funeral service? I have been honored to work with and learn from some of the brightest professionals in this field, and earn their praises. 22 www.ogr.org | Fall 2020 Candace Hawkins of Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. in Hamburg, N.Y., poses with her pet dog, Willow. (photo provided by Candace Hawkins) What are some important/notable trends that you have noticed in funeral service? Having worked in different areas throughout the U.S., the thing that seems the most notable is how increasingly adaptable funeral directors have to be. Not only do we have to be prepared to handle the personalized memorial services for non-religious cremation families
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