From personal loss to professional calling: Brittany Lemoine’s journey into funeral service

Although the majority of funeral directors are male, the profession is welcoming more and more women. Brittany Lemoine is currently an intern at the Marksville Hixson Brothers Funeral Home and is working hard to become a licensed funeral director.

For Brittany, who is about a year away from completing her course work, the profession is “very interesting,” and not morbid.

“I lost my daddy when I was 7-years old,” she began, “and I never understood death. I thought to myself that maybe he wasn’t dead.”

Brittany’s grandmother “went to every visitation” and took Brittany with her.

Somewhere in those many trips to the funeral home, the young Brittany was developing an interest although it hadn’t fully developed. It was around 2019 when Brittany moved forward and decided it was time to see about her interest in the funeral industry.

“Hixson Brothers accepted me as an intern,” she said “and I’m taking courses online from a school in Houston.

It’s the best of both worlds, she is receiving on-the-job training as well as course work, which includes:
- The history of the industry
- Science and biology
- Restorative arts
- Business law

just to mention a few.

Once she completes the college courses, she will have an associate degree then must go to Houston to be tested in person.

Usually the college course takes two years but Brittany had some interruptions, not that having children is any kind of interference.

Fortunately, she was allowed to pick up her studies where she left off pre-baby.

After so many years as an intern Brittany said, “I can do everything now.”

Still she needs to be under supervision, be it helping families, a funeral and embalming.

And there it was, the word I was avoiding- embalming!

“I didn’t know how I was going to react because certain things do upset my stomach,” she said. “I had no clue because all I wanted to do was do funerals and meet with families. But, embalming did come naturally to me.”

“They (other staff members) didn’t think I could handle it with my girly personality and I never thought in a million years I’d be doing it.”

Brittany went on to explain that she could become a funeral director only but “most funeral homes want embalmers too.” So she has decided to become both.

Interestingly enough, her online study includes three courses on embalming. Her college course also requires so many funerals, meetings with family and embalmings, which are documented and reported to the college in Houston.

Another part of her study includes the funeral, burial and cremation procedure of different religions.

If you think a one to three year internship along with a two-year course study seems enough, it’s not. Brittany will have to pass a national board exam, state licensing and attend continuing education.

A further step beyond funeral director and embalmer is crematorium operator. Brittany has no decision on that but did say, “Hixson is in the process of building their own crematorium in Pineville.”

She added that if someone is being cremated, caskets for a viewing can be rented now.

As much work as her degree requires, Brittany loves what she does.

“I love being there for the families in their need because I know what it’s like to lose loved ones. I like helping them the best I can to get them through their loss.”