Meet a Funeral Director: Marlaena Gonzales at Green Cremation Texas
Continue reading to learn more about Marlaena Gonzales job at Cremation.Green and gain valuable insight into what it's like to work in the funeral industry. Marlaena works at Cremation.Green, located in Texas.
How long have you worked at Cremation.Green? How did you first get into the profession?
I've been proud to be a part of the Green Cremation Texas team (and we really are a team), for two years. We provide a unique service of family centered, eco-friendly death care; including alternative options to traditional burial and cremation such as Water Cremation and Natural Burials.
Prior to joining Green Cremation Texas, I've had years of experience in the death care space as a funeral director and embalmer.
I began my journey into funeral service through a desire to help others in a time of need. My first introduction was as a caretaker for a person in their final stages of life, this got me to thinking- how could their family be supported after the transition?
I started mortuary school, and realized that this is what I was meant to do. To be a funeral service provider, is to be a caretaker of a loved soul, and a trusted resource for those who love them.
What is your job like? What are you responsible for in a typical week?
Unlike many professions, our roles often do not have the ordinary 9-5. We make ourselves available to families in their time of need, whenever that may be. As Green Cremation Texas is an online arrangements provider, the landscape may look different but the empathetic core is the same.
My scope of work entails everything from educating families prior to passing on what the process will look like, to working with them in the time of need to coordinate final care for their loved one who passed. We provide care to the decedents with dignity and respect, and honor their legacy by walking with their family in this journey.
To many people's surprise, a large portion of coordinating care is paperwork. This includes working with the state and local agencies for death certificates and other necessary paperwork. I am also given the special opportunity of getting to know the families in order to best serve them. Relationship building and communication are critical in what we do.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is getting to know about the people I serve. The stories of exactly who the person was, and what was important to them. To me, every loved one is more than just a case number- but a unique person and family with a unique set of needs. I truly love to see the special ways families choose to memorialize their loved one's life and memory.
What do you wish more people knew about funerals and cemeteries?
Something I wish more people knew, is that they have the ability to make choices that suit their needs the best. Both pre-planning and family decisions after passing have a high level of flexibility outside of a traditional funeral home.
Eco-friendly alternatives like Water Cremation (Alkaline Hydrolysis), Natural Burial, and Natural Organic Reduction (Human Composting) are available. Many of these forms of disposition are something people have never heard of. It’s always good to know your range of choices.
Families also have other options like independent celebrations, memorials, and ceremonies outside of the funeral home scope. A direct cremation does not have to be without a meaningful gathering to honor a loved one's life. The bereaved should be able to choose a funeral home that makes them feel empowered to choose exactly what they want, not what they may feel pressured to choose.
A good funeral director's job is to provide families tools to choose what suits their needs the best, and not decide for them in the process.
What was the most memorable burial that you've helped with?
Every family served has a special journey and story to tell. I have seen so many meaningful burials and services; all different in their own way. As a funeral professional, each family we serve deserves not only the highest level of care- but privacy as well.
Do you have any thoughts or recommendations for people who are grieving?
There is no right or wrong in this process. Everyone's grief journey is so vastly different, that the best constant is to have someone to walk the path with you. Through the ups, downs, twists and turns; a good support system is an invaluable tool. To need help is to be human, there's nothing wrong with asking for a hand up especially in times of grief.
Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience?
Life insurance! None of us are too young to need it unfortunately, and it's better to have it and not need it than the opposite. This is something I recommend to my own family as well, life is a beautiful and delicate thing. I'm grateful for every day that I am able to be with those I love, and help others in their time of bereavement.
