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In the central Pennsylvania town of Curwensville, "Bill" is known as the upbeat, quirky funeral director. Mortuary science is his life.

Williams said he has been living the "old man's profession" for more than half of his life, which requires him to remain within a 25 minute drive of his house and funeral. Both are found in the historic house built in 1860 located in downtown Curwensville.

Williams was not always on the mortuary path. He intended to pursue a career in computer and information science, his major at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Everything changed in 1979 when he met his future wife Shelia Chidboy. Shelia's father, Chester C. Chidboy, opened the funeral home in1953 and was eager to pass the trade onto a family member.

When Shelia, his only child, showed no interest in becoming a funeral director, Chester turned to the man who wanted to marry his daughter.

"After I got engaged, [Chester] asked me to take over this business and in my field at the time which was computer science, I would have had to move away and I like this area, so I thought it was a good idea," Williams said.

He said it took him a couple weeks to think before he finally agreed to go to mortuary school and prepare to take over the family business.

Mortuary Science

"Once I decided to do it, it was actually the right fit for me," Williams said.

To earn a mortuary science license in Pennsylvania, he had to complete two years of an undergraduate degree, 12 to 18 months of mortuary school and one year of internships. 

The training he received at mortuary school prepared him for the physical aspects of the job, such as embalming bodies and dealing with a variety of death causes, but the skills he learned during the internship with his father-in-law gave him a glimpse at the emotional and mental strains of the profession.

The day-to-day tasks for his job are embalming, dressing and cosmeticising the body, which begins with going to the death location to retrieve the body.

At that point, the family has to decide how they want the body laid to rest, either burial or cremation, open casket or closed. Then he can move on to the embalming process. Depending of the mode of death, he said the process can take anywhere from one to seven hours.

"We either have the funeral service here at the funeral home or we've had them at outdoor locations. We've had them at churches, cemeteries; where ever the family feels comfortable having the funeral service," Williams said.

Grief Support

While Williams said he oversees the entire viewing, funeral and burial processes, his duties do not end with the logistics of the body. He also provides grief support and counseling for family members and loved ones.

"They always come in and ask that question, 'Why?' Everybody handles grief and death differently," Williams said. "You can't give them a real answer, which can be challenging, but you have to try to give them some kind of answer to help them move forward."

In his 28 years of experience, he has dealt directly with the highs and lows of small community. Because he is well-known in Curwensville, (population of 4,000) more times than not, Williams said he is preparing the body of an acquaintance.

"If I know the person, even though they can't talk back, I'll talk to them and just said why did you do this or why did you do that to cause this to happen to you. And sometimes I get upset if it's a stupid death like horsing around," Williams said.

Keeping it in the Family

Just like his father-in-law, Bill and Shelia only had one daughter, Shaina, who wanted to be an elementary school teacher instead of a funeral director. Williams also turned to his daughter's fiancé, Dave Franson.

"To me a family run business is more personal," Williams said.

Franson agreed and attended mortuary school. After they got married, Shaina returned to her childhood home and the couple moved into the apartment above the funeral home that once belonged to Chester and Martha Chidboy, both deceased.

Williams said the biggest challenge to his job is applying his method of compassion, flexible and extroverted lifestyle to every day life. Yet the most important skill is simply listening.

"You've got to kind of go with the flow because you never know what kind of situation will pop up during a viewing or funeral," he said.

Three years ago, Williams was away on vacation and left Franson in charge. During a funeral procession from the funeral home in Curwensville to Grampian, a town less than 5 miles away, a woman leaving a methadone clinic crashed into the hearse.

While no one was seriously injured, the hearse containing the body was totaled. Knowing they were in a serious bind, Shaina, called her father to tell her the "good and bad" news.

"I said, 'Is everyone ok?' 'Was anybody hurt?' No, then don't worry about it. That's kind of the attitude I take. Don't sweat the small stuff," Williams said.

Even though his job is not conventional nor is it what he dreamed of becoming as a child, Williams said he knows it's the only job he was meant to do because it connects him with the community and gives him time to volunteer.

 

A Trip to the Basement

The mortician's trade is not one normally admired, but for Bill Williams, the embalming process is a normal part of his day.

Funeral Home Rich with Historical Ghosts

The Chidboy Funeral Home is a historic building in Central Pennsylvania with a colorful past dating back to the Civil War. It has grown in character with each owner.

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