Like the industry he is part of, Kirk Helfenbein is a remarkable example of the dramatic change that is taking place in the funeral business these days. A young husband and father, former windsurfer, and now a kiteboarding aficionado, Helfenbein not only represents a remarkable contrast to the stereotypical image of the somber and grim funeral director of the past, but also of a new era in how society celebrates death.
Starting first in his career by helping his father run the family business, Kirk now leads Fellows, Helfenbein & Newman Funeral Homes as president, working side by side with his three brothers and John Merceron in Easton, Chestertown, Kent Island, Millington and Centreville. And during his twenty years in the business, Kirk has seen dramatic changes in customer expectations, desire for more options, and a surge in preplanning and prepaying for services to protect the deceased wishes well in advance of judgement day.
In his Spy interview, Kirk also talks about the changing demands on those in the funeral industry, from conducting more secular programs to providing grief services, the use of social media and technology, as well as dealing more openly about the occupational hazards that come with the profoundly emotional issues of grief and human loss.
This video is approximately eight minutes in length
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