Michael Kelly drives 35 minutes or more to and from work every day from his home in Grovertown, Indiana. What makes this drive worth the daily commute? Coming to work at Bartholomew Funeral Home, where Kelly has worked as a funeral director for the past year.
"They're really great here. The whole staff, they're pretty much like family," said Kelly.
Finding himself in a career as a funeral director was not always Kelly's plan however, and one that arose out of tragic circumstances. When Kelly began going to school at Ivy Tech in 2011 at age 38, he knew he wanted to help people, but wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He explored options in the medical field such as nursing or becoming a dental hygienist. What he knew for certain is that he wanted something more meaningful than his previous factory job and to find a truly rewarding career.
However, two years into his schooling, Kelly's 23 year-old brother got into a car accident which claimed his life and would change the course of Kelly's future. When he flew out to California to attend the funeral and comfort his mother and sister, he found the funeral home there was especial attentive to his family's needs during this tragic moment in their lives.
"The way they helped us through that whole process, they were great. They did a great job, we wanted to have a viewing at the service, and they were able to provide that," explained Kelly. "That is probably one of the most important parts of the funeral, is to be able to view the person. That is what steered me to this field, they helped us tremendously and I wanted to help people in the same way."
When Kelly returned to Indiana he did just that. He joined Ivy Tech's Mortuary Program and, four years later, he was officially a funeral director. He worked for a time at a funeral home in Michigan City before finding his home at Bartholomew Funeral Home in Valparaiso.
"I think they [Bartholomew] treat people more like family than other funeral homes. Some of the other, larger funeral homes can make things more business like. so it is not as personable. I think that Michael [Newhard] and all the directors truly do care and try to treat all the people in the community like family. I know I do."
It is at Bartholomew that he has been able to realize his dreams of helping people in the community during these intimate and tragic moments in their lives.
"The most rewarding thing is helping families. When they come up to you when you've done an embalming and they say, 'Thank you, she looks ten years younger, Thank you, she looks great.' That is the most rewarding," said Kelly.
As for what he does to unwind from what can be an emtionally demanding career, Kelly enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, Angela, and son, Zachary.
"I don't always get a lot of free time, so, when i get free time, I like to spend it with them. I do it all for them."