Fear and empathy at LA funeral home serving Black families

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When people began dying from the coronavirus in the United States, for a few weeks funeral home owner Candy Boyd declined to receive the remains of such patients.

There were too many unknowns, and Boyd didn’t feel like her employees had the training or equipment to safely handle the remains of people who may have active COVID-19 infection in their bodies. But the calls kept coming. Desperate families said other funeral homes were also not receiving people who died of the virus.

Boyd, 53, decided she had to make it work. She reminded herself that she got into the funeral home business more than 10 years ago after running a construction company because she wanted to help people in their most vulnerable state. And the communities her funeral home serves, Black people and others of color in South Los Angeles, were clearly being hard hit.

“It tugged at my heart strings,” said Boyd. “To hear some of the stories I’ve heard in the last three months has been incredible. People having to say goodbye through an iPad, a window.”

“Many have not seen their family members in 30 days. The next time they see them is in a casket," she said.

With some other homes still not taking bodies, Boyd said her facility's workload has increased by 40% while constantly adapting to changing state and local regulations.

The first months, she had trouble sleeping and eating. Her 32-year-old daughter, who also works at the funeral home, persuaded her to stop watching the news.

“When the pandemic first started, I had nightmares, I would wake up in a cold sweat thinking about this,” said Boyd.

Boyd is among many funeral home directors and morticians with misgivings about whether to accept those felled by the virus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild...