‘It’s what we do’: How Koch Funeral Home navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and adapted
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Business Matters: Path to COVID Recovery
From restaurants to hotels, gyms to theaters, no business has been immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. What unites many in Centre County, however, is the resiliency shown in the face of tremendous challenges including shutdowns, fewer customers and financial struggles. Business Matters: Path to COVID Recovery highlights the ways businesses across the county have adapted to pandemic challenges, and what lessons they’ll take into the post-pandemic world.
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Glenn Fleming, supervisor and co-owner of Koch Funeral Home, offered a slight chuckle when asked the last time he was able to take a vacation.
After all, pandemics and funerals don’t often leave room for weekend trips.
“Last February,” he said, behind a navy-blue mask. “I went back to working and being available all the time because there wasn’t enough staff to deal with this. We’re still on that schedule. I don’t know how to get out of it until it slows down.”
Fleming, who took over the State College business in 1973, offered a calm voice throughout a recent afternoon. His muted laugh was one of the few times he wavered from a steady demeanor, but the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges — and solutions — that he’s never before seen.
While other businesses were either forced, or able, to close for a few weeks and reorganize, the 107-year-old building at 2401 S. Atherton St. was forced to adapt and adjust on the fly. People may have stopped going to restaurants, or limited their shopping, but deaths — unsurprisingly — continued.
“You have to understand, funeral services move like a turtle; it doesn’t make big leaps and bounds,” Fleming said. “It’s still essentially the same now as it was in 1962 when I became a funeral director. It’s changed more in the past year than it has in the past number of years.”
That didn’t just apply to the funeral services themselves. Blue circles were fixed to the floor of the funeral home to promote social distancing, plexiglass was installed where he would meet with families, and masks were required at all times. Safety (and cleaning) fast became the top priority, for both his clients and his employees.
Still, they had a duty. So Fleming made sure he did all he could do. He locked down the building at the pandemic’s start, allowing only those who were masked and/or had an appointment to walk through the entrance. He swore he was never afraid — “As long as you protect yourself and take the appropriate steps, that’s all you can do,” he said — but he admitted his staff was a little jumpy.
“It was always kind of in the back of your mind when you met with somebody,” said Katie Monsell, a funeral director who’s worked there for six years. “But you have to do what you have to do. These people can’t choose when their loved one passes away, so you just have to put whatever’s in your mind away and do your best for the family you’re assisting.”
The state’s COVID-19-related restrictions applied to funeral homes, including decreased business capacities and limited outdoor gatherings, so Koch Funeral Home was forced to adapt like everyone else. It restricted the number of visitors inside to 25, then 15, then 10 — and then back to 15. After speaking with two consultants, drive-up and virtual services were quickly offered. And the building, which could comfortably hold separate events, was also limited to one at a time.
In some ways, the business is still adjusting. But, although some services have been tweaked, much of what Koch Funeral Home offers has remain unchanged over the last few months.
Remote viewing is still offered, with fees ranging from $550 to $650, and families can choose a livestream or recording. (Initially, only a livestream was offered.) Celebrant Jackie Naginey Hook can help create a virtual remembrance circle, with family virtually sharing stories. And visitations, which some might refer to as viewings, can be held in-person, via drive-through or virtually.
Fleming isn’t sure when his next vacation might come. Business has picked up about 8% since October, so he’s fortunate to find an occasional Sunday to take off. But, whatever the future brings, Fleming said Koch Funeral Home isn’t going anywhere.
“We’re not getting many days of rest, and that’s not good for the soul,” Fleming said matter-of-factly. “That being said, we do it anyway because we’re here to serve the community as best we can. That’s our mission.
“It’s what we do.”
