While most of DorLisa Musselman-Loney’s friends in youth group were grossed out when they toured a funeral home 10 years ago, she was fascinated. The smell of the preparation room didn’t bother her, and the experience stuck in her mind. So after attending Bible college and holding a few part-time jobs, DorLisa decided to become a funeral director.

While every state and province has its own rules and regulations, in Ontario DorLisa completed two years of education to receive her funeral director’s license. The first year she learned the technical aspects of the body, the preparation involved, how to use the chemicals and some of the legislation and what the government requires. The second year she learned hands-on by working at a funeral home.

Making Arrangements
Planning a funeral and visitation includes coordinating the minister, organist, florist and newspaper notices. “We take care of absolutely everything so that in the end, the family has one bill from us,” she says.

DorLisa’s job is a lot of “hurry up and wait.” She hurries to do the paperwork then waits until everybody arrives. Then she hurries to set up the visitation. Her daily routine depends on how many calls they receive, but the majority of her work is completing paperwork, the register books and cards in memory of the deceased. If the family requests full-service, she will also prepare the body.

Graham Giddy Funeral Home does about 150 funerals a year. “I answer the phone every day and through the night, so if the hospital or police call, ‘There’s been a car accident, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning, can you come?’ We get up at 2 a.m., and we go,” DorLisa says.

Unique Perspective
Because her husband is also a funeral director, DorLisa is grateful to have him to talk to. “Even doctors and nurses don’t understand our side [of caring for people]. Their point is to try to help people, but we’ve got a body on our table that we can’t help,” she says. “It’s the survivors we’re trying to help.”

DorLisa describes her job as rewarding and fulfilling. But sharing Christ in her workplace takes tact. “I’m not going to say to a wife who’s husband just passed away, ‘Your husband’s probably in hell, but you can go to heaven.’ Sharing my faith is about my lifestyle and being there to listen,” she says.

The best part of her job is when families come back to say thank you. “When I prepare Mom or Dad, and I think, Oh my goodness, he doesn’t look anything like he should, and the family says, ‘He looks so great,’ I love that part. The best part is when the families are happy.”

Fast Facts
How many digits in a paycheck?
Starting salary for a funeral home employee is $20,000-25,000 Canadian (U.S. $15,000-$18,000). The maximum salary in Canada is $80,000.

“Hey, I think I could do this!”
Do you . . .
• enjoy helping people?
• have a sense of humor?
• respect death?
• offer a shoulder to cry on?

Making It Happen
• Tour a local funeral home. If you’re intrigued by what goes on there, you may enjoy this career.
• Talk to a funeral home director to see if he or she has volunteer opportunities available.
• Take science courses in high school and college to know the parts of the body.
• Complete business and computer courses if you’d like to open your own funeral home.

Wise Words
“As long as you’re happy doing your job, you can make the finances work. Don’t wake up every morning wishing you didn’t have to go to work.” —DorLisa Musselman-Loney

Most Unusual Request
Bring pets to the funeral.

Name: Gina Guddat
Resides In: Seattle
Number of Candles on Her Cake: 39
Cool Job: Fitness Professional
Company: F.I.T. Decisions Foundation

Gina Guddat hasn’t always been a fitness and nutrition guru. When she was a teen in the 1970s, convenience foods were new and cool, and there wasn’t much information about nutrition. Her breakfasts consisted of Cocoa Puffs and raspberry Pop-Tarts. For lunch, she’d pack a PB&J sandwich, Fritos and a Ding Dong. Then she occasionally ate SpaghettiOs for dinner. Her mother also got a waiver to excuse Gina from P.E. class from seventh through 12th grade because Gina was bad at team sports and felt uncomfortable.

“Typical exercise was not my forte,” she says. “I did, however, love dance, so cheerleading — and eventually aerobics — motivated me basically because of the music and movement.”

In college, Gina tried aerobic classes and thought they were a perfect match. She needed a job, so she searched for methods of certification.

In the Community
Gina’s first aerobics class was through a fitness ministry at Shoreline Community Church in Seattle. When Gina switched jobs to work in a mainstream health club, her goal was to penetrate the market using Christian crossover music and wellness education at the gyms. She worked at many mainstream fitness chains and even became the coordinator of a few. “Several of my students became Christians and began attending a women’s Bible study I taught,” she says.

When the fitness industry created a certification for personal trainers, Gina rushed to take the course so she could work from home and be with her three daughters.

Through her home business, Focal Point Fitness, Gina tailors a workout specifically for each client’s body and lifestyle. She has run races with clients, got ladies ready for ski season, rehabbed people after injuries and surgeries, and worked with pre- and postnatal women. She even trained a homecoming queen one fall.

“People love to be cared for one-on-one. When I’m with a client, she has my undivided attention for a full hour,” Gina says. “Combining the benefits of exercise with someone who’ll listen, provides both physical and emotional benefits. It’s not hard to stay busy as a personal trainer.”

Motivating Others
An additional part of Gina’s career is speaking at conferences at which she motivates women and teen girls to reach their physical, spiritual and emotional goals.

“We need to realize that all these areas are connected. Many people are only working on one aspect. Once women begin to embrace the whole picture instead of segmenting things, they become healthier and happier.”

To start the “Girls Only” conference for teens, Gina pooled a panel of experts to learn the main issues of teen girls. “Girls Only” covers topics such as healthy decision-making, eating disorders, lack of exercise, boundaries in relationships and dealing with stress. But all these issues come down to one thing: how a teen girl feels about herself. (More information about these conferences may be found at www.fitdecisions.org.)

Fast Facts
How many digits in a paycheck?
Aerobic instructors make $10 to $30 per class. Personal trainers charge $25 to $60 per one-hour session, depending on the city. Consulting or speaking full-time will range from $35,000 to $40,000 per year.

“Hey, I think I could do this!”
Are you . . .
• confident in your own body and health?
• comfortable with movement?
• passionate for helping others get healthy?

Making It Happen
• Earn an exercise science degree at college. You can use it to work in a hospital’s rehab facility, at a gym or health club, or start your own wellness company.

• Most national certification programs like ACE (American Council on Exercise) won’t train anyone under 18. But as a teen, you can prepare by attending several fitness classes.

• Take a dance class at a studio or community center to find choreography ideas for aerobic workouts.

Wise Words
“[Your purpose] is about getting out into the world and making a difference using your gifts and talents. People want to be loved and cared for. Fitness is a practical way to do that.” —Gina Guddat

Order Christian aerobic music at www.faithfullyfit.com.