From the day he was born, T.J. Stevenson belonged to a funeral service family. His grandfather, Dale Stevenson, started Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City in 1962. Afterward, his father, Todd, and uncles Joe and Jon – along with their respective spouses – have since spread their wings into serving communities in Montana and North Dakota.
T.J., his parents and his sister Tiffany lived above the funeral home in Miles City until T.J. was about eight years old. He said it was like growing up in any other kind of family – ranching or farming – you knew no different. Since it was “normal” for him to live above a funeral home, he thought everyone did! However, he soon discovered he was the “odd one out.”
Being part of a family business at such a young age, he would often help with various jobs that needed to be done: washing cars, mowing the grass, and of course, lots of cleaning. Over the years, he graduated into other aspects of funeral services, such as assisting with funerals and transferring loved ones into the care of Stevenson & Sons.
By the time he graduated high school, he knew the next step was to go right off to mortuary school. He was fortunate to get a scholarship at Montana State University to play golf, and his parents suggested he pursue a bachelor’s degree and fulfill the scholarship for four years before going into the family business. He completed a Bachelor of Business Management and Marketing at MSUB and then went to Mount Hood Community College for a year to complete the mortuary schooling he needed to assist his family at the funeral home in Miles City in 2010.
What T.J. enjoys most about funeral service is meeting and helping families during their most difficult times. He finds it quite rewarding to be able to hold a person’s hand and help walk them through hard decisions, be able to cross paths with families he might never have met otherwise and be able to forge long-time friendships.
For someone interested in funeral service, T.J. strongly recommends they contact their local funeral home and ask to be able to shadow them on services around their business before applying to mortuary school. This is a great way for an aspiring funeral director to gain insight into what funeral service entails, but T.J. also strongly endorses the profession. It takes a lot of hard work, but the families one services make it worthwhile.
T.J. praised the MFDA board, explaining their importance to Stevenson & Sons. “We have always tried to make it a priority to support and be a part of MFDA,” T.J. explained, recalling that his mother, Terri Stevenson was on the board several years ago. Additionally, he was elected to the board as the Eastern District Governor for eight or nine years. “The MFDA family is a small, tight-knit group, and it has been a learning experience for me,” he said. He also encouraged members to apply to be on the board, as it is a great way to get to know other colleagues in the state who face the same issues every day. It is important to promote funeral services throughout the state and help local legislators with laws and regulations about their industry.
Working in funeral service has been a great experience for T.J. and his family, who are always looking for new ideas to better serve their fellow Montanans.
