John T. Hill will be a speaker at the 2026 MFDA Convention and Trade Show. 

For more than five years, Wally Hooker wrote a column for the Funeral Home and Cemetery News to teach, challenge and inspire us to step up and be better embalmers. When Wally announced that it was time to “know when to say when,” he asked me to continue writing the column. I felt humbled and honored, yet I also felt intimidated, nervous and full of doubt. How could I offer the same depth of knowledge and passion that Wally consistently brought? I knew I could never be Wally Hooker.

But someone needed to step up. And when the opportunity was placed before me, I realized it wasn’t an accident. Embalming education is still essential and should be at the forefront of our profession. It remains a defining aspect of our profession and one that separates funeral service from all other forms of death care. So here we are.

Think back to your own early days in funeral service: your first case, your first moment in the prep room alone, your first time wondering, “Do I have what it takes to be a good embalmer?” We all start as beginners and infants, nervous and unsure, trying to deliver excellence even while learning to walk in our calling. But at some point, each of us must stand on our own two feet and do the work we’ve been prepared to do. Growth in this profession should never stop. We should always be refining our techniques, improving our outcomes and striving to be better than we were yesterday.

How many times have you attended a continuing education course, read one of Wally’s articles or learned a new technique, only to have a case arrive shortly afterward that required exactly what you just studied? That isn’t a coincidence. That’s the moment to step up!

Why Must We Step Up?

First, the funeral home is counting on us. Employers and colleagues trust us to handle every case with excellence, dignity and professionalism.

Second, families are counting on us. They trust us with their dead and expect a peaceful last goodbye. Yet many are hesitant about viewing because of past viewing experiences. Our work can restore peace where fear exists. We can give families the gift of seeing their dead in a better way than at the moment of death.

Lastly, the future of funeral service is counting on us. The embalmers who have shaped this profession for decades will not always be here. Who will rise to take their place? It must be us. It must be now.

I will never forget beginning my apprenticeship under my mentor, Rodney Bright of Clements Funeral Service in Durham, North Carolina. He was the definition of an “old-school” embalmer: skilled, meticulous and deeply respected by the families he served. Even years later, people would approach him during visitations to thank him again for how beautifully he had cared for their loved ones.

Rodney began teaching me when he was 81. Though sharp and quick-witted, he often joked that he had forgotten more about embalming than I would ever know. The techniques he shared and the stories he passed down lit a fire within me to strive for excellence, to never settle for “good enough” and to give every family my absolute best because they deserve nothing less while going through the worst.

One day, he told me he was grateful I was there because he was tired and knew he wouldn’t always be able to continue. His words made the responsibility clear: It was time to step up!

We still need embalmers willing to do that today. My hope in continuing to write this column is not only to offer professional material and practical methods, but also motivation and meaning in what we do. Because it still matters to serve families. It still matters that the “guest of honor” is present. It still matters to prepare the deceased with care. It still matters to embalm.

This article has been edited for length and clarity. It was previously published in the January 2026 issue of Funeral Home and Cemetery News and is being shared with permission.