Compassionate calling

Moses Lake residents open new funeral home

MOSES LAKE - Scott Carver's favorite part of his job is the chance he gets to work with people.

"I enjoy meeting families and meeting the community at a really difficult time in their life," he said. "I enjoy taking them into our care, and holding their hand, giving them a hug, whatever it takes to help them get through this time."

One could call the duties of a funeral director a ministry, Carver said, but he considers it a lifestyle.

"It's my way of helping everybody, without any judgment," he said. "Whatever the needs are, whatever the circumstances are around the death that you suffer, it's just my way of paying it forward, because I've been blessed in my life."

Scott and his wife of 15 years, Nicole, launched Affordable Funeral Options, LLC Nov. 16.

He had worked for corporate and private funeral homes before returning to Moses Lake.

"My idea to open my own funeral home came about after working with the corporate funeral homes, charging more and giving less service," he explained. "I wanted to open my own establishment because I wanted to provide a good, professional service at an affordable price. It's not just about dollars and cents for me. It's more of a calling in my life instead of a profession."

Scott became interested in the calling after his 9-year-old daughter from a previous marriage was killed in a homicide by her uncle 11 years ago.

Scott says he has forgiven her killer and his first wife's family and is moving forward.

"That's how come he can relate, to especially sudden deaths," Nicole said.

The experience with the corporate-owned funeral home was awful, Scott said.

"You just get the run of the mill, you're treated as a number," Nicole echoed. "He just said, 'Does everybody have to be treated like that?'"

Scott wanted to treat customers with compassion, dignity and provide a personal service.

"The people that dealt with us were not compassionate, caring, or anything like that," Nicole said. "They weren't even like, 'Oh, I'm so sorry this happened to you.'"

"They basically just told me what I needed to get done," Scott said. "It's a tough time for families. It can be really difficult, especially with children or unexpected deaths. Those are the tough ones, and I wanted to make sure that I'm going to be able to offer compassionate service at those times."

The Carvers do not plan to charge for services for the death of a child, only for merchandise purchased, such as a casket or cemetery costs.

Scott views this as a service he can give back to the community.

"There are so many burdens when a death occurs, especially with unexpected deaths," he said. "Cost is a big part of it. That can add so much more burden on families. Other than losing their loved one, the financial burden is huge. That's why I'm Affordable Funeral Options. It's the same service, just at a lower cost."

Nicole was born and raised in Moses Lake. Scott moved to town in 1989 and the couple married in 1991, leaving in 1999 and returning to open the full-service funeral home. The couple has four children.

The Carvers say they have been well-received since they returned, although they had not yet conducted any business.

"Family's here, and I believe I can offer a real good service to the community here," Scott said. "This is really home for us."

The couple plans to provide service to the entire Basin area as it grows, and hire more employees as the business dictates. Scott finds it satisfying to meet the families, members of the clergy and other community residents and civic groups.

"In this business, you get to meet everybody, and that's so gratifying, to get to know everybody and really be a part of the community as a whole," he said.

Affordable Funeral Options is located at 215 E. Broadway Ave., Suite A, in Moses Lake. For more information, call 509-764-5586 or e-mail affordablefo@gcpower.net.

Affordable Funeral Options, LLC, holds an open house Dec. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.