Page A28 November 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A For a one-time fee, the Travel Plan by Inman provides a lifetime of travel protection. The Only Travel P an Backed By Inman Shipping Worldwide ©adfinity® Contact us today to learn more. (888) 889-8508 • travelplan@shipinman.com ShipInman.com Share this NEW resource with grieving families to remind them that they are not alone. One Block West of the White House Continued from Page A4 directors,” says Lyn. What’s unique to book two is that they address unlicensed workers in the funeral industry. They are typically former employees and staff members, who may on the outside look professional, but because they aren’t licensed, some things fall through the cracks, Lyn says. “People should have respect for the profession, go to school, and get the proper credentials. If they have no license, problems arise,” she adds. Lyn is a member of the Quaker State Funeral Directors Association and has upheld the profession for the last 20 years. The women celebrated the release of the second book with a party for family, friends, staff, and colleagues on September 29th. Approximately 60 people showed up for the event that took place in Philadelphia. The venue was Bleu Brook Events, a new business that had recently opened. They sold books at the party, which was similar to a happy hour event. The books were placed in a baby casket on display. A video from the party can be viewed on their Instagram page at 2ladyundertakers. “The community supported us,” says Lyn, who adds that they brought 75 books to the party and sold out. “People bought books for themselves and to give as gifts.” “We didn’t do an excerpt reading, but at other venues, it might be appropriate,” Lyn says, pointing out that the book has many funny, poignant moments in it. Lyn says that there is a third book in them. They are planning to start writing at the beginning of next year. “We want this to be a movie,” she says. The book is available on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com and the ebook became available as of October 1st. PHILADELPHIA,PA— Business partners and best friends Lyn Johnson and Lisa Branch-Tucker have written and released the second book in the Lady Undertaker trilogy following much anticipation. The first book in the trilogy was titled Lady Undertaker and was published in 2010. “It takes place in Georgia, which is very different from our experience,” says Lyn, who is located in the northeast. The book centers on three women funeral directors - two licensees and one widower of the funeral home. The book covers the highs and lows of living as funeral directors. The second book is entitled Lady Undertaker 2: Embalmer’s Blues. Instead of following the three ladies, it focuses on their head embalmer and their relationship with him. The book covers a funeral in each chapter. “It covers a lot of the back story of the funeral industry -- things we have to do and everyone’s role in it,” says Lyn. “It’s set ten years later [from the first book]. There’s been divorce, death, remarriage, and children growing up. It could be anyone - plumbers, bakers, anyone. But it’s funeral Second Book in Lady Undertaker Series, The Embalmer’s Blues, Released Continued on page A30 very properly documented and eventually ran the risk of being lost. The story of Joseph Gawler’s Sons needed to be told, and it was then I began my research and the accumulation of artifacts surrounding the history of the firm. At about the same time, we undertook the mammoth project of redecorating and authentically updating the entire building. During this time, a woman – the daughter of one of Walter Gawler’s (Walter was a third-generation Gawler and president of the funeral home) – stopped in during a vacation to District of Columbia. As we talked, she said she had some family albums, pictures and historical documents she would share. To say I was thrilled to meet her would be an understatement as I didn’t think there were any Gawler’s legacies still around. This chance meeting led to a Gawler family reunion during an open house, celebrating the completion of the funeral home’s restoration and redecoration. After meeting the various family members, I was honored to receive more historical photographs and other Gawler ephemera. An interview for an article in Southern Calls magazine about Gawler’s and the restoration led me to meet Texas journalist Alice Adams; and, from that interview, we agreed, there was a story to tell and a history to be documented before it was lost. Shortly after we began planning the book, COVID-19 struck this country with full force. However, we soldiered through, making good use of the quarantines and kept researching, using digital resources and Gawler’s records. You could say we were more than determined to preserve this history that so closely paralleled the history of District of Columbia and our country. Q: So, where did the book’s title originate? A: The original two Gawler facilities were literally a block west of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, and after much thought and deliberation became the title of our book, “One Block West of the White House.” Q: Seriously, it took 30 months to write and publish your book? A: A history dating back to 1850 takes a serious amount of research and written pages. The book covers the firm from its beginning in 1850 and ends at the acquisition in 1970 to SCI. The book is 4 pages shy of 600 pages total. Even being lengthy, I think the reader will enjoy the fact it’s a book you can put down at the end of one chapter and not be lost when you return to reading it further. Each chapter is a specific historical episode, all on its own. In my opinion, this book can be classified as “an easy read.” Q: Is this the first book you’ve written? A: Yes, although I didn’t really have a reason until now. I began writing some of the actual chapters in early January 2020. At that time, I had no idea we were about to enter into a pandemic which would pretty much isolate us from the freedoms we typically take for granted. When there was nowhere to go or things to be entertained by, I decided to use my time in the evenings by writing. The entire manuscript took a little over two years to write and an additional four months for it to be printed. It literally was my personal pandemic project. The timing for this project, however, was perfect. I like to think the stars aligned perfectly because I had several primary sources to call upon in writing the book. William Gawler in Florida and Bob Gawler in Maryland were a wealth of both information and first-hand accounts when it came to the history of the firm. They were able to provide not only documents and scrapbooks chock full of newspaper clippings related to funerals of famous Americans, but they also shared a recording of their sister who gave a rundown of family history. These items proved to be most helpful in putting the stories together. I put my District of Columbia library card to use, accessing their digital records of The Evening Star and the Washington Post. Over the years some of the high-profile files were separated out from the main body of Gawler’s records, but in all actuality, they contained very little information of use to the story. Q: Gawler’s Sons was the firm called upon for JFK’s funeral, which then-President Joe Hagen directed. How extensive were Gawler’s records because Joe never shared the details with his family or fellow directors. A: Good question. First of all, there’s a chapter in the book about Joe Hagen, and we called on his son, also a
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