Clients A Matter Of Tradition For Many N.O. Funeral Homes
Submitted by:	N.O.V.A. April 2005
Source:  	Times Picayune 07-08-1990

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Although not as prevalent today as in the past, many funeral homes
in New Orleans have a clientele that is still distinctly black or
white.

While state segregation laws governing funeral home policies have
long since been wiped off the books, traditions remain intact.

Black and white cultures have different funeral rites and some
funeral homes are better able to handle these traditions than
others, said Bobbie Francois, director of Louisiana Undertaking.

Black funerals, for example, tend to last longer with a greater
emphasis on cultural and religious practice - wakes, dismissals,
sometimes even a jazz funeral send-off. Francois also said it is
common for a black funeral to be held as often as a week after the
death, on the weekend so friends and relatives from out of town or
people who can't get off work can attend.

Industry insiders say simple habit also plays a role in determining
which funeral home is selected. Older funeral homes that have served
certain segments of the city's community for decades thrive in the
1990s with essentially the same clientele. Gertrude Geddes Willis,
with four funeral homes in New Orleans, has had an overwhelmingly
black clientele since the 1860s. The same holds true for the Rhodes
Funeral Home, founded in 1885, and the Dorothy Lawless Mortuary,
which has served two generations of Orleanians.