For over a century, Royal Funeral Home has been a pillar of support for grieving families, particularly in the black community. Through four generations, the owners have dedicated themselves to providing the utmost care and compassion to those experiencing the loss of a loved one, and at a time when equitable access to services was not available for black citizens.

The business came into the family of current owners Karen and David Smith in 1940 when Karen’s grandfather, Lawrence Hundley, acquired it after the passing of the original founder, Charles King Binford. In 1969, Karen’s father, James A. Jones, bought the business from her grandparents, and in 2000, the Smiths purchased it from her father, ensuring its legacy and commitment to serving their community continued.

Karen and David Smith recently sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to share the joys and challenges of operating one of the oldest funeral homes in Alabama.

How did it come about that you joined the family business?

Karen: We purchased Royal from my parents in 2000. My father offered to give it to us, but my mother said, “No, we bought it from my father, so they can buy it from us,” and if you knew my mother, you knew she was very serious about that statement.

As I was working (in Atlanta) in my own career, I decided to enroll in Gupton-Jones Mortuary College. I figured I could jaunt to Alabama and do my two year apprenticeship, and then I’ll go back to the business when daddy is 100. But two things happened when I initially moved here for that apprenticeship.

I discovered school gives you a foundation, but the actual practice in areas such as embalming, is an art that must be practiced. The other thing I noticed was the art of dealing with grief. You wear so many hats, as a counselor, a financial adviser, and so forth. I found myself enjoying learning from my father, and I started thinking, I should take advantage of absorbing as much knowledge as possible.

He was my father, but in the business, he was a mentor to me. That part was immensely important, and I genuinely enjoyed working with our families.

What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?

Karen: Being a business owner is a major responsibility, especially because you must put in the work. It is not a one-woman/one-man show. An aspect that I enjoyed most was being able to work under the leadership of my father and learn his craft firsthand.

I’ve worked harder for my family and this business than I’ve ever worked in life. In theory, you must enjoy being committed and dedicated. I have sacrificed a great deal of personal time; however, the joys of being able to call something yours and experience it develop and progress over time is priceless.

How do you balance personal and professional life?

Karen: Balancing personal and professional is difficult in this industry as we are still personally answering calls 24 hours a day. In this industry, at least for us, you have to blend it together. Now we could have an answering service, but I’m sort of (very much) like my father. I’ve called too many funeral homes for information, and they would call me back three or four days later. I don’t want that for this business, and that’s an aspect I don’t want families to endure.

Everything is so automated, and you lose the nature of the live person. I believe for our business they (clients) shouldn’t have to go through a robotic automation or an unfamiliar answering service. I want to provide a person that they can talk to. When you’ve had a death, three minutes can seem like an eternity if you’re waiting for a phone call from the funeral director.

Describe the Royal brand and the significance of that to your business.

Karen: What really set my father apart is everyone received a royal service, whether you lived in Councill Court or whether you lived in South Huntsville or whether you lived in North Huntsville. It did not matter if you were a well-known professor or doctor or if you were the janitor at Calvary Hill. Everyone who walked through our doors knew that they would be treated with grace and serviced, and the level of service was not based on what was paid.

What are some of the challenges of your business and how have you overcome those?

Karen: The biggest challenge was that I showed up in a male-dominated industry. At that time, the women who worked at Royal were either receptionists or hostesses (during family hours), and so most of the men did not quite accept me as an equal. In other words, they didn’t believe I would last. So I had to do everything they did to demonstrate that I wasn’t going anywhere and I was not Mr. Jones’ cute daughter. I will work like you. When they washed the cars, I would go out and wash the cars. They moved caskets, I moved caskets. Sometimes they would say,

‘That’s not a woman’s work’ and I said, ‘In funeral service, there shouldn’t be a woman’s work.’ In the beginning, it was very difficult for me.

David: People ask, how can you work every day with your wife in business, and then go home and spend the evening with her. When we leave, we have to get out of business mode, and now it’s family time, and we have to be able to enjoy each other as a family.

What is the secret to your success?

Karen: This is a business that you must pour your heart and soul into, and David and I have put our heart and soul into this business. Our hearts pour into helping others, which is more of an act of service. That’s what makes us successful.