Hall of Famer Dawson deals with coronavirus as a mortician

MIAMI (AP) — The man consoling mourners and directing his staff at Paradise Memorial Funeral Home might look familiar if he wasn't wearing a mask.

It's baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson.

Owning a funeral home took some getting used to, Dawson said Thursday, and now he's adjusting to life as a mortician during a global pandemic.

Thus the mask. He wears gloves, too, and explains to customers that services in the chapel must be a lot shorter than normal and limited to 10 people.

“It's very sad,” he said. “It's very sad. Because people mourn and grieve differently, and they're not getting through that process as they would under normal circumstances. You see a lot of hurt and pain.”

Dawson, 65, entered the business in 2003, when he became an investor in his younger brother's funeral home. An opportunity to own and operate Paradise Memorial arose 12 years ago.

“It kind of fell into my lap,” he said. “Growing up I could have never envisioned this. I was actually afraid of the dead when I was a kid.

"When it came to funeral homes and seeing someone in a casket, it would remind me of being young and going to see a real scary horror movie and not being able to sleep at night. That’s where I was. But you grow and change with the times.”

The times are especially challenging these days. A Brooklyn funeral home became so overwhelmed by the coronavirus it stored dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks until a passerby complained this week about the smell, officials said.

Paradise Memorial has dealt with six deceased COVID-19 victims, Dawson said. He met with employees Thursday to ensure they're prepared if the caseload becomes heavier.

His wife of 42 years, Vanessa, is the office manager, while his uncle runs the day to day operation. The staff totals 23,...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Hall-of-Famer-Dawson-deals-with-coronavirus-as-a-15237966.php