Funeral home damaged by storm gets new location
Gladden had returned to her hometown of
About two weeks before Matthew hit on
The funeral home never closed after that first storm in late September.
Then Hurricane Matthew hit.
"When I walked in there," she said, alluding to the day following that ominous Saturday in October, "I felt like I was totally defeated. I felt there was no future for me and
But even then, the funeral home remained in business, thanks to a good Samaritan in the same line of work.
Come Thursday,
The former site, a large brick building with a memorial chapel at
"We'll never be in there again," she said from the new building, former home to
She said the former building was a total loss, and she was unable to draw financial assistance from the government. The
Lost in the flooding was vintage furniture, lamps, tables, records and other paperwork.
"This is the blessing," she said with dramatic flair.
"She was worried that a lot of people would think they were closed," said Jernigan-Warren operations manager
"I shouted to the Lord," Gladden said, her face beaming.
"Can you believe it?"
For about a year, Lancaster said,
When the director of the N.C. Funeral Board told Gladden she could not keep the business pre-need files at her home, where she maintained a temporary office in her living room, they began looking for something temporary.
The new site is less than a mile from the former
"It's a legacy. We're very happy to be back," she said. "It's not a job for us. It's a calling."
Staff writer
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