My Biz: Daughter follows in her father’s footsteps in funeral home business

CEDAR RAPIDS - Beth Teahen Maas grew up watching her father, Peter Teahen, work has a funeral director but she never thought of going into the profession herself.

'I was actually finishing up a public relations degree at Mount Mercy (University) when my father suggested I help him out with a large memorial service he was planning,” Teahen Maas recalled.

The service, to mark the anniversary of an Alaskan plane crash, would involve being in California for three weeks with about 800 people in attendance.

'I got out there and I just understood. I had this a-ha moment. I cared about these people. So when we came home I told my dad I wanted to go to mortuary school,” she said.

And she did just that, graduating from mortuary school in 2003.

'It was the best thing I ever decided to do,” Teahen Mass said.

She then fills out paperwork and handles all the behind-the-scenes details of the service - from calling the minister and ordering the casket, vault or urn to speaking with the military if the deceased was a veteran, writing the obituary or working with the Social Security Administration, law enforcement and banks, if necessary.

'Sometimes it is as simple as knowing what church they belonged to and planning the service from there. Other times, when it is unexpected, I use my expertise to guide families through it,” Teahen Maas said. 'Unless you've gone through this, most people don't realize all that we do. Most people only deal with this a couple times in their life. This is what I do three times a week.”

Working closely with families is what Teahen Maas said makes her job so important to her.

'It's always been very important to me to meet with families and stay with them through the whole process. And I do my job as best as I can so they don't have any problems. I want to be perfect for them because they are going through enough of a hard time ...

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'I do cry for these families,” she said, noting that she often wears sunglasses often while on the job. 'I'd have to worry about it if I stopped crying for them.”

These days, Teahen Maas has had to scale back her direct contact with families. She given a diagnosis of a rare, aggressive cancer back in February and has been undergoing treatments since.

''People are sharing their intense grief with you and you have to be able to care for yourself and your family. My cancer diagnosis was eye opening because it's hard for me to not be here at work, but I need to take care of myself these days.”

Teahen Funeral Home currently has two other funeral directors, and the business continues while Teahen Maas beats her cancer.

The funeral home - which has been in operation since 1936 and in its current location since 1978 - added 9,000 square feet to upgrade its facilities. Among the changes are two renovated chapels that can hold up to 180 people for services.

l Heard of a small business open for more than a year that could make a good 'My Biz”? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com.

At a glance

l Funeral director: Beth Teahen Maas

l Business: Teahen Funeral Home

l Address: 3100 F Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids

l Phone: (319) 396-2616

l Website: http://www.teahenfuneralhome.com