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Dahlonega Funeral Home staff member Homer Doster awaits an opportunity to comfort grieving families. (Photo by Sarah Steed)
By Sarah Steed / The Nugget -------------- Ninety years old and still on his feet, Homer Doster works at Dahlonega Funeral Home, filling the room with laughter while comforting discouraged families.
It all began 10 years ago, shortly after Homer and his wife, Dot, moved to Dahlonega, and Homer was looking for something to do to fill his time.
So he talked to a close friend from his church, First Redeemer Baptist.
“I said ‘I think I’m a fairly nice looking guy, I think I can dress nice, I meet people, give me a job,” recalled Homer. That job wound up being at a local funeral home.
Homer now rotates between three funeral homes, Dahlonega, Cumming, and Cleveland. There he assists with visitations, meets with families and helps with the actual funerals.
Dahlonega Funeral Home director Amanda Jones has seen first-hand how Homer works to spread joy and comfort during their worst times.
“I cannot tell you the amount of compliments I’ve received,” she told The Nugget. “He is consistently referred to as being informative, kind, and compassionate, but the remark that stands out the most is that he just makes things better."
A LIFE WELL-LIVED
Homer has seen a lot in his ninety years.
Born in Atlanta, he graduated college from O'Keefe High School and served in the Navy in Korea from 1951-1954.
Upon retiring from the Navy, Homer married Dot his high school sweetheart of 68 years. They soon bought their first home in Decatur.
So what’s the secret to a long lasting marriage?
“It has to be fifty/fifty,” said Homer. “There may be moments when she has the right to decide and when I have to. We work best because we like doing the same things together. We make a good pair."
They have two sons and one granddaughter who now lives in Nashville. Homer worked as a salesman for 45 years before retiring for five years.
"I have always been busy doing something, whether hunting, fishing or doing anything to stay active,” he said.
Homer even received his pilot license at age 70 because he said, "It was something I have never done before."
‘A BLESSING’
Nowadays Homer strives to help others by standing by them during their most challenging time.
"I enjoy working here, and I meet so many people,” he told The Nugget while reclining in his chair in his office. “I got a card in the mail from a lady, and she was thanking me for helping her with her husband's funeral, and she said, 'I especially like Homer. He kept me laughing and smiling.'" Somedays, he said, are quiet, and other days it can be hectic. Experiencing a funeral all day throughout the week could put a damper on you and the people around you, but Homer never let a day go by where he didn't lift someone up. When he leaves work, Homer explained, "I leave it all at the funeral home. I pass it by, and I don't bring it home to my wife."
And that philosophy helps bring out the best in people during their worst times.
"Homer has truly been a blessing to so many families,” Jones said. “Sometimes it's just lending an ear and enjoying conversation, or maybe it's how he made them laugh or smile during the toughest days they had ever encountered."