Isaiah Owens’ curiosity about funerals began at age 5 when he helped bury animals on the South Carolina farm where he grew up. The first time he saw a human corpse was during the funeral of his aunt.
After touching her head, he knew his calling was to become a funeral director.
Owens attended New York’s American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, from which he graduated in 1969. He went on to build his Owens Funeral Home in Harlem, billing it as the place “Where beauty softens grief.”
“I make people look like they are all in heaven,” said the funeral cosmetologist.
