As The Hearse Turns

09/17/2026

My art studio looks a little different from your typical art studio 🎨

Instead of paintbrushes and palettes of colorful paint, I work with cosmetics, lipstick, cotton, tweezers, syringes, Feature Builder, hairspray, and many other tools and products used while caring for someone and preparing them for their viewing.

There is so much art involved in funeral service. Restoring natural features, selecting the right cosmetic shades, styling someone’s hair, and paying attention to the smallest details all require a careful eye and an artistic touch. Sometimes, we are working from a photograph. Other times, we rely on what a family tells us about how their loved one wore their hair, the shade of lipstick they preferred, or the little details that made them look like themselves ❤️

Every face is different, and every person deserves to be cared for as an individual. I truly believe you need an artistic side to do this work because the smallest details can make the greatest difference. Our goal is never to make someone look “made up.” It is to help them look natural, peaceful, and recognizable to the people who love them.

My supplies may look different, but this is absolutely an art, and it is one I feel incredibly honored to practice ❤️

09/16/2026

Wagner-Elfner and Burg Funeral Home & Cremation Services and Wagner-Elfner & Harkins Funeral Home and Cremation Services are teaming up today to serve a family ❤️

~ Christopher Boggs - Mortician and Katharine K. Wagner-Elfner, Mortician

09/15/2026

I know it’s been a little while since we’ve posted a video, so I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to bring you back inside the prep room with me.

Over the next few weeks, we have multiple services taking place between both of our funeral homes, so all of us are jumping in wherever we’re needed to help one another and, most importantly, make sure every family in our care is taken care of.

In this video, I’m going to walk you through preparing someone for their service. I’ll talk about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, how I approach certain things, and some of the little details that go into getting someone ready for their family.

As always, every person is different, every situation is different, and every funeral home may do things a little differently. I can only show you how we do things here and why we choose to do them that way.

So come inside the prep room with me, and let’s get to work ❤️

09/14/2026

Florida trip: over. ✈️

We got home, picked up the dogs, unloaded, grabbed a bite to eat… and then the phone rang.

Now I’m headed right back out the door and down to the funeral home because a family needs us.

That’s funeral service.

Death doesn’t look at the clock. It doesn’t check your vacation schedule. It doesn’t care that you just walked through the front door.

When that phone rings, somebody on the other end may be having one of the hardest moments of their life.

And our job is to answer.

So tonight, the suitcase can wait.

There’s a family to care for and a loved one who deserves our attention.

Vacation mode: OFF.

Funeral Director mode: ON.

This is the side of funeral service you don’t always see.

09/14/2026

09/11/2026

… and yes, I wear proper footwear, too, which is not what I am currently wearing.

Not everything deserves a place on the Internet and my embalming shoes have definitely seen better days.

09/09/2026

Well the wifi at my resort stinks. I tried to go live twice with no success. Was going to hang out for awhile as Michelle and Skylar get ready for our evening.

-Christopher Boggs - Mortician

09/06/2026

Two questions I’m asked regularly are: How long does an embalming take? and What chemicals do you use?

The answer to both really comes down to the same thing: every embalming is different because every person is different.

I never premix my embalming solution before I’ve had an opportunity to physically see and assess the individual in front of me. Once they are in our care, I can determine what their specific needs are, what challenges may be present, and what my goals are for their preparation. From there, I tailor the solution accordingly.

This is a little real-life look at that process. Troy and Loreena are returning from a call while I’m waiting to make my assessment before mixing my solution. It’s also a good example of what working together behind the scenes at a funeral home actually looks like.

Loreena and I also performed another formaldehyde monitoring test on this particular day… just another part of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into doing this job safely and properly 🙂