Helping the grieving a family tradition

ST. MARYS - Rob Cisco is satisfied with the course of his life. He has a family. He is a track coach and he has a job that allows him to help people when they are at their most vulnerable.

"I couldn't ask for more," Cisco said. "I love what I do. I love being able to help people, being there for them at a time of need."

Cisco, 32, is a funeral home-director, the third in a line of funeral-home directors. His dad, Bob Cisco, and his sister, Tammy Vernon, are funeral home directors.

"All of us went to the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science," Cisco said. "We're all graduates from there. One of the reasons I became a funeral home director was because of my sister. She was my role model. She was 10 years older than me, and I always thought if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me. My dad being a funeral-home director didn't hurt, either.

"It's a good arrangement, too. We can lean on each other for help. We're constantly spinning ideas off each other on how to make our funeral homes better for the public."

Rob Cisco runs and lives at a funeral home on Greenville Road near Joint Township District Memorial Hospital. Bob Cisco operates one at Celina, while Vernon and her husband, David, have funeral homes at Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg and Urbana.

Rob Cisco said there was nothing unusual about growing up around the funeral-home business.

"It was just like any other childhood," he said. "It wasn't any different. It's just the way life is. It wasn't abnormal at all. Most people might see it as odd, but, being around it, you realize it's just a natural part of life. You might be more aware of it. I didn't know anything else. It's how I grew up, and my kids are totally OK with it."

Cisco and his wife, Nikki, have three sons, Bennett, 10, Jack, 6, and Lennon, 2.

Changes Cisco sees to the funeral-home business include an increase in cremations and a desire among the grieving to make funerals more personal, ranging from picking music and clothing the deceased liked to displaying items that reflected their lives and hobbies.

"Some people want it to be very formal, very traditional," Cisco said. "Others want custom personalization. We also do a video tribute, which is so helpful, so therapeutic. They'll watch it the night of the viewing over and over again, and you see them healing inside while they're watching it."

In addition to services for people, Cisco also runs a cremation service for pets.

"People come in here and are upset about losing a pet and think there's something wrong that they are so upset," Cisco said. "It's satisfying to help them and to reassure them that it's OK, that grieving is grieving, and they leave here feeling like they're normal and not weird. It's OK to grieve for an animal you loved."

Cisco is a varsity track and cross country coach. He is a member of the St. Marys Kiwanis Club and St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce.

"I love coaching," Cisco said. "I am a runner myself. I love helping the kids achieve their goals. It's very rewarding to help a child build self-esteem and confidence in themselves through athletics. I get a kick out of that."