At Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC), we love to see the success of our alumni, and we are even more excited when they continue to interact with the College. Jessica Burke is one of those invested students. A 2016 graduate of the Mortuary Science Program (MSP), Jessica continues to work and collaborate with the program, acting as a role model and valuable resource for the MSP students. Donna Backhaus, CGCC MSP Director, speaks very highly of Jessica. “Jessica was a great student,” said Backhaus. “She has been a true success. Jessica is also very humble, but she has achieved so much.”
We checked in with Jessica to find out more about where she started and what’s going on now!
Tell me a little about yourself… where are you from, where did you go to school, your military background, etc.
Jessica: I moved to Arizona in 2014 from Hawaii, where I had started my career in the death care industry. I worked at Borthwick Mortuary and Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary. I attended Chaminade University of Honolulu where I earned my B.A. in communications and marketing, however, we did not have any local schools that offered an accredited Mortuary Science program in the Islands. There were not many online Mortuary Science programs back then either. After researching, I decided to attend the Mesa Community College Mortuary Science Program [now CGCC]. I was also serving in the United States Army Reserves as a Mortuary Affairs Soldier. My first unit was at Fort Shafter, Honolulu with the 962nd Quartermaster (Mortuary Affairs) Company.
Why did you choose to study mortuary science?
Jessica: Originally, I had planned on trying to go into the field of public relations or marketing with my communications degree, even though I had always had an interest in the funeral industry. I wanted to go into a fulfilling line of work where I could still utilize my communication skills, but truly make a difference. That is when I decided to pursue the mortuary science degree and the licensing process.
What brought you to the program at CGCC?
Jessica: When I went to school the program was through Mesa Community College. It had a very good reputation and I had always loved Arizona. I have some family from Tucson and Arizona was always very special to me.
What are some of your memories from the program?
Jessica: Some of my fondest memories from the program were of Tom Taggart’s very colorful stories of his time in funeral service. Donna Backhaus, the current program director, was a wonderful instructor for our class and always very patient with the students. I loved the Restorative Art Project and meeting all the vendors and people from the industry. We would have visitors come to speak to the class and that was always very informative.
How did your career progress after school?
Jessica: When I was in school, I was working full time as a Funeral Director Apprentice for Dignity Memorial and still serving in the Army Reserves. Thankfully, I already had a position in the industry, but graduating from the program and becoming fully licensed opened many opportunities, for which I am so appreciative. After I graduated, I became a licensed funeral director/embalmer, then moved up to a location manager overseeing one funeral home, an area manager overseeing two funeral homes, and finally a general manager overseeing a funeral home and cemetery. In 2022, I completed my Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) through Purdue University, in hopes to take my career to a regional or corporate level.
What is your current position/responsibility?
Jessica: Currently, I am still employed with Dignity Memorial, and I am the General Manager of Valley of the Sun Mortuary and Cemetery in Chandler. I have a staff of 25 people and oversee both the funeral home and the cemetery, which was established in the late 1960s.
Why have you continued to work with the CGCC program?
Jessica: I will always be forever grateful to the Mesa/CGCC Mortuary Science Program and Donna Backhaus the program director. She has been a wonderful mentor and so encouraging as I progressed in my career. We are very lucky to have a local mortuary science college in the state of Arizona. The program offers a great deal of networking opportunities and tremendous, overall support to the death care community and students.
In what ways are you still partnering with CGCC?
Jessica: Since the passing of an industry legend, Bill Aaron, I am the SCI Scholarship Ambassador for Chandler-Gilbert Community College. [Service Corporation International is a large corporation that owns many funeral homes.] I will never be able to fill his shoes, but with this role, I present the SCI Mortuary Science Scholarship to the students and help them as needed when they apply. Other ways SCI and Dignity Memorial have partnered with CGCC, is we became a preceptor last year so the students could embalm at the Phoenix Care Center. I was very excited to work on this endeavor with my leadership and corporate because it allows the students to get their embalming completed throughout the semester, as our Phoenix Care Center is the hub for Dignity Memorial’s Phoenix and East Valley Mortuaries. I also have partnered with the Chandler PD Honor Guard and the US Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team in Phoenix to show the students live demonstrations of what it would be like to have a fallen police officer funeral or military/retiree/veteran funeral. The personnel that head these two programs have been incredibly supportive the program, students, and me.
What advice do you have for current and/or future MSP students?
Jessica: Some of the advice I would like to give to current and future students is to not give up on the industry. The burnout rate is high in the funeral service industry, and often students don’t account for this when they enter the field. The industry can have long hours and demanding schedules, which makes work/life balance difficult at times. However, the funeral service profession is an incredibly rewarding and interesting line of work. We need great people who care and show true empathy to others in such tough times. If you possess these qualities, stick with the industry because it can foster a fulfilling and exciting career.
What are some exciting things you have coming up with your job?
Jessica: One exciting thing I have coming up is that at Valley of the Sun Mortuary and Cemetery we are donating a designated area of our new section in the Garden of Hope to Chandler PD Fallen Officers and all East Valley First Responders (Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, and Phoenix), should they pass away in the line of duty. We will be dedicating a new monument to represent this police officer and first responder area as well. If a death should occur in the line of duty, the family can lay their fallen hero to rest at no cost in this new section of the cemetery. I will keep you posted as to when the formal dedication will occur.
Jessica and her accomplishments show what is possible for students, and our faculty are thankful for her continued dedication. Christy E. Liddicoat, CGCC Mortuary Science Instructor, attended the MSP Program alongside Jessica in 2016. “We became friends in school, and I am now happy to work alongside her in the funeral profession,” said Liddicoat. “In her position, Jessica has a good deal of influence which she has used to help CGCC MSP. It is so cool that Jessica and I were once good friends in the MSP program together and now we can both contribute to supporting CGCC MSP!”
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Interested in Mortuary Science? Learn more about the program at https://www.cgc.edu/degrees-certificates/mortuary-science.
