A Calling Deferred, Not Denied: Sara Racher’s Journey to Funeral Service
As you may know, the Funeral Service Foundation is accepting applications for over 25 academic scholarships $2,500–$5,000 for mortuary school students and military veterans through Nov. 1. In support of spreading the word and encouraging applications, Connecting Diretors is profiling some of the past winners. This week, it’s Sara Racher.
Sara Racher’s path toward a career in deathcare began a quarter-century ago. Her initial interest was sparked in her early twenties after attending a friend’s funeral, an experience that left a lasting impression on her.
“The people that were hosting this event just were so intriguing, they were so compelling. They were so powerful without being powerful,” Racher said. “There was something that really drew me to the way that their presence. It invaded the room, but in a very subtle way. So I knew that there was something important, there was something of value that intrigued me.”
Motivated by the experience, Racher applied to and was accepted into funeral school in Alberta in 2001. However, life took an unexpected turn when she became pregnant. Choosing to put her academic ambitions on hold, she stepped away to raise a family.
Over the next two decades, Racher raised three children while balancing multiple night shifts and diverse jobs to accommodate her family’s needs. For 15 of those years, she served as a career paramedic. Yet, despite her dedicated service in emergency medicine, the desire to work in funeral services remained constant.
“There was always a different calling, right?” Racher said. “There was always something that was a little bit better, a little bit more fulfilling, a little bit more challenging that allowed me to fit into the world a bit better and to be a great role model for my children.”
Reentering Mortuary Science
In late 2025, Racher decided to pursue her passion once again. After reaching out directly to a local funeral home director to job-shadow, she was hired full-time at the funeral home in November 2025 and enrolled at the Canadian College of Funeral Services.
Despite balancing full-time employment, coursework, and family life, Racher excelled, completing her first year in April 2026 with high academic standing.
“I finished my first year in April with very high grades, despite the fact that I still continue to have multiple jobs and children and multiple commitments,” Racher said. “That’s how passionate I was about doing so well and learning as much as I could.”
Scholarship Eases Financial Burden
In the spring of 2026, Racher was awarded the Mark Hornibrook Academic Memorial Scholarship from the Funeral Service Foundation. The application process required answering essay questions, submitting transcripts, securing recommendation letters, and delivering a personal video submission detailing her background and personal resilience.
As a nontraditional student (Racher is approaching 50), she admitted feeling uncertain about her chances.
“I am a mature student … and that doesn’t always serve kindly when people are deciding who is the best fit for the future of the profession,” she said. “But somebody decided that I deserve this, and I am so very grateful for that decision.”
The financial assistance provided by the scholarship has significantly alleviated the pressure on her daily schedule, allowing her to focus more closely on her studies as she enters her second year.
“If I didn’t get the scholarship, I probably wouldn’t have been able to continue my studies, and it is sincerely divine that I was awarded this,” Racher said. “The desire to outperform everybody comes with a little bit more ease now that I can take on less of a workload because of this reduced financial burden.”
Looking Toward the Future of Death Care
Scheduled to graduate on May 1, 2027, Racher plans to finalize both her embalming and funeral directing licenses. She aims to focus on pre-need planning and explore modern methods to connect families during times of grief.
“I see that the families that come in have a lot of interest in communicating with distant relatives or people that are unable to attend the funeral,” Racher said. “I really look forward to learning about how technology can better serve, on a global scale, the families that really come to us for that purpose.”
With her extensive background as a first responder and her passion for mortuary science, Racher’s upcoming entry into the field highlights the positive impact of supporting dedicated professionals returning to pursue their calling.
