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Katelynn James
When Katelynn James became pregnant at 15, she had no idea what she was going to do. Five years later, on her way to being a funeral director at Harrell Funeral Home in Dublin, James has turned her situation around.
“It’s just crazy how I went from 15 and not having any idea what in the world I was going to do, to now, when I support myself and my two kids,’’ she said. “God has placed me in such an amazing field of work, and although it hasn’t been easy I have been able to find my career in helping others.”
Her sophomore year in high school, after she realized she was pregnant, James went to the principal, Coach Owen, to ask how she could graduate earlier. He helped her find a way to complete her classes online, and she graduated with all her credits in 2016, when she was just 16 years old.
Trying to make enough money to support a child at her age was tough; for a while James worked as an aide at a daycare at First Baptist Church in Dublin. When she turned 17, James earned her license to be a registered dental assistant, and worked at a local dentist’s office for a year and a half. Shortly after working as a dental assistant, her daughter was born.
“After I had her I was a stay-at-home mom for a little while,” James said. “My family supported me through every trial and accomplishment.”
In the summer of 2018, James began looking for a job. She began calling around to businesses in town, looking for a job with hours that still allowed her to be home to take care of her children in the evenings. Most places didn’t have openings with hours that worked, but finally James found the perfect job as a part-time receptionist at Harrell Funeral Home in Dublin.
She’d never considered a career in funeral services before. “I lost my grandma a year prior to starting at the funeral home,” James said. “She was like my mother figure to me, and I never wanted to set foot in that place again — but for some reason I just felt like God was calling me to be there.”
Once she started, she found that she enjoyed helping the families of the deceased. The owners, Andy and Debbie Harrell, took James under their wing and helped her meet the wage she needed to support her children. “After another year of working there, I started really falling in love with the field itself,” James said. “I fell in love with helping the families, and it’s like the fear of it all — my fear of death, and not wanting to talk about things like that — went away, because I realized how much of an impact I could have by helping others in that time.”
In an average week, James works with families who have lost loved ones. She helps plan the funerals with the family, arranges for the preacher, music and slideshows at the service, and tries to get to know the deceased through their family and friends so that she can write their obituary. “It doesn’t feel like I am dealing with death,” she said. “It feels more like I am getting an opportunity to memorialize the life that they lived to the families and make it special for them.”
Having lost her grandmother when she was a teenager, James knows the pain of grief. “I try to make it easier for the grieving families,” she said. “It doesn’t always have to be a negative thing, and even though losing my grandmother was a tremendous loss, I’m now able to help others who are grieving the loss of a loved one as well. Especially losing my grandmother as a teenager, I can help other teenagers, who’ve lost somebody close to them, I can relate to them and understand their grief in a more personal way.’
After a couple of years at the funeral home, James decided to pursue a longterm career in funeral services. She enrolled at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service to get her funeral director’s license, and graduated in March of 2021. She hopes to be fully qualified to direct funerals this year, once she completes a year of apprenticeship.
In the future, she hopes to stay at Harrell Funeral Home. “There are so many amazing people in the community of Dublin that I want to meet and serve; I want to be able to shine a light in the darkest places in my community,”.
When she’s not working, James spends most of her time with her two children, Jackson, 5, and Hadley, 2. “My kids are incredibly special to me,” she said. “I fall short, but I try to glorify God in all areas of my life.”
She also enjoys being outside, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. James attends Cottonwood Baptist Church in Dublin. “Mike Fritscher is the preacher at Cottonwood and he welcomed me with open arms,” she said. “I told him my struggles in the past, and Mike and the church of Cottonwood welcomed me with open, loving arms.”
James loves the community of Dublin, and looks forward to staying in town for many years. “I hope to serve the community of Dublin for many years to come,” she said. “There is no place quite like Dublin and the community never fails to step up in times of need.”
Throughout her life, James has drawn inspiration from her grandparents, Troy and Debby James. Her grandmother, Debby, passed away in 2017, and her grandfather, Troy, lives in Dublin. “He and my parents have set an amazing example of what a patient, forgiving, and loving person is and they continue to support, love, and encourage me,” she said. “My Papa, (Troy) is the most patient person I know; it doesn’t matter what you come to him with, he’s going to love, comfort, and hold you, and my grandmother was the exact same way.”
James’ advice to Dublin graduates is to keep pushing through, even when it seems like there is no solution. She says, “Always look for the hidden blessing in every struggle and remember that God is never late; His timing couldn’t be any more perfect.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.