- i' probablembalmedclose te i don't e how i n help a fami f if i am grieng. everyby wants do their owthing w. - , not sced of ha work. just, it a new tng --ork? - yeah, 's a neway ana new time. [aient music] - [announcer]: major funding for reel south was provided by: etv endowment, the national endowment for the arts, center for asian-american media,

south arts, and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. additional funding for "the passing on" was provided by: and others. a complete list is available from pbs. [birds chirping] - john and tony is on their service, right?

- yeah. - ok. well, you held your color re good. that's good. seriously. you're looking good. that's good, that's good. yeah, when i saw clayton over the holidays, and him, but that's the way it is sometimes. we had a lot of good times together, man. we really did, so i have to take care of him.

- lewis funeral home. may i help you? - i want to also make some decisions. - ok, yeah. right now i just have to...

- when i was a kid, i would put on my bow tie, and my tricycle was my hearse. whatever i could find, you know, rodents, ants, i was always busy on saturday. i had more funerals than anybody in town. i've probably embalmed close to 10,000 people in my whole career, and that's a lot of dying. - ok. - i have to separate my emotions from everything else, because i'm here to do a job. i don't see how i can help a family through grief if i'm grieving. can i ask you to do something? on that mole, can you just put a--

- darken it? - huh? - you want to darken it a bit more? - yeah, just a little bit more, just a little bit more. because that was her-- i don't want to say trademark, but that was her. you know, that was her. - she look nice. - she looks really nice, man. - as far as james is concerned, i would say, if he's not the best mortician in the united states, i would certainly put him in the top five. i had one lady to tell me that if james dies before she does, we need to devise a way to have him exhumed so he can come and embalm her, - i was selected by my peers

for being the national embalmer of the year. in thiprofession, that's the ghest honor you can get. the profession has given me so much, and i want to maintain this integrity. mr. pierre, right now we have to get sunny taken to the back, remove that pacemaker, and then take him to the crematory. ok. ok. they have what they call internships for students to come here and do eight weeks. you all right? that's good, that's good. most times, we don't even have openings for jobs here, but they are at least prepared to go out so that they can know the reality of the profession and make a sound choice of do i really wanto do this or not? let me have a scalpel.

you disappeared. - i went to go do something. - we have been remembering, with love and gratite, a fe that has ended. they may not be with us physically, but they will be with us always in our hearts and in our memories. may you have a blessed day and safe travels. thank you. that's the whole thing. james bryant: you're making me cry. [laughter] that's good. tony hendricks: that's what i'm taking about. that was real good. james bryant: that's good. clarence pierre: on behalf of lewis funeral home and staff, we would like to, again, extend our sincere condolences to the jones family. we would like to thank you for entrusting your services and your loved one into our care. to all the serving units and supporters of this service, we thank you as well. inclusion, there is an invitation

for repassed to follow the committal service back at the church. be careful driving, and have a nice day. james bryant: i think you may want to leave out have a nice day. i'm rying my momma. i'm not going to have a nice day. so you can cut that part over right. the top part of it was good. tony hendricks: it's real good. james bryant: you know? but just think about it. if your mother passed away, would you want somebody to tell you to have a nice day? that's a good critique. that's just constructive because you don't want to say that. tony hendricks: even when you answer the phones here at lewis funeral home. mes bryant: my mma died and i called here and u pick up the phone and say, good morning, lewis funeral home. i'm going to ask you, what's so good about it? my mother just passed. [music playing]

- ok, i'll have tony take it and send it to you. yeah. right now, i just have an old one. ok. - i'm still available at my cell phone. and i'll be in a service for the next hour and a half. lois washington: the funeral home has been in the community for years and years and years. and it's the oldest black funeral home here in the city. james bryant: we were not allowed to be buried from the white establishments. there were not many professional doors open to the black community. so the most prominent people was your minister, the school teacher slash principal, and the undertaker.

they were the people that the young people in the community will strive to be like. those all the black film directors, they were on point. i'm proud to be a product of those guys. and i always wanted to strive to be as good an embalmer as he was. all right, here we come. lonzetta bryant: come on in. james bryant: all right. ok. so how-- you been doing fairly well? yeah? lonzetta bryant: eddie's feeding tube came out thursday before good friday. the old one came out. i was worn out for a week and half. jamebryant: i think the hardest time for me was when i came from vietnam. and i think that's when eddie really

started like sheltering me real hard because he could see a difference in me. and i thk he just-- he wanted to keep me out of trouble. i mean, who knows? i might not even have gotten his way without you. and i'm just thankful. i tell everybody. i tell them how you used to cuss me out. [laughs] i'll tell you, when i messed up, them veins starts to-- i knew that i got to get on. i started with you when i was 17. and i'm 67 now. so don't you think it's time? eddie bryant: yeah. james bryant: you still be going to-- you still be going to, you know. it's hard to quit though. we've gone to this convention. and it's so small now because everybody then died off. yeah, otis and all of them are gone. mr. washington-- that's why organizations die out

because nobody-- everybody wants to be on beat. everybody want to do their own thing now. i mean, we need some young people. lonzetta bryant: yeah. james bryant: but there's a lot of blesses. we'll just keep going and keepn trucking. we'll be all right. you're going to look at the spurs tonight? who are they playing? clarence pierre: i came from a white funeral home to come to lewis. i knew about the black funerals because, of course, if my family dies, we're going to a black funeral home. so i'm like, i know the kind of what y'all do. but i want to know exactly what's the magic behind the curtains of it. james bryant: clarence came out of a white environment. so working at a white [? farm, ?] to him, was not out of the norm. what was out of the norm for him was coming here. so he has to learn some things and learn

how to make some adjustments. tony hendricks: mainly, when we're in school, the book is teaching you white embalming. but when you get out in the real world, and you go to a black funeral home, you're embalming is going to be different. funeral might not be to two weeks, three weeks. you have to hold the body out longer. they want to wait till all relatives come in town. a lot of them do want to touch and feel their loved one. that's-- they feel that-- or a kiss. and you have to know what chemical is going to be best fit for that person. and james knows what he's doing. james bryant: you put anything on his hair? clarence pierre: uh-huh. james bryant: what?

clarence pierre: some oil. james bryant: did you put some on him? clarence pierre: no, i thought you was asking me, am i going to put something-- james bryant: no, you didn't. well, i'mma have to really-- i'mma have to-- i have to work harder with you. [laughter] [piano playing] so you scared of hard work? clarence pierre: no, not scared of hard work. just like you said, it's a new day-- james bryant: you want to walk in on easy street. clarence pierre: yeah, it's a new day and new time. james bryant: i can remember when i first went to see one of my grandmother's brothers who died back in '57, '57. philippine lucky funeral home in rockdale had his body. and they wouldn't let us come through the front door to view him. we had to go through the back. they went in, oh, yes, sir. you so good to us. and we gone through the back door. now you can go through the front door.

clarence pierre: since been at the age of 5, i always was curious about death. i always wanted to go to funerals. i was like called to those events. - we are starting a new chapter today digestive system clarence pierre: it doesn't faze me to be in the back of a funeral home. i know this is what i want to be doing. if you was coming to my funeral home, it would be totally whoa experience. it has to be two chapels in there. two state rooms. i want a catering. chandeliers in the sky. i'm talking about big funeral home. and then, of course, i want to be different. can i move that flower to the end and get a tall vase and put this on top of there on the head end? tony hendricks: why would you move the stand to put a vase up there? clarence pierre: because a vase is more personalized than a casket. tony hendricks: let's see what it look like. james bryant: yeah. and then we could see a point... clarence pierre:you have

young millennial people telling you, this is what's attractive to us now. funeral home cannot run off a reputation forever. james bryant: whales-- they have funerals. claren pierre: what kind of funerals they got? james bryant: you should check it out. clarence pierre: ok-- james bryant: you should check it out. like when a orca is killed or dies, they swim together. they push the dead. i don't know where they take it to. probably to the depths. but they have a fural. clarence pierre: and what about the-- james bryant: and of movie-- orca, the movie, was a true story about their mentality. they killed the female. and they had a funeral for her. and the male hunted them down until he got them

for killing them. have you ever seen that movie? ok, say the blessed. clarence pierre: lord god, we thank you for this food. lord god, we thank you for this time and this fellowship. we ask to be a nourishment for our body. jesus name we pray. amen. james bryant: once you graduate and you get license, you want to establish yourself in the funeral community. that's what i'm trying toet you to do. clarence pierre: yeah, i know. i'm interested-- james bryant: you want to be known, not so that you can be puffed up in your own self, but that you can be recognized. i had some great times in this business, man. clarence pierre: [laughs]

- we're celebrating our 80th national annual convention of the national funeral directors and morticians association incorporated. let us not reflect on today, but all of our colleagues who blaze a trail and paved the way for our very existence on today. let us never forget their sacrifice. james bryant: i grew up in a segregated industry knowing that i could never work in a white funeral home, knowing that i could never be a member of a white convention. our associations was what we had so we could still be the professionals we knew we were. [interposing voices] let's go around over here on this way. let's go around on this side.

integration is what we fall for. and not those that feel like, well, ok, now i don't need this anymore. that's fine if that's how you feel. but there are a few of us that want to hold on to what we've always had. i hope, in my lifetime, it doesn't go away. ♪ get in there! yeah, yeah! ey big girl, make em' back it up, ♪ ♪ make em' back it up [helicopter sound] - is this our first time in a helicopter? james bryant: no, sir. i'm a vietnam veteran. - all right! james bryant: let's go. hey! i like that view! [laughs] yeah, man. this brings back memories. yeah!

i was 18 years old, and i got drafted. so many of the guys that was in our unit didn't come back home. i saw death and destruction, being that i was a tank driver. and after about two months, i started using opium. i mean, i never forget the first time i use it. it was like, oh, this is it. i can fight all night long. but you find yourself chasing that same high. and it's not going to ever, ever be there anymore. so that's how addiction kicks in. this is me and my family. this is my uncle, eddie, at his family. when i got back, he started mentoring me.

and he never pushed me away. all right, let's close this behind. that's why i'm still here, because i had people that invested in me. and i have to pass that on. soap. hold it. put that on down. just tell me what embalming is. you can pull your mask down. clarence pierre: embalming as a temporary process, which prevents, controls, and retards post-mtem changes to the body, also known as decomposition. james bryant: just say that last part of again. the very last part. it does what? prevent and- clarence pierre: preve, control, and retard post-mortem changes to the body, also known as decomposition.

james bryant: damn! look at him! [laughter] all righty. ok, you can turn it off now. in general terms, embalming is inserting chemicals into the body to replace the blood. preparing the body for the final viewing. it puts closure for families.

that's why we take such care to do the best that we can possibly do. and i stand on that. i stand on that. yeah, he feels very good. that's what you'd be looking for. yeah, yeah, yeah. they play that song at every funeral majority of the time. oh, no. that's the part where you get everybody close at the casket, right? they all start falling out at that part. [phone ringing] - yes, sir? james bryant: ok, date and time of death? thank you so much. and we'll be-- i say shortly. but give us at least a couple hours.

thank you. ok, bring the stretcher. things have changed in funeral homes. a lot of these white funeral homes, they bury more blacks than what you think. they say, we ain't got to go way over there on the east side. my money is green to them. and they don't have to come over here no more. that's good. the san antonio community was close knit. everybody basically knew everyone. and so therefore, when someone died, everybody would have rally to them for support. but it's different now. there's not really what we could call a black neighborhood anymore. integration, better jobs have diversified our community.

we'll spread out all over the city now. - amen. i was to offer your sweet... may god bless you, and may god keep you. we thank god today. james bryant: our church is the oldest black baptist church in san antonio. - and we are just grateful to god to see all of our visitors in the house today. thank you for being here. james bryant: growing up, you didn't get there by 11 o'clock on sunday morning, you didn't get a seat. that included the balcony. - we are just grateful to the god today for another opportunity to worship and praise his holy and righteous name. amen. rev. paul wilkinson: me and james grew up here in this church. and when i came back in 2013 for that first year, i almost had a funeral ery moh.

and i was burying my members that pretty much raised me. when this was a black community, the black funeral homes were just part of who we are and part of the community. and what's happening with that community and that with the communityow is that someone else sees value in being on this side othe tracks. the people in our neighborhood that don't have one of these new houses that's being built, their tax base is going up, which is forcing them to lose their houses because they can't pay the taxes. i have fond memories of living in this neighborhood, of growing up here, going to school here. and pretty much, they're just memories now.

jackie mitchell: hi, cousin. watcha wanna do? james bryant: huh? how are you doing? jackie mitchell: i'm good. james bryant: that's good. how y'all doing? all right? jackie mitchell: hi, how you doing? james bryant: i'm doing ok. jackie mitchell: we've known each other a long time. we go back really back. and there were lots of families at our church. it was a huge church at that time. and we just connected. james bryant: oh, i'm good, baby. jackie mitchell: you good, uncle? my mom requested that, when she passed on, that h would take care of her body. [interposing voices] - we're thankful for the life of this, our sister and mother, who walked in mundane shore. and she heard the voice of jesus said, come under me and rest.

lay down, thy weary one. lay down thy head upon my beast. jackie mitchell: that's the last you'll see them, or you'll see their body on this earth. i want to have that picture with me. yeah, i do. - oh god, we come this afternoon just to say thank you. lord, we know that you are an awesome god. jackie mitchell: yes, you are. - and, lord, we love you and you love us. amen. jackie mitchell: we got him. we got him. bye, mom. bye, mom. we'll see you tomorrow. i love you. [sobs]

[bell dings] [music playing] rev. paul wilkinson: i need to tell you, we are not here by ourselves. we just didn't show up this morning. because we're standing on somebody else's shoulder. mebody else came this way befe we did.

somebody else sung "amazing grace" before we did. and today, this day, today we stand on the shoulder of a group. [praying] amen. - amen. rev. paul wilkinson: she was a beautiful person, wasn't she? [interposing voices] james bryant: what's the matter, man? huh? what's up, man?