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He Lives His Life Here In 'Paradise'

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By DEREK MAUL

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 12, 2008

PLANT CITY - This fall, funeral director Michael DaGrosa celebrated 50 years in the industry.

"I graduated Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia Sept. 18, 1958," he said; "then started my apprenticeship in Irvington, N.J., the next week."

A half-century later, he's a dedicated member of the team at Hopewell Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens.

Q. Is this work a calling?

A. More like a yelling. I love what I do. I'd work here if they didn't pay me at all.

Q. How did you come into the business?

A. I wanted to be an Augustinian priest, to be sent to missions and to live as Christ lived. But all my parents could see was my head on a spear and my body being roasted; so they gave the thumbs down.

Q. What did you do?

A. I went to see my pastor, Father John McMenamin. When I asked him what else I could do, a funeral procession passed by. He said funeral directors had many pastoral responsibilities, and I said, "This is what God must want."

Q. What was apprenticeship like?

A. I lived in a funeral home 24 hours a day for three years. I was paid $50 a week - take home $32.50. I had to buy lunch and dinner out of that.

Q. Where were you raised?

A. Atlantic City; I was born in 1939. I attended Holy Spirit High School and graduated in 1957.

Q. Where have you worked?

A. When I started, I attended every funeral I could until I found the best funeral home, Haeberle and Barth in Irvington, N.J. I worked on their staff for 20 years while I was building my own business.

Q. When did you open your own home?

A. 1962. The DaGrosa Funeral Home in Atlantic City. But I continued to work in Irvington as well. The movie "Atlantic City" released 1980 featured my funeral home; Burt Lancaster and I had lunch.

Q. Have you ever second-guessed your career?

A. Never to this day; I absolutely love what I do. When I do honor to a family, I do honor to him God. My whole career was put into perspective recently when a father hugged me and said, "Thank you for giving my son back to me." It's been a wonderful life, a wonderful career.

Q. Why did you leave Atlantic City?

A. I left after the onset of casino gambling in 1979. It just about destroyed everything.

Q. You sold the business?

A. Not the business, just the building. My brother Frank and I relocated to Fort Lauderdale. I became a real estate broker with Century 21 and flew to Atlantic City for funerals.

Q. What brought you to Plant City?

A. We moved here in 1996. My aunt died and my cousin Louis came to live with me. He had Down syndrome; we moved here for him. We found a house on 10 acres, and it was the best five years of my life. He passed away when he was 59.

Q. Talk about your family

A. I have two children - Anne and Michael - and three grandchildren in New Jersey. Then my brother Frank has been my right and left arm all through my life.

Q. When did you hook up with Hopewell?

A. 1999. They hired me three days a week, then the next week it was seven days a week. I've been full time ever since.

Q. Do you like Plant City?

A. This is paradise here. I could not conceive of living anywhere else.

It's wonderful. Father McMenamin said you have to become a member of every single family. Plant City has welcomed me with open arms. These farmers are the salt of the Earth. Their faith and trust means so much to me.

Q. Where do you worship?

A. St. Clement Catholic Church. I'm a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Q. What do people misunderstand about your business?

A. They think they have to spend a lot of money; they don't. In reality funerals have not come up as much as inflation.

Q. What makes Hopewell unique?

A. I'll tell you exactly: It's the people who work here and the owners.

When you open that door, you feel like you're with family and you're treated like family. All the dreams I placed in my own funeral home have been fulfilled here.

Q. What do you do for fun?

A. We have a tree of remembrance program, and I make ceramic Christmas ornaments. The proceeds go to the Pregnancy Care Center. It is my joy, my therapy. People can come in here anytime to buy those. Then I teach stained glass.

Q. What's your favorite place to eat?

A. My own house. I love giving parties - a million and one people, waddling around, eating. I'm a good cook.

Q. Are you optimistic?

A. Yes. You know why? There's such faith and such hope in this community.

People in this community are hard workers, just wonderful people. I wouldn't change one thing in my life.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

This is a new, occasional series spotlighting local residents of note. Michael DaGrosa is a licensed funeral director at Hopewell Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, 6005 State Road 39 S., Plant City. The funeral home's phone number is (813) 737-3128.

Correspondent Derek Maul can be reached at derek maul@gmail.com.

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