When his beloved grandfather suddenly died of a heart attack, Stephen Sontheimer, the young heir apparent to the Tharp-Sontheimer Funeral Home, was excluded from the rituals associated with the end of his grandfather’s life.

Eager to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers, Stephen was not deterred from learning the family business and familiarizing himself with death. Since 1962, Stephen has continued the family legacy by helping to enhance the traditional rituals for families across the greater New Orleans area.

“The good things get better and the bad things sort of drift away.”

Join Arian and Stephen as they explore this and other observations from the funeral parlor in this episode of Death: The Podcast.