In Acres Homes, in the heart of the north side of Houston, Paradise Funeral Homes is a symbol of history, community, and change. The building that houses the largest funeral home in the area was once a school that Houston’s former mayor, Sylvester Turner attended. Over the years, Paradise has gone through several transitions before becoming the funeral home that it is today. However, a significant transformation began in September 2021 when Richie Rhue became the first licensed embalmer and funeral director to be area general manager of all four of its funeral homes.
Mr. Rhue’s path to the funeral business was not his apart of his original plan for his life. Born and raised in Conway, South Carolina, (30 minutes from Myrtle Beach) he initially envisioned a career in hospitality. “I didn’t want to be a funeral director. I actually wanted to be more in hospitality, like restaurants and hotels because that’s what I was used to where I was from,” he said. Despite him not wanting to initially be in the funeral business he is a third-generation funeral director and embalmer. His grandfather encouraged him to work for the funeral home, after his grandfather’s passing, he worked at the funeral home with his father and uncle and became a licensed embalmer. He left Conway and went to school at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York in 2006; at the time it was the top ranked funeral service school in the country. He graduated in 2009 and decided to stay in New York. “I kind of fell in love with New York and I stayed there for about 16 years,” he said.
In New York, he served as funeral home director and funeral home manager. In September 2021, Mr. Rhue had the opportunity to join Paradise Funeral Homes. When he joined Paradise, the business needed a few changes. “When I first got here, Paradise was a great cemetery that had a great team, they just needed a little encouragement,” he said. Adjusting to Houston’s weather was a challenge, especially while managing four funeral homes, as funerals are often canceled due to rain. “I was naive to the weather here in Houston… No one ever cancelled a funeral in New York,” he said. “The adjustments were a lot.” Mr. Rhue said he has never watched the news as much as he does now because the weather can determine his day-to- day activities.
Over the past 3.5 years, Mr. Rhue and his team have learned a lot, but they are committed to constantly improv- ing the funeral home. The first year was tough as everyone had to get used to a new leader, but a lot of significant changes have been made since then. “It took some time to get people to see my vision and get them on board with what I could see for Paradise,” he said. During the transition, Mr. Rhue and his team have improved the look of the funeral homes and have made cus- tomer service and family satisfaction a top priority. Now, the business is more involved in the community, joining local events like the M.L.K. Day and Juneteenth parades. They also host fall festivals and give away backpacks and turkeys. They have partnered with the Houston police and fire departments to help with setting up activities for children. “It’s just helped us just to personalize our relationships here with the community, not just to be a funeral home and a cemetery. We are here for the community in Acres Homes and beyond,” he said.
Paradise Cemetery dates back to the 1900s, it was originally a school. After becoming a funeral home, it was ran by the Butlers and then the Wilsons. It is now operated by Service Corporation International, which is a part of Dignity Brand. “We have history just being the largest funeral home in the area,” he said. As stated on their website, “Paradise is dedicated to helping celebrate your life or that of a loved one with a funeral and memorial service befitting the life lived.”
As Houston’s demographic shifts, so does the demographic of Paradise. There has been an increasing number of Hispanic families in the area. Mr. Rhue and his team continue to work tirelessly to meet the unique needs of each family that is serviced. There are a few local famous people who are buried in Paradise. “We had the plea- sure of burying Mrs. Sheila Jackson Lee here when she passed away this past year,” he said.
The funeral business has seen a major shift in recent years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many families were not able to celebrate their loved ones in the ways they wished. Mr. Rhue and his team have embraced the changes and have worked to ensure that Paradise offers a wide range of options that allow families to create truly individualized ceremonies. Cremation, which has become more popular over the years, is another area where Paradise has adapted. The business now offers cremation memorials, including options for turning cremated remains into beautiful keepsakes such diamonds or families can even have their loved one’s ashes thrown into space or other special locations. “Since I’ve started here in 2021, we see numbers increasing every year, now we are at about 70% burials and 30% cremations,” he said.
