William C. Harris, his wife, daughter and two sons are about to put St. Louis’ bustling funeral industry on the map worldwide when their TV Show Funeral Boss debuts on Discovery Fit & Health next Thursday, March 14.
“Tune in to see who the real boss is,” daughter Tiara said jokingly.
“And it’s me,” her brother William jumped in and said.
As they erupted in laughter, it was easy to see why a radio sales rep recommended that Cool Fire Originals– the company that created the sizzle reel for Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s – consider them for a project.
“We are a typical family – we have issues, we have problems – but we work together and for the most part it gels,” said the father, known as Bill.
Through the show, audiences see the start to finish process of planning a loved one’s final arrangements.
“I want the viewers to understand the true meaning of the funeral director and what service is,” Bill said. “We all have a strong commitment to every family that calls our funeral home to give them excellence service – regardless of what their pocketbook says.”
From the first episode of the six-part series, their commitment shows.
“I have a very serious job to do,” Harris says during the show. “Because every person that enters these doors is precious cargo.”
Harris Funeral Home pays attention to detail, from the styling of the deceased person’s hair to the shoes on their feet – which funeral guests never even see.
“I want people to know that it’s not a scary thing,” Tiara said. “I think it is going to be comforting to see a service from beginning to end and people will say, ‘Wow, it’s not that bad.’”
Bill has been working in the funeral services business since his days at University City High School and would work for St. Louis icons like Ellis, Ted Foster, Wade and Stygart before putting his own family name on a sign.
“One of the things that was important to me was letting people know that you can have a family business,” Bill said. “A lot of times business owners shy away from having their family in the business. I want people to understand you can have a successful family business and that your business can thrive with the family element.”
Viewers also see the hilarity that ensues when personalities clash.
“It’s going to be funny,” Bill said. “People will look forward to watching. We have a moments – who doesn’t – but we are able to come together and mend our differences and still be a family unit.”
They are overjoyed to be chosen to tastefully convey the process by way of television.
“It gives us an avenue to publicly display how professional we are and how we take care of business for grieving families,” Bill said.
“And it’s beautiful, because you are creating a legacy to leave your family to provide a life for them and provide a career and something that they can take and pass on from generation to generation to generation.”
The Funeral Boss will debut on Discovery Fit & Health on Thursday, March 14 at 9 p.m. CST. Check local listings for channels. For more information on the show visit http://health.discovery.com/tv-shows/tv-schedule.htm.
