CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Lexis Twentier graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a plan to be a paralegal, but some connections and a tragedy put her on a completely different path.

Twentier, who graduated from Keystone High School in 2016 and Clarion University in 2018, worked as a paralegal, but her desire to help her community made her rethink her plan. Twentier decided she needed a more hands-on position.

“At one point, I considered law enforcement,” she said. “I wanted to serve the community in a behind-the-scenes kind of way.”

Looking at different careers, Twentier thought about her friendship with the late Clarion County Coroner Randall Stom. Stom passed away in 2019, and Twentier decided that working in a funeral home was the right way to honor him.

“He always joked about us running a business together,” she said. “I toyed around with the idea of going to mortuary school, and then he died, so I decided it was time to carry on that legacy.”

Twentier settled on doing the online version of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. That allowed her to stay in Clarion and keep working while she pursued her degree. The career shift did surprise people around her.

“When people realize I’m serious, they say, ‘You went from wanting to be the first responder to being the last responder,’” Twentier said. “It’s a big difference, but I love it.”

Currently, Twentier is doing her practicum at Goble Funeral Home in Clarion. She found that the public service part of working at a funeral home is something she finds rewarding.

“Holding someone’s hand through a difficult time, physically and emotionally, is just something I’m good at,” she said. “Public service is the biggest part of it. I think of how much the families rely on you, look to you for support, and that’s the part I love. You realize how much the family is putting their grief and emotions on you and looking for help from you.”

Twentier is working through a two-year program since she already finished her general education studies at Clarion University. Her practicum is giving her hands-on experience in embalming, cremation, and visitations. She will complete her program in 2022.

“The first year has gone so fast, so I’m sure the next one will,” she said. “I haven’t done much embalming yet, but I’ve been doing visitation and funeral service, greeting and set-up, and cremations. Along with that, I just recently became certified in the cremation process.”

Twentier acknowledged that when people think of funeral directors, they rarely picture a woman in the role. However, that is something else that drew her to the job.

“For me, that was the big thing, other than Alissa Burns [at Robert V. Burns Funeral Home], not many people in the area are females in the funeral field,” Twentier said. “Once I got over the worries about heavy lifting and the nitty-gritty stuff, I was okay with it. You have to think of it as helping families in their most vulnerable state, and that’s what I want to do.”

Twentier contacted Burns to talk about the duties and the opportunity. She hopes that more women will decide to go into the field.

“I reached out to Alissa before I went to school and asked her questions,” Twentier said. “I think you have to make a connection and follow your dreams. I am so thankful for the opportunity that Rick [Goble] and Dan [Shingledecker] are offering me to learn the ropes from them.”

The time at Goble Funeral Home is also giving her hope to stay in the community.

“Being at Goble’s part time, I already have my foot in the door here,” she said. “I would like nothing more to stay in the Clarion area and serve the people I know. In Clarion, you know many of the families you’re working with. It’s sad and comforting, but you have those connections.”

As Twentier works through 2021 and finishes her program, she found that working in a funeral home helped give her a new view of life.

“I think that it helps you appreciate not just life, but other people,” she said about her job. “When you see families grieving, you realize that you want to help people – not in a way a counselor would – but to get them through this.”