Inside the Eastside Family Funeral Home Running Since Jim Crow
The Villaseñor family: A life’s work in death
By Neha Kondaveeti, Fri., Oct. 11, 2024
In a black casket adorned with white roses, Lois Villaseñor was laid to rest on July 28, 2020, after battling COVID-19. With heavy hearts and faces concealed behind masks, dozens gathered at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to celebrate her life and legacy.
“My mother was an incredibly strong and accomplished businesswoman,” said Charles Villaseñor II, president of Mission Funeral Homes. “She’s the one who’s responsible for our success,” recalling his mother’s time serving as MFH’s funeral director.
The Villaseñor family founded MFH in 1959, making it Austin’s oldest family-run funeral home, with the mission of serving families during their time of need and continuing Hispanic traditions.
During the height of the pandemic, Charles carried out his family’s mission and served his community – all while planning his own mother’s funeral.
“It was one of the most devastating moments for me as a funeral director and a family member of a business because I felt powerless,” Charles said. “All of these things were happening all around me and I was experiencing such a tremendous loss.”
Charles recalls his mother’s legacy in Austin’s Mexican American community. Lois was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Texas Funeral Service Commission, serving for six years. She was a member of many organizations (Travis County Grand Jury Board and the Commission of Urban Renewal, to name a couple) and was named Austin’s Outstanding Professional Woman in 1978. Today, there is a mural dedicated to her on the Eastside.
“The woman is really the heart of our family. She’s the one who’s responsible for our success,” said Charles.
When she passed away, Charles was dealing with a spike in demand for funeral services due to COVID-19. At the start of the pandemic, funeral services nationwide were overwhelmed, putting pressure on funeral directors to provide thoughtful services while maintaining safety protocols.
“The funeral industry is historically a steady one – then the pandemic hit. We were instantly responsible for a large number of people and their safety, while also taking care of their loved ones,” said Charles. “It changed our protocols and what we did, but we adopted them very quickly.”
MFH transitioned to virtual services and digitized their process. Since their arrival in Austin in the 1950s, the Villaseñor family has been filling a gap in service for the Mexican American community in Austin. “Cemeteries were segregated and funeral home services were segregated, and that was one of the main focal points of MFH founding,” said Charles.
Charles says that many families find speaking in Spanish very comforting when having to deal with the pain and logistics of funeral and burial. MFH will even transfer the deceased, upon request, to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, or any location if compliant with regulations.
“Today, almost every funeral home is part of a larger corporation. Being an independent family-owned funeral home is what we were trying to protect. It is a rarity.” said Villaseñor.
Charles is referring to Service Corporation International, the largest owner of funeral homes. Across the U.S., large funeral service companies acquire smaller family-owned funeral homes, creating a monopoly within the industry. This $23 billion industry is mostly controlled by a few powerful companies.
Despite the challenges of being in the funeral industry, Charles says he’s committed to preserving MFH and its legacy. “My parents wanted to make a difference and have a positive impact in the community.” The Villaseñor family understood how important quality funeral services were to the Mexican American community and created a safe space for grief.
