Willie Watkins Funeral Home

Mike McDonald

Mike McDonald

PCS Member
I read with much interest and admiration about the humble beginnings starting at 7 years old and successes of Willie A. Watkins who handled the recent funeral services for Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. Besides their newer fleet of hearses, limousines and horse drawn carriages, he apparently has quite a few vintage Cadillacs according to his website. Might be a good future PCS Member? MM
 
Willie Watkins Funeral Home here in Atlanta, GA.
1958 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Futura Limousine and matching 1958 Limousine.

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Thank you for your comments

I was hoping to hear more information from PCS Member Funeral Directors. Although I know that the Floyd and Brookes' services were at least partially funded by Tyler Perry.....the other black owned services I have observed (including the non-celebrity ones) over the past 60+ years even in Southern California seem to be "over-the-top class-wise" with the mourners and pall bearers attending in their "Sunday best" clothes, often seeing flower cars, etc., versus the more generic funeral services otherwise. Only my observation. THX-MM
 
One of my Florida friends who is also an Assembly Of God pastor from Atlanta told me that most funerals in Georgia are highly charged events, and have a lot of what he calls "professional mourners". Not people paid to mourn, but instead people who attend a lot of visitations and funerals of people whom they may have barely known in life, but they really get down with the mourning. Wailing and screaming, and flailing about, and sometimes they have to be gently led away once they start getting a little too dramatic. There have been times that they appear so taken with emotion that they try to get into the casket with the deceased!
 
Many years ago the Black Lady who took care of my Mom during the day due to Jans working as a teacher and audiologist and my running two businesses.Her mother passed. We were invited to her service held at the local Baptist Church. Quite different to what I was used to. First you were escorted to your seat Second there were several Hymns Sung by the choir and them we all sung one. Most interesting to me were what I called "the crying nurses" these ladies dressed in nurses uniforms went with tissues to anyone crying and I was told they were their should anyone "become over distressed". After the service we were all invited to a barbeque where more Hyms were sung by all folks stood up with stories of the deceased life and times.
 
One of my all-time favorite things in life to watch (on youtube) are those amazing, beautiful, soulful, sometimes joyous/sometimes somber, always proud and triumphant, New Orleans jazz funeral traditions, known as the "second line". According to Google, "
The ​
second line
is a group of mourners/revelers that assembles behind the first ​
line
—usually marching solemnly to the grave, then dancing and celebrating on the route away from the grave."


After reading Willie's write-up describing his funeral homes, I'll bet all his services are wonderful tributes to his clients and not to be soon forgotten.​
 
Another one at far left

Looks like there is another older high roof line coach with a Federal Model XX Light at the far left of the shaded parking area? (*) His horse drawn carriages look to be the same as the ones used in George Floyd's Houston Services? I suppose those teams could travel to high profile services kind of like the Budweiser Clydesdales? MM
 
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