Tommy Carney 1930 – 2007 – Undertaker remembered for his witty personality
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‘Had he not gone into the funeral business, he could have easily been a stand-up comedian,’ said fellow High Funeral Home director Steve West of his co-worker and friend. ‘He could always say something to lighten the mood and make you laugh.’
Fellow High funeral director Joe Michael Woodside agreed, saying his combination of professionalism and wit made Carney one of a kind.
‘He was not only a dedicated funeral director but he had a great sense of humor,’ Woodside said. ‘He could think quicker on his feet than anyone I know.’
Carney began his work in the funeral business at a young age, starting his career at High’s while he was still in high school.
‘He was a true undertaker,’ West recalled. ‘Even back in high school, where he grew up in the Westwood neighborhood, he would bury deceased pets of people in his neighborhood so he knew what he wanted to do.’
Carney became a full-time director with High’s after returning from the Korean War where he served his country in the U.S. Air Force. In an interview with the Southern Standard just a month before his death, Carney said he had seen many changes in the funeral business over his many decades with High’s Inc.
‘Years ago families used their homes as gathering places when a loved one had passed away, then went to churches to hold the services,’ Carney said in the interview. He noted when he started in the business, High’s might have one service a month at the funeral home. ‘Then, as the county grew, we had to enlarge our business to accommodate the people of our area and surrounding counties.’
Along with his work with High’s, Carney was also well known for his work in the percussion section of the Silver and Gold Band, specifically as its bass drum player.
‘I was a young man when we started,’ Carney said in the recent interview. ‘In fact I had to stand on an apple crate to play the drum.’
Carney began with the band at age 13 when, in 1943, he joined a group of music students in the home of Captain Brown Oliver. He continued to play as bass drummer at various Silver and Gold events, health permitting, up to his death.
With his passing, his fellow funeral directors revealed a secret many did not know about the longtime undertaker.
‘I think he would have left it all if he’d gotten a call from Barnum and Bailey,’ West said. ‘He loved the circus and that was one of his dreams, to travel with the circus.’