Longtime funeral home adapts to changing industry
Wendell Naylor says the M.J. Edwards Riverdale Life Celebration Center in Southwest Memphis is available for any kind of celebration, from weddings and baby showers to celebration of life services. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Wendell Naylor is testing a theory at a funeral home he manages in Southeast Memphis: that a place typically associated with grief can double as a hub for celebrations like baby showers, birthdays and weddings.
So he opened M.J. Edwards Riverdale Life Celebration Center in May to celebrate life in all of its aspects, beginning to end, and also capitalize on the industry’s evolution.
So far, it’s been pretty successful, he said. The center hosted three birthday parties and 10 funerals in just two months after opening.
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Wendell Naylor Harry White Riverdale Life Celebration Center M.J. Edwards Funeral Home Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Noah McLane
Noah McLane reports on business for The Daily Memphian. He was born and raised in Tennessee and attended journalism school at Middle Tennessee State University, where his passion for community-focused storytelling blossomed.
Prior to writing for the business section, Noah was the editor-in-chief of his college newspaper, worked on general assignment for the Jackson Hole News & Guide in Jackson, Wyoming, and was most recently the statehouse reporter for The Daily Memphian.
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