Syracuse Funeral Director Shares Gravestone-Cleaning Videos

Today in 'Things You Never Thought You'd Enjoy:' videos of gravestones getting all cleaned up. While it may sound a little odd, stick with me; You may be surprised at how much you like it.

A woman named Eileen Hollis runs Hollis Funeral Home in Syracuse with her father. Back in March, she started a TikTok account, giving her followers a behind-the-scenes look into her career as a funeral director. Obviously, she doesn't show any dead bodies, but her account is full of insights about enbalming, death, caskets and more.

How did Hollis get interested in becoming a funeral director, you may ask? Since her father is in the same line of work, she grew up and lived on the two floors directly above the funeral home on West Genesee Street. In a video response to a question she received, Hollis said because of her upbringing, she thought about death a lot as a kid.

"My siblings and I grew up there and it was wonderful, honestly," Hollis said. "That being said, I remember being small and going to bed and just really thinking about death a lot, mostly just being afraid of knowing that everyone that I love is going to be gone at some point. This is what I was thinking about when I was like 6. I'm not gonna sit here and lie, even still as a funeral director the idea of death still freaks me out, and I think that's normal. I think humans are incredibly interesting and these bodies have taught me so much every day."

The account has garnered a great following throughout the year, but it was one of Hollis' most recent videos that took her viral, racking up over 650 thousand likes and two million views on TikTok. Watching it time and time again, it's easy to see why.

Hollis took videos as she cleaned a gravestone at the local cemetery, trimming overgrown grass and scraping dirt out of the gravestone's lettering. Not only is the visual oddly satisfying, but the transformation is also utterly shocking. By the end of the video, you can actually see, read and honor World War I Veteran Bryon Babcock's gravestone.

For more information about Hollis Funeral Home and more intriguing videos from Eileen Hollis, follow their TikTok account here.