At its 2025 NextGen Seminar, Selected Independent Funeral Homes named Megan Comer of Alhiser-Comer Mortuary in Escondido, California, as NextGen Professional of the Year. The award highlights career achievements and community involvement of funeral professionals under age 50.
In 2012, Comer had just completed her degree in organizational leadership and management and was beginning a master’s degree in counseling when her father, Stuart Comer, became ill and asked her to take over management of the firm’s operations in his absence.
While she never pictured herself working in the family business, she knew she had to step in and help. She hasn’t looked back since and has taken the business to another level by refreshing it with contemporary aesthetics, a relationship-based family service model and an accommodating online presence. Through these efforts, the firm’s call volume has nearly tripled in the past 10 years.
During this period, the local community has recognized the outstanding impact of Comer and her firm with numerous awards, including 2023 California Funeral Director of the Year, California Funeral Directors Association; 2023 Top 10 Small Business of the Year for District 40; 2023 Leadership Award, North San Diego Business Chamber; 2023 Small Business of the Year, North San Diego Business Chamber; 2023 Top 40 Business Leaders Under 40, San Diego Business Journal; 2021 Woman of Distinction, San Diego Woman Magazine; and 2017 Small Business of the Year, Escondido Chamber of Commerce.
Success has not been without hardship, however. In 2016, three weeks after the birth of her son, a car crashed through her firm’s prep room, leading to an arduous, five-year journey of updates and repairs. And in October 2018, just three months after her father had died, leaving Comer as owner and manager, the firm’s crematory caught on fire. Difficult as it was to recover from these losses, she considers herself a stronger leader because of these experiences.
In fact, the unique challenges Comer has faced have given her a platform through which she can mentor other female funeral service professionals. She loves sharing the tools they need to succeed in a funeral service career. This includes establishing a scholarship in her father’s memory through the association’s trust.
In Comer’s office hangs a Mother Theresa quote: “Do small things with great love.” This maxim has both inspired her achievements and her acts of service. It has been a guiding light in her efforts to serve families where they are. Said Comer: “We are here to serve people, to meet them where they are – financially, emotionally, mentally and physically. To be a bright light for them in a dark time.” selectedfuneralhomes.org