In March 2025, Ashlee Willim-Kirkham of Thurman Funeral Home (Richmond) was featured in a special supplement published by Richmond News. Focused on women in business and leadership, the newspaper extra included a lengthy interview with Willim-Kirkham and explored her role at her family’s funeral home.

Following in the funeral service footsteps of her father, Bart Willim, and grandfather, Lee Willim, third-generation Willim-Kirkham shared the story of how that almost wasn’t the case. After graduating from high school in 2012, she attended Northwest Missouri State University in pursuit, ultimately, of a law degree.

However, the death of her grandmother in 2015     caused Willim-Kirkham to reevaluate. “I saw firsthand how much of an impact funeral professionals had in helping our family navigate grief,” she noted in the newspaper article. “That experience made me realize that this was the path I wanted to take.”

Currently, she serves as office manager at the firm. She explained in the article, “My role is essential in ensuring everything is organized so that our team can focus on serving families.” Beyond scheduling, keeping records and other duties that one might expect, Willim-Kirkham works closely with families. She helps them understand the steps of an arrangement conference, how to fill out paperwork, etc., all the while providing them with comfort and the assurance that they are a top priority of the firm.

She displays that same dedication toward the staff of Thurman Funeral Home. “We are a close-knit team,” she said. “And it is important that everyone feels supported.” Thus, she’s involved in training new hires, helping staff handle delicate issues and encouraging a collaborative approach among employees. Foremost, she tries to lead by example and focuses on three fundamentals: professionalism, patience and compassion.

The article concludes with Willim-Kirkham’s thoughts about women in leadership roles and the challenges of finding work/life balance – something about which the wife and mother of three young children knows a great deal. thurmanfuneralhome.com