Ridout’s Gardendale Chapel, located at 2029 Decatur Highway, is managed by Jeff Estes.

The business is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 631-6252.

Estes, a Tuscaloosa native, has been married to his wife Melissa for 22 years. The couple has lived in the Gardendale area for about 18 years. He previously managed the Ridout’s Elmwood Chapel, but will celebrate a one-year anniversary at the Gardendale location this June.

“It’s great when you move here and work here and you can just get to know people,” he said. “It’s a lot more community-oriented here and it gives me an opportunity to serve people that I live with.”

Though he’s proud of what he’s accomplished in his 27 years in the funeral home industry, Estes is proud of another personal accomplishment: losing more than 200 pounds after having weight-loss surgery in 2006.

He shared the following about the business:



• What’s your business background? “This is all I’ve ever done; I got started as a mere child. I had a friend that I went to church with who was in the funeral business and, just being around him through church, I decided it was something I wanted to do.”



• How many employees do you have? “We have 17 employees, between the funeral home and the cemetery (Oakwood Memorial Gardens). Most of them are local people who live in the community; we’re real proud of that.”



• What services / products do you provide? “We provide funeral services and we have a cemetery and mausoleum as well. We offer pre-arranged funeral services and cremation services. We also offer markers and monuments.”



• Why should someone use your services over a competitor? “I think because we’ve been here and we’re a trusted name. We take care of our families and that’s our ultimate goal. We want to make sure everything is done according to their wishes.”



• What’s been your greatest success as a business? “I think it’s the commitment to excellence that we all have. This is the hardest time for people to go through and I’m glad I’m able to walk them through that journey.”



• What’s the greatest joy of being the manager of the business? “I would say the ‘thank yous’ from the family. It can be a difficult job at times, but there’s always a bright side when you can help a family.”



• What future plans do you have for the business? “We just want to continue to improve our facility. It’s been here a long time and we’re continually trying to upgrade it. We want to make it a better place so we can serve our families better.”



• Is your line of work something you would recommend to someone else? “Oh, yes; it’s very rewarding. You just have to understand that it’s time consuming, but you can’t let it consume you. I also believe that it takes a servant’s heart to do this kind of work.”