On Dee Branch's first date with Johnnie Oliver, a fourth-generation funeral director, she knew she was in for a unique relationship when he had to leave "for just a minute"--and he came back to the car with a corpse.

Over twenty years later, Dee was still in love with her charming southern gentleman when he passed away suddenly in 2007. Determined to carry on Johnnie's work, Dee earned her mortuary science degree, only to find herself no longer needed in the family business. So Dee crossed the racial divide in the most segregated industry in America and joined the staff of an...