Caring for the Dead and the Living

I produced, shot and edited this profile of Emmitt Watson.

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columbarium hall
Emmitt Watson has too many titles for a business card. He cleans, paints, parks cars, tells stories and handles inurnment. Most just call him a caretaker. That’s fitting, because he cares for the people he works with — whether they’re living or dead. Families come to the San Francisco Columbarium, a neoclassical freestanding building that resembles a church, just north of Golden Gate Park, to visit their loved ones’ remains — but they also come to visit Watson. He goes above and beyond his job requirements and takes the time to actually learn about the lives of the departed. To keep people alive, for their families, he says.