E117: Processing Grief Starts with Grace: How Compassion & Faith Built Calvin L Sheffield Funeral Home

What makes Calvin Sheffield with Calvin L. Sheffield Funeral Home a good neighbor?  

Grief doesn’t wait for paperwork, and neither does true service. We sit with Pittsburgh funeral director Calvin Sheffield for a rare, heartfelt look at what compassionate end-of-life care really takes- and why he refuses to let cost stop families from calling. From the first urgent hours after a death to the moment loved ones see a face at peace, Calvin explains how speed, skill, and empathy create a lasting “memory picture” that softens sorrow and honors a life well lived.

Calvin’s journey starts in childhood, following his minister father into funeral homes and finding calm where others expected fear. That quiet calling grew into six decades of practice, a commitment to community, and a home on Allegheny Avenue that almost slipped through history’s cracks. He tells the story of discovering a neglected building through an unexpected encounter, seeing potential where others saw risk, and restoring it with historic preservation support. Today, that Northside landmark stands as more than a workplace- it’s a promise kept to Pittsburgh families who need steady hands in their hardest moments.

We dive into common funeral myths, the practical realities of preparation, and the deep impact of meeting families with kindness first. Calvin also reflects on basketball, coaching, and the resilience sports taught him- lessons he carries into each arrangement, each viewing, each final farewell. The through-line is clear: service over sales, dignity over noise, and faith that the right care at the right time changes everything.

If this conversation helped you see funeral care, grief, and community service in a new light, share it with a friend who might need it, subscribe for more good neighbor stories, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your voice helps keep these local stories alive.

To learn more about Calvin L. Sheffield Funeral Home go to: 

https://www.sheffieldmemorialservices.org/

Calvin L. Sheffield Funeral Home

(412)322-2530

Transcript

Meet Calvin Sheffield

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of funeral services? A resource might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Calvin Sheffield, with Calvin L. Sheffield Funeral Home. Calvin, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Oh, it's going fun. Yeah, I'm a very optimistic person. And when people ask me that question, I say every day is a good day.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Excellent. Yeah, it's a beautiful day here today in Pittsburgh as well. The sun is shining, and hopefully we're on our way to spring here.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Service First, Not Cost

SPEAKER_02 0:54

We're excited to learn all about you and your business, Calvin. So please tell us more about your company.

A Calling From Childhood

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Well, Calvin L. Sheffield Funeral Home Incorporated, we opened a business in Pittsburgh at our present location, 1125 Allegheny Avenue, and that was December 7th, 1977. Um I've been so blessed to be able to be involved in a profession in which I am able to absolutely help people. And that's always been my philosophy. My philosophy has been to um to help her. So we're going to extend ourselves to serve you. So we're not asking you to give us any money. All we need to know is that you want us to serve you. And we'll go into action. Because the most important thing is getting the person prepared. And the sooner that we get the person after death, the better they're going to look. And so it's a visual thing. You want the person to look very peaceful and wrestle, even if even after they have may have had a dehabilitating illness. You know, we want to really take that out. So the the image that's left with the family is one of peace and contentment.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Well, thank you so much for the service that you're offering for the community and um what a tender heart you must have to be in this business. How did you initially get into the funeral space?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Well, I I know that God ordained me to be involved in the funeral service. I can remember my first time I was in a funeral home. My father was an AME minister. So whenever someone from the church passed away, of course he was always involved because he was involved with the services. But I would I would fall behind my dad. I would say, Dad, can I go with you to the funeral home or with the family? And he never told me no. And that's that's why I know that it's the kind of you know, kind of situation where I was ordained to do this. I can remember when I was probably like five years old going to the local funeral home, going in and just rubbing my fingers on the casket. Back in those days, all the caskets were wooden cloth covered, and you could feel the lines of the felt, and as I you know rubbed my hands over, I was never afraid, and I couldn't see the person because I was too short. And I don't ever recall my dad lifting me up to see anybody, but the important thing was I can just feel as I touched touch that casket. There was just something about that that made me feel comfortable.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Yeah. And just the peace that would emanate from it, I'm sure.

Myths About Funeral Care

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Oh, and and and and I tell you, and I still every once in a while have one of those caskets. They have the same kind of feeling. And I when I touch it, it's it's like going back to when I was five or six years old, when I first originally touched the casket. I was I was never never afraid. And um when I got into high school, the local funeral director was uh yeah, well, but back in those days, the funeral director was the one who brought the ambulance to the football games. So in case someone got got hurt, they would just change the light, take the light off the top, and put the red light on for you know, signal like emergency vehicle. And I started riding with them. I don't even know how we really got into it, but I started riding with them after a football game. He would drop me off home. And lo and behold, by the time I was ready to graduate from high school, I was working with the local funeral director down in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. And that just, you know, just kept my interest, kept my interest up. So I was never I was never afraid, never uncomfortable. It just felt like I belonged in that atmosphere, and the Lord made it, made it happen that I eventually ended up in my own funeral home, straight out of involvement school, and it's 56 years later, still doing it.

Finding The Northside Home

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Excellent. Yeah, you must be a very special soul to be chosen for this kind of a role. And I think one of the myths or maybe misconceptions is that we should fear our passing rather than just seeing it as a transition. And are there any other myths or maybe misconceptions in your industry that you'd like to talk about today?

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Well, one of the one of the things that the persons always ask me is if the body moves, you know, when you're preparing the body, you know, does the body ever move any sort of muscular contractions or anything like that? And I say no, because if that were to happen, I'd be probably the first one to be out of the room. But uh, but no, um, it's a necessary service, and I'm just honored that God bless me to get into the profession, you know, right out of college, and have been in it ever since. And I say that I will do this until he says, Sheffield, you're done. You can't do anymore. Come on home, and then I'll be finished. But until that time, I am going to serve the people that call us and do the best I can for them to make this, you know, death is not an easy thing to deal with, even though it's a necessary part of life. And so, you know, I've I approach it as so that the memory picture that they have, you know, from the service and what we've done for them will be something that they'll say, thank you. You made it a little easier for us to deal with this situation at this time.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Yeah, what a rewarding job you have. And they say that grief comes in waves, right? And you're really helping people over that first initial wave of experiencing that loss and really going through it and just holding them with a space that allows them to feel that emotion. Um, so who are your target customers then? And are you seeking them out, or usually people come to you?

Restoring A Historic Building

Faith, Career, And Community Roots

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Well, you we've been fortunate to be the same location, you know, since we opened in 1977. And I would like to share with you exactly how I ended up in this particular location on Allegheny Avenue in Pittsburgh. It was all part of God's plan. So when I had uh finished embalming school, I don't know how I ended up on Northside, on Allegheny Avenue, walking up Allegheny Avenue toward Western Avenue. It was all God. But at any rate, I'm walking up the street, and a a gentleman who used to sell Christmas trees right there on the corner of Western Avenue, where 7-Eleven is now. He saw me and he asked me, Young man, are you lost? And I said, No, I'm not lost. But I'm I just finished in bombing school and I'm looking for a place to set up my funeral business, and out of the clear blue, he said, I want to show you something. And I said, Okay. So we walked another block up on Allegheny Avenue, across North Avenue, and he showed me this building where I am today, where I am today. It was ransacked. There were vagrants in the building, and he told me that his wife wanted him to get rid of the building because it was an eye store sore, and she didn't see any reason why he wanted it in the first place. So once I crossed North Avenue and looked at the building, two thoughts went through my mind. No, it's not gonna not gonna work. But by the time we got to the building, and I kept looking at it, and God gave me a vision as to what it could look like once it was out. And to me, it's probably the best location that I could have, you know, I couldn't even have planned it any better than what it is with this location. And we we talked and he he said to me, How are you gonna pay for it? I said, Well, we haven't even talked about cost, and you don't even know if I want it. And after after after we had chatted for a few more minutes, I said, You still haven't told me what's going on. He said, Do you want the building? And of course, God had given me a vision of what it would look like when it's completed. And so I said, Yeah, I'm gonna consider it. What's the cost gonna be? He said, Young man, don't worry about the cost. Do you want the building? And I said, Yes, sir. I said, Okay, we'll work it out. He told me to meet him a certain day, it was like three weeks later, same place at the building. And I asked him, I said, Well, have you decided on a price? And he said, What can you afford to pay me every month for the building? I had just started a job at Key Bank at the time in the management training program, just to supplement my income. And I was making$5,200 a year,$100 a week. I mentioned him that I could afford to pay him$100 a month. He said, Fine, you bring me$100 a month on such and such a day every month, and we got a deal. I said, but you still haven't told me what the cost is going to be for this building. He said, Don't worry about it. Do you want the building? I said, yes, sir. He said, okay. So for three straight months, I bought him his hundred or a hundred dollars, gave it to him, and uh he said, Okay, I'm ready to you know tell you what I want for it. And uh and I'll even miss in the field because it's phenomenal, but anyway, so he said, I'll sell it to you for$15,000. And that seemed like a lot of money to me, only making$100 a week. And so I said, okay. And after three months, I brought him$100, and so he drew up the contract to sell me, you know, the business, but he took off the$300 that I'd paid him, so it was$147 or something, that I ended up getting this building. And it's just it's only it's all part of God's plan because a few years after I got the building, the housing and urban development recognized Manchester as one of their you know areas which would be eligible for low-income, you know, like financing, the fix-up property. And one of the best programs that they had at the time was called the Facade Easement Program. And what this program did, anything that you could see with your eye when you approached the building, they gave you a grant to fix it up. So that means you know, the roof, the windows, the porch, and you know, you build anything that person would see when they came up. So that was a tremendous, tremendous tremendous program. And the rest of the building, they had a HUD 312 loan program at 3% interest. So they lent in three to fix up the inside. And because it was a historical building, I had to agree to maintain it in its original historical nature. So we couldn't change, you know, change the outside. We had to make do the same, you know, just replace the windows, but in retrospect, and we got a plaque on the on the building that says this this was this building was built in 1873. So that's that's the plaque on it. And we may maintain it, but it's I mean it's even more, I couldn't even have dreamed of how God has worked this for me in the funeral service in this in this property. Because north side, the property now, in this area where we are, it is sky high, you know, and it's it goes up every single year. So I've been blessed. So it was a wise investment, and there's so much in me in this building that you know I know that at some point, you know, I'm going to you know pass on. But in the meantime, every room I walk in, it's like, you know, it's like one room would be my arm, one arm, another room would be the left arm. So it's like being able to cut off, you know, it'd be too much. But I've been very fortunate, I've been blessed, and I always maintain that I would not let cost prevent me from serving the family. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Life Beyond Work And Sports

SPEAKER_02 17:10

If they call us, we're gonna we're gonna serve them in a what a testament to God's goodness in your life, and I love that in hearing that story, the way that he told you, you know, what can you afford? And then, you know, you started investing in the building, and then you, you know, you felt the vision coming to life, and then he told you, you know, it's gonna be$15,000. Um, I think that speaks to whenever you have an idea for a business or something that is driving you forward to sometimes take the leap, you know, before you have it all figured out and just realize God's gonna figure it out. Um and I love that you also extend that same kindness to people who are coming to you in sometimes your darkest moment whenever they lose a loved one and they're worried, oh, how am I gonna afford this? What am I gonna do? And you know, your focus is really, well, let's just, you know, make sure that this person's taken care of, and then we'll worry about that. So um I love that this kind of truth and that kind of kindness and empathy um echoes in your story, um, not only from what you experience, but also then what you're able to translate into your work whenever you're sharing your expertise with others and your space with others. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Yes, God is good.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Absolutely, every day. Um, so Mr. Sheffield, have you ever thought about maybe doing an educational podcast of sorts to help people understand the process of passing on or grieving someone more easily?

What Families Should Remember

Access, Empathy, And Reputation

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Well, I I I have thought about it. I I just have not gotten around to it. I've been uh you know really blessed in this profession. Uh when I uh I went to the University of Pittsburgh uh on a basketball scholarship, you know, back in 1960. In fact, I was the second African American to get a scholarship in Pitts history. Uh and so it's so um basically a Pittsburgh person, even though I was born and reared in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, which is not that far from Pittsburgh, but you know, Pittsburgh is is my home, and you know, I I never could, I never dreamed that it would be God would have blessed me in the manner in which He has. So, you know, so I am I guess you would say that if I didn't do this, I don't know what I would have done. You know, I've had an opportunity to do other things, things in life, but it's all related to funeral service. Uh in fact, when after I graduated from you know the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science here and uh went ahead and got my uh license. I got my license on January 7th, 1970. So ever since then, this is this has basically been my life. And uh whenever God calls me home, he calls me home, but I will do this until the day I pass. My wife asked me, when are you gonna retire? When are you gonna retire? I said, I'm not gonna retire. I said, one day when you come to the funeral home and you have to finish the arrangements that I've already made, then you'll know that I'm done. You know, I can't do anymore. But it's been uh good one. God has been so good to me that uh, you know, he he has shown me what it is when you want to when you serve people, and everyone will know that I'm one once in a while, you know, we get burned, so to speak, but that doesn't stop me from doing what I know I should do for them. That's something they have to live with. I'm still gonna serve them to the best of my ability, you know, so that I can never had a sleepless night. I've always been able to go. They can't say, well, Chef you wouldn't charge you too much. He said, Oh no, no. We're there to serve, and it makes a difference. It's really made a difference in the

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, sometimes whenever you know you're called to do something and you love what you do, um, you know, retirement kind of seems overrated because you want to get up and do every single day exactly what you're called to. Um and so outside of work though, Calvin, what do you do for fun?

Closing And How To Connect

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Well, uh I still golf. Uh in my age, I still still golf. And uh that's good. But I've always been involved in athletics, you know, every pit. We um I I coached uh high schoolers, CYO teams when I was uh you know still a student at at Pitt. And as a matter of fact, uh my my team was the first CYO, first CYO team that I coached. A lot of the guys were from the Hill District in Pittsburgh, you know, went to Fifth Avenue, the old Fifth Avenue, you know, they went to that to that school, and and I coached them, and we won the championship two straight years in the CYO uh uh division that they had for high schools, for guys that make the high school teams, you know, they played. And we did did very well. And some of those young men today now they're you know ready to retire, but uh they still still remember the experiences they had getting in the CYO and our winning the championship. And it was it's pretty tough, but but it was it was well worth it. And I played active, active basketball until I was 55.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Because we had a uh national, an old timers league, uh for guys that were 35 played, and we would travel around Cleveland, Washington, D.C., New York, Cincinnati, Columbus, they all they still have teams. And uh, but we were uh involved when the league was formed years ago. And um as I said, that when some of the youngsters came in at 35, come to play, and here I was 55 playing, and they said, Sheffield, it's time for you to retire. And I said, Well, you know, I still feel pretty good. I said, Well, I don't think I can perform and actually help the team, then I'll I'll start playing.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

You said no, son, watch this. Switch.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Well, you know, this to see the evolution of basketball between the three-point shot, which you know, today, and the clock, which they have today, which we didn't have back in back in those days, but we still shot from the range for three points. If you're an outside shooter, you shot from there. Um, it's so the the game itself is a little bit different because it's more offensive oriented. They like to see more points scored, you know, because you look at the scores in the uh the NBA with the three-point shot. And it's no question that the players today, they all shoot, you know, from the outside, uh, you know, past the three-point line, because it's three points back in our day, it was only two points. So it didn't you didn't even think about looking at your feet to see where you were almost past the three-point line to shoot. But uh, you know, as part of life, you know, but it's been good to me. And I still like to see what's watch the pros and parts of colleagues, you know, players. That's basketball is still basketball, football is still football, baseball still baseball. You know, they got certain subtles changes of the game, but you know, they're still good athletes.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

And yeah, basketball is so exciting whenever you're courtside, especially too. So, Calvin, please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Calvin L. Sheffield at funeral home.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

The biggest, well, most important thing to me is that we're service-oriented. And money should not be a reason for you not to call, you know, call Sheffield or any other funeral home that you call. It's about service and it's and it's about empathy, and it's about relieving the burden that people have to feel when they lose someone that they love. And you know, that my role is to try to facilitate that transition so that they don't get fixated too much in and have that become like an impediment to still living their life. You know, we you know, we're all, as my dad used to say, we're all in line. We just don't know when our numbers are gonna be called, but you know, he said, no one's gotten out of life alive, you know, and so so just keep keep that in mind. But it's it's um yeah, life's been good, and and I know that whenever my time comes, I just want the Lord to say, Sheffield did a good job. You know, come on, you know, come on home and rest. Money has never been uh something that drove me. Uh and I know that because the way I've extended myself, the families, that the Lord makes a way for it. You know, I'm still in good enough health at this age that I can I can still I can still do what I'm supposed to be doing, whereas you know, some of the guys that I know that play ball with that are my age, they have issues with their knees, issues with the ankles, you know, from the beating that we took playing basketball or football, whatever. But uh God has really blessed me, and I will tell you know everybody who when they call call me. A lot of people say, What's it gonna cost? I said, Don't worry about the cost. The most important thing to me is that you called me, so I'm gonna move. You know, the most important thing is that we get that person as soon as we can so we can do the best job that we can. And we'll, you know, the money, the money's not anything I've ever worried about.

SPEAKER_02 28:55

And how can our listeners learn more about the Calvin L. Sheffield funeral?

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Um, well, we're usually you hear like where I am located on uh in Manchester or on Northside. Um we have a website uh too that you know a person. But one thing strange about the funeral business is that just about everyone has had some sort of experience with someone passing. So they've been to you know uh a funeral, they've been through services, they've been to funeral homes, and and people are kind of familiar that you know death is something that we have to have to live with. And the um important thing to me is my being able to uh ease some of the pain that they're experiencing and also give them you know some information that they can use so they can pass through this stage and still live their life after the person is has uh has uh has gone. And and and I'm fortunate to be able to do that. Uh I enjoy people and and I'm a people person. And so the main thing to me is it's never been about money, and it never will be about money, because you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have good health, if there's some things you can't do, you know, you're not able to enjoy it. But I'm able to enjoy my life as we go. And we have we've got we've gotten a very good reputation from the families we serve because it's like hassle-free, you know. Money is something that a lot of people worry about. A lot of people, you know, they'll make a decision on who to call because they don't feel that they can afford that. You know, but we we don't just discriminate, we try to treat everyone as as though they're just like how we want to be treated, you know, from from losing a loved one, and it makes a big difference.

SPEAKER_02 31:23

Well, thank you for being the person to uh walk our brothers and sisters home, so to speak, and to hold the hands of their family members whenever they're grieving. Um, Calvin, it was so amazing to talk to you today, and we really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and the business the very best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

Well, thank you very much. Appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 31:50

And we live in easy for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmppittsburgh.com. That's gmppittsburgh.com or call four one two five six one nine nine five six.