St Catherine man finds life in decorating graves

As a certified mechanic and a trained mason, Renardo Whittle is quite versatile; however, three years ago the 26-year-old found it difficult to generate income from his trades, so he found a potentially lucrative lifeline in doing grave decor.

Whittle, who has Level Two certification in mechanics, told THE STAR that he was introduced to the grave decor business by his brother who worked at a funeral home. He recollected that his foray into the business started as a small favour to assist his brother. But after learning the skill, he recognised that not only did he enjoy it, he had a passion for it. He said that the business has allowed him to tap into his creativity.

"From the first day mi start mi notice seh mi enjoy doing this, mi like come up with mi own style and pattern dem," the 26-year-old said, adding that he enjoys how his work makes his customers feel.

"It mek mi feel good because people always come and seh to mi seh dem never know seh grave could decorate pretty and everything, and mi like how it mek dem smile even though dem a grieve and thing. Is a good feeling," Whittle said.

Despite working among the dead, Whittle said that he has no fears. Still, he told THE STAR that he always ensures to drink a glass of white rum or sprinkles it around the grave to ward of potential evil spirits.

"Mi just do it because a dat people tell mi fi duh. Mi nuh worry bout nuh duppy or nothing like that because nothing never happen to mi yet and mi know seh nothing nah happen," Whittle said.

The Macca Tree, St Catherine native also said that grave decor also allowed him to venture into other aspects of the decor business, pushing him far beyond what he thought he was capable of.

"Somebody see mi work and ask mi if I could decorate them wedding and I said yea. Mi never do it before but mi seh mek mi try and now mi nuh just duh graves, mi duh weddings and parties too," Whittle said. He insisted that he creates his own style by myself.

"I don't go on YouTube or nothing like that, mi just sit down and think 'bout it and den find ways to make it happen. Mi never know mi mind could a work like that, but mi enjoy just being able to think 'bout one design and mek it happen," Whittle said.

On average, it takes Whittle between one to two hours to completely decorate a grave. Depending on his style, he may charge up to $60,000 for something more elaborate. For each grave he uses approximately 27 yards of cloth, or maybe more. He also uses board for backing, as well as staples and nails to hold the material in place.

His newfound skill has afforded him the opportunity to travel to various parishes such as Clarendon, Hanover and St Ann to decorate graves. Whittle said that he wants the business to grow so he can do it full-time.