In the Land of Long Fingernails

In the summer of 1969, Charlie Wilkins was a young man in search of a job. Turned down by a dozen potential employers—including Shubang Used Tire and Dick’s Nifty Car Wash—Wilkins landed an unlikely job at a vast corporate cemetery as a “bone waxer,” handling “bird-houses” (urns), and earning an invaluable education about life as a caregiver in death.

From reckless disinterments, to a mid-summer g...