Page 10 - Cindy Salas Murphy San Diego Woman Magazine

Women of Distinction

Photos Courtesy of Megan Comer
Megan Comer set of siblings; a boy and a girl. interest in the family business.”

Megan assimilated into a big
The history of their family
happy family. When she first business dates back to 1897
President of Alheiser- came to San Diego she lived when it first opened and was
owned by several different
in Poway where most of her
Comer Mortuary mom’s family resided, but after families over the years. The
Johnson and Sampson fam-
a few years, the family moved
By Judith A. Habert to Escondido. ily were former owners. In
Megan’s father, grand-
the 1930s the Alhiser family
father, and uncle all owned bought the business with a
Many of us who are locals New York and shortly after funeral homes, so while partner and after that, the Wil-
or have been here long enough they were put up for adoption. growing up the Comer chil- son family, it was Alhiser-Wil-
to be considered locals, know They spent their early years in dren were raised either on the son for many years. Megan’s
this business. It has been in ex- foster care, luckily, they were property of the funeral home family became the new owners
istence for 125 years. It is one adopted at the ages of eight or nearby. While her sister was in 1989. In 2001 they formally
of the oldest businesses in San and ten when they finally enthralled with the business, changed the name to Alhis-
Diego and is by far the oldest found their forever home with Megan didn’t feel the same er-Comer. “This was the year I
in Escondido. Megan Comer is the Comer family. Mrs. Comer way at the time. “I was the started college at Palomar, and
the President of Alhiser-Comer came from a large family of one that thought it was totally I was mortified thinking ev-
Mortuary. It isn’t often that you seven siblings and knew how weird and wanted nothing to eryone would find out that my
find a young woman running a great it was to be part of that do with it, to be honest, Nicole dad owned a funeral home.”
funeral home, but for Megan, it dynamic. So, not only did she was very intrigued and worked Megan’s grandfather
was part of her family for most adopt these two beautiful girls, there in high school. I also fought in the Korean War and
of her life. she and her husband would helped my dad with some filing was tasked with preparing,
Megan and her sister Ni- go on to adopt another three while I attended high school, the decedents of that war for
cole were born in Staten Island, children, one boy and another but that was the extent of my their return home. After the

10