By D.A. WILKINSON

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR STAFF EDITOR
GEORGE AND KITTY CASKEY SAY that driving a hearse is a great way to meet people. Live people, that is.
The Youngstown couple don't work at a funeral home, but one of their vehicles is a hearse.
Over the years, they've driven a vehicle made strictly for last rides to work and for errands and to get together with their friends, many of whom also drive hearses.
"We get a lot of weird looks," said George, who is an engineering technician by trade.
Kitty noted that the vehicle is a real conversation starter at the gas pump or at the Giant Eagle.
Positive and negative reaction, said George and Kitty, is 50-50.
"People either like the car or hate the car," George said, adding that those who are offended are mostly older people.
"They know it's coming for them soon," George said with a laugh.
"I've met a lot of nice people who have come up and said, 'I like your car,'" Kitty said.
The Caskeys and fellow hearse owner John Cerno of Columbus said disapproving people rarely get cranky.
"I only had one person get in my face and scream about it," Cerno recalled.
Still, owning a hearse can create problems.
George said that when he was selling cars in eastern Pennsylvania several years ago, his employer wouldn't let him park his hearse on company property. George said it was tough to go to work and not be able to park, so he quit.
Kitty recalled that she and her husband bought their first hearse from a man who got an ultimatum from his fiance & eacute;: her or the car.
Groups available
For those who like hearses, George has founded the Northeast Ohio Hearse Owners Society.
Its Web site is http://www.neohearse.bravepages.com.
And there are other organizations for hearses in almost every contiguous state, says Cerno, who is in a handful of automobile clubs. Some clubs include antique hearses as well as ambulances and vehicles that carry flower arrangements during funerals.
Cerno, an automobile technician, said about a third of hearse owners are in it for Halloween-themed fun, such as the Caskeys.
The rest like the vehicles and preserve them in their original condition, and a very few, like Cerno, beef up the already powerful engines.
Cerno said his day car is a 1979 Cadillac Superior, a $116,000 vehicle when brand new. Hearses tend to be low-mileage cars that were well-made and have been well-maintained.
The bad news is that they burn gasoline: Their miles-per-gallon is often a single digit.
The good news is that there is room to spare. Kitty said that when she runs errands, she just throws the groceries with her up front.
Other advantages
Driving a hearse, the owners said, sets them apart.
"The parking lot is full of Hondas, and I'm the only one with a hearse," said Cerno.
"I like to be different," said George. "I like to show off."
Kitty added, "I like to drive it because it's different. ... It's kind of my way of not growing up."
That attitude takes a spooky but fun turn. The couple chose skull designs for the door locks and tire valves of their hearse. And they will have it parked in front of their Midland Avenue home on Halloween, George said.
When it comes to decorating, "We do as much for Halloween as we do for Christmas," he said.
Cerno keeps a casket in his hearse because that's the way it normally appears. He recently removed the manikin he stored in it and even stretched out in the casket during a recent Vindicator photo shoot.
Kitty said she wouldn't mind putting a casket and manikin in the hearse she drives, if they could be found at a low price.
People may believe there's "bad karma" in such activities, Kitty said, but ultimately, "We just like the car."
And Cerno has some advice for those who may be squeamish about riding in a hearse: "Don't let your first ride be your last ride."
wilkinson@vindy.com