Cubs Legend Andre Dawson Now Serving Hometown Of Miami As Funeral Home Owner

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cubs Hall of Famer Andre Dawson has owned a funeral home in the Miami area for 12 years. The business is obviously more stressful now with the pandemic, but Dawson is thankful they haven't been hit as hard by the coronavirus as other parts of the country.

A Miami native, Dawson entered the business in 2003, when he became an investor in his younger brother's funeral home. He later bought Paradise Memorial Funeral Home in 2008.

Amid the pandemic, Paradise Memorial is still holding funerals, but with a limit of 10 people each service. The Cubs legend says his fellow Hall of Famers still can't believe he's doing this.

"I got a lot of funny stares, initially. Hall of Famer Jim Rice looked at me and he said, 'you're doing what?' And I got a similar stare from (Oakland A's legend) Rickey Henderson. The first thing I throw back at them is, I have a business card for you, if you need one," said Dawson. "As an athlete you're kind of used to the crowd roar, and the cheers, and this is completely the opposite. The sad, emotional side of me comes out a lot. At the end of the day, when you've done two or three services, you're pretty beat up. All I want to do at this point is to continue to serve, and if I can be confident in that regard then this is all worth it."

Dawson's wife is the office manager and his uncle is the operations boss. He also still serves as special assistant to the Cubs.