A medical emergency can create a full-blown crisis in a person’s life or it can be a blip on the radar, depending on how well-prepared an individual is.

For Jerry and Ann Andrews, owners of Andrews Funeral Home & Crematory in Gloucester, a heart attack experienced while away from home proved to be the latter, thanks to the couple’s well-thought-out management of their business and personal lives.

The Andrews have been attending the annual Virginia Funeral Directors Association convention every year for decades. For Jerry, attendance started nearly six decades ago, when he was just eight years old. His father was a funeral director, and the convention was a family affair, so he attended and made lifelong friendships among other children who also took up the family business.

This year, the convention was held in June in Virginia Beach, and the Andrews had a grand old time getting together with old friends and like-minded people, learning new things, relaxing in the nice wea...