John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion who focuses on climate change and social justice. Follow him on Snapchat , Facebook and email . The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

Orlando (CNN) Buffy Quintana is a sassy guy with long, reddish hair and a hula dancer figurine perched on the corner of his desk.

"That's Lulu, my girlfriend," he told me, teasing.

The buoyancy is impressive given Quintana's task. The 52-year-old sews the interiors of caskets at Cardinal Casket Co. in Orlando. When I visited Thursday morning, the business had casket orders for 24 of the 49 victims of last weekend's mass shooting at a gay bar here.

Quintana, who is gay and Puerto Rican, like several of those who died, knew five of the people killed in the shooting at Pulse nightclub . His boss says it's likely he helped build some of their caskets this week.

"If I did, I don't want to know," Quintana told me. "I just do it with love."

Quintana and others are putting some extra care into their craft this week. Kelly Greenwood, vice president and co-owner of the company, told me Cardinal Caskets shipped a green and orange casket for the funeral of a victim who was a fan of the University of Miami. Another was being fitted with a white interior and a military logo for a veteran who was shot and killed.

And then there was one for Greenwood's friend, Frank Hernandez

His family requested a Beyonce reference be added to the casket: " Always in formation ."

"He was a big Beyonce fan," Greenwood said.

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"I feel proud we've been able to do our part to help these families get closure," Greenwood told me, noting that the company has been giving a 20% discount to funeral homes handling the shooting victims. "Closure is part of the healing process. The funeral, or the memorial, is very important (even if) ... the wounds are always there."

Greenwood has his own wounds, too.

"I was making a casket for a friend," he said.

The first funerals for the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history are starting to be held in this grieving city. And, when viewed in historical context, there's something remarkable about the people who are helping facilitate them. A variety of funeral homes -- not just those catering to the LGBT community or owned by them -- are doing the work.

At least 13 funeral homes are involved, Greenwood said.

Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims People light candles during a vigil one day after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub, marking the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims Attendees make signs with messages like "#OrlandoStrong" and "We Stand Together." Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims Mourners embrace at the vigil, which took place in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims Family and friends of shooting victims Leroy Valentin Fernandez and Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado attend the vigil. They were wearing matching "RIP Eman & Roy" shirts. Learn more about the victims Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims A flower is placed on a long sheet of paper adorned with heartfelt messages. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims Thousands of people attended Monday night's vigil in Orlando. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Orlando vigil for shooting victims The crowd holds up candles during a moment of silence for the victims. Hide Caption 7 of 7

Twenty or 30 years ago, that would have been unthinkable. Back then, "gay funeral homes" would have handled most funerals for the LGBT community. Others would have shunned it.

In Orlando, the gay funeral home was owned by two men who now run Cardinal Casket.

"We were at the height of the AIDS epidemic at the time, and most of the funeral homes in Orlando didn't want to deal with AIDS patients at all," said Manny Adams, 65. "We took that gap, and we made that our focus."

Adams and his business partner, James Cardinal, 54, ran a gay-friendly funeral home in Orlando in the early 1990s, they told me. They're both openly gay. That made them sympathetic to LGBT people in need. Once they held two funerals for a drag queen, Cardinal told me: one with the deceased in drag, for the gay friends. Then another in men's clothing, for the family.

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"People didn't have to sit down and explain their situation to us because we knew about it," Adams said.

Adams told me that a few other funeral homes in Orlando did accept gay people or those with AIDS during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but they often charged a $1,000 or $1,500 fee. Likewise, he said, it wasn't until the mid-1990s that local newspapers would print information about same-sex partners in obituaries. In that discriminatory environment, gay funeral homes such as his flourished. They had to do what it took to protect their own, and offer some compassion.

Greenwood told me that sort of focus is no longer needed -- and that the casket company caters to everyone.

"There really isn't such a thing" as a gay funeral home in 2016, he said. "Everyone's welcome everywhere."

Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden place flowers at a memorial Thursday, June 16, for the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando. At least 49 people were killed in the massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Hide Caption 1 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People remember the victims during a vigil at an LGBT community center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, June 14. Hide Caption 2 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Jean Dasilva, left, is comforted by Felipe Soto as they mourn the loss of their friend Javier Jorge-Reyes on June 14. They were visiting a makeshift memorial at Pulse, the gay nightclub where the shooting took place. Hide Caption 3 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, sign a book of condolences at the U.S. Embassy in London on June 14. Hide Caption 4 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack A vigil for the Orlando victims is held in New Delhi on June 14. Hide Caption 5 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Thousands gather in Orlando on Monday, June 13, to pay tribute to those who were killed the day before. Hide Caption 6 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack The Eiffel Tower in Paris is illuminated in rainbow colors on June 13. Hide Caption 7 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack A woman lights a candle during a vigil in Sydney on June 13. Hide Caption 8 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Runners pass under half-staff flags at the Washington Monument on June 13. Hide Caption 9 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn T. Davies, right, gestures to members of the LGBT community outside the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 13. They were holding a vigil for the victims. Hide Caption 10 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Students in Mumbai, India, light candles near a rangoli, an Indian form of art created on the ground, on June 13. Hide Caption 11 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack White roses and rainbow flags are displayed in front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin on June 13. Hide Caption 12 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People gather for a vigil in Seoul, South Korea, on June 13. Hide Caption 13 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack The city of Melbourne posted this image on its Twitter account June 13 "as a mark of respect for those touched by the attack in Orlando. Town Hall is lit in the rainbow #LoveIsLove." Hide Caption 14 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Mourners hold an LED sign as they march during a vigil in Dallas on Sunday, June 12. Hide Caption 15 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the musical "Hamilton," delivers a sonnet at the Tony Awards to pay tribute to the Orlando victims. Hide Caption 16 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack A rainbow flag flies at half-staff on the Space Needle in Seattle on June 12. Hide Caption 17 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Henry Duong pays tribute during a memorial service in San Diego. Hide Caption 18 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack One World Trade Center is lit in rainbow colors June 12 in New York. Hide Caption 19 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Mourners hold up signs during a vigil in Washington on June 12. Hide Caption 20 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Mourners gather during a vigil in front of the White House on June 12. President Barack Obama called the mass shooting an "act of terror" in remarks to the nation. Hide Caption 21 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Two women light candles during a vigil in front of the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, on June 12. Hide Caption 22 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Mourners observe a moment of silence during a vigil in Atlanta. Hide Caption 23 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Ryan Gibson, left, embraces Tabor Winstead during a vigil in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 12. Hide Caption 24 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack A man injured in the attack stands with other mourners as they attend a memorial service at an Orlando church. Hide Caption 25 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack Participants in the Los Angeles gay pride parade show their support for the victims on June 12. Hide Caption 26 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People hold candles near Rome's Colosseum as they take part in a ceremony on June 12. Hide Caption 27 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack A man places a handprint on a makeshift memorial near the nightclub where the attack took place. Hide Caption 28 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People gather for a vigil June 12 outside the Stonewall Inn in New York. Stonewall is considered the birthplace of the gay rights movement. Hide Caption 29 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People gather in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to mourn the Orlando victims on June 12. Hide Caption 30 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People gather for a vigil near the Beaubourg art center in Paris on June 12. Hide Caption 31 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People line up to donate blood at a blood bank in Orlando. Hide Caption 32 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack People show their support for Orlando during the Los Angeles gay pride parade. Hide Caption 33 of 34 Photos: World reacts to Orlando attack The Rev. Jeffrey Montoya leads a prayer in Greenfield, Wisconsin, on June 12. Hide Caption 34 of 34

That might be a rosier-than-true picture, especially given the massive hate crime this city is still flailing to process. But this history -- the shift from exclusion to inclusion -- is worth reflecting upon this week.

This is a city trying to figure out how to do right by its deceased.

One way to do that is to ensure that love and inclusion, not hate, continue to spread.

Another is to do the difficult work of folks like Quintana -- sewing through the sorrow.