Loose Funeral Homes

After starting in the funeral business in 1955, working with two of Anderson's well respected funeral establishments, and with many prayers and sleepless nights, my family and I decided to put out our own little shingle. Take what we had learned and put it to good use.

It seems like yesterday when we first opened our doors, way out on 53rd Street. We suppose a little daring because at that time, all the funeral establishments were centrally located in the downtown area. We felt and hoped the south side of town would soon be growing and if we were going to do things right, we would need a little room to accomplish our goals.

We wanted to offer a funeral home that was conducive to the whole community. A funeral home all on one level with no steps, with spaciousness and a homey-like atmosphere. A place where one could just let us tend to their needs so they could visit with their consoling family and friends.

It wasn't long before we needed to expand. At this time, not only did we add on to our existing building, but we also decided that we would give the families a place to make their arrangements away from the hustle and bustle of the main funeral home. We utilized the old buffalo barn on the northeast corner of the property and converted it into what we now refer to as our, "Carriage House".

The Carriage House was well received. It incorporated our arrangement room, the casket and vault selection room and much needed storage. We designed it to look like ones family room at their home, with a fireplace and a game table for us to sit around while making arrangements rather than a desk in an office setting. At this point, we were also able to add some needed personnel, additional funeral directors and secretarial assistance. Prearranging funerals was becoming more and more accepted so we needed to have the staff to not only tend to the current funeral business but also to the future business.

In 1986, we expanded both the main building and the Carriage House and we also implemented a chaplaincy or aftercare program to help the families with their grief process and adapting to their losses. This program was the first of its kind in the area and has strived to help not only each family we serve but also several school classrooms, church groups, senior citizen groups, other grief support groups through seminars, tours, and a very extensive library including videos.

In 1991, we built the first and what remains the only crematory in the area. We wanted to be able to handle all aspects of the cremation process in house so we would not have to rely on an outside source and also to alleviate any additional transportation costs to the families desiring that type of service. Each year, the number of cremations increase throughout the United States. We offer a variety of types of services including cremation, caskets specifically made for the cremation process, urns, cremation vaults, and keepsakes and even cremation jewelry.

Because of the increasing amount of traffic on Anderson's the 109 bypass and the amount of time it takes to go from the one side of town to the other, we opened another funeral home just north of Anderson on State Road 9. This new funeral home is self sufficient and has the same amenities as does our original building on 53rd Street. We wanted to make ourselves more accessible to those families whom we have served in the past in northern Madison County and offer our services to those whom we have not had the privilege to serve due to distance or other reasons.

We also implemented another program which means a lot to me and my family. Since there are so many women and men who put their lives on the line for my family and this community each and every day, we wanted to give back. In 1996, we offered to each Fire Department, Police Department, Emergency Management Team, and State Police Department, paid or voluntary, which serve Madison County, that if any of those would die in the line of duty, we would provide a service with full honors including a Stainless Steel or Cherry Hardwood casket, and a 12 gauge Galvanized Steel Vault at no charge to the family. This would allow any benefits or pensions to be used for the surviving family rather than the funeral services of those who devoted themselves to the community's well being.

In November of 2000, we utilized the beautiful Paramount Theatre in downtown Anderson and the backdrop of our first annual Remembrance Service. Our goal for this service is to bring family and friends together to remember their loved ones and to celebrate a life through special music and encouraging words. We know that grief has its own set of seasons and its own timing. For many people, memories comfort, empower, enrich, and honor those we love so dearly. Our hope was that the service was a source of strength and comfort throughout holidays.

We are continually striving to expand and improve upon the services we offer to this community. We hope that you would let us know if there is anything that we could implement to better serve.