Cremation Experience Matters
Blessed with a 133 year old family funeral heritage our facilities have seen several major changes and additions during that time. My great-grandfather started the business in a storefront on the town square, selling as the sign read on the front of the building, “Furniture and Undertaking. “The business then moved to a bigger storefront one block south of the town square before my grandfather decided it was time to follow the trend and move the business into a large home located two blocks south of the square in 1924. The family business moved away from just being “undertakers” and became a “funeral home” providing facilities in addition to caskets, chairs and transportation. As the town grew, so did our business. As many of us have experienced the need for expansion become necessary and roughly every decade more rooms were either added or expanded. By the 1960’s our town was expanding into the suburbs. Following the families we were serving my father began searching for land to build a second location. By 1971 that land found, the work of planning the funeral home began. Wanting to patronized local businesses my father employed an architect whose office was right beside our funeral home. While my father visited other new funeral homes the final design resembled the current layout of the funeral home he had worked in for the previous 30 years. A little more than a decade after the new funeral home was completed the decision was made to expand our original funeral home. That old house with its many additions needed at least one more addition. By this time the fourth generation-my brother Tom and i-were in charge. Of course I thought I know just what we needed. The south viewing room was just too small and we needed to expand that room. While attending our state convention and browsing the booths I came across an architect’s booth specializing in funeral home design. After stopping to talk it did not take long before I agreed to have them pay a visit and look at the project. Of course during the visit I explained what I needed done and through good salesmanship I was talked into engaging them to draw a basic layout. The day came to unveil their plans but after my first look I feared I had just wasted my money. These architects had not listened to me : my south room was not expanded but was actually cut in half. After holding my tongue and giving them time to explain their design however their plan made sense. While much more extensive and expensive I realized that they were right and that what I thought I had wanted was not really what I needed. While the original house (bought in 1925) was still there the architect’s plan portrayed the interior of a modern building with wide halls, updated restrooms, a modern embalming facility, large chapels with private access, and a new entrance with no steps. I would never have thought of this design myself, but to this day I have never regretted engaging their expertise. The new design and workflow also made me realize that my father should have hired an experienced funeral home design architect when the suburban funeral home was built. I learned a lesson and about a decade later when our funeral home in the suburbs needed expansion I sought the proper advice. As funeral trends change so will the design of funeral homes. I recently visited the open house of a new funeral home in Dover, Ohio that a mortuary school classmate of mine, Rich Geib built. It is an open steel frame building and two thirds of the public space is dedicated to a large atrium lobby and a hospitality room. A decade has passed since our last major addition, and a new generation is at hand. My nephew Rick is newly licensed and my daughter. Amy is in mortuary school in Cincinnati. Perhaps they will take charge of the next project but whether it is a new building or another expansion one certainty is that the advice of an experienced funeral home architect will be sought. Incidentally my son Andrew graduated with a degree in architecture and now interns for an architectural firm overlooking Arlington National Cemetery. Who knows if perhaps someday he might serve as that experienced funeral home architect we will seek.
If you or a family member have any further questions or concerns with respect to cremation, cremation services, cremation costs or a direct cremation please feel free to contact Cremation Options toll free 24 hours daily at 1-877-989-9090.