Little's Funeral Home Smithfield Virginia (2024)

FAQs

Does Caitlin Doughty own a funeral home? ›

She founded a Los Angeles funeral home, Clarity Funerals, and currently lives in upstate New York.

For over two centuries, Diuguid Funeral Services & Crematory has been a steadfast provider of comfort and care to the Lynchburg community. Our tenure as the oldest funeral home in Virginia and the second oldest in the United States is a testament to our enduring commitment.

Three large corporations now own 15% of the 23,000 homes in the funeral home industry. Service Corporation International (SCI), based in Houston, is the largest of the three, followed by Loewen Group Inc., based in Vancouver, Canada and Philadelphia, and Stewart Enterprises Inc., based in New Orleans.

Well, Megan Hess, a 46-year-old former funeral home owner from Colorado, found a way to stand out from the typical white-collar criminal. On Tuesday, she was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission of the families of the deceased.

A chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.

If the human remains are properly preserved they can be stored for longer periods of time. In most cases, so long as the remains are properly refrigerated, funeral homes can store a body for a few days to a few weeks.

The term funeral parlor (or parlour) was often used in the name of funeral businesses, as it was already associated with end-of-life events. The first funeral parlor or funeral home, Kirk & Nice Funeral Home, actually opened in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1777, and is still in operation today.

Casket. A casket is often the most expensive item that factors into the average funeral cost.

Why do funeral homes make so much money? ›

The most common way is through the sale of funeral services. This includes the cost of the funeral director, embalming, transportation, and other related services. Another way a funeral home business can generate income is by selling products. This includes caskets, urns, and grave markers.

Before modern embalming, various preservatives were used to minimize decomposition. For example, some would pickle the body in vinegar, wine, brandy, or other strong spirits. Honey, wax, and spices were also utilized.

The History of Funeral Homes

Funeral homes have been around for centuries, but they didn't become a formal business until the late 1800s. Before then, funerals were typically held in the home of the deceased, and families were responsible for preparing the body for burial.

The first evidence of cremation in the archaeological record dates to 20,000 B.C. in Mungo Lake, Australia. In the Middle East and Europe, there is evidence of cremation as early as the Neolithic period (9500 B.C).

Plantsville Funeral Home and Southington Cremation Service were established in 1969 by William and Stella Dziedzic. Today the family business is owned and managed by their son, Robert F. Dziedzic, his wife, Anita Dziedzic, and their daughter, Lauren A. Dziedzic.

Doug Friesen

In 2012, Doug decided to use his talents to make a positive and lasting impact on grieving families and he and Eunice established Bear Creek Funeral Home.

DeVargas sold the business in 2017 to The Signature Group, which was then acquired in 2018 by Park Lawn Corporation, a Canadian conglomerate that owns some 139 funeral homes throughout North America.

Royal's rich black history is a point of pride for Karen Jones Smith and David W. Smith. The wife and husband team, president and vice president respectively of Royal Funeral Home, Incorporated are the third generation to purchase, own and operate the business.