Flint Michigan's largest funeral home is closing effective this Saturday June 9th, 2007. This place is huge but the death industry just cannot support this place anymore.
A very sad day!
Richard
www.settlewilderfuneralhome.com

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=...&id=5364845 (http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=5364845)

i didnt go read about it (blocked at work) but how can a funeral home close? isnt there always a need for one

This particular funeral home is huge, I mean mammouth! The room where the florist drop off the flowers is as large as our funeral homes chapel. Over the years the place has continued to grow until it has gotten to be too big to operate. It features 5 chapels plus three levels and a garage large enough to hold 12 vehicles-big vehicles too. Their call volume dropped to only 475 calls last year and one would think that would be enough to keep it going but not so. You must also consider the neighborhood has gone African-American and they do not support white owned/operated funeral homes at all.
Believe me, this funeral home is now in a very bad section of Flint and I've heard of drive by shootings taken place at the funeral home. My conversation with one of the funeral directors this morning is they will move what items they want to other locations and auction off the rest at a future date. I hope to be there for the auction in hopes of purchasing another embalming table for our place.
Richard

Saw this on our news yesterday.... I heard he is moving alot of the items to suburban funeral homes (same company)such as the one by us in Davison. He said he's not going anywhere just moving around in location.


Snow4

Saw this on our news yesterday.... I heard he is moving alot of the items to suburban funeral homes (same company)such as the one by us in Davison. He said he's not going anywhere just moving around in location.
Snow4[/b]
The company SCI, Inc. is based in Houston and owns three other funeral homes in Genesse County. Hill Funeral Home in Grand Blanc, Brown Funeral Home on Hill Road, and Reigle Sunset Chapel in the Flushing, MI area. They will be moving what items they want to the other locations and then hold a public auction for what's left. Rest assured, I will drive up from Florida with truck and trailer for that auction. The funeral home is very out dated and has not had any capital improvements done to it in years.
It still breaks my heart to see such a beautiful big old place close. Even though I never worked there but have many fond memories of the place. About two years ago my wife and I were in Flint and stopped at Brown's for a quick tour. We happened to catch them on a night when they had not a single body in the place so we got the GRAND tour. The staff was very polite and even toured Mr. Brown's apartment upstairs gathering all the history of the place.
I know as much as you about Don Lada and his future plans. He was one of the four funeral directors that sold their shares to SCI after the death of Mr. Brown. I'm sure Mr. Brown would be spinning in his grave had he been aware of them selling to a corporation. But we all know, "Money Talks!" I just hate to see the place close and then the local vandal take charge, and it will not be long before the windows are broken out and the thiefery begins.
Times change...

it's not money talking , man say like it is "GREED". :)

it's not money talking , man say like it is "GREED". :)[/b]
You've hit the nail directly on the head!

Richard

When my sister died unexpectedly from a brain anuerysm we had her service at the Hill Funeral Home in Grand Blanc. It was not a good day but the people there helped out as much as they could.

Maybe not as many pleople are dying? They are building them all around here . I can not even drywall them.

How much does a good embalming table go for these days?

How much does a good embalming table go for these days?[/b]
A good used porcelain table would be worth about a grand, or more, with the base. Stainless tables are considerably less expensive.
Richard