Harrington Funeral Home | Lakeland, Georgia (2024)

FAQs

Who owns most of the funeral homes? ›

Understanding the funeral industry landscape

You may find it surprising that less than 80% of funeral homes in the U.S. are privately owned by families, individuals or small chains. Even more surprising is that more than 20% of all funeral homes in the country are owned by large corporations.

Service Corporation International (SCI) is the largest funeral home company in the world, with a network of over 2,000 locations across the United States and Canada.

It now consists of 42 funeral homes and cemeteries and over 500 associates.

Heaton,Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel, the oldest funeral home in the State of Missouri and the oldest business firm in the City of St. Joseph, was founded in 1842 by David J. Heaton at Sparta, Missouri, the former county seat of Buchanan County.

The most expensive part of a funeral is typically the basic services fee of a funeral home. The median cost of basic services fees is about $2,300. If you choose a traditional funeral and burial, your highest cost will likely be a metal casket. Metal caskets can cost around $2,500.

A fraud inquiry has begun into the funeral plan provider Safe Hands, which collapsed leaving thousands of people with lost savings. Some 46,000 people had paid into a fund towards future funeral costs.

Sale of Casket: Funeral homes also sell caskets to make money. The sale of caskets happens to be one of the most profitable ventures that funeral homes engage in. Usually, they make the caskets necessary for each family. And to say the least, the coffins are priced to make a profit.

A funeral home is a 24-hour, labor-intensive business, with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapels, limousines, hearses, etc.), which must be factored into the cost of a funeral. A majority of the expense is typically in the funeral home professional fees and merchandise for the funeral or memorial itself.

Service Corporation International is proud to be North America's leading provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. Since 1962, SCI has been serving families during their most difficult, personal and challenging times.

What is the oldest funeral home? ›

Bucktrout Funeral Home is the oldest funeral home in America, and it is still functioning even today! It was first started in 1759, and originally operated as a cabinet-making business.

When you buy a Victorian funeral home, you'd expect a few surprises. Just ask the Blumberg family – Heather, Arryn and their children Rafferty and Noa – who purchased an 1880s "Gothic mansion" to transform into their family dream home.

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.

One of the oldest and largest funeral homes in the state of Georgia, Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors began in 1882 when John H. Fox opened an undertaking establishment at 106 West Liberty Street, in what is now the Downtown Historic District.

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).

But, of course, that's all fiction. The Addams family doesn't actually exist, but the Blumberg family in Dresden, Ontario, comes pretty close! The family behind the Discovery+ show We Bought a Funeral Home have shown the world their spooky side, turning an old funeral home into an incredible work of art.

In addition to this, the company sells cremation containers and urns. All of Hillenbrand's funeral products are sold under their Batesville Casket Company brand, which was founded in 1906. Service Corp. International owns more funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories than any other company in North America.

A funeral director, also known as an undertaker or mortician (American English), is a professional who has licences in funeral arranging and embalming (or preparation of the deceased) involved in the business of funeral rites.