Old funeral home in Moline

[Varmit]

Does anyone have any info on the old funeral home in Moline? Pics?  Was driving by and was just curious about it.

[frawin]

Billy, Charlie and Ed Rarick ran the funeral in Moline. They were super Gentlemen. Their sister delivered me and 6 of my brothers and sisters. My oldest sister lived just up the street from the funeral home and my nephew and I used to walk down to the funeral home and talk to the Raricks. I think there just wasn't enough busiuness in Moline to support it, and noone wanted to come there and and buy it and run it. I drove by it Memorial weekend on my way to the cemetery and it was sad to see how bad of shape it is in, Charlie and Ed always kept it looking very nice. I forgot to add in there that Lynn Watt took it over from the Raricks and Lynn and Herb Spurrier ran it together. In fact they ran both the one at Howard and the one at Moline, helping each other with both. Lynn and Herb were also really good men. I believe that it was shut down after Lynn Watt left Moline.

[frawin]

Billy in the 1950s there was a Funeral in Howard, Moline, Severy and Piedmont, the one in Howard is the only survivor.

[Marcia Moore]

     When Robert Forsberg passed away in May 1990, his wife, Gertrude, with the help of Lloyd Zimmerman, continued operating the funeral business at Severy until 1995, at which time she sold out to Zimmerman, who operated it in conjunction with his funeral home business at Howard.  Lloyd later moved the Severy records and business to Howard.

[Marcia Moore]

     Not only was Guy Vaughn in business at Piedmont for many years as an undertaker, he was also a barber and an ambulance service operator there.  His hearse doubled as his ambulance.  I know there were many undertakers in other towns that had both a funeral business and an ambulance service, and you would think this would have been considered a "conflict of interest."  You can just picture the ambulance driver pondering, "Now if I drive slow enough, I could probably make more money, couldn't I?"  Hopefully, that never happened.

[Janet Harrington]

Del Huggins ran the Moline Funeral Home.  He is/was the husband of Lynn and Olive Watt's daughter, Cheryl.  He had Randy Camp working for him at one time and Randy did a really good job with the funerals, but Randy made some bad personal decisions, so he could not do that business any longer.  Anyway, Del went to Sedan and worked at the David Barnes funeral home until it caught on fire and burned down.  I think, (but I'm not positive), that Del and Cheryl still own the home. 

[Judy Harder]

At one time there was a funeral home at Longton, too. But, you will need one of the older Longton-ites to
jog their memory. It was close to the Methodist church on (I think) the old highway going through town.
Jarhead, how is your memory? This was told/mentioned to me by Glenn Barnaby and Gertrude Freeman and others.

[jarhead]

My memory is shot----but----I think Hotchkiss Morgaridge ( you can bet your sweet bippy ,that spelling is wrong ) . He lived in what we call the Cooley house but I don't know if the house was the funeral home. Back when I was a pup there was an old building on main street about where the city shop is, that I think was used as a funeral home. There was a small casket made like a wicker basket , in it. I only went in that building once because it gave me the heebie jeebies.

[Judy Harder]

Jarhead,

That is the house I was talking about, the Cooley one. Gertrude and Pope and the rest of their bunch I drank coffee with
Like Reba and Ruby and Mrs. Nichols and their generation talked a lot about the funeral home. I think Eulia Bird or Joan played for the funerals there. I am not even going to try spelling that mans name..........I heard Blacky a lot and the Morg-whatever.

[flo]

Bob Forsberg also ran an ambulance service for Severy.  He had a sort-of station wagon type vehicle.  We used him several times when my grandmother needed transport to the hospital in the 60's, when our oldest daughter fell off a horse at the age of 4, and when my father-in-law needed rushed to the hospital, the night he also passed away.  Bob and Gertrude were not only good friends, but were invaluable to the town of Severy.