Family Tradition

In light of Iowa Funeral Directors Week, one family-owned funeral home is reflecting on its time in Newton and the compassion they continue to show on a daily basis.

Gov. Terry Branstad issued a proclamation which designates the week of May 14-20 to recognize the Iowa Funeral Directors Association and the work funeral directors do in their communities.

The Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory was established in 1999 by Pat and Gary Wallace after the Newton native decided to return to his hometown to carry on a family tradition.

Wallace said he grew up helping his parents at the age of 12 at the funeral home they owned, Toland Funeral Home, and it wasn’t until 10 years after graduating high school that he decided to attend mortuary school and follow in their footsteps.

“I graduated from mortuary school 30 years ago come this September, and I planned to come back to Newton just to do my internship, but I ended up working eight years at that funeral home my parents were with,” Wallace said. “I left and went to Des Moines and then came back here and started this.”

Pat said every step of the way she prayed God would provide a sign that starting a business in Newton was the right thing for them to do and shortly after things began to fall into place. Today the Wallaces funeral home is located at 1115 E. 19th St N.

The funeral home currently has four staff members including Chantelle Lundberg, a funeral director, office manager and licensed to sell pre-need insurance, Christa J. Vander Weerdt, a funeral director and licensed to sell pre-need insurance, Gary Price, a funeral director’s assistant and Colby Lawson, a funeral director’s assistant.

“Gary and I have been here for 18 years and the other employees have been here for a long time also, which is a testament that they all care,” Pat said.

The day in the life of a funeral director varies greatly.

“Our days are always different depending on what is happening, we go on death calls and removals and we then we focus on services here or in a church,” Lundberg, Wallace’s daughter said. “We opened the first crematory in the area, and that’s been 10 years. That’s a peace of mind to people because they know they are staying with us and they aren’t going anywhere else.”

Lundberg said another aspect of the job is educating those in the community.

“We do education for local schools and tours and go out to community places,” Lundberg said. “That is probably my passion and something in the future that I hope to do more of.”

Like Wallace, Lundberg didn’t take the path of mortuary and she went to college to pursue a degree in human resources at the University of Northern Iowa. Lundberg said she changed her career route when she realized the difference she could make in people’s lives as a funeral director and it brought her “back home.”

To become a licensed funeral director, Lundberg said it is different in every state. For Iowa, the education required is equivalent to a two-year education, which includes mortuary school, national boards and a one-year internship at a funeral home.

“I think I went into mortuary school realistically and I somewhat understood what was going to be required,” Lundberg said. ​“I’m a third generation funeral director, and I think you may see it as something that you will never do because you see the hours your parents are putting in and they are gone a lot, and it’s emotionally challenging and you bring that home with you at times,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg said the funeral home is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but after-hours are split between employees by rotating nights of the week and weekends.

“It’s not your typical 8 to 5 job, there are a lot of nights and a lot of weekends,” Lundberg. “I think one of the big shifts in the funeral industry is that it’s really hard for people to get off work these days for funeral services and so we have many who want to schedule weekends.”

A day in the job of a funeral director also means when the phone rings, it is unknown who is going to be on the other end. Funeral directors take calls from the hospital, nursing homes or from the sheriff’s office.

Lundberg said depending on where the death is depends on how many employees go out. One employee is sent to a nursing home or a hospital, whereas, two employees will go to a home or an accident scene.

“You just don’t know what you will walk into,” Lundberg said.

Usually the day after the death, the funeral director will get together with the family, and they will begin to make arrangements and talk about cremation versus traditional services, service options, obituaries, ministers and vocalists and ordering caskets and vaults.

“It’s a lot of lists and checking them off,” Lundberg said. “But what it takes off of the family’s plate is a miracle.”

Lundberg said as a funeral director it can be challenging to match the deceased wishes with the survivor’s needs.

“I think I would definitely encourage the pre-need insurance and arrangements for your loved one. A lot of the times the families may not know where to start, but if I can tell them what mom or dad said when they came in, you can just see the relief in people,” Lundberg said. “I always say pre-arranging is the greatest gift you can give to your family.”

Lundberg said she is passionate about carrying out various ideas loved ones have for honoring a person at the time of death. Some prefer to hold a traditional service at the chapel but they have also held events at the Elks Lodge, the ball diamond at the baseball field and outside of the funeral home’s doors.

“We can go outside or outdoors, if you want to do an event at Maytag Park, we can still do that for you and we can still accomplish the same thing we accomplish in this building at alternative venues,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg said she has been a funeral director for nearly 15 years and a huge part of her job is treating people like family and guaranteeing that whatever experience they want or need happens.

“I’m very protective of my families and I want to make sure they receive what they’ve asked for and that the day of the service goes as smoothly as possible — it’s kind of like being the momma bear,” Lundberg said.

Some interesting items that have been brought in to the funeral home are motorcycles, bales of hay and saddles, bluegrass music and even a slot machine and a popcorn machine.

“We do a lot of lunches and coffee times, and there are a lot of different ways we can do things and that’s where Gary and Chantelle are good at planning what fits,” Pat said.

The Wallace family continues to work as a team every day of the week to ensure that families are cared for in the most tragic time they may be facing.

“It’s a lot of hours and a lot of hard work,” Pat said. “Some days can be more difficult than others but every morning is a new day.”

Contact Kayla Langmaid at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com