OUR HISTORY
Our History
Lindley Funeral home in Chillicothe was opened on June 1, 1959 in a building constructed originally in 1889 and renovated in the mid-1970s. The funeral home's history can be traced back to 1899, when I.M. Greer and F.A. Meinershagen started a funeral business at 507 Washington Street, and a furniture store at 509 Washingston Street. After Greer's death, Meinershagen was joined in business by his son, Julius. In 1943, they purchased residential property at 910 Washington Street from Louis Stein and moved their funeral home business to that location.
The funeral home building was constructed in 1899 by the Leeper family and was later owned by the Wallbrunn family. In 1958, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Keeney bought the funeral business, but nine months into their operation, Mr. Keeney died. On June 1, 1959, Mrs. Keeney sold the funeral business to Mr. and Mrs. B.J. "Jack" Lindley of Nevada, Missouri.
Jack had previously worked for the Runninburger Funeral Home in Harrisonville, Missouri, from 1949 to 1951; the Langsford Funeral Home in Lee's Summit, Missouri, from 1951 to 1955; and for the Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada, Missouri, from 1955 to 1959. Mr. and Mrs. Lindley and their children, Becky, Scott, Bruce, and Tim, made their residence in the upstairs apartment of the funeral home for 17 years.
During this time, the Lindleys expanded the business, acquiring and remodeling the Robertson Funeral Homes at Laredo and Chula, Missouri, in 1965, and the Austin Funeral Home at Hale and Tina, Missouri, in 1968. In the spring of 1974, J. Scott Lindley returned to Chillicothe, Missouri, to become a partner in the firm. To modernize the funeral establishment and to better serve the community's needs, the existing structure at 910 Washington Street was demolished and a new facility was completed and dedicated in October 1976.
In 1982, the Lindley family made a commitment to the Ludlow area and built a new facility in that location. The Lindley Family purchased Resthaven Memorial Gardens Cemetery in January 1990. Lindley Funeral Homes also erected a new facility in Braymer, Missouri, in June of that year. The Lindley family continued to serve the surrounding area by obtaining the Pitts Funeral Homes at Braymer and Breckenridge, Missouri, in August 2001. Their most recent acquisition was the Norman-Wagy,-Gordon Funeral Home in Chillicothe, Missouri.
Today, the Lindley Funeral Home employs dozens of local residents and serves the community and the surrounding area. It is our privilege to serve the Livingston County area.
