Our center is named after the first-generation Humphrey, Herman, who was the father of Jim Bob Humphrey and grandfather to James Humphrey. Herman became a partner to the Gardner Funeral Home (established in 1933) and eventually its full owner. He built and dedicated our existing facility on West Main Street in 1974. It seemed only fitting that our cremation center would be integrated in this same facility in 2020.
The designation of "dignity" comes from the value we hold for life & legacy. While too much of the funeral industry generally offers cremation as basically a body disposal service, we will always treat & regard your loved one's remains with greater compassion, respect, and dignity. Once we receive your loved one into our care, we will bathe & sanitize his/her body, and set basic cosmetic features.
When your family comes to the funeral home arrangement meeting, we will ask you to bring a full set of clothing (including undergarments) so that we can dress your loved one. We will then place them in a special container that is designed to be cremated with them and place their body in our "Chapel of Light" that adjoins the cremation unit. There, you and your family members may have a private (not public) gathering to see your loved one prior to their cremation. You may even want to invite your minister or a family member to share a brief committal service at that time.
It is a comfort to the families we serve in this way to know their loved one never leaves our facility from the moment we receive them into care until the moment we return their cremains to your care. We even provide your family with an official "Chain of Custody" certificate verifying the care your loved one has received from our staff each step of the way. Many families choose to hold a public memorial service in our large main chapel at a later time.
