In 1870, the local undertaking business was also the local furniture store. It was located in the parking lot of the current Bert’s Appliances and was known as Louis Deyman Furniture and Undertaking. It was the largest furniture making operation in the village of Fenelon Falls provided furniture for every room in the home along with office furniture, picture framing and specialty mouldings. One must understand the history of the funeral profession to know that most funeral homes had their beginnings in furniture stores.
The evolution of what we know today is relatively simple. When a death occurred in a small village, the family of the deceased would come to town to order a casket. He would go to the carpenter and request the order. The carpenter would hire the blacksmith to produce nails and hinges etc. and would also hire the blacksmith to take his team of horses to deliver the casket. Eventually the carpenter would start building a few caskets ahead of time and began delivering them on his own. By right of trade and his ability to provide the product, the carpenter/furniture maker began his pilgrimage into funeral service.