Crematoriums now serve Hannibal area

The O’Donnell Funeral Home now offers crematory service in the back half of the building which formerly housed River City Restoration, Fourth and Lyon. In the front half of the O’Donnell-owned building is Gibney-Sims Flowers. Contributed photo.

To serve the needs of those choosing cremation over traditional burial, Grand View Burial Park has constructed a columbarium at its facility. It is designed to hold 120 urns, Brent Massie said. It is located near the entrance to Grand View Funeral Home. Contributed photo.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

Two crematory facilities are now serving the Hannibal area, one associated with James O’Donnell Funeral Home, and the other is licensed under Massey Cremation Services.

Brent Massie, owner and operator of Smith Funeral Home and Grand View Funeral Home, as well as Water’s Funeral Home in Vandalia, estimates that half of his customers now choose cremation over the more traditional embalming for their loved ones. National trends show about the same percentage.

“Over the years,” Jimmy O’Donnell said, “cremation has become more popular for families we serve.”

The natural outtake of that trend is to provide the service locally.

“Cremation is just another form of disposition of the remains,” O’Donnell said. “People understand the basic concept, reducing remains to ash, and we process that and place the ashes in an urn for the family. The process takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours.”

The O’Donnell facility is located directly to the east of the funeral home at 301 S. Fourth Street, in a building which formerly housed River City Restoration. O’Donnell purchased the historic building when RSR closed, and set up the front half as space for Gibney-Sims Flowers. The back half of the building houses the crematory.

“It is a neat old building,” O’Donnell said. “Previous to River City, it served Breeding Transfer and was a seed store years and years ago.

“We like the idea of continuing to utilize the neighborhood and its existing buildings, to keep activity in our neighborhood.”

Having the crematory in Hannibal, O’Donnell said, “helps us serve our families better, right here on our property. It keeps expenses down, and they have peace of mind that their loved one never leaves our care. It makes sense, with more families selecting cremation.”

Massie’s facility is located on the back side of Grand View Burial Park, in a pre-existing brick building that has been renovated to suit its new intended purpose. The business purchased a used crematory in order to keep costs down, and had it refurbished by the Bryant Crematory Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Massie’s crematorium, which opened in September, and O’Donnell’s facility have eliminated the necessity of transporting remains to outlying facilities, such as in Quincy, Ill.

“I don’t have to worry about when I can get in at the crematory, or if I can get back in time for the services,” Massie said. “It should help out in future cost increases. We won’t be having that travel or expenditure of going up and back” to Quincy.

Both Massie and O’Donnell agree that convenience is the driving force for their customers’ decisions to choose cremation.

“I don’t think it’s for cost saving, but for convenience, the way the trend or the generation is going,” Massie said.

“Families are expanded across the U.S. or to the whole world,” he said. Cremation “gives them time to get together and gather at a later date to remember their loved one.”

O’Donnell said the choice of a nearby building was a natural one as far as service to the family he serves.

 “We wanted it to be in a place nearby, so our families know where their loved one is. Some people want that; it offers the closure” they need.

“There are all kinds of emotions; we don’t want to add one more bit of uneasiness to it,” O’Donnell said.

Both facilities have adhered to regulations with the state, with OSHA and the Department of Natural Resources, to make sure their services are property done and in a safe manner.

And they each have two certified crematory operators on staff.