In Weatherford, Springtown, Azle and Mineral Wells, White’s Funeral Homes provide local residents with a lasting tribute to recently deceased family members and loved ones.
The funeral home group was established more than 115 years ago with the intent of offering customers exactly what they need to help ease the passing of family and friends.
The Parker County business prides itself in considering every individual family’s needs when planning end-of-life services, understanding that different people have different ideas about how best to commemorate the people who mean the most.
“It is always rewarding to receive thanks from a family member after helping coordinate their loved one’s funeral,” Anita White, president of White’s Funeral Homes, said. “When I see a family member hugging one of my staff, it assures me that this is what I was meant to do.”
White is carrying on a tradition that started in 1908 when W.A. White began selling coffins for the general mercantile store in Springtown.
White moved to Weatherford in 1914, started his own undertaking company and eventually built the original funeral home in 1930 in Weatherford at 130 Houston Avenue.
The building, which still stands to this day, serves as the home office for White’s Funeral Home group five generations later.
Anita White, 53, represents the fourth generation of Whites to work at the home and said there is nothing quite like working with family.
“I feel honored every day to be able to work with my parents and my nephew in our family-run business,” Anita White said. “I grew up hearing stories about my great-grandfather and grandfather helping families in their time of need and to be able to continue that legacy as the fourth generation is truly a blessing.”
Anita’s parents, Bob and Carolynn White, ran the funeral home before Anita, just as Bob’s father did before him.
“After college, I began helping out at the funeral home with my dad and grandfather and decided that I enjoyed helping others,” Bob White said. Carolynn’s emphasis was on community involvement and giving families more grief resources to help them through the toughest times.
The idea that White’s Funeral Homes continue to be operated by family means everything to Bob.
“I’m proud to see my daughter (fourth generation) and grandson (fifth generation) carrying on the family business,” Bob said. “With two new great-grandsons born this year, there is always a chance for the sixth generation to follow.”
Despite the fellowship and camaraderie that exists among the White family, the profession is not without its challenges.
“Preplanning funerals is an important aspect of our industry and one that is often overlooked,” Anita said. “By preplanning funerals, you can ease your family’s burden at the time of your passing. Knowing your wishes gives your family peace of mind and time to focus on honoring your memory. An added bonus is that it locks in today’s prices.”
Working in the funeral home business does come with some preconceived notions, as well, one of which Anita said she can assure everyone is untrue.
“I think people feel that working in a funeral home is a depressing job, but actually, it is an extremely rewarding career,” White said. “Being able to assist families as they navigate their way through grieving their loved one is a special opportunity for our entire staff. We are professional and serious when working with families, but behind the scenes, we are a light-hearted group. Most of my staff has been working at White’s for over 10 years and we are all an extended family.”
And the family tradition has carried on.
Zack Bellenger, Bob White’s grandson, also works at the funeral home and he said the main reason he chose the family company is because it allows him to assist people in a unique way.
“I chose this profession because I want to help people through the most difficult time in their lives,” Bellenger said. “I have been in their position several times, and I feel like I can use those experiences to better understand what their family is going through and what they need. Working with my family for the business that my great-great-grandfather started over 100 years ago is pretty cool too.”
Bellenger mainly works with bookkeeping, accounting, marketing and inventory management, but added that in his line of work, he has found he has to try to expect the unexpected.
“No two days are alike, and you have to stay calm and find solutions to new problems daily,” Bellenger said. “Also, I didn’t expect the uniqueness of the services we help families put together. Meeting people whose families have also lived in the area for generations and hearing their stories about their loved ones and finding connections with them and members of my family from years ago is one of the more unexpected, but favorite aspects of my job.”
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