We recently learned of an interesting sale/acquisition story that happened recently in Illinois.  This article from the Mendota Reporter will tell you of the sale of the Merritt Funeral Home to the Unger-Horner Funeral Home.

It’s interesting to note, according to the article, that the Merritt Funeral Home has been in the Merritt family since 1938 and the Unger-Horner Funeral Home dates all the way back to 1861 and has seen six generations of the Unger-Horner family work there.

What else is interesting about the transaction is that is does not appear to have had a hitch in the process. . . . possibly because the elders of both funeral homes, Bob Merritt and Don Horner, have been friends and colleagues since 1966.  Here’s what Don Horner said in the article about the relationship and this situation coming together,  “Bob and I have been friends and colleagues since 1966.  It’s been a great relationship for both of us. When he (Bob Merritt) decided he was going to sell his funeral home, I told my kids earlier on that this would be a good funeral home for them to think about. They’re two long-standing family businesses, which is unique. It’s going to be part of our family business and our heritage. It’s been wonderful to see this happen.”

And, here’s what the seller, Bob Merritt said in that article, “I saw them as being the next owners of this funeral home.  I’ve  always had them in mind for it. Passing this off to a family like the Horners is the only way it could have gone for me to feel good about selling. It means the world to me that they’ll carry on. It makes it easier to walk away from this business I’ve known all my life. I feel very confident in what Derek (Horner) and Chad (Horner) will do with it.”

One of the new owners, Chad Horner, made this comment in the article, “One thing about being family-owned and operated is we care about the families.  That comes before the business of it. Families have always come first. People in Rochelle and Mendota that come to us will know that their funeral home cares about them first.”

Here is the website of the Unger-Horner Funeral Home in Rochelle

Here is the website of the new Horner-Merritt Funeral Home in Mendota

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  It’s always good to see an acquisition story where it appears that both the buyer and seller come together without animosity at the closing of the transaction.  It’s also refreshing to see that issues, outside of finances, still drive some of the business transactions being done.

From everthing I read in the article it appears that the Horner family is happy for the opportunity that growth may bring to  them and Mr. Merritt is very happy that his funeral home is under ownership that he feels will continue to serve his community in the same way he would.

If you are thinking about retirement or selling your funeral home for any reason I think it is important to know what you might be looking for in a successor. . . . . maybe it doesn’t matter to you and finances are the sole variable in your sale.  However, most transactions in the death care profession have some sense of an owner who has worked in his community for years wanting to know that, at least in some form or fashion, his methods and values are somewhat carried on by the successor.

Once the paperwork is signed and the dollars transacted that doesn’t always seem to happen.  Many times that stems from simple mis-understandings about continuing operations during the process.   That mis-understanding can lead to lack of trust and support from the former owner and that is something that any new owner would not want to happen.

Selling your funeral home and getting the right team in place as the successor is most of the time different from simply getting the highest price from a buyer.  When I needed help in getting this formula right I turned to the experts at Johnson Consulting Group and I’ve always been glad I did.

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