Valparaiso is home to thriving businesses, unique houses, and interesting landmarks all with fascinating histories. What many people may not realize, though, is that one of the most charming backgrounds belongs to none other than Bartholomew Funeral Home. What started out as a small furniture store with humble beginnings has become the oldest-running family-owned funeral home in Valparaiso.
The Bartholomew family originally started out as furniture makers in town. Since they had carpentry skills, they also made all of the town’s coffins. As the funeral industry began to develop and become more established in the early 1900s, the family decided to slowly transition from furniture-making to undertaking. Bartholomew Funeral Home was officially founded by Charles W. Bartholomew and was originally located on Washington Street
Once Charles W. passed away, his son Charles L. Bartholomew, commonly known as Doc, took over the business. Doc was also a dentist and served as mayor of Valparaiso from 1934 to 1944. During his ownership, the funeral home moved two more times. It first moved to where the Parea Restaurant currently is. It then moved to Monroe Street where the funeral home still stands today.
“As the business grew, the family needed even bigger and bigger buildings. Over the course of 100 years, the funeral home has moved three blocks across the downtown area,” said Kyle Newhard, office manager.
After Doc passed away, Charles R. Bartholomew, known to everyone as Bob, took over the family business. He ran it all the way up until he was ready to retire. Unfortunately, none of his kids were in a position to take over the family business. Rather than letting the business end with him, Bob turned to his companion, Michael Newhard.
Michael had been giving Bob an extra hand at Bartholomew’s while also running his own funeral home in Westville. Bob loved how dedicated Michael was to the industry and knew he would be the perfect person to carry on his family’s legacy. He asked Michael if he wanted to buy Bartholomew’s and sold the business to Michael in 1997. Bartholomew's has been in Micahel’s hands ever since.
Kyle loves Bartholomew’s rich history and hopes that one day he and his brother will get to step in and carry on the family business.
“It’s neat to see that our business has been one continuous unbroken line of people who have been doing the same profession. It’s a profession that people don’t really know a lot about and a profession that is almost kind of taboo, so the fact that there’s been a family doing this for over 100 years is really special,” said Kyle.
Bartholomew’s history is incredible, but what’s even more incredible is what it means for the community. Across the country, large corporations have begun buying up many family-owned funeral homes, which has gotten rid of the personal touch a local funeral home provides. The Newhards remain committed to their community and strive to maintain the intimate, family feel so many funeral homes are losing.
“When people think of corporations, they typically feel like everything is rigid and cold and businesslike, and a lot of times that’s just the way it has to be because of corporate laws and things like that. At a family-owned business, though, we’re regular people just like you who have been exactly where you’re at. We can empathize with you and work with you more closely, and I think it’s just important for people to be in that more welcoming environment during a time when they’re dealing with a lot of emotions and difficulties,” said Kyle.
Bartholomew Funeral Home has ultimately been run by many different family members and friends, but the love has never changed. The Newhards will continue to serve the community with the same quality and kindness the Bartholomew family has for decades.
“There’s no telling what the future holds. We’re always talking about what we can do to make things better for the funeral home and what things we can do to better accommodate our clients. We like to look at what kinds of trends are going on and adapt to those things and we’re excited about it. We hope to keep everything going strong and adapt to whatever our clients need,” said Kyle.
To learn more about Bartholomew Funeral Home and the families who have served Valparaiso for many generations, visit https://www.bartholomewnewhard.com/.
