By NATE KING
Salina Post
As people drive along E. Crawford Street in Salina, they may not immediately notice the changes taking place at the newly renamed Roselawn Burial and Cremation Services. All it takes is one step inside to notice the difference.
Earlier this year what was once Roselawn Mortuary Services, owned by the Frobenius family, was purchased by Cris and Ginger Ford. The Fords are no strangers to the funeral directing business.
Cris brings over 35 years of experience in the funeral business, with 30 of those years spent as an owner, operator, and manager. Ginger contributes her expertise in business ownership, having operated several beauty salons, assisted with funeral home operations, and served as the Administrator of an Assisted Living Facility.
Cris, 54, was 32 years old when he partnered with someone to purchase his first funeral home. “The partnership just didn’t work,” Said Ford.
After the fallout with his partner, Cris went to Leavenworth where he renovated two funeral homes.
“I spent about 18 months working for Carriage Services and helping them consolidate two locations into one building,” Cris said. “We remodeled the whole thing. Only it was their money at that time, not mine.”
Next Cris and Ginger went to Rocky Ford, Colorado where they purchased a smaller funeral home with the intention of increasing its value, in order to sell it.
“We took a little 60-70 calls per year firm to over 100 in about 15 years,” Cris said. “What I had in Leavenworth was doing about 70 or 80 per year.”
Cris said the changes in how funerals are directed, and decisions families make during the funeral planning process have changed the way funeral directors do their jobs.
“A lot of people have gone to cremation,” Cris said. “60 - 70% of people choose cremation because they're not interested in the viewing and that's okay. We have options.”
After getting keys to the property on Feb. 1, the Fords immediately set out to make significant changes to the facility. The renovations include new flooring, fresh paint, and the installation of TVs in every room, allowing for overflow attendance and the use of DVD Life Tributes during services. Cris said it took many hours loading and unloading garbage dumpsters before the funeral home started to look as he envisioned.
“It has been a lot of hard work, but with these upgrades, we can now accommodate over 250 people for a service,” Cris said.
In addition to the new TVs, cameras have been installed in the chapel to allow family members the option to watch the life tribute, while not being at the front of the chapel. Cris noted that one aspect of Roselawn that differentiates it from other funeral homes in Salina is its covered parking for families.
“We recently replaced the parking lot, and we are converting this large garage space into a carport,” Cris said. “We are the only funeral home in town that has covered parking for families, in case of inclement weather.”
To cater to families with young children, the Fords have added a "Kids Cove," a dedicated space where children can watch TV while their parents pay their respects. The Friendship Room has been completely remodeled to accommodate family gatherings, luncheons, and visitations. With a new kitchen, round tables for improved conversation, and the addition of two extra rooms for seating, up to 80 people can now comfortably attend a luncheon in the Friendship Room.
Along with the functional upgrades, the funeral home also changed its foyer and interior aesthetics.
“We used to have a big, black potbelly stove sitting right in the middle of the room right as you walk in, so we replaced that with an electric fireplace and updated the furniture and flooring,” Ginger said.
Since the renovations, Roselawn has held several visitations. Cris said now with the remodel, families have a comfortable place to gather and remember their loved ones.
“During the several visitations we’ve had, this is where everybody sits,” Cris said as he gestured to the living room space near the entryway “Everybody gathers right here. The body might be lying back there, but people tend to be here having coffee and cookies.”
Roselawn is a relatively small operation. With only 4 full-time employees, Cris, Ginger, Cemetery Sexton, Jimmie Breese and Cemetery Office Manager, Helen McClanahan each person’s duties are essential.
“You must be ‘hands-on’ if you want to be in this business,” Cris said. “You’ll see me spraying weeds, doing handy work around the facility. That is what you must do when you are an owner.”
During my personal tour of Roselawn, Cris showed me an example of a flat bronze gravesite marker, which was the only type of grave marker allowed at Roselawn, until now.
“We're going to open a new section that will allow upright markers,” Cris said. “The argument for people not coming here [Roselawn] is the fact that they can't have an upright marker. For years this cemetery wouldn't allow it because they thought it was easier to mow over. Well, I've been out there mowing and it's not easier to mow flat markers as opposed to upright monuments.”
Cris added that mowing flat markers also requires care.
“You can't just mow right over the top or you’ll break your blade or damage the monument,” Cris said.
The Mausoleum building is also slated for a fresh coat of paint, along with several other cemetery projects in the works. The Fords are happy with the progress they have made so far and believe that Roselawn Burial and Cremation Services will be a funeral home families can depend on and trust.
“When people call us, there's been a tragedy,” said Cris. “Even if the person is 95 years old it is still a tragedy and so that's when they find out how viable we can be, when we do our job well.”
The Fords invite the Salina community to stop by and see the changes for themselves or attend one of the open houses scheduled throughout the fall and holiday season.