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October 14, 2009

Hard work, $250,000 gives life to funeral home

By Arthur E. Foulkes

TERRE HAUTE — The old building was “ready to fall down” when Gary Greiner bought the abandoned funeral home on North 13th Street in 2006.

Today, more than three years and a quarter-of-a-million dollars later, the Greiner Funeral Home is fully updated, remodeled and open for business.

“I had no expectations,” Greiner, a 1977 Terre Haute South Vigo High School graduate, said of opening his new business last spring. In the long run, however, “I was confident it would be successful,” he said.

Greiner, who has worked in the funeral industry for the past 20 years, opened his business at 2005 N. 13th St. on May 15. It was two weeks before he got his first call.

“That first two weeks was a long two weeks,” he said with a smile. Now, five months later, Greiner’s business employs six full- and part-time employees and has been able to serve the needs of 20 families at a time of loss.

“I feel very fortunate to have done that well at this point in my business,” Greiner said.

The Greiner Funeral Home sits on the east side of North 13th Street, a short distance from the heart of 12 Points, a historic north end business district. The funeral home fits the 12 Points neighborhood well, being a bit of a historic structure itself.

Much of the 7,000 square-foot building was originally a private home built more than 100 years ago, according to county records. From 1939 to 1995, the building was the Cross Funeral Home. It sat vacant for several years before becoming the Greiner Funeral Home and Cremation last spring.

“You could see daylight through the ceiling” in the casket and vault selection room when Greiner first purchased the building, he said. Greiner now has updated the entire structure, investing approximately $250,000 in the business, he said. After decades without an upgrade, the property now boasts a new roof, new furnaces, new carpet, new plumbing, new electrical work, new rest rooms and more.

Without wanting to sound corny, Greiner said he really wanted to create something of which he and the community could be proud. “I believe in that,” he said.

There are other locally owned and operated funeral homes in Terre Haute, but not in the north end, Greiner said. And while Greiner’s is not a discount funeral home, his prices are 25 to 30 percent below many others, he said.

“I felt there was a need here,” Greiner said of the near north side. However, his business is not limited to this section of Terre Haute, he noted. “I’m here to serve the Wabash Valley,” he said.

The funeral home isn’t without its unique features, either.

Greiner’s “selection room” does not include full caskets, but rather smaller sections of caskets for people to choose from. This allows people to see the style of the casket without requiring the space for a full display, he said. Being “old school,” Greiner said he at first resisted this innovation, but has found customers don’t seem to mind.

The old funeral home also includes what used to be an “embalming room,” which is now a large storage room. An iron hook hangs down from the ceiling of the embalming room. “Everyone asks ‘What’s the hook for,” Greiner said looking up at the object. “I have no idea.”

Before opening his funeral home, Greiner worked for several years at another Terre Haute funeral home and then for Service Corporation International, the largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services in North America. His office was in Indianapolis, but he kept his residence in Terre Haute, which has been his family’s home for at least five generations, he said.

“Terre Haute is my home by choice,” Greiner said. “I feel its very important to give back to the community that has given to me.”



Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

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