Commercial Auto Dealers

A funeral home in the Denver, Colorado area has opened its doors for people who want to get married, too.

Larry and Andrea Tabler have a 6,000-square-foot building located at 12144 Grant Circle in the town of Thornton. The couple have decided to provide both funerals and wedding services to people because this idea is “the new paradigm in the funeral business today,” according to Larry Tabler who has worked in the industry for more than 40 years. His wife, Andrea, said that the couple has “learned to be flexible” in order to accommodate more people and their wishes.

The facility opened in November. The chapel in which the wedding and funeral services are held holds up to 150 people. “Its not big and fancy, but it’s adequate,” said Tabler. He hopes to perform at least 300 funerals each year. He also hopes to hold at least 50 weddings each year. So far, three have been booked for 2009.

As long as the chapel is doing double duty, Tabler may also have some Cadillac hearses that will take mourners where they need to go as well as newlywed couples. But don’t make any jokes to Tabler about how weddings are the same as funerals. He’s probably heard them all more than once.

If you live in California, you may have heard of the recent discussions to ban black cars. Since stuff that happens in California usually spreads across the nation, this begs the question: Will we see fewer black Cadillac hearses and funeral cars at hearse dealerships?

The funeral industry thrives on two basic colors – white and black. Black is the predominant color for vehicles at hearse dealerships. If the ban goes through, that could change.

The idea behind banning black cars is due to the fact that the inside of black cars gets really hot during the summer. That means drivers will use the air conditioner more and, in turn, create more pollutants in the air and reduce the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. This is especially bad for hearses because funeral directors thrive to keep the mourning family comfortable when driving them to and from the final resting place.

Of course, this ban is still in the discussion stages right now. The California Air Resource Board has not gotten its way just yet. We’ll keep an eye on this situation and let you know about any updates. Until then, what are your thoughts about this type of ban? Let us know what you’re thinking below.

We’ve heard of unusual requests for last rides, but this is one of the most unique stories we’ve heard yet.

In the UK last week, a funeral procession of sorts made its way around one of the popular racetracks in the region. This was done to give an avid racing fan his dream sendoff.

Michael Owen, the rider in the back of the hearse in the procession, died of cancer at the age of 60. He was a huge racing fan and everybody knew it. That’s why his daughter made arrangements with the Motor Sport Vision’s chief executive to allow the hearses to complete a lap of the circuit as a final farewell to her father. “He would have loved it. The fact he insisted on spending every spare moment at Brands Hatch with a stopwatch in his pocket caused many a family argument,” she said in an interview.

In addition to doing a lap, a red Ferrari also followed the hearse on its way to the crematorium.

Do you have any unusual requests you’d like to have completed when you die? Do you want your Cadillac hearse to make a final trip to a favorite place or anything like that? Let us know your thoughts below.

If you plan on visiting Montana any time in the near future, you can visit Charlie Russell’s hearse in the Great Falls area.

Charlie Russell is often called "the world’s most famous cowboy artist." He painted some of the most beautiful landscapes and scenes of the Old West that anybody has ever seen. Many of his works depict the changing climate of the region over time, but most focus on the way things were before fenced ranges and industry began moving in.

Russell lived and died in the Great Falls, Montana area. In fact, he is still a household name despite being dead for more than 80 years. His mural – Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians – is still a prominent piece in Montana’s state capitol building and a work of his recently sold for more than $5 million!

Now Charlie Russell has a museum dedicated to his life and artwork in his hometown. The C.M. Russell Museum Complex includes a home that he built in 1900, more than 2,000 pieces of art, artifacts and personal objects and even the hearse that took Russell to his final resting place. They didn’t have Cadillac hearses back in those days, but seeing the old-fashioned funeral carriage that was drawn by horses is a step back in time to the days when things were much simpler.

One of the most confusing things you may see on the road is a procession of funeral cars led by a Cadillac hearse. It’s not confusing in that people don’t know what it is or what it means. A procession of funeral cars is confusing, however, in that people have different ideas about what they are “supposed” to do.

The actual laws concerning your obligation during a procession of funeral cars changes from state to state. Generally, however, you do not have to pull to the side of the road when you see a funeral procession. In fact, you may do this out of respect, but it could be a dangerous option as people behind you do not know what you are doing and they may hit you or try to pass.

Other states allow you to pass processions. If you are on a four-lane road, for instance, and the procession is in the far right lane and you are in the next lane going the same way, you can pass the procession instead of pulling off the road until all the cars pass. I bet you didn’t know you could do that, eh?

Before doing either of these things, check your state’s law concerning funeral processions. Just don’t forget – it’s always good to be courteous as long as you are not creating a dangerous situation in doing so.

If you’re looking for a quality Cadillac hearse, look for the 2005 Superior Cadillac hearse. These models, which may be available at your local hearse dealerships, have a variety of features that you can appreciate, whether you are a funeral director or a casual hearse owner. Here are a few things you will enjoy about this particular model.

• Heated exterior mirrors – This feature allows you melt the ice and snow off the exterior mirrors without the hassle of scraping them off.
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel – This is more about luxury and comfort than anything else, but it’s a nice feature that adds a touch of class.
• Tire pressure monitoring system – The days of bending over to check the pressure in your tires are over. The tire pressure monitoring system gives you real-time data so you know if you need to add some air or let some out.
• Hands-free communications system – Don’t get stuck in the middle of nowhere with the hands-free communications system.
• Leather seats – Provide comfort and style to your passengers with soft leather seats.
• Airbags – With airbags located throughout this model, you and your passengers are more likely to stay safe in case of a collision.

These are just a few of the features you’ll find on the 2005 Superior Cadillac hearse. Check your local hearse dealerships today to see if you can find one!

With so many layoffs and jobs becoming scarcer, many people are turning to the funeral industry for job security. Many schools that offer mortuary science programs have reported a sharp increase in enrollment for various jobs in the industry. If you’re interested in looking into this industry, here are some options to consider.

Embalmer
Depending on where you live, some embalmers start out making $37,000 a year or even more. Many times, you can even become an embalmer after a couple years of Mortuary Science classes and an apprenticeship in a funeral home.

Hearse Driver
Driving the grieving families around in the Cadillac hearse is another job to consider in the industry. Many times, the hearse drivers are also on staff as funeral directors, too. Depending on your state, you probably need a CDL or some other license.

Legal Options
One of the more lucrative fields in the funeral industry involves people who advise the funeral directors about legal matters and changing practices. You will likely need to complete a law degree with a concentration in Mortuary Science or a similar field.

These are just a few of the career options you can consider in the funeral industry. Since people are always dying, you can almost be sure that a funeral-based career is relatively secure.

Americans aren’t the only ones with a weight problem. Apparently, citizens in the land down under have a similar problem when it comes to food and weight. In fact, hearse dealerships are now carrying specially-reinforced hearses to accommodate larger bodies with fewer problems on the road.

Philip Royce’s company generally deals in bus refits and repairs. But about five years ago, he got a call from a funeral company to ask if he could make some larger reinforced hearses for heavy Australians. He recently finished the prototype which includes stronger suspension and wider doors. Royce believes that the demand for these types of hearses could be so large (pardon the pun) that he may be asked to produce a couple hundred of them a year. Currently, it takes him about two years to build one of these reinforced Cadillac hearses. However, with some practice and new technology, he thinks his company can start rolling one out every 10-12 weeks.

Royce has already received orders for six more reinforced hearses. He currently employs 15 people and feels that he could use at least another 15 to keep up with demand. With the growing demand for something like this, you will probably see one of his creations or something similar to it at a hearse dealership near you!

I really don’t like giving the hate group that goes around protesting at funerals any more blog space than necessary, but I really don’t get this one. Funeral cars are going to have to dodge these protestors who plan to attend and disrupt the funeral of a minister shot earlier this week.

Reverend Fred Winters was gunned down in cold blood on Sunday morning during service at the First Baptist Church in Maryville. I know they go around protesting soldier funerals and whatnot, but I’m not sure of their logic behind protesting the funeral of a fellow minister. It’s even a Baptist minister, the same denomination from which this hate group claims to be from.

Protestors plan to picket tomorrow between 9:45 and 10:30 a.m. The actual funeral begins at 10 a.m. Hopefully, the Patriot Guard Riders will show up at this event like the hundreds of others to block their hate signs and messages from mourners arriving in funeral cars and Cadillac hearses.

There simply is no excuse for behavior like this at a funeral. I’m just glad that the group isn’t growing in size and people are not taking their message seriously.

Members from the Denver Hearse Association and hundreds of others showed up at an annual celebration in Nederland, Colorado. The celebration is called Frozen Dead Guy Days and it was inspired by Bredo Morstoel, a man who froze to death nearly 110 years ago. Every year, hundreds of people gather on his birthday to celebrate.

The events always have more things to do than just look at the remains of a frozen dead guy. This year, there was a “cryonics parade” that included a Cadillac with this year’s Ice Queen, which was crowned the night before. There is also a look-alike of the frozen dead guy followed by a number of Cadillac hearses and unique funeral cars provided by the Denver Hearse Association. And, of course, the announcer made the corny joke once the hearses arrived that “people are just dying to get a ride in one of those.” We haven’t heard that one before, eh?

The festivities were capped off by a coffin show, a coffin race and a polar plunge. I don’t think I’ll be attending the annual festivities any time in the near future. Have you ever been to Frozen Dead Guy Days or anything like it? If so, what was it like?