“When families choose to be served by our funeral home, they are taken care of by our family,” says John Modetz of Modetz Funeral Homes. Personal service is most important to the Modetz family and staff.
“It is a business, but that’s not the way we feel about what we do,” he says. “If you call us at 3 a.m., you do not get an answering machine.” You will be talking to either John or Mary, as they answer the phone at home in the evenings.
Modetz, currently operating funeral homes in Rochester and Waterford, will be opening a third funeral home in Orion Township at 100 Silverbell Road. It is expected to be opened in early June. This is the first time Modetz has built from the ground up.
A family-owned business, Modetz has owned the Potere-Modetz Funeral Home in Rochester since 1986, but it has been a funeral home since 1924. They have also owned the Riverside Chapel, Simpson-Modetz Funeral Home in Waterford since 1989, but it has been a funeral home for over 35 years.
“We decided to expand into Orion Township because many of our families are from that area,” Modetz says. “It was always a dream to build a new funeral home.”
The Modetz Funeral Home, Silverbell Chapel, is designed to feel like a home, with the interior decorating being done by DMJ Interiors of Rochester. Frank Rewold and Son is the builder.
The building is 14,000 square feet, and includes a 2,000 square-foot chapel that can be divided into two visiting rooms, and a 2,850 square-foot chapel that can be divided into three. Modetz says he hopes to eventually move the merchandising room upstairs and use that space as another chapel.
“We will be able to accommodate any size funeral,” he says. “We have three sound systems, so each chapel will have their own. We have an organ on site as well.”
Modetz is using all local materials and craftsmen to construct the funeral home.
“We are hoping to have our open house the weekend of June 5th,” he says. “If the township will give permission, we’d like to eventually put a large patio on the side of the building. We’ve tried to keep the warmth of the building without making it feel too commercial.”
Modetz is including a memorial wall dedicated to veterans, police and firemen. When their families are served, they will have their loved one’s name inscribed there.
John and his wife Mary work together in the business, which employs about 25 people. The Silverbell location includes an apartment upstairs so someone will always be on site.
“We’re extremely price-competitive,” Modetz says. “People will find this is affordable luxury.”
Modetz said being in the funeral home business is more than just a job for him and his wife. It is not unusual to find the two of them working side by side seven days a week.
“We try to make the services personal…we have had a Harley-Davidson sitting next to a casket, as well as hand-made items of sentimental value,” says Modetz.
“We have a commitment to our communities and won’t sell out to a faceless corporation. A lot of funeral homes these days are owned by large conglomerates.”
Modetz Funeral Homes can be reached at (248) 651-8137.