about us
About Us
Craig Funeral Home in Minden and Craig Funeral Home - Jelden Chapel in Hildreth have been a family owned and operated funeral business for over seven decades. Current owners, Eric and Nickola VanHorn purchased the business from Dave and Jane Craig in 2017. The Craig family has been affiliated with the funeral homes since 1979. The VanHorn's take great pride in providing thoughtful, caring and comforting service to the communities and families they serve.
The Layton family originally built the funeral home in its current location in 1949 after purchasing the Nichol and Smith Funeral Homes in Minden. Kent and Diana (Layton) Felzien eventually took over the family business before partnering with Dave and Jane Craig. Upon Kent and Diana's retirement, the Craig's operated the funeral home for many years.
The Jelden Funeral Home in Hildreth was originated by the Jake Jelden family. Jake was a very well known businessman and entrepreneur in the Hildreth area. He eventually partnered with the Layton family to provide a wider range of services to the community of Hildreth. The funeral home was completely rebuilt in 1994 and has remained at its current location for many years.
The Freeland Funeral Home in Axtell was in operation for many years. The Freeland family was very well respected in their community. The Freeland's eventually retired from the family business and the Layton family assumed it's operations. The funeral home in Axtell was later transitioned to a private residence and the business was moved to the Minden location.
