Our History
In the fall of 2004 we, Warren and Amy Jo Roland and our staff at Roland Funeral Home, were blessed to celebrate our 85th year of business in Atlantic.
Looking Back...
In about 1900, J.L. Winne established the J.L. Winne Furniture and Undertaking Company at 315 Chestnut Street. The business was purchased in 1919 by Henry Baxter and Jack Peacock becoming the Peacock and Baxter Furniture and Undertaking Company.
The history of the Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic started in 1919, when Burdette L. Roland was employed by Baxter and Peacock to work as the funeral director and embalmer. Born in Corning, Burdette had received his license in 1916 and had previously worked in Oskaloosa, Boone, and Ames before coming to Atlantic.
In 1922, Burdette bought a one-half interest in the business, and the business name changed to Roland-Peacock and Baxter. The business remained at the Chestnut location until 1926 when Burdette purchased a property at Fifth and Elm streets and moved a house to make room for the funeral home.
This was the first building in Iowa to be built especially as a funeral home. It featured a chapel, private family room and a modern preparation room for the care of bodies. At that time, it wasn't popular to remove bodies from their homes, so funeral workers took their equipment to the home to prepare the body. Funeral services were sometimes in the home and sometimes held in a church.
For many years Roland-Peacock and Baxter operated a "modern ambulance and invalid coach" service before the city of Atlantic began ambulance service in
1940.
In 1935 a north addition to the funeral home added much needed room for funeral seating, visitation rooms, and a music room. In addition, Burdette designed a cemetery tent that year, to be made by the Manufacturing Company of Omaha. It was the first cemetery tent that company had made, and today the Manufacturing Company is nationally known for producing the tents.
In 1959, Burdette became sole owner after purchasing Peacock's interest in the funeral service. The firm changed its name to Roland's Home for Funerals, and later changed it again to Roland Funeral Service.
Burdette and his wife Martha had four sons, James, Keith, John and Warren. James had taken mortuary training, was working at the funeral home and had married Sally when he died in an automobile accident in 1964.
Warren then took mortuary training and after he received his license in 1966, he came back to assist his father in the family business. Meanwhile, Martha had joined the funeral home staff and worked as a secretary for many years. In 1971, Warren and his wife, Amy, purchased 1/2 of the business from Burdette. Then in 1973, Warren and Amy purchased the other 1/2 of the business. By 1975 Warren and Amy had purchased the building itself from his parents, and Burdette remained active in the family business until shortly before his death in 1986. (Warren's mother, Martha, passed on in the year 2000.)
Additional remodeling took place in 1965 adding office space and an east entrance, as well as a four-car garage. More remodeling, in 1976, added two new viewing rooms, two new restrooms, and more seating. The 1980's saw new services offered including a pre-recorded message giving pending funerals and service time and information. Parking areas were expanded, and a 24-hour fax service was added.