Staab Polk Memorial Home - Chatham Area Public Library District

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Staab Polk Memorial Home
Phone 217/483-9292 • FAX 217/483-8866
20 I South Grand - Route 4 - P. ~ox 557 • Chatham, lllinois 62629
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Funeral
home
opens in
Chatham
Future plans call
for crematory
By DEBRA LANDIS
CORRESPONDENT
CHATHAM- A former bowling
alley, later a hardware store, has
been converted into Chatham's
only funeral home.
Staab Polk Memorial Home recently opened on the south side of
Chatham, just off illinois 4.
It's been several years since
Chatham has had a funeral home.
The new business's president,
Paula Staab Polk, said part of her
job involves letting area residents
know about the facility.
''We've held opeb houses and
developed a calendar with pictures
of local churches," she said. "I've
· joined'the Chatham Chamber of
Commerce and visited with senior
citizens .... I'm letting people know
I'm available to speak to individuals and groups."
Staab Polk said her husband,
developer Dennis Polk, helped her
draw up the plans that turned the
original structure into a building
that includes a preparation site, visitation rooms, office and meeting
areas, and an area in which caskets, memorabilia and other items
can be examined.
Plans call for a crematory and
large storage area to be included in
the building, which will eventually
span 10,000 square feet on its main
floor. An apartment will be on the
second floor.
Staab Polk formerly worked
with the Staab Funeral Home in
Springfield, long owned by the
Staab family. She said she contemplated leaving the funeral business
to do other work, but then decided
to open her own funeral home.
Family members, including a sister and Dennis Polk's parents;work
with the Staab Polk Memorial
Home.
In planning the funeral home,
Staab Polk said she wanted a business that had an open look and
plenty of light. That perspective
Photographs by Kathleen Flynn/The State Journal-Register
Paula Staab Polk recently opened the new funeral home in Chatham.
was accomplished with the help of
often include personal references to
soft-white walls and doors, natural
the people who have died, including
and interior lighting, and varying
photos and memorabilia representtypes of wood in furniture and siding. . ing their families, military experi''We wanted to provide a place
ences, occupations and hobbies.
where people could feel as comfortFamily members may ask that creable as possible," she added.
mated ashes of their loved one be diStaab Polk, a registered nurse and vided among themselves. Items informer college instructor, said that
cluding urns, glass figurines and
even as word-of-mouth grows about
wind chimes are available for storing
the Staab Polk Memori,al Home, she
ashes.
plans to continue talking with interStaab Polk said that while her
ested groups about such topics as fu- business is new to Chatham, she has
neral traditions, organ and tissue do- met a number of Chatham-area resinations, living wills, grief, and credents over the 20 years she has
ation of meaningful funeral and meworked in the funeral home business.
morial services.
"People have stopped by to say
As funeral directors have done
hello and ask if they can tour the
over the years, Staab Polk said she
building. Friends and family helped
works with varying needs andreme get the funeral home open here
quests and keeps up-to-date on
changing technology and regulations. in Chatham," she said.
For example, special machinery
now typically prepares plots for burDebra Landis can be reached at
ial. Funeral and memorial services
483-4352.
The funeral
is on the south side of Chatham on Illinois 4.
- - - - - - - - - - - ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S e n i o r News & Times- May, 2000-
17
New Funeral Home Opens In Chatham
The Staab Polk Memorial Home
opened in February 2000, giving
Chatham its own funeral home for
the first time in more than 20 years.
The funeral home is located at 20 1
South Grand on Route 4, just south
of the fire station, )n the former True
Value hardware building. Several ·
features make it unique and one of
the ·most modern funeral homes in
central Illinois.
"I am excited about doing business
in Chatham, because I have been
serving the Chatham area for many
years and know the growing
community appreciates having this
service made available locally. Many
other funeral directors have looked at
Chatham but concluded it does not
have a viable market. I know it does.~·
said Staab Polk, the former president
of the Illinois Funeral Directors
Association. "In fact, our studies
indicate we will attract business not
Ask Paula
Paula Staab Polk
Dear Paula,
Why should I consider
preplanning a funeral?
Answer: ?replanning a funeral is one of .
the best ways to show you care.
?replanning takes the pressure off the
surviving family members. Your wishes
are mapped . out in a detailed manner,
which is a relief to most families. People
appreciate knowing exactly what the
deceased wanted, every angle of the
funeral has been covered to eliminate the
difficulty of trying to decide what you
wanted. It is a good idea to consider preplanning before an illness ever occurs.
Your family will be glad that you took
f are of this matter for them.
.\
only from Chatham, but from the
also a registered nurse and has a
surrounding area and Springfield as
license to offer pre-need
well."
arrangements for families. She was
Since she announced late last ·
the first woman president of the
summer the funeral home would be
Illinois Funeral Directors Association
established in Chatham, Staab Polk
(in 1992-93) and still serves on its
has spoken to numerous Chatham
board of directors.
groups and met with the
The Staab Polk Memorial Home is
a full-service funeral home, with two
community's clergy. She is available
to speak to organizations and church large visitation rooms, a parking lot
groups throughout Illinois.
for 100 cars, and a "selection room"
"The response has been
unique to this part of central Illinois.
overwhelmingly positive," Staab Polk
The selection room features
consumer-friendly displays, signs
said. "It's even better than I had
hoped it would be, and so I'm happy
and information panels with
the remodeling is complete and the
professional lighting and soothing
funeral home is open."
earth tones. It includes samples of
Staab Polk has assembled a staff of customization elements such as
four funeral directors and an office
embroidered interior casket panels
staff experienced in the funeral
and hardware selections with
religious, lifestyle and professional ·
service profession. "We will
emphasize personalized service
themes that help families say goodbye appropriately. Staab Polk said it
because we know that is what
is becoming more common for
families want," she said. Someone is
on call 24 hours a day, seven days a
families to help design funeral
services and rituals that memorialize
week. The funeral home's number is
483-9292.
the deceased person in a special way.
"I think I have to emphasize this is
That is why she customized the
selection room with the Meaningful
an independently owned and
operated funeral home and not a ·
Memories system that provides an
innovative way for families to see and
· branch of any other funeral home,"
Staab Polk said, "and so people have
select caskets and other products.
to call the Chatham home at the
Chatham has not had a funeral
home since the Southwick Funeral
Chatham number in order to get
service here."·
Home closed more than 20 years ago.
Staab Polk has been a licensed
It was located on the site now
funeral director for 19 years, working occupied by the United Community
in the Staab Funeral Home in
Bank.
Springfield as director of client family
"I think Chatham families
services and public education~ She is · appreciate having a funeral home in
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•
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\111 Polk Memorial Home
483-9292
Route 4 - P. 0 . Box 557
/ Chatham, Illinois 62629
RINGFIELD
ERRACE LTD
217-429-5126
Have additional questions?
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their own community again, because
it will be much closer to their homes,
to local churches and to the Chatham
Memorial Cemetery and other nearby
cemeteries," Staab Polk said. "Before
now, other communities' funeral
homes have been serving Chatham
families."
Staab Polk shares ownership of the
new funeral home with her husband
Dennis Polk, a Springfield developer
and businessman. They realized
considerable savings by remodeling
an existing building rather than
constructing a new building.
"I think it will surprise people how
beautiful the building is," Staab Polk
said. "It has the warm atmosphere of
an older building but all of the
conveniences of a newer building,
such as handicapped accessibility,
the selection room that will always be
open when the funeral home is open,
and convenient parking. The building
has much higher ceilings than it did
before and many windows that
provide natural lighting.
She said it is important that the
deceased person's wishes be carried
out to the extent possible. "What
better way to do that than to plan
your own funeral?" she said, noting
that pre-_a rrangements are becoming
more popular. "It eliminates a lot of
pressure for the remaining family and
friends."
,.....__
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Manor
Health Care Center
4 3 8 West North Street
Decatur, IL
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429;7265·