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The process of laying a loved one to rest often involves reminiscing and reconnecting to compose a life history.
At Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne, an antique hearse now helps to bring back memories for families.
“Reminiscing about the past helps us understand how we are the people we have become,” Jeff Hartquist said. “It also shows us how to keep our loved and ones spirit alive as we move forward in life.”
A 1952 Packard Henney hearse recently emerged from a three-year restoration this summer to join the Hartquist fleet of funeral coaches.
“It was in pretty good shape overall,” Hartquist said on a sunny August afternoon when the Packard was displayed out front along Highway 75.
“But it needed some work. … The chrome had some pits, and the interior needed some work … and that whole hydraulic thing … We had to find someone to fix that.”
The hydraulics are among the many technical features that wouldn’t be expected in 1950s engineering.
A "three-way table" allows a casket to be unloaded from either side or from the back, which is helpful in tight-parking scenarios along church-front curbs in busy traffic.
The pull of a lever sends the platform slowly sliding out a side door. A button runs a hydraulic leveling system in the undercarriage that adjusts suspension to level the hearse if it’s parked on a hillside or over a curb.
“This is pretty cool, especially considering the time,” Hartquist said. “It even had power windows that ran on hydraulic cylinders.”
When the company built the “Nu-3-Way” side-servicing Packard Henney hearse, it proclaimed to be “for those that want the finest.”
Marketing materials in 1952 describe it as everything a distinguished funeral service would need.
“Yesterday's traditions of Henney craftsmanship are joined by tomorrow's preview of advanced engineering to bring you this most distinguished and conveniently appointed funeral car,” one sales brochure stated.
“It combines a degree of individuality and serviceability not found on any other funeral vehicle.”
How this particular Packard came to be salvaged and how it ended up in Luverne is a long and winding story, but its roots are with a funeral home in Pennsylvania.
A man by the name of Maurice Hart bought the Pennsylvania hearse for his funeral home in Huntsville, Indiana.
When Maurice died, his daughter sought someone who would value the coach and use it in the way her father had envisioned.
Her husband reached out to a dealership that connected them to Chad Oolman in Orange City, Iowa.
He and his father, Larry Oolman, are funeral directors who collect and show classic cars, including funeral coaches.
Chad mentioned to his colleague, Hartquist, that the antique hearse was available.
“I told him one day I thought this would be neat,” Hartquist said. “So Chad threw it out there to me, and I reached out to the family.”
And the rest is history.
Actually, it’s about history, according to Hartquist.
“The whole idea of why this is important is because it brings us back to 1952, back to the day,” he said.
“We have a lot of nice things about the present time, but one of the things we’re terrible at is we forget the value of relationships, and stopping and having storytelling and going back to that time.”
He said he tries to emphasize the importance of generational family ties in funeral services, and the antique Packard will drive home that point.
“The good stuff is when we sit down and we realize we’re important to each other,” Hartquist said.
“Funerals are not about giving us closure, but teaching us that we can move forward in our grief by providing a platform (tools and instruction) to begin our grief journey forward.”
He said having the 1952 Packard Henney hearse reinforces the importance of the past in helping us heal.
“I do that all the time with funeral services so if we can have something that promotes that, it’s perfect.”