KILPATRICK FUNERAL HOMES
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n 1927, families who lost loved ones in Farmerville had to drive as far as Ruston or West Monroe for funeral services. Edgar and Effie Kilpatrick decided to change that and opened the first Kilpatrick Funeral Home early that year. Within just a few months, there were locations in Bernice and Ruston. Driven by a deep desire to be of service to their community and to minister in a family’s time of need, Kilpatrick Funeral Homes quickly became the “place for healing,” and the company’s reputation grew. Not long after they graduated, the couple’s sons, K.D. and Tex, joined the family business, marking the second generation of a Kilpatrick at the helm. Over the decades – and the company is rapidly approaching the 100-year mark, Kilpatrick Funeral Homes has continued to grow, with locations in Monroe, West Monroe, Farmerville and Ruston. Tex and K.D. bought their parents out shortly after a stroke sidelined their father, and by the 1950s, the company had expanded into a new industry: Life Insurance.
They purchased the charter for CALICO Insurance in the early 1950s, and for more than fifty years, they continued to grow the Central American Life Insurance Company. K.D. retired in 2001, leaving just Tex and his wife, Carole, at the helm of the company. The company continued to prosper under their leadership, and by 2007 Kilpatrick Funeral Homes decided they would enter the cemetery business. They purchased Twin City Memorial Gardens in 2007, and not long after rebranded the 27-acre facility Kilpatrick Serenity Gardens. In 2008, the Kilpatricks merged CALICO with another insurance company and redoubled their focus on continuing to grow the funeral home business. At that time, the company was the largest privately-owned life insurance and casualty company in Louisiana and Arkansas. “My father always taught us this business would draw us,” says Laura Kilpatrick Marchelos, the third generation of Kilpatricks to helm the business. “We’d come to it when we were ready.” Today, Laura continues to learn from her father and mother, who continue to play
active, vital roles in this northeast Louisiana institution. Laura became the president of the company after a successful career managing a jewelry company in New York City, where she met her husband, Zak. Laura and Zak work together in the business, where her father continues to serve as CFO and her mother is a fixture who hasn’t ceased in providing comfort to families who turn to Kilpatrick during times of loss. “The success of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes has been our dedication to being able to learn and to listen,” Laura says. For Laura, this time-tested business has a secret to continuing to thrive and grow. “You also have to be able to change with the times – and the funeral business does change.” Whether it’s purchasing a cemetery or changing the way people think and plan for their final arrangements, Kilpatrick remains at the fore of helping individuals and their loved ones navigate the complexities of passing. They’ve recently purchased another cemetery in Ruston, and the future is very bright for Kilpatrick. WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM | MARCH 2018 161