Local Funeral Home Honored As Family-Owned Business Of The Year

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes have been named the Family-Owned Business Of The Year by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

They have been in business for over 150 years.

Blake Brown is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the business. He says he knew at a young age that he wanted to be a funeral director.

Brown says the funeral business has changed a lot over the years.

I remember as a kid, we would have at least four visitations a night at the funeral home. It was always a two-day thing. Pretty much everyone was in a casket, and it was a two-day service. Now, it's changed to a one-day thing, and cremation is more popular.

Brown's mom, Deb Dingmann, and his uncle Doug Dingmann Jr. operate the business now.

His younger brother Ben and his cousin Abby are both students at the University of Minnesota and are expected to graduate next spring before joining the business. The U of M remains the state's only school offering a mortuary science degree.

The Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Homes have nine locations with 35 full-time employees.

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Earlier this month, they were honored along with the other chamber award winners at a luncheon at the Park Event Center.

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