Today, while perusing the local thrift store, I spotted a book with a white and gold textured cover. Upon picking it up and inspecting it, I discovered that it was something very unique. This book was an unused memorial book from a funeral home called the Pim Funeral Home that once operated in Wooster, Ohio. The illustrations are in pale, pastel colors that are reminiscent of the 1940s or 1950s:
Turning the pages of this book revealed poems by Alfred Tennyson, William Cullen Bryant, John G. Whittier, and other anonymous authors, as well as passages from the Bible. All of these passages focus on the nature of death as a part of life that should not be feared:
An article in the Akron Beacon Journal in the 1970s about the home itself reads as follows:
“Built in 1860 by a Civil War captain, George P. Emrich, this house on N. Market Street in Wooster has retained its basic design over the years. It now is the Pim-Endres Funeral Home and is owned by James and Patricia Endres. The outside walls of the house are 23-inch solid masonry, and the inside walls and partitions are the originals. The third floor was once a ballroom. It is known as the Anna house, named for William and Vinnie Harper Annat, the second owners, who at one time were active in local and state Republican politics.”
The home still stands, and it is a grand, white Victorian mansion that is now home to a law office. I am not sure when the home stopped being a funeral home, but this was a cool discovery that helped me learn about a home in my community that I’ve always been interested in!
