A Century of Service

The Settle-Wilder Funeral Home and Cremation Service has been at the same location at 406 S. Orange Street since it was founded in 1931. Mr. Willis Settle and his wife Florene opened and ran the funeral and ambulance business as Settle Funeral Home, establishing a tradition of quality service based on caring for others and attention to detail.

Original Settle Funeral Home with Ambulance/Hearse in front.

In 1965,when the Settles' retired, T.C. Wilder, Jr., who had worked at the funeral home since 1948, purchased it and changed the name to Settle-Wilder.He and his wife, Nancy, continued the tradition of service while instituting new ideas that reflected the changing times. After 32 years of serving the community, T. C. needed to slow down because of his health. He considered selling to one of the "chain operations" but felt that they wouldn't continue the tradition of service that the community was accustomed to and deserved.

T. C. Wilder, October 1966

A long came Walter Johnson, a young funeral director who saw funeral service not as a job, but as a calling. T.C. liked what he saw and on July 1, 1980, Walter took over the responsibility of continuing the tradition of service. Through the years, Settle-Wilder Funeral Home and Cremation Service has adapted to the times, moving from the old traditional funeral service to the more modern and customized service. One thing that did NOT change was the heritage of caring that began in 1931.

Walter C. Johnson , July 23, 1980

The legacy and tradition of Settle-Wilder continues with the long-term management team taking the reins to deliver the same personal, caring, professional service we have provided our beloved community for almost 100 years.