Alpine Memorial Funeral Home will soon be offering a new chapel to better serve families, all while continuing to provide a lasting tribute and honor the legacy of departed loved ones.

Two of the caring and experienced professionals at the funeral home are Funeral Director Joe Denham and Manager Larry Cordova.

Originally from Central Texas, Denham has been with the funeral home for six years, and Cordova since 2000 when it was called Geeslin Funeral Home. Joining Denham and Cordova is Area Manager Bill Vallie.

Funeral directors are there to support families during a difficult time as they grieve the loss of a loved one, and they offer a range of personalized services that suit the family’s wishes. Denham said Alpine Memorial Funeral Home was among the oldest businesses in Alpine, and plans for a new chapel had been in the works for about four years.

“We did several sketches and drawings,” said Denham. “In our area, construction is expensive, and we wanted something where we could not have to affect our prices, but could offer more for families. For years, Larry had been wanting something, but it kept getting pushed off.”

They discussed the possibility of a new funeral home location, but instead decided on the chapel construction. Remodeling the existing chapel has been done in the past, but nothing had been done to expand.

“There were times we had two or three visitations going on, pre-COVID, and we didn’t have room to provide adequate services to our families,” said Denham.

He and Cordova thoroughly discussed what type of chapel the community might want. Last year, the plans started to come together, and the chapel will provide 2,500 square feet of space, with a modern light and airy feel, a beautiful foyer, two bathrooms, and a porch out front where families could visit in a comfortable setting. It is slated to open around May 1.

Denham and the staff at Alpine Memorial Funeral Home continue to take pride in caring for families in their time of need, and the chapel will help fulfill that role.

“This is a huge undertaking in a funeral home - giving families a proper facility for them to feel comfortable and for them to feel they are saying a proper goodbye to their loved ones,” said Denham. “We want them to feel comfortable, to feel at peace, to feel they did everything they possibly could to honor the legacy of their loved ones. This is an act of love for this community, and for the Tri-County citizens we serve.”