Fee Celebrates 3 Years of Ownership at Storch Braund

Looking back over the last three years can make a man sentimental that is if you are Eric Fee. At the age of 35, Eric was lucky enough to find his dream job. “I always wanted to own my own business and yet fulfill my calling in ministry” states Fee, an ordained minister for over 15 years. “Storch Braund offers me both opportunities. I get to serve families by helping them celebrate and honor their loved ones and make decisions for the business that are in the best interest of our families, the community and my own family” says Fee.

The funeral home has seen a lot of changes over the past three years with one the most obvious being the change of ownership. Fee purchased the funeral home from Delbert Braund back in February, 2007. Braund faithfully served the funeral home as Director and owner for over 27 years. “Delbert made the transition easy for us. He took me under his wing and gave us the opportunity for business ownership, and I will always be grateful to him for that.” declares Fee. The funeral home has over 75 years of experience in serving families and the community. Today, they carry on the tradition of compassion, personal attention and professional services that began so long ago. “We have an amazing staff of caring individuals” states Fee. In addition to Eric Fee as Owner and Family Service Director, the firm has added Carie Pope as Funeral Director and Embalmer, Kristin Fee as Outreach Manager, Jack Kerns and Richard Rehmert as Family Service Assistants, and Mary Boone as an Administrative Assistant.

Fee indicated that one of the most important focuses for their funeral home is the service they provide. “Families can spend thousands of dollars with our firm and all they really leave with is the memory of that service. At Storch Braund, we have to make sure that their memories exceed any expectations they had for the celebration of their loved one’s life” declares Fee. To show how strongly they feel about that mission, they changed their purpose statement. “It will always be our family serving your family, because we are locally owned. However, we wanted to take it one step further, because for us it is all about ‘Celebrating Lives and Serving Families’” shares Fee.

The funeral home prides itself in exceptional family care. For them providing personal care, complimentary refreshments and attention to detail with every family served is a way of life. But the care doesn’t end when the service is over. Fee encourages his families that their relationship has only just begun. “I let our families know that we want to continue to be there for them in whatever way they need us” says Fee. “Whether it is completing their insurance paperwork so it can be expedited, connecting them with support through one of our partnerships, inviting them to our GriefShare program or calling and checking in with them, our relationship with our families is grounded in service” states Fee.

A unique service that Storch Braund offers is the Celebration of Life Memory Walk. “The service isn’t a literal walk, rather a mindset we encourage our families to embrace as they grieve and celebrate the life of their loved one” encourages Fee. The Celebration of Life Memory Walk is a process of selecting items for their loved one that will capture the spirit of the person they are celebrating. Storch Braund continues to add value to their services by implementing personal touches to the flowers, interesting information in the obituary, complimentary refreshments, and items lovingly sitting around at the visitation that speak of the life of their loved one. “We make sure to exceed our families’ expectations by finding out their favorite snacks, encouraging them to make our home their own by bringing in mementos that were special or even handmade by their loved ones. That is what the Celebration of Life Memory Walk is all about, our service to our families from beginning to end” shares Fee.

Storch Braund is grateful to the almost 120 families they have served over the last three years. “Without families choosing us to serve them, we wouldn’t be here” states Fee. “Our desire is that when you need us, we can be there for you. Our services are not limited to our chapel or New Madison. We will serve you where you are at, including anywhere in our community. Should you want a chapel or church setting, banquet hall, cremation or gravesite, large or small, we would be honored that you chose us” shares Fee. Over the last three years, Storch Braund has been blessed by partnering with numerous organizations to help serve their families. “I believe our partnerships are vital to our service. Churches like Castine Church of the Brethren, EUM Church, Cedar Grove and Lighthouse Christian Center have helped us facilitate some of the largest funerals in Darke County. They are a huge blessing in helping us serve our families and keep guests comfortable and out of the elements” says Fee. Storch Braund continues to look for new ways in which to partner with individuals and organizations that have the same focus of serving people and serving the community. “Partnerships are just one of the things that make our community great. In the end, it is really all about people helping people” encourages Fee.

For more information on their services such as pre-arranging, Celebration of Life Memory Walk, or GriefShare, please call Storch Braund Funeral Home at 996-1051.