About Us
About Thompson-Geesey Funeral Homes
Welcome to Thompson-Geesey Funeral Homes, a place where care, dignity, and respect are at the heart of what we do. For years, we have been a pillar in the community, offering a serene and compassionate environment for families to commemorate their loved ones.
Our History
The Thompson Funeral Home got its start in 1937 in Montpelier when Gene
Thompson purchased a residence on Main Street, which is the current location.
An addition to the home was made almost immediately after he purchased it.
Another addition was done in 1953 making it possible to have two viewing areas
and a casket selection room.
Then in 1941 Gene purchased the funeral home in Pioneer from Hoy Myers. At
that time the business was located on Baubice Street where Jim’s Gym is
currently located. Later the business was moved to First Street where it remains
today.
Gene and his wife Edla operated the two funeral homes for 40 years when at that
time their son Jim purchased the two homes from them. Gene continued to be
involved with the business for a number of years after he sold it to his son,
making it to over 50 years of service.
From 1979 until 2014 Jim and his wife Janice operated the two funeral homes.
Additional properties were acquired to provide both funeral homes with ample
parking.
In 1991 Jim Thompson and Norman Geesey became partners. Together they
worked to serve the families of Montpelier and Pioneer, as they had done for
many years.
Then in 2002, Jim and Janice’s son Nathan joined the family business making him
the third generation of Thompson’s to operate the funeral home. Nathan brings
to the funeral business knowledge of new and innovative ideas and a good
repoire with families through their loss.
In 2012 Norman Geesey passed away. The Thompson family purchased the
Wilson-Geesey Funeral Home on Empire Street from the Geesey family. The
funeral home became known as the Thompson-Geesey Funeral Home, Empire
Chapel.
In 2013 Lauren (Burkett) Oxender joined the firm as a funeral director /
embalmer. Having grown up with a family member also in the funeral business,
Lauren has gained a passionate understanding for the industry, which allows her
to serve the families of our community during the difficult time of losing a loved
one.
Jim and Janice retired in 2014, and Nathan and Tashia purchased the three
funeral homes. Jim and Janice continue to be involved in the business.
In October 2021 after 89 years, the Thompson-Geesey Funeral Home, Empire
Chapel was sold to its 9th owners, and it is now a private residential home.
Online Memorial
We can create a customized, online memorial for you to share with family and friends. The memorial includes the obituary and any photographs you wish to provide. It will serve as a place for visitors to post condolences, share memories, upload photos, and light candles in honor of your loved one.
Tribute Video
We can produce a personal tribute video that can be played at the service and online. Simply provide us with the photographs you want to include and we will transform them into a video celebration of your treasured memories. DVDs or USB thumb drives of the video are also available.
Ordering Flowers
We make it easy for friends and family to send flowers to your home or service to honor your loved one. We have partnered with local florists to offer the convenience of ordering directly from the obituary page of our website. You can also use this feature to select the flowers you would like at the service. This is a secure way to choose beautiful arrangements from the privacy and comfort of your home.
Sharing Service Details
We reduce the stress of contacting those who need the details of the service for your loved one. We post the dates and times of the service as part of the online memorial on our website. You can then either share the memorial on your Facebook or X page or copy the details from the site into an email or text. Both options give you the peace of mind that you have provided the necessary information to those who need it.