Gilliland Howe Funeral Home

Caring for you

With a focus on caring for the needs of the community, our Greensburg funeral home offers a full spectrum of tributes, from traditional funerals to cremation memorial services. We organize veteran services and help our military families design honorable tributes with respect and dignity. With state-of-the-art video, online guestbook and other customized options, we will design a personal and meaningful memorial service to meet all your request and considerations. We also work with a number of 3rd-party caterers who will let you customize a menu for your guests.

Trusted funeral provider

Gilliland Howe Funeral Home has a long reputation of trusted care in Decatur County. We understand the difficult loss of a loved one and have options designed to meet all your needs with comfort and compassion. We are a proud member of the Dignity Memorial® network, which offer bereavement travel assistance, a 24-hour helpline and more features to assist your family during the funeral planning process.

Call or visit

We're honored to be here when you need our guidance and service. Whether your need is immediate or for the future, call or visit to speak with our caring and capable staff.

History

Our funeral home's rich history began in 1900, when 2 brothers, Brazier and Bert Kirby, established the Kirby Funeral Home located in the historic Knights of Pythias Building, known as the "K. of P. Building," near downtown Greensburg on North Broadway Street.

In 1921, Charles Howe became associated with the Kirby brothers, forming the Kirby-Howe Funeral Home. By 1926, both Kirby brothers had passed away, leaving Charles to run the business. In 1929, Dallas Gilliland joined the business soon after graduating from the College of Mortuary Science in Indianapolis

Building a legacy

After nearly 40 years of serving Greensburg from the K. of P. Building, Charles purchased the spacious Harry Woodfill home on the corner of North and Broadway Streets. After extensive renovations of the large 2 1/2-story home, Charles and Dallas opened Greensburg's first-of-its-kind funeral home.

Dallas would marry Charles' daughter, Beaulah Mae, and become a business partner in 1942. After Charles' death in 1947, the Gillilands changed the name from Kirby-Howe Funeral Home to Gilliland-Howe Funeral Home. Dallas' son, Charles, joined him in 1962, after graduating from the same mortuary college as his father.

A new funeral home

A few short years later, the Gillilands acquired more land around the funeral home and broke ground on a state-of-the-art funeral home in southern Indiana, single story and handicap accessible. The new funeral home opened in 1968, on the same lot, but directly behind the old Woodfill home. After the funeral home opened and was fully functional, demolition began on the old Woodfill home to make way for the current carport and parking lot.

Dallas Gilliland passed away unexpectedly in October 1975, and Charles was left to carry on the business with the help of Carl Hellmich and Jack Fletcher. Gilliland-Howe ran the ambulance service for all of Decatur County until the late 1970s when Decatur County EMS was established.

Local management continues

Gilliland-Howe Funeral Home is now a member of the Dignity Memorial® network and managed by Leslie Asche-Thackery with the help of Braiden Ryle, both licensed funeral directors and embalmers and Greensburg natives.

Ongoing commitment

In his later years, Charles would stop by the location and was always pleased to see the same high standards his family set forth years ago still maintained today. Charles passed away on January 25, 2017, much to the sadness of all who loved and learned from his leadership. Though retired, Carl Hellmich still plays an active role at the funeral home and steps in when needed to help families in Decatur County.

The Gilliland-Howe Funeral Home staff is committed to your satisfaction. We take pride in the quality of our service and dedication to the wonderful community of Greensburg. Thank you for placing your trust and confidence in us.