Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home

An inclusive New Orleans funeral home

Because the New Orleans area is a wonderfully diverse place, Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home serves families of all faiths and cultures. We work with you to incorporate your preferred religious or cultural traditions into the memorial service. Leitz-Eagan was among the first funeral homes in the New Orleans area to offer a full Catholic Mass in its chapel.

Chapels for every need

Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home’s plant-filled atrium with a fountain makes a beautiful first impression on all of our visitors, whether they come here to make funeral arrangements or attend a memorial service. Every room in the funeral home, from the chapel and parlors to arrangement rooms and reception area, is designed to make guests feel comfortable and welcome.

Our large and spacious chapel holds approximately 200 attendees seated in pews. Traditional in design, the chapel has stained-glass windows, a pulpit and an organ. If you would like organ music during a service, we can help you select an organist.

The chapel is simply and tastefully decorated. That is purposeful, as we encourage families to personalize the space with photos and mementos. Every memorial service should be as unique as the person it honors, so we work with families to design a space that best reflects the life being celebrated.

In addition to the chapel, Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home has four parlors with sofas and chairs for a reception-type setting. Each parlor can accommodate around 100 people, but two rooms can be combined for larger visitations. During an extremely large funeral or visitation, speakers throughout the building ensure overflow guests hear every word.

Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home also offers on-site catering and a large reception area for gatherings before or after services. In the case of inclement weather, the funeral home has a porte-cochere.

We celebrate life

Every person has a life story. How will yours be remembered? At Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, we are skilled storytellers. When you meet with us, we’ll listen carefully to learn everything we can about your loved one and then take all of the things that make him or her unique and create a one-of-a-kind memorial.

If she was a Mardi Gras queen in her youth, we can transform our chapel into a festive parade with beads, feathered masks and confetti. Maybe Cajun cooking was his specialty. We can serve gumbo or jambalaya or even have a crawfish boil. Of course, if you prefer a more traditional funeral service or qualify for a funeral with military honors, we are happy to do that too.

There are thousands of ways to celebrate life. All it takes is a little imagination.

History

In 1854, German immigrant Ambrose Leitz opened a cabinet shop two blocks from the Mississippi River in New Orleans. In search of a better life and economic opportunity, he found hardship in the city's humid climate, which brought mosquitoes and yellow fever.

At that time, people turned to cabinet makers when they needed coffins. With those requests, Ambrose began the businesses that have become the oldest and largest family-managed funeral home and life insurance companies in New Orleans.

For six generations, the Leitz family—and, later, the Eagan family—taught their sons and daughters the traditions of caring for and meeting the needs of people in times of grief.

A family tradition takes hold

After Ambrose’s death in 1879, his widow, Louise, built the family business over the next 30 years. “Widow Leitz,” as she was called, had the finest funeral carriages and livery stables in New Orleans. When she died in April 1911, The Daily Picayune reported that she was “one of the best known and most picturesque figures … a woman whose mission in life was to alleviate distress as far as her power lay.”

Fred Leitz, Ambrose and Louise’s son, added embalming and parlor room services to the funeral home. He also moved the funeral home to larger facilities in the area of the city known as the Irish Channel.

When Fred died, his daughter, Agatha, took over with her husband, Charles J. Eagan Sr., and their business became the Leitz-Eagan Companies.

The next generation grows the business

Agatha and Charles were active in charitable and civic affairs. All five of their sons served in the U.S. military and later joined their father to build the business into three funeral homes and three insurance companies. They also continued their parents’ civic involvement and service.

Upholding a legacy

Since the deaths of the fourth-generation brothers, the fifth and sixth generations of the family have been active in the management and operation of the funeral homes. The flagship funeral home, located at Magazine and Phillip, closed in 1992, but Leitz-Eagan’s service continues.

Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home in Metairie has cared for families in the East Jefferson and New Orleans areas since 1968, maintaining an unrivaled reputation for excellence. In 2001, Leitz-Eagan expanded its Westbank presence by merging with the former Westside Funeral Home in Marrero. In 2014, Leitz-Eagan celebrated its 160th year, making it one of the older continuously operating funeral homes in the country.

We care about the New Orleans community

New Orleans is a big city, but we don’t let that stop us from getting to know our neighbors. Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home is a member of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and works with several area churches on events, including several Catholic parish fairs. In addition, we hold community memorial services in the spring and winter and invite anyone who wishes to honor lives lost to attend.

Contact us

We know that losing a loved one is difficult. We're here for you when you need us. Call us anytime day or night.