McGilley & Frye Funeral Home & Cremation Service

A focus on local care

The McGilley and Frye families have been providing funeral and cremation services since 1897. Over the years, we've maintained a commitment to area families while responding to the changing needs of our community.

Inside McGilley and Frye Funeral Home and Cremation Service, you'll find a large chapel that can accommodate up to 200 guests, a private family room and a music room. These options ensue you have suitable space to gather with friends and family. Additionally, our funeral home team will welcome you with understanding and compassion and guide you through the entire funeral planning process.

We honor veterans

At McGilley and Frye Funeral Home, we understand the unique needs of America’s veterans and their families. As a Level Two Founding Community Partner with We Honor Veterans, our staff is knowledgeable in the benefits available to veterans and their families. With respect, integrity and dignity, we will walk you through the steps of creating a veteran's memorial service that truly honors the life and sacrifice of your loved one.

Personalized funeral services

With a focus on personal touch, our funeral and cremation services are designed to meet your family's needs and respect your loved one's wishes. We know how difficult it is to lose a loved one and have options that allow you to celebrate their legacy—in both traditional and non-traditional styles. Our funeral home services offer you quality, value and exceptional customer satisfaction.

Contact us

Everyone at McGilley and Frye Funeral Home and Cremation Service welcomes you with open arms and the care you expect from a locally operated funeral home. We consider it an honor to serve you, so please contact us if we can assist with your funeral or cremation services, whether at the time of need or when planning ahead.

History

In 1912, W.L. Frye moved with his wife, Ivy V. Frye, and 2 sons, W.L. Frye, Jr. and Martin W. Frye, to Olathe, Kansas, establishing his furniture and undertaking business at the location now occupied by the Olathe Post Office.

In 1929, W.L. Frye and Sons established Olathe Funeral Home as the first licensed funeral home in Johnson County at our present location. The Olathe community welcomed the funeral home, as more than 2,000 guests attended the open house. After many years of service to the community, an air-conditioned chapel with a seating capacity of 200, as well as a private family room and music room were added to the original structure in 1949.

Frye was also a chemist, manufacturing and selling Majestic Embalming Fluid in 8 states. He passed away in 1963 in Olathe at the age of 84 as the oldest licensed embalmer in the state of Kansas.

Our Family Tradition Continues

Martin W. Frye, better known to most Olathe residents as Hank, was born July 31, 1910 in Edgerton. He joined his father in the active management of the funeral home in 1931. With the exception of 3 years spent serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Hank Frye provided Olathe and surrounding communities with the same high standards of funeral service established by his father.

A graduate of Olathe High School and Williams Institute of Embalming of Kansas City, Hank held licenses in both Kansas and Missouri. Active in community affairs, he served as both president of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and the Olathe Optimist Club.

Under his direction, W.L. Frye and Son Funeral Home continued to build a reputation that inspired the confidence of the families we served. In 1978, our funeral home underwent extensive remodeling with the addition of a warmly decorated visitation chapel and a brick front exterior. Hank passed away in 1996 at the age of 86.

Present Day

In 2002, the McGilley family added W.L. Frye and Son Funeral Home to McGilley Memorial Chapels. This addition combined more than 200 years of experience, tradition and trust within McGilley and Frye Funeral Home & Cremation Service.

As a locally-operated funeral home in Olathe, we’re here to serve you and your family for many years to come. We are also a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, offering exclusive benefits, compassionate care and personalized service.