Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of Tri-Cities. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Tri-Cities, Tennessee.
Is your business serving the residents of Tri-Cities? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpTri-Cities.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP# 23: A Legacy of Compassion: Inside Hux and Lipford Funeral Home
What makes Dan Lipford with Hux and Lipford Funeral Home a good neighbor?
Ever wondered what it's like to run a funeral home that has been a community cornerstone since 1905? Join us as Dan Lipford, owner of Hux and Lipford Funeral Home, shares his journey from a teenage novice to a seasoned funeral director imbued with empathy and dedication. Dan takes us through the myriad services offered by his family business, from cremations to ground burials, and how they've adapted to the evolving landscape post-COVID-19. You'll gain an intimate look at the love and compassion that drive this profession, debunking the common misconception that it's all about financial gain.
Outside the solemnity of his work, Dan's life is filled with vibrant passions like riding Harley Davidson motorcycles, attending car shows, and cheering for the University of Tennessee. He opens up about how personal losses have deepened his connection with the families he serves, making his role not just a job but a heartfelt commitment. If you cherish local businesses and the remarkable individuals behind them, this episode is an enlightening and touching conversation you won't want to miss. Plus, stay tuned as we encourage you to nominate your favorite local businesses for future episodes!
To learn more about Hux and Lipford Funeral Home go to:
Hux and Lipford Funeral Home
(423) 727-9221
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:All right, everybody, welcome to the Good Neighbors Podcast, do you? A lot of times, families are in need when they lose a loved one and are in need when they lose a loved one and it's a difficult thing to navigate through to get end-of-life services. But today I think you'll be excited to hear that we've got a very special guest with us who can help you with that. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, mr Dan Litford, who is the owner of Huck's and Litford Funeral Home. Dan, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you very much, skip, and thank you for having me yes sir, we're thrilled to have you.
Speaker 2:I know funeral service is something that everybody's got to go through, unfortunately, and so I know it's important to do that with a company that you trust and a company that you feel like cares about your family. So we're really excited to learn all about you and Hux and Litford. So can you tell us just a little bit about your company?
Speaker 3:Yes, sir, we started. Well, actually, the business has been here since 1905, and it's went through some generations and it's always been here. That's the thing that's important to me. You know, it's always been a bellwether in the community. 2017, I was able to purchase the business and we offer a full service from cremations to ground burials. We just try to honor the people's wishes and help them with these life changing challenges.
Speaker 2:Very good. I know, based on personal experience and just reading that after COVID, that a lot of folks delay having services or do cremation as opposed to actual graveside service. Can you talk a little bit about that? Is that the case?
Speaker 3:Well, actually now it's more back to the normalcy. Um, people have gotten gotten through past this covid deal and they're still taking precautions, you know, some of them will use masks, some of them will, um, you know, do virtual uh services. But it's gotten back to a lot more normal situation than it was during the COVID situation.
Speaker 2:Well, Dan, tell me, how did you get into?
Speaker 3:this business. I was hanging out with one of my friends His dad was actually the coroner here and also had the funeral home at that time and I went with them. On a death call there was a gentleman that had passed away in the woods here in the area. They needed some help. So I went with them and I just became fascinated with funeral service and started hanging out with them. I was 16 years old. And then he finally said well, if you're going to hang out here all the time, I'm going to give you a job. So I started working here when I was just 17, almost 18 years old. Oh wow, so I've been here since 1983.
Speaker 2:Wow, so you know what you're doing. Oh yeah, know what you're doing. Oh yeah, as far as in the industry, in the funeral home business, are there any myths or misconceptions that you can think of?
Speaker 3:Well, a lot of people think that just because you're in the funeral business, that you can wear nice shoes and have nice cars and everything like that. But it's certainly not that situation. You know, you're taught from an early age to polish those shoes and wash those cars and make the most of what you have to make a good appearance for the families and the people in the neighborhoods. But it's not. Funeral service is not about the money. Funeral service is about love and compassion for your neighbors.
Speaker 2:I couldn't agree more. I think that's I know. When my my mother passed away, you know, I wanted to do business with a funeral home that I thought cared about me and my family, and they did, and so we picked together so outside of work, the funeral home. Dan, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, I actually ride Harley Davidson motorcycles. I have old vintage cars. We enjoy going to car shows and things of that nature. I do go to Knoxville about every Saturday I can.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, there's a school there, right, it's the University of Tennessee. Yes, sir, that's right, that's right there. Right, it's the University of Tennessee. Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:That's right. That's right, okay, very good, you know it gets you out of here and gets you. You know, because you're so concentrated on making sure that everything's good for the families when you're here, it's just good to have a little bit of a break when you can't get away.
Speaker 2:And, buddy, that's a break. If you've never been to a ut fan, uh, ut game, uh, you need to go. It's. That is a an experience that I think everybody's got to go through, whether you're a tennessee fan or not. I'm definitely a tennessee fan, so yeah, um, so let's change gears a little bit. Can you describe in your personal life or or professional life, one hardship or life challenge that you rose above and can say now, say that because of it you're better off or stronger? Does anything come to mind?
Speaker 3:Well, I lost my mom at an early age. She passed away in 2007. She was having surgery and she passed away on the surgery table. It was unexpected. And then my dad also lost him to a tragedy. It was later in life, but it still gives you a empathy for families rather than just sympathy. You know you want people to be treated the way you wanted to be treated at that time and when you're sitting across the table from someone, it makes a big difference knowing that what they're going through you're able to know what they're going through. You're able to know what they're dealing with.
Speaker 2:I couldn't agree more Empathy is you've been through it I think it helps. It would help me guide me in how to treat other folks that I'm trying to comfort. So, very good. Well, Dan, please tell us one thing that they should remember what sets Hux and Litford apart from other funeral homes.
Speaker 3:Well, now you do have some places that they are only about money or numbers, large corporations or whatever. We are here. We keep the phones 24-7. We're here. If you want to call at 3 o'clock in the morning, I'll talk to you. It doesn't matter. We're here to make your journey through this situation a little better, and knowing your loved one is taken care of, that's the most important thing to me. Whenever someone comes in and they say, well, mom looks so good or Dad looks so good, it makes me feel good, that's worth all the money in the world. You can't buy that and you can't replace that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. How can our listeners learn more about Hucks and Lipford Funeral Home?
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 3:Well myself and Ann. We have the phones 24 hours a day. They can call us at 423-727-9221. We have a website that's HucksLipfordFHcom. We also have a Facebook page and, uh, we're here to answer any questions that we can about pre needs or anything like that at any time for them, even if it's three o'clock in the morning, it doesn't matter, I'll have somebody call me and say who have you got? And we'll we'll have a conversation. This one guy said, oh, I'm in Alaska, so this kind of early there. And I said, yeah, we just we just talked to them and it doesn't matter. You know that that's. We're there for them very good.
Speaker 2:Well, dan, you don't know how much I appreciate I'm sure our listeners appreciate you being on the show as well, and we wish you and hux and lupford funeral home, uh, just the best moving forward. Thank you so much for being on our show. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873.