Evans Funeral Home: History

Founded in 1949

Our location at 314 E. Main Street was built in 1880. The building was updated in 1949 where Earl Kubach purchased the home and located a casket room on the second floor of their residence. The Kubach Funeral Home was then sold to Jim and Louise Smith in 1956. Their son, Lee Smith, joined them in 1980 as a funeral director and their daughter, Nancy Gelvin, took the position as office manager in 1988.

The Kubach-Smith funeral directors reopened the Charles Harvey Funeral Home in North Fairfield, later closing it.

The Smith family also purchased the Rawle Funeral Home in Milan, renaming it to Rawle-Kubach-Smith, which is now operating as a branch of Groff Funeral Home in Sandusky. In 1989, the acquisition by the Smith's of Heaston-Gerber Funeral Home in Norwalk, and Gerber Funeral Home in Wakeman was completed. The funeral homes were merged, and the Smith name added to their new locations.

In 1994, the Smith family sold their four locations to a company in Texas, Carriage Services. Unfortunately, locals did not embrace the noticeable change in personal service and increased prices.

In 2000, Carriage Services sold to Leon Groff, and was managed by John Evans. The Heaston-Gerber-Smith Funeral Home, was renamed Evans & Groff - Benedict Chapel, and it was later consolidated with the Evans & Groff Funeral Home (formerly the Kubach-Smith Funeral Home) in 2003.

In 2003, the former Gerber-Smith Funeral Home in Wakeman was sold, and operated by the Morman family. The Milan location continues to be owned by Groff Funeral Homes in Sandusky, along with Meadow Green Memorial Park, Huron.

Today, the Evans Family owns the Norwalk location. John Evans and his wife, Jennifer, took full ownership June 2005 and continue a long and proud history of service to the Norwalk area since 1949. In addition to the Evans family, we have an excellent staff of dedicated individuals.