With the consolidation of the Bierman, Benson & Langehough Funeral Home operation into one building on the south end of Division Street, the former Benson & Langehough facility has been closed and sold. This is a common procedure in virtually every business, but perhaps a more sensitive one for a building that holds so many emotional memories for so many people in the Northfield community.
As a recognition of the building’s significance, something likened to a visitation will be held for the building on March 14th.
St. John’s Lutheran Church Associate Pastor Jonathan Davis said after conversations with people who became quite emotional when discussing the closing, it was suggested that a formal recognition of the building’s significance was in order.
“In the church world, if a church closes or changes purposes, we talk about decommissioning the church. And so, we wanted to do something similar. I’m mindful that not everyone in our community is maybe a person of faith or a churchgoer, but this place still holds lots of meaning for the people of Northfield.”
Built in 1955 by the Anderson family who operated the Anderson Funeral Home, it was purchased by Duane Benson in 1971, and became the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home in 2001, when the business was purchased by Andy and Suzanne Langehough. In 2015, Langehough partnered with Jim Bierman and the Bierman funeral home. Both Duane Benson and Jim Bierman passed away in 2022. While Langehough continues his work as a full-time funeral director, Bryce Beckstrand has now purchased a controlling interest in the business, and the decision has been made to operate out of one facility.
Langehough said he will miss the building. Not for the bricks and mortar, but for the memories.
“For me, it’s not so much the representation of the building. It’s the sharing that went on in that building at the time. The sharing of the grief and the love and the happiness and the things that I was privileged to see, which are really represented by the physical structure of that building.”
The Celebration of Thanksgiving will be held on March 14th from 4:30-6pm at the former Benson & Langehough Funeral home at the intersection of 4th and Washington Streets. Langehough said there will be a brief ceremony at 5pm. All members of the community will be welcome.
