A family has found their forever home in the form of a former funeral home, with its embalming room and casket showroom still intact.
Ashley Berken, 39, lives in Wisconsin with her wife, Beth, and their four children, and were on the hunt for a house big enough for their family as well as two home offices.
Berken, an executive director, says they toured several houses and didn’t find the perfect fit—until they came across a “beautiful 4,500-square-foot Victorian,” which was right at the top of their budget for $300,000.
“There are five bedrooms, but the master suite is kind of like two rooms. I call it my mom sanctuary,” Berken told Newsweek.
There was a twist, however—this home had previously been used as a funeral home, which they didn’t realize until they “noticed the ramps in the garage for body transport.”
“That night, I searched through local historical pages and confirmed that it was indeed a former funeral home,” Berken told Newsweek—and described it as “my absolute dream come true!”
As a young girl, Berken had loved the classic coming-of-age movie My Girl, which revolved around a girl whose home doubles as a funeral home as her father works as a funeral director.
As she put it: “There’s something deeply special to me about a place that holds so much history and love, where for decades, people gathered to share memories of loved ones. It feels like this house has a heart and a story of its own.”
Having previously lived in a “small, 1,000-square-foot home,” Berken admits she doesn’t believe they could have afforded this house on this street if it hadn’t previously been a funeral home, “as some people are a bit wary of the idea.”
“But for us, it’s been a dream—our kids, pets—two wiener dogs and three cats— and plants are thriving in this home.”
Funeral homes provide facilities for the funeral or memorial service, as well as organizing cremation and burial arrangements and embalming, dressing and casketing the deceased, according to Earth Funeral.
And while living in a former funeral home might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Berken has gained a large online following as she shows off the new property and the work they’re doing to it, from roof repairs to plumbing.
In one video to her TikTok account, @thefuneralhomehouse, on May 16, Berken showed off the embalming room and casket showroom with a ramp leading to their kitchen.
“This is where the bodies were wheeled from the garage,” she explained, before heading into the former embalming room, which still contains the original sink which would have been used to drain body fluids into the plumbing system.
While she’s not entirely sure what she will do with the sink, or the room itself, she pointed out the “great light” the room gets, and suggested it would be great to grow and repot plants in the winter.
The next room she showed was the former casket showroom, which she plans to turn into a “hangout space” for the kids, particularly as they get older.
Berken’s video was viewed more than 640,000 times, with people from all walks of life commenting on the clip to give their two cents.
One, who identified themselves as a funeral director, said: “Most old prep rooms give me the creeps but this one seems like such a safe space. I cannot wait to see the future decor! You’re bringing life back into the home.”
“Embalmer here and I think the greenhouse idea is awesome! Definitely keep the sink,” another said, while one wrote: “I’m a paranormal lead investigator and would recommend a proper spiritual cleansing with white sage and prayer to move on possible spirits that have not crossed over before attempting refurbishing.”
Others weren’t as enthusiastic, one writing: “Respectfully… immediately no,” and another declaring: “This feels like the beginning of a good horror movie.”
And as one put it: “Does this come with free invisible friends who only appear at night?”
But Berken told Newsweek: “While I don’t associate spirits with hauntings or jump scares, if there is any presence here, it’s all positive energy and love.
“Though, I will admit, we’ve had a few large items mysteriously disappear!”
Her quickly-growing audience has helped her learn some of the history of the house, with Berken revealing she had connected with a woman who had grown up in the house when her father ran the funeral home.
“She shared childhood stories of playing in the casket showroom and her memories of the house, which has made me love it even more.”
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